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Multicultural education in the classroom
Multicultural education in the classroom
Multicultural education in the classroom
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There are many fairy tales that are well known to a majority of American youths. Most children are familiar with the basic structure of the fairy tale. They will tell you that there is usually a problem, a villain, a hero and a lesson to be learned in the end. Using the familiar platform of a fairy tale is a great way for teachers to introduce multiculturalism to the classroom. Multicultural literature can positively shape awareness of different cultures. It is important for the teacher to make certain the literature chosen does not promote bias or stereotypes. In this reflection I will examine Lon Po Po A Red-Riding Hood Story From China by Ed Young. By comparing and contrasting the story of Lon Po Po with the version of Little Red Riding Hood most familiar to them children will learn about some of the similarities and differences among American and Chinese culture. The illustrations in Lon Po Po are done in a panel style. They are dark with some blurry images making some pictures hard to see enhancing the scary parts of the story. Lon Po Po is set in the Chinese countryside. It is the mother that makes the journey to grandmother’s house leaving behind her three young daughters. Since the mother will not return until the next day the girls are told to go inside at sunset and latch the door. The clever wolf saw that the girls were alone, and impersonated the grandmother Po Po to trick the children to let him inside. From the start the oldest child Shang was very suspicious, were the younger two Tao and Paotze were very excited to see Po Po and quickly opened the door. Shang continued to question Po Po with things in which she found very suspicious about, like her foot having a bush on it, or her hands having tho... ... middle of paper ... ... about their children, and give them instructions in the hope to keep them safe. The differences in the stories are where the students will begin to understand and appreciate the Chinese culture. They will learn that the Chinese may not react to a situation in the same way, and emotions may be expressed differently. The children in Lon Po Po did not show fear, or excitement in killing the wolf. They may notice that there was a social order where the oldest was the leader and the younger children listened, followed along, and worked very well together. Students may infer that there is a different expectation on Chinese children to use their wit to solve their own problems without help from the outside. It is the hope that the students will understand the differences in the stories, positively shaping awareness of different cultures and eliminating stereotypes.
Judy Fong-Bates’ “The Gold Mountain Coat” discusses the childhood of the narrator who is a Chinese immigrant living in Canada. The narrator, even at a young age, possesses such admirable keen observation as she is able to notice the environment and even the situation of people around her. Living in a small town that is “typical of many small towns in Ontario” with only one Chinese family neighbor, the narrator is the only Chinese child. With the nearing day of arrival of John’s family, the narrator feels uneasy of her new responsibilities.
The transition from childhood to adulthood can be challenging. There are many things to learn and let go. Sometime teenagers can dramatize certain events to make themselves seem defenseless. Amy Tan, Chinese-American author, makes her Chinese Christmas seem insufferable. In Tan’s passage “Fish Cheeks”, Tan uses diction and details to exemplify the indignity caused by her Chinese culture.
This is evident in the persistence of elderly characters, such as Grandmother Poh-Poh, who instigate the old Chinese culture to avoid the younger children from following different traditions. As well, the Chinese Canadians look to the Vancouver heritage community known as Chinatown to maintain their identity using on their historical past, beliefs, and traditions. The novel uniquely “encodes stories about their origins, its inhabitants, and the broader society in which they are set,” (S. Source 1) to teach for future generations. In conclusion, this influential novel discusses the ability for many characters to sustain one sole
219-224. Library Services Institutefor Minnesota Indians. Guidelines for Evaluating Multicultural Literature: 1970, pp. iv-v. Norton, Donna. 'Through the Eyes of a Child. Prentice Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffes, New Jersey: 1995.
For the first course objective, throughout different lessons in the course, I learned that not all cultures are the same or have the same values. In older European countries when Grimm’s brothers collected and told stories, the society was patriarchal which is reflected in the fairy tales as well. The girls are passive, damsels in distress, who are unable to save themselves but instead they need to wait for the man to help them. Nevertheless, in different tales like Tatterhood which was created at a later time, women have been given more power and they are active. Furthermore, another major difference between different cultures (American vs. Jewish, Mexican, African, Islamic) is the endings. The American stories, along with the other fairy tales always have a happy ending, while the Islamic stories and the Jewish stories differ from that in the sense that they do not have “happy ending.” Native American fairy tales along with Aboriginal fairy tales were unique stories that delineated cultures that not everyone has had exposure to. Each of these cultures was similar in the sense that they focused on nature loving...
All women are too sensitive! All Mexicans are illegal immigrants! If you’re from the South, then you are ignorant! Most people have heard at least one of these stereotypes pertaining to a certain group. Some people believe them whilst others do not. American Born Chinese illustrates three stories depicting the custom of stereotypes surrounding society: “The Monkey King”, the story of Monkey King’s thirst for infinite power, and his quest for atonement; “Jin Wang”, the story an awkward boy who tries to “fit in” the community around from but constantly fails; and “Danny”, the story about a high schooler who feels uncomfortable by his stereotypically negative Chinese cousin Chin-Kee. In this day-and-age, stereotypes are what bring people together, and stereotypes are what set people apart. To be ignorant of stereotypes would be a disastrous event as one would consequentially be ignorant to the prejudices engulfing them daily. Even though this causes problems throughout different communities, the way some individuals choose to address stereotypes is through laughter. From start to finish the graphic novel, American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang purposefully satirizes Asian stereotypes in hopes that the reader opens up to the fact that stereotypes are indeed existent in today’s society.
The role of humor and the use of graphics are similar in both a graphic memoir Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and a graphic novel American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. Persepolis is a graphic memoir of a young girl named Marjane that grew up in Iran when the Islamic revolution was occurring. Satrapi throughout her graphic memoir novel is able to interpret her own personal struggles growing up in a world of tragedies and fitting in society. American Born Chinese is a graphic novel that contains three stories. The main character of the first story is Monkey King. Monkey King is a monkey god with fascinating powers but his problem is certainly being a monkey. Jing Chang is the main character of the second story. Jing Chang is a boy that is new in school and is the only Asian in his class. The main character of the third story is Danny an all American boy. Danny appears to live a normal life but there is a problem which is his immensely stereotypical cousin Chin-Kee. Yang throughout his graphic novel is able to interpret struggles such as: fitting in, culture, and assimilation. In both Persepolis and American Born Chinese the authors illustrate the difficulty of assimilation because of their Iranian and Asian culture in this case. By analyzing the role of humor and the use of graphics one could argue that humor and graphics are well illustrated in both Persepolis and American Born Chinese, which are also used similarly. This is significant because without the role of humor or the use of graphics both of these books would not have been a success.
In American Born Chinese, three separate stories are told by author Gene Luen Yang. Each story uses different plot elements to connect with the reader’s emotions. In Jim Wang’s story of a school boy trying to fit in, foreshadowing is used. In Danny’s story of a popular teenage boy whose Chinese cousin embarrasses him, conflict is present. Finally, in the Monkey King’s story about a god trying to earn his place in the heavens inciting incidents are used. Overall, Yang succeeds in telling all three stories with these plot elements.
This overwhelming amount of cultural information is closely woven into the plot, which combined allows the reader to, without realizing it, understand and remember facts about Chinese ways. Immediately the reader is wrapped up in a world where polygamy and polytheism are commonly accepted practices, and where all customs are believed to be practical. As the story unwinds, the reader is bombarded with all these multicultural facts, and virtually without realizing it, he or she is exposed to a wealth of information. Not only cultural but also political and social events are presented throughout the book. The war between China and Japan is constantly mentioned, remaining in the background during most of the book.
Myths and tales are commonly shared across different cultures in versions that are slightly different from each other. Minor changes are made to the story to customize the tale to a more relatable version for the people reading it. Here in this paper two versions of the Cinderella tale will be compared: the German Brothers Grimm fairy tale, “Aschenputtel”, and the Vietnamese folk version, “Tam and Cam”, retold by Vo Van Thang and Jim Larson. The two stories follow the same Cinderella framework and elements, however, the differences of the stories reflects the values of the culture who created that version of Cinderella.
..., Maria. “An Introduction to Fairy Tales.” Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. Ed. Laurence Behrens, Leonard J. Rosen. Toronto: Longman, 2013. 230-235. Print.
As a future teacher one hope to offer a classroom with enticing challenges for student on all types of learning styles. Have being interested in folk literature since a child, especially stories about princes on horses, and bad people getting what they deserve in the end. I considered how to approach this topic in the classroom. What are the ways of introducing folk literature in to the classroom? As a teacher, one needs to be aware of the standards and banned books within the district.
Young, Ed. Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China. New York: Philomel Books. 1989.
I am writing this paper because I was assigned to write it as a class project. Along the way I realized the importance of sharing the real meanings of all these stories. Stories are important because in the society we live in things are constantly changing. Fairytales change but the base of the story always remain the same no matter how many times it has been retold. It’s important to reveal the true meanings of these stories, even with its dark characteristics, because the world is dark .Children need to know that there are people that have told stories relatable to what they are going through. Fairytales help the development of children; it helps their maturity as they confront someone else’s tough situations, instilling hope of a more positive ou...
When you where a kid did your parents ever tell you stories about your culture or about your family’s values? Chances are they where telling you a folk tale. Folk tales are stories passed down usually by word of mouth but often they are written down. Folk tales teach a valuable life lesson while entertaining the reader or in some cases the listener. This essay will give examples of three folk tales and go into depth on how they teach lessons and still remain entertaining for children and even adults.