Joanne Park
Personally, I don't have trouble identifying myself as either 100% Korean of Korean-American in the US because I don't feel the need to draw the distinct line between those two cultures and it is easier for me to think that I have both of the cultures, not one or the other.
It is easier fot me to decide which culture or the background of my identity is more dominating in the US than in Korea. In America, where people are more opened to diversity, it is easy for me to say that I have both Korean and American identity. However, it is more difficult for me to define my identity in Korea, where it isn't so diverse, because I'm not the "typical" Korean; I'm the Americanized Korean. So referring back to Refugee Ship, it is possible for me to describe myself as the ship that never docks since I'm stuck in the middle too. But unlike the author, I have a sense of belonging.
I certainly agree that the way one grows affects his understanding of himself. Even though the author was grown up in America, she could have had Hispanic cultures within herself if she were exposed to her parents' culture while she was growing up. I see myself as both Korean and American because I grew up being taught that it is important to accept both of the cultures that were exposed to me, not one or the other.
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I was thinking in class the other day - why would a family choose not to impress their culture upon their children? My guess is that for the author, Hispanics were seen as a minority group, one that her parents didn't want her to identify with. But then there are others who support the tradition of their culture, as is evident in our cities' Chinatowns and ethnic festivals. So where does the line lie between shame for one's ethnicity and cultural pride?
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting question and being someone whose family assimilated to American culture over a century ago, I'm not sure I would be able to give a good answer since I haven't personally been in a situation like that.
ReplyDeleteHowever, my cousins who live in Belgium adopted two children from Ethopia several years ago and have tried to instill some sense of Ethiopian identity in them. They gave them traditional Ethiopian names and have taken the children back to Ethiopia several times so that they could see the country where they were born. Despite this, the children have long forgotten their native language (and replaced it with French, Flemish, Dutch, and English) and I'm fairly certain that they would identify themselves as Belgians rather than Ethiopians.
I haven't talked to my cousins in a while, but I would be curious now to ask them about how their children's country of origin has influenced how they raised them.
-Bryce Cody
Also in response to the question posed in the first comment, I remember that my cousin used to be friends with a little girl whose family had immigrated from Mexico. My cousin used to tell me about how this girl was discouraged from speaking Spanish in her home. Her parents' reasoning was that the more "Americanized" their children were, the more likely they were to succeed in America. While I don't really agree with that reasoning, I do see where the girl's parents were coming from with their train of thought. However, I don't believe the parents of that family were ashamed of their ethnicity, but were rather just trying to help their children assimilate more quickly to their new surrondings.
ReplyDelete-Tara