History Rap?

So I was on Youtube and under the featured  section I saw this video. It's two guys rapping about "American Indians." They are trying to show that the Native Americans were here first and such but what I was wondering is will people watch this and actually want to know more about Native Americans or will they take it as a joke? Considering what people rap about today, history isn't normally the first priority. What do you all think of this video and do you think it will help get people's attention? 

Camp Gugelstein

In finishing Mona I was particularly struck by one scene in Book II. This scene comes after the scenes in which it is revealed that Evie and Alfred have been secretly seeing each other, and secretly holding get togethers with Alfred's friends at the house. Barbara feels she has been betrayed by this behavior, and even suggests calling in her parents to get back at Evie and Alfred for lying to her. Seth maintains she is just being a "fair-weather radical" and that she needs to not "let [her] ego get in the way of [her] politics," to which Barbara responds "I don't have any politics...I have feelings" (195).

What did you guys think about this? Is Barbara just being a "fair-weather radical"? Or does she have a right to be angry (think about, too, her behavior later on with the flask issue)?

Mona In the promised land

When reading this book I had to keep in mind that this was an immigrant telling the story. Everything she talked about sounded so Americanized whether it was the struggle to fit in with society, or the"defiance" against parental influences. But I wonder, was mona trying to be as American as possible because she wanted to be like eveyone else around her and join the fad, or did she because to an extent she didn't feel she fit in with the culture her ancestors came from?

Comparisons

The last part of this book made me think back to Bread Givers, especially in the moment when Mona leaves home.  However, this book gave me a lot more satisfaction.  To me Mona is stronger when the confrontation happens and ultimately seems more successful.  Her mother and the old way of thinking has been left behind, and I think that, much like Sarah still had love for her father, this same love is shown at the end of the epilogue.  But I thought it was beautiful how Jen gives us the image of Mona's mother and then replaced it with Mona's own happy child, which to me signifies a new beginning and opportunity for Mona to raise her child with acceptance and love.

Also even though the twist with Seth being Sherman was pretty expected, I was happy when Mona found that closure.  This childhood love that stayed with her throughout the book and was always sparked again when he would reappear was finally revealed to be someone that she could relate to and who ultimately accepted her which is something that Sherman was never willing to do.  I think Seth was demonstrating to Mona that she could be whoever she wanted to be.  I think it's funny that Seth was all about free thinking and Mona was kind of fighting against that throughout the novel, but ultimately he wins her back through free thought and acceptance.

So my question is what do you think about the switching theme?  Did your feelings about the novel and the ideas portrayed in it change once you got to the end?

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

In previous posts I have uploaded videos of modern advertisements with Native Americans.  Therefore, while I watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, this performance intrigued me.  What image of Native Americans does this performance depict?  How does this image relate to the NativeVote video or the environmental protection commercial we watched in class?  Considering what we have studied in this class, was anyone else struck by this performance?

Epilogue

At first I thought the epilogue was very sad, but I did like that Mona's mother came to the wedding in the end.  I felt there was a lot of material in the epilogue.  What did you think?  Her sister adopted Chinese culture more than her parents, her father accepted his daughter's new culture and her mother finally came to see her.  Do you think it was a sad ending?  A good ending?  What do you think this says about the way cultures blend or distinguish themselves in America?

Mona and an add

Reading Mona really makes me want to read the first book about her parents. I want to see their relationship of settling in America and if they were as sarcastic as she is. I hope to read it someday because this book has really caught my attention and is very interesting.

I have seen on t.v. an ad for I think American Family Fitness with a white guy dressed as a Native American. In the add they justify it by the man liking the Redskins football team. Then at the end they have an African-American man dressed as a cowboy because he liked the Cowboy football team. I thought this interesting especially because of the No Doubt and Victoria Secrets debacle. How do you all feel about this being in an add that not only we, as adults see, but also when children watch it?

Also I know a lot of people didn't like the book at the beginning, now that we've read more have you all begun to enjoy it?

Honest Narration

What I really like about this book is how honest and straight forward it is. This is one of the few books that really puts it out there in plain language how it feels to be ethnic in America and how you see your ethnicity as an American. I also really like Mona's character. She strives so much for freedom and wants so much to be her own person. I am also suspicious that she is the narrator which makes the narration all the more compelling. The passage that really stuck out to me is when she's explaining to Rabbi Horowitz why she wants to be Jewish. When he questions her motives and implies she merely wants to be Jewish to rebel against her family she responds, "Maybe. But also I like it here at the temple. I like it that you tell everyone to ask, ask, instead of just obey, obey. I like it that people are supposed to be their rabbi, and do their business directly with G-d." (Also could not help but think of Kaplan here; banking vs. problem posing!) I thought this was a very honest, unique, and unexpected response, and it's a really understandable reason. From our class discussions it sounds like a lot of people aren't big fans of Mona, but I like her. She's got spunk!

The Cover

This is the cover on my edition of Mona. Every time I see it it grabs my attention. I think it’s really interesting because it’s basically a sea of American flags surrounding this one, small picture of a face. But it's not an actual face it's just eyes, specifically, eyes that are different to what is considered the norm by American mainstream society.

What do you think is the significance of focusing on this single feature? Why not show the entire face or entire body? Why all of the American flags?

Rhinoplasty and Ethnic Pride

 

                In the beginning of Chapter 7 “Social Action comes to the Pancakes House”, we find out that Barbara has received rhinoplasty to alter her nose. This brought to my mind the extent to which people belonging to different ethnic groups will go to make their appearances more fitting to western standards of beauty. From skin bleaching creams, hair straitening chemicals, to surgery on their eyelids, a lot of these methods can be extensive and sometimes even dangerous. Sometimes I wonder if this type of change could be considered a form of “Assimilation” in America. The majority culture impedes its standards on other cultures. The thought of the word assimilation has never been tied to positive thoughts in my mind. Do you agree with Barbara’s new bodily reconstruction? And what could this possibly say about Amercan’s standards of beauty?

VCU Undergraduate Research Symposium_April 2013

One possible motivation (for those who are not graduating this December)--You may consider submitting a Poster for the VCU Poster Symposium in April 2013 using your research for the final project in this class. I've had students who presented in the past and they report favorably. This may be a good opportunity to list a new accomplishment on your CV. If you're interested, keep in touch and I'm happy to advise you next semester. There will be a call for submissions in January and the deadline is sometimes in March. You can read about last year's symposium here:

http://wp.vcu.edu/sponsoredprograms/2012/01/09/call-for-abstracts-3rd-annual-poster-symposium-for-undergraduate-research-and-creativity/

"Hey...You're Not Chinese!"

I've worked at this one Chinese restaurant for almost 7 years....


One time, I brought a pot of tea to a table of two. A grown man, late 40s, exclaimed, "Hey! You're not Chinese!"
How astute. And, classy, too.
But...this is America, Sir. Maybe I am Chinese...at least maybe just a little bit Chinese.


"How did you get a job here?!"
"Equal Employment Opportunity."
...And, I happen to be a kick-ass server.


Two weeks ago...
     Me: "Good afternoon, how are you doing today?"
     Old female WASP: "Are you Chinese?"
     Me: "No ma'am, I am not."
     Old female WASP: "Oooh good!"
I don't know what that was about.
 

I'm not the kind of server who introduces herself; I don't care about you, you don't care about me--now, what do you want to eat? (You don't need to know my name in order for me to provide excellent service.) But sometimes, the patrons are nosey and start asking me dumb things like,

"Where are you from?"
"I grew up in New Jersey."
"No, I mean...where were you born?"

I always try to project a pleasant disposition in these situations, but I'm pretty sure the customer can sense that I'm not really smiling anymore...I'm baring my teeth.

"I was born in Los Angeles." I'm well aware that this is not the answer to the question they intended to ask. And, sometimes they just drop it.

Usually, however, they continue to pry.

"Are you from around here?"
"I've lived in Richmond since 2001."

"Are you Spanish?"
"No."

"Where are your parents from?"
"My mother is from the Philippines, and my father is from Chicago." Finally, an answer they're satisfied with; it's the key to understanding my complexion.

The question, "What are you?" still irks me, but at least the person is closer to saying what they mean to say. I believe the appropriate question is, "What is your ethnic background?"
Sometimes I feel like what they really want to say is, "Why don't your eyes look like those of everyone else in this restaurant? You don't fit in. I came here for an authentic Asian experience."

Margaret Cho_"Asian Problems"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6CjYy9EgHg&feature=related

Margaret Cho about Race

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc6mLwOa2Ig

The "Model Minority" Myth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbfpD86mBbQ

Please Watch this Interview with Jen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv8pUSAjqfU

Mona

I really like this story so far. It's very interesting and I can't wait to find out what happens to Mona. I'm doing an opener tomorrow and if we don't have enough time to discuss this I thought of putting it here. What is the significance of having Sherman Matsumoto reappear out of the blue while Mona is doing the phone calls? Do you consider him a main character? Is he supposed to teach Mona to not be Americanized?

When is a pickle dish more than just a pickle dish?

Though it seems like a few people are having trouble with the narrative style of Mona, I actually have to agree with Chandra. I'm finding Mona very enjoyable - I don't find the narrator's voice jarring at all. Most of the time, in fact, the narrator's voice weaves pretty seamlessly into the action for me. However, there are particular times when it does stand out quite a bit, for instance in case of the quote for which this post is named: the beginning of chapter 2, "When is a pickle dish more than just a pickle dish?" (24) and also the beginning of chapter 3, "Religion? Confirmation? In this anti-establishment age?" (32). (There are actually many many other times, too - the more I look the more I find, actually.) I find this statement of presence really interesting.

What I want to ask you - which actually relates pretty closely to Heather's questions - is who you think this narrator might be? At this stage, do you think it's just a particularly opinionated narrator, or maybe someone actually in the story (my biggest nominee for that would be Mona herself)? Or even someone we haven't met yet?

Sherman and Barbara

I just wanted to bring up that as soon as I started reading Sherman's language I immediately thought of "The Education of Hyman Kaplan". On page thirteen he says "Fader bow to moder" (father bow to mother) which is just one of the examples of his broken English. Just like with Hyman Kaplan, people thought he wasn't smart just because he couldn't speak English well..but that wasn't true in either case. Secondly, I wanted to bring up Barbara's insensitivity. Barbara makes numerous comments that are insensitive towards basically non-white people but I don't think she intends to be cruel. She says a few times that different countries "invented" different things, like the Chinese inventing scalpels (which according to Google isn't true). I could see Barbara saying something like the Chinese invented laundromats and Hispanics invented lawn mowers or making some other racially biased statement about some country inventing something that really isn't true. However what I thought to be more rude was on page eleven when she said "First comes love. Then comes marriage, and then come Chappies in a baby carriage" and then explains that "Chappies" are Chinese-Japs...which is just rude. What do you all think about Barbara's mouth? Do you think she says these things with cruel intentions or is just talking without realizing how rude she's being?

writing style

This is turning out to be the most difficult book to read for me.  I'm not even sure if I really dislike the writing style, because sometimes it's funny, but something about it is making it seem a little less personal and therefore not as interesting as many of the other novels.  I feel like the narrator is kind of condescending and making fun of Mona, which makes sense since a lot of the stuff she says and does are a little iffy.  However, I can relate to falling into joking about stereotypes...and the voice of the narrator kind of reminds me of how I might talk about some of my past actions when contemplating what I've gone along with.

As you can probably tell I'm still conflicted with how I feel about this book, but I guess my question is, why do you think the narrator chose to write like this...do you like it or dislike it, and...do you think the story would be easier to relate to, or more accessible, if it was from Mona's point of view, or even from an unbiased narrator?

End of Section One

I am somewhat confused about the events that end section one of Mona in the Promised Land. Mona struggles with a man by van the Barbara gave her, but it is unclear what exactly happens. Does Seth save her from her assailant? Is Seth the man with whom she struggles? I am inclined to think the answer to the first question is "yes" and the second is "no," but it is not clear.  Hopefully, this will be illuminated with further reading.
Thoughts?

Grab the Popcorn (Potential extra credit event)

In honor of International Education week there will be a screening of a movie about Asian American immigration and experiences. This could be cool considering we're starting a unit this week. Also you could probably use this for an extra credit paper!

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12 - 3 p.m. - 5 p.m., OMSA

OMSA Diversity Film Series Presents:
Becoming American: The Chinese Experience.

The OMSA Diversity Film Series is designed to offer films that reflect the full spectrum of issues related to multiculturalism.

Conversion Confusion: Mona vs. Helen

Mona in the Promised Land is turning out to be a fantastic read, mostly as a result of the narrator's humor and style. I find the character of Helen to be an intriguing one, as she at times seems to be both stuck to tradition and at the same time embracing the American Way (TM). Her reaction to Mona's conversion is very interesting as result, as Helen previously explained that she and her husband Ralph were Buddhist Taoist Catholic. The image that struck me most during this scene was the cuckoo clock with the Statue of Liberty chiming as the secret was revealed, with the clock going "cuckoo, cuckoo", as if to say, "Yeah this is America, where ideas, ideology, and identity get confusing and crazy!"

Earlier in the novel, Mona questions why they moved to the neighborhood of Scarshill, understanding that they came here for the schools. Her mother instead states that they moved here for their daughters' education. What is the difference? What exactly do you think Mona is being educated in at this point in the novel?

Helen and Ralph

The relationship between Helen and Ralph (and the fact that they are referred to by their first names) is an interesting one. Helen takes on the familial load because Ralph isn't capable or won't. She works the hardest, both at home and in the restaurant. Mona notes the "crevasse" between them.

In what other works have we seen these types of issues between male and female characters? To what do we attribute it? Why do the women always seem stronger in their "new world"?

Mona in the Promise Land

To begin with, I guess I didn't quite expect the extensive amount of sarcasm that opened the novel.  In fact, it almost became irritating trying to read and messed up my reading flow.  I'm wondering if this happened with anyone else and what effect the extensive sarcasm has?  What do you think was Jen's intention by using this technique.
Also, I was very intrigued by the juxtaposition of Mona and Sherman.  Mona is deemed a Chinese-American and inspires interest in her peers due to her supposed 'foreignness'.  However, in fact, Mona is far removed from her heritage as is most of her family.  Even her mother admits to being unable to remember how to write Chinese characters.  On the other hand, Sherman is himself the immigrant.  He is from Japan and has ventured to the United States.  At first, Mona hesitates to accept Sherman.  But, Sherman mother chose his class based on the fact that there was another Asian, Mona.  Therefore, Sherman's mother actually echoes the sentiment of her peers.  Solely the fact that she is Chinese consoles her.  However, Sherman's presence highlights Mona's distance from her homeland and culture.  Just before Sherman leaves, Mona asks him to switch to American because the way he does things is weird.  How does this juxtaposition enhance or detract from our impressions of Mona and Sherman?  Would we feel the same way about each of the characters if it weren't for the presence of the other?  What do these characters say about the process of Americanization?