The short story I chose to read for this week was Whites by Julie Otsuka. We are taken on this journey in the viewpoint of a japanese woman who traveled from japan in seek a better life to only face a much worse situation than before, one she can not escape, in America. The blatant racism occurring in this short story is true, but unsettling to today's view points. At the time this story takes place the japanese were basically slaves, paid, but still slaves. The "bosses" controlled their lives, there was nothing they could do to leave the situation. Despite the cruelty and messed up system they are stuck in, they are determined to work even more and have high hopes for the future. The writer starts us out by not giving away the country of origin right away, it's more of a guess till they say. The creator tells a bit about both groups of people and how things are different, even things like language barriers are brought up. The characters in this story have big plans and dreams and yet they still know the reality is that it's an endless cycle of sadness. How am I connected to this world as a reader? Well, I'm a white american woman, but I 100% do not approve or follow the treatment of others in this story on my end. I am embraced by the white american history. I wish I could say that I wasn't white or American. I was raised to treat everyone as I would like to be treated. It made me feel like standing up for the woman in this story against the racist people. The fact that it had to be my race again always bothers me. My family's roots are in Germany and Wales, I'd rather be seen as German-Welsh than "White". After attending an inner city school in Georgia (I had moved from ohio to the south, a place I've never been to before) I was bullied for being white, I was labeled and I was treated horribly. Racism is horrible, it shouldn't happen to anyone. I truly hope this nation can get over this race-war.
No comments:
Post a Comment