Variations on a Theme of...

In keeping with the spirit of Li-young Lee's "Always a Rose," "Braiding," and "My Sleeping Loved Ones," write a poem that offers multiple visions of one image or theme, one that, for whatever reason, carries some emotional weight for you: a piano, a coconut tree, watching people read. The sections can be entirely disconnected but may, when taken together, add up to paint some complete picture. If you feel inspired to do so, feel free to imitate Lee's style: parallel structures, rhetorical questions, a sense of mysticism.

Post your poem on the blog tonight, but also print out a copy for class tomorrow. Over the weekend, go back and look over your classmates' poems and write a thoughtful comment (say, by midnight Sunday night).

This I Believe...

"What I know," Jack says, "is that America is not so open. People like you and me can only do what is necessary. We are not the ones who have the choices." Much of our discussion about Native Speaker centered on the issue of how open is toward immigrants--not just Asian immigrants, but immigrants of all ethnicities. I want you to listen to these two essays in which former Secretary of State Colin Powell and the late Jackie Robinson, the first African American player to break into Major League Baseball, share their own beliefs about the openness of Aemerican society (we will discuss these in class on Monday).

Here's the link for Powell's essay. Click on the "Listen" icon at the top to listen to him reading it. And here's the link for Jackie Robinson's. Again, click on "Listen" to hear him reading it (so cool!).

The basic premise of the NPR This I Believe sereis is that people write 500-word essays in which they "discuss the core values that guide their daily lives." Use the two essays you hear (and any others on the website that interest you) as inspiration to write your own "This I Believe" essay, roughly 500 words long. It's a fairly open-ended assignment, and you shouldn't feel obligated to relate it back to immigrants or your view of America per se. What you SHOULD write about is that which is most important to you--those deeply held convictions that make you the person you are.

By midnight this Sunday, April 9th, I'd like you to post your "This I Believe" essay on the blog. I'd also like you, by the next day (midnight on Monday), to read the ones your classmates wrote. Pick at least one to comment on--a thoughtful response in which you either agree or respectfully take issue with some point the author is making. It's okay if not every entry gets commented on; just comment on the one you find the most moving or the most thought-provoking.

If you're at least eighteen years old, you can submit your essay to the NPR website, and if it gets accepted they'll post it on their web page or even ask you to record it for a future radio broadcast. Which would be pretty neat.

Searching for Frank Chin

For tomorrow's class, please read the following interview with Frank Chin. Think about how what he says connects to our discussion of The Woman Warrior.

Remember, our class meets first period tomorrow, so don't wait until the last minute to read the article.

Donald Duk Under Fire

Frank Chin, the author of Donald Duk, is a controversial figure among scholars of Asian American literature. In the weeks to come we will discuss his long-standing feud with widely acclaimed writers like Maxine Hong Kingston and Amy Tan. For now, I thought it would be helpful to take a look at one scholar's perspective on the novel you just finished reading and consider some critiques that have been directed toward Chin's work.

Click on this link to read the article, by Susan Richardson (you'll have to click on "continue article" several times, as the essay spans about six pages). Now post a couple of paragraphs in response to one of the following aspects of her argument:

1) Chin's portrayal of women/girls
2) Chin's acquiescence to capitalist heirarchies (simply repositioning Chinese Americans)
3) The idea that readers become distanced from Chin's characters because of his narrative choices

Feel free to agree or disagree with Richardson. You needn't be quite as formal as you would with a critical essay (that will come later), but do try to support your ideas with some specific references to the text and/or the article. Post your entry by this Thursday night (say 10:00), then take a look at what others said over the weekend and post a comment.

REMINDER...

Don't forget to read everyone's post and add a thoughtful comment (click on the link below their post, where it says "0 comments" etc.)--the deadline is approaching. It's fine to comment on a post that someone else has already commented on; it's also fine if not all posts receive comments.

Thanks,
Mr. T

From Yellowface to Mr. Wong: 70 years of Asian American Media Images

In class we watched several clips from American films (and one British film) of the 1960s and 1980s, but in truth the use of "yellowface" dates back to the 1930s, a history almost as long as that of the movie industry itself. Each of the clips we viewed was problematic in its own way. But how much have things really changed. I recently stumbled upon an animated we cartoon called Mr. Wong, the "heartwarming" story of a rich white girl and her 85 year old Chinese houseboy. It was written by Pam Brady and Kyle McCulloch, two of the writers for South Park. Brady and McCulloch also do all of the voices for Mr. Wong. Neither is of Asian descent.

After you watch the cartoon, write a two or three paragraph response to what you've seen. Is this just good clean fun, or is there something insidious about this kind of depiction? To what extent is Mr. Wong a descendent of the early yellowface performances? Does it invoke similar stereotypes about Asians or Asian Americans as the ones in the other clips we've seen? Remember that your argument will be much more effective if you make references to specific images or lines from the various films rather than basing it on a pure emotional reaction.

Enter your response as a new post, but do read what everyone else has written first, so as to avoid repetition (a good reason to get your post in early!). Feel free to respond to what others have already said as you construct your own argument ("Although I agree with Zach's point about __________, I also think...etc."). Remember to make the title of your post specific to what you actually talk about. I will look for your responses by 3:00 p.m. on Monday. Then come back and check the site again on Tuesday, and post a one paragraph response to a classmate's post by 8:00 Tuesday night (feel free to respond to more than one post). Follow the guidelines for good blog behavior on the handout I passed out in class.

Click on the following link to watch an episode of Mr. Wong. In the center of the screen, near the top, you should see a link to view the episode, "Urine Trouble, Part I". Click on that link to view the cartoon. You will need to have Flash Player installed on your computer to play the video--if you have trouble viewing it at home, try it on one of the computers at school.

Note: the cartoon is potentially offensive on many levels, so by no means am I endorsing it. Watch as good cultural critics, looking beyond the surface level to understand the subtext--the underlying message or meaning--of such a portrayal.

Donald Duk

Donald Duk, by Frank Chin, will be the first novel we read this semester. Check the bookstore to see if it has arrived--let me know if you have trouble procuring a copy.

Welcome to the Blog (And Some Important Reminders)

Welcome to the official weblog for our semester-long elective on Asian American LIterature. Over the course of the semester, we'll use this site to respond to various class readings, as well as online articles and media that I'll direct you to. Add this page to your Bookmarks or Favorites, as you'll be checking it at least once a week.

The blog will be an extension of our class discussions so you should treat each other with the same respect you would in class. Remember that this site is part of the world wide web and, as such, will be accessible to anyone who happens to stumble upon it--your mother, my 13 year old sister, or a Berkeley professor of Asian American Studies. Have this in mind as you consider the language you use and how you address your classmates. Keep it clean, of course, but also try to maintain a level of thoughtfulness and intellectual rigor. The idea here isn't to show off who is the best writer, but to work together to arrive at a deeper understanding.

If you've yet to sign up for a Blogger account, you'll need to do so in order to post on this site. Your username should be something you'll easily remember (maybe just your name or your email address), since you'll need to use it to log in each time you post on the site. Pick a display name that makes it clear who you are. If Kylee is making a point, it's important that everyone else know that it's Kylee who's making it. Your AOL screen name might be CuTiePiE16, but that's not going to be particularly useful for this blog.