"On Being Mexican American" Response

I feel I can somewhat relate to Mendoza's experience. I was born in the US, just like him, but I was born Chinese, as he had said he was born Mexican. However, I did grow up in China where my native culture is strongest. At that age, things like race, culture, ethnicity, labels in general, none of those really mattered to me. I wasn't particularly aware that I was Chinese. I simply lived the way I was taught to.
It was when I moved back here and started school that I began to notice certain things. My class (with the exception of kindergarten to about third grade) was made up of a majority of African Americans and Hispanics. I suppose I always knew I was different, but it became more apparent and obvious as teachers talked about ideas like diversity and tolerance, the like, and even the small things like the different ways people talked that I picked up too brought it to surface. Both Mendoza and I learned of our biological identities through schooling.
Unlike Mendoza though (since I'm much younger than him), I became 'aglocized' when I came to Whitney Young, so even before I was a teenager. My class was much more diverse than what I was accustomed to, and it took some time to adapt. But I did. An old friend of mine would always tell me every time she sees me, "You've changed a lot. I don't know you anymore." Of course, we still love each other, and she didn't mean anything bad by that, but I can see what she means even on my own. The crazy arguments I get into with my mother are solid evidence of this (what they are about I will leave out of this).
The line that stuck out to me the most in this piece was, "We need to decide once and for all who we are and stop trying to be what we are not." I believe in a balance that we must all find as well. This was very wise of him to say. I hope I find mine.

King Still King?

 In "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, he discusses his ideas of a nonviolent campaign to bring about the "tension" to surface, so negociation would be possible, why breaking the law in doing so is not contradictory nor wrong because of the "two types of laws: just and unjust", that "groups tend to be more immoral than individuals", among others. I believe these beliefs still stand very true today, but not quite in the context they are used.

2011. Internet, phones, TV, all very efficient means of communication to help people learn about one another. The Civil Rights Movement is over, and immigration had increase more and more over the years. The United States has never been more diverse. Racism and prejudice obviously still exists, but it is illegal on paper, and it is not an every day aspect of our lives. There is no longer a need for any protest because we are all llegally equal. However, King's ideas can still be applied to other fields that have not seen the improvement or progress wanted. An example of a nonviolent effort would be the Walk-Out from last year. It was brought up in class yesterday. It was peaceful, although unlawful. In the end it did make a difference, because many of the teachers who were supposed to leave never did.

So I guess King really is still King.

Response to "Children of the Sea"

I didn't expect to enjoy it at all. I usually don't find required reading for classes entertaining or fun at all, just busywork to pass the course. However, this excerpt was an exception. It was captivating and interesting from the very beginning. Though not straightforwardly stated, the situation in the story became very clear and was easy to understand and interpret. I like that in the writing I read: creative wording and description, a good balance of plot and detail, etc.

They say that writing reveals more about the author than they want or expect. I noticed that Danticat used simple sentences in general throughout the entire piece, for both parts. They were simple, but expressed complex and deep ideas and thoughts. I sensed a vague, dark feeling from her words too. Hmm. Maybe it was because she compared the man's experience on board to those of the slaves all those years ago? I wonder what she's like. Probably a history person who's proud of her roots? (I suppose get some of this from the other article we read.)

I'd like to end this blog by saying I really thought "Children of the Sea" was a great start to this unit. :D