This entire book gives off
metaphors to the reader that describes our society. For instance bullying has a
big purpose in this novel. It’s the main reason why Jin wants to change his
appearance and be the average American kid. But the real message Yang is portraying
in this novel is that we need to be who we want to be. Not who people want us
to be, as well as changing ourselves so that we won’t be made fun of. We were
all placed on this earth for a reason and bullying makes people feel like they
have no reason and that’s kind of what Yang is trying to say in this Novel.
Everyday we are given different challenges to overcome and that’s what makes us
who we are as humans. It’s how we handle those situations that make us unique.
Every
person is born with a certain race or races, gender, with certain abilities.
These kinds of things are what give us certain privileges. Due to what society
has labeled these different groups and sub groups is how our lives are managed.
But it doesn’t always need to be that way. One of my very good female friends
who is actually originally from South Korea came to my middle school in 6th
grade. We were told that a new girl from South Korea was coming to class the
next day. Automatically we assumed that it was going to be this nerdy looking
girl who barely could speak English and looked funny. Why did we assume this?
Because that’s what society or our parents have taught us. Surprisingly our
assumptions were somewhat correct. The only difference is she was actually
cool. She was very into everything me and my friends did. She also was able to
draw. Which of course as a middle school student had us in awe because she
could draw just as well as some of the kids in high school. She didn’t come to
school and start acting different than she did back in South Korea. She acted
the way she normally acted and fortunately for her was accepted by her peers.
This is the kind of message Yang wants people to get. He wants us to not change
and not treat people differently just because they are a different gender or
are from a different country.
You see
this everywhere though not just in schools. People around the world are defined
by the actions of race years ago. For example we assume that every black person
is a criminal. Why? Because that’s the title they were given back in the old
days when they were fighting segregation. We automatically assume that every Chinese
person is smart or that all people of the Hispanic descent are border-hopping
Mexicans. So how do we change this life that allows some of us to do things
without being questioned. Well it for sure isn’t going to be a process that
happens overnight.
I know as
much as I want to deny it, I look at people and in my head I think just how the
people in this novel think. But I don’t say it out loud. We as Americans over
use the first amendment: Freedom of Speech. Some things are better left unsaid.
I enjoyed reading your post! You wrote about a lot of things I believe in and also things I put into my own post. I also agree with the way you described Yang's message and how he portrays everyone to not change and be themselves, that's exactly what I took out of the reading. Giving examples in your post also was a great idea, it help me better understand what you were trying to say.
ReplyDelete" He wants us to not change and not treat people differently just because they are a different gender or are from a different country. "
ReplyDeleteCorrect me if I am wrong or if I am misunderstanding you, please, But I really like this statement. One of the biggest things I notice is that people walk on egg shells around people and treat them differently because of their skin or background. This can almost be just as bad. We need to treat people with respect, and how we would want to be treated.
"Everyday we are given different challenges to overcome and that’s what makes us who we are as humans. It’s how we handle those situations that make us unique."
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you have said in this post, everyone is different, and everyone should be treated equally, not because of what we grew up believing through society or what our parents have taught us, but how we would like to be treated, everyone deserves to be treated equally.
The biggest thing that stood out to me in this post was that we need to be who we want to be and not who other people want us to be. That is an issue that a lot of people deal with today. They feel the pressure to be something that they are not just to make people like them a little bit more. Another thing that stands out to me is when you said "Every person is born with a certain race or races, gender, with certain abilities". This tells us that we are who we are and there is no changing that. We just have to embrace the way we were born and all of the things that come along with it.
ReplyDelete"Everyday we are given different challenges to overcome and that’s what makes us who we are as humans. It’s how we handle those situations that make us unique."
ReplyDeleteI agree with this statement. I think though, sadly, we often forget how to empathize with others when we don't fully understand the challenges that we face. I'm thinking of the rude customer in the grocery store who told the bagger to "learn how to speak English, because this is America." To me this is a statement that demonstrates privilege and a true lack of empathy or understanding for others. Why is this behavior sometimes accepted as the norm? Why do we tolerate it?
I think your last few sentences really summed it up. Everyone judges. That is just a fact of life. People judge other people everyday. The difference is that some people let these assumptions that they make stop them from talking to someone or letting someone around something the own.
ReplyDelete