Queer Compulsions, by Amy Sueyoshi

Through the personal stories of his hair, love life, and behavior, Liu is able to show the effects of his assimilation. The second section deals with Liu’s struggles to conform to white stereotypes as an Asian American. With his personal anecdotes, he establishes himself as a more credible source to speak on the subject of assimilation. The second section uses narration to provide evidence about Liu’s definition of assimilation.

Throughout human history, various minority groups find themselves the targets of prejudice, discrimination, and even violent acts of hatred. One of the most notable ways in which the struggles of these groups are documented and exemplified is through literature. Sexual orientation, and more specifically homosexuality, is a prominent point of controversy within the world of fiction writing, as well as through the nonfictional history of various societies. Sarah Waters’ Affinity is a prime example of how history and fiction can intertwine. Waters wrote this novel in the 1990’s, but set it in London during the Victorian Era. In order to create a realistic narrative, Waters had to ensure that it was historically accurate, even down to the societal impact of Margaret’s sexual preferences. Though it was not overtly discussed, the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries marked the era in which “…homosexuality in its modern form truly began to emerge”(Willett 351). From the start of Affinity, Margaret’s emotional and psychological flaws are exposed through her diary. She also reveals details about her relationship with Helen, which ultimately foreshadows the outcome of her future romantic relationships. Many of Margaret’s hardships come from the pressures that her society puts on her and, in turn, she develops unhealthy relationships with those around her. Her isolation plays a huge factor in her dependence on Selina, another woman who appears to be in the same position as Margaret

The representation of the LGBT community in the film industry has long been a topic of much debate. In her article, “It Ain’t Easy Being Bisexual on TV,” Amy Zimmerman addresses this topic with specific interest on bisexual representation. By appealing to the logic of her audience, using an informal tone, and referring to relatable content, Zimmerman constructs an argument which persuades readers of The Daily Beast that the film industry is unfairly and inaccurately representing bisexuals. However, her argument holds little influence over those who are not movie fans or The Daily Beast readers.

In 1910, Japanese are banned from marrying non-Orientals and the practice of arranging for picture brides began. During the first two decades of the 1900s, more than 20,000 Japanese women arrived, more often than not as picture brides (Mei T. Nakano, p. 24). These women only knew their future

The first essay I chose is “Let’s put pornography back in the closet,” by Susan Brownmiller. I chose this one because I figured analyzing it would not be too difficult after writing about “First Amendment Junkie,” in a previous assignment.

John Okada’s novel “No-No Boy” explores Ichiro Yamada’s identity and his continual imprisonment through expectations of the familial and societal. Ichiro returns home to Seattle after spending two years in a Japanese internment camp and two years in prison for refusing to serve in the military during World War II. Now declared a “No no boy,” Ichiro is unable to fit within American and also feels as if he does not belong to the Japanese part of him. He is subsequently imprisoned by his hyphenated Japanese-American identity, as he believes that he cannot exist in a world where is half of two versions of himself that do not make him a whole person. The following will examine Ichiro’s halved identity

In 1869, the first Japanese Immigrants arrived in California in an attempt to escape the Meiji restoration, which forced them out of their houses. Many joined them in America after that, forming the first generation of Japanese-Americans, the Issei. Those immigrants then formed families and gave birth to the second generation, the Nisei. However, the cultural differences between the Issei and the Nisei, who were all born in America, created an important gap between the two generations. The short story “Seventeen Syllables”, through the relation between Rosie, a Nisei young girl, and Tome Hayashi, her mother, is a good depiction of this issue.

'Even with all the mental anguish and struggle, an elemental instinct bound us to this soil. Here we were born; here we wanted to live. We had tasted of its freedom and learned of its brave hopes for democracy. It was too late, much too late for us to turn back.' (Sone 124). This statement is key to understanding much of the novel, Nisei Daughter, written by Monica Sone. From one perspective, this novel is an autobiographical account of a Japanese American girl and the ways in which she constructed her own self-identity. On the other hand, the novel depicts the distinct differences and tension that formed between the Issei and Nisei generations. Moreover, it can be seen as an attempt to describe the

Bailey, Beth. Sex in the Heartland. Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London, England: Harvard University Press, 1999.

1. How does the author describe racism in America towards Japan in the Second World War?

After WWII ended in 1945, xenophobia amongst the white populace, coupled with an inflexible definition of who or what represented “American-ness”, prevented Asian Americans from claiming an American identity. Alongside this exclusion, the post-war period also witnessed the assertion of American identity formed by culture and family in the Issei and Nisei community. This essay will argue that through Ichiro Yamada’s struggle to integrate, Okada’s No-No Boy represents the fracturing belief of a monoracial American identity and the cultural instability found within the narrative. John Okada’s No-No Boy adopts an allegoric strategy in order to foreground the attitudes and lives the Issei and Nisei shaped during their internment and sometimes incarceration, which continued after the war. Moreover, as the novel progresses, Okada examines characters such as Ichiro Yamada, who face the cultural conflicts and form the possibility of an “elusive insinuation of promise” of belonging in post-war America (221). Additionally, the racial slurs and violent attacks by other Japanese and non-Japanese Americans that befall him highlight the divisions within American society. A close reading for the free indirect discourse and allegory shows how John Okada uses these literary strategies to suggest the disturbance of American identity.

The author could have done to make her work stronger if she could have added letters that belonged to the Japanese people also I will have to learn about the people who……….

However, when people in Japan move to America, they often retain their cultural habits and interest that made up who they were from very young. Whereas when people are marginalized it can cause them to lose their interests and cultural habits. To point out, Japanese people in America, often continue to eat rice. In the book, after continual harassment and unfair treatment the mother resorts to making the decision for her children of “‘No more rice balls’ she said ‘And if anyone asks, you’re Chinese”.

Henry David Thoreau once said, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” While this advice is encouraging, it becomes concerning when the history of science is studied. In the 17th and 18th centuries, science was heavily dominated by men, discouraging many women from succeeding in their goals. These women were not necessarily allowed to travel in the “direction of their dreams,” but rather back to the kitchen. The few women, however, who did attempt to achieve their scientific goals paved a way from future women in fields of science. A few of these women are seen in The Mind Has No Sex? (Schiebinger) and How can a little girl like you teach a big class of men? (Weisstein). These women, and their trades,

This week I decided to discuss the story The Diary of a Madman by Lux Xun. Lux Xun is every known for his fictional literary works. In this story, it is being told as entries of a diary written by a mentally ill man. The mentally ill man believes that everyone around him is a cannibal and that eventually he is going to be eaten by them. He is so obsessed with the idea of cannibalism being a part of his society that he begins to believe that his family are cannibals. He also began think that if he killed himself to get away from the society then the people would feel no guilt about killing and eating him. This man is so paranoid that even when he is doing normally everyday things like walking down the street he thinks everyone is watching him