Janice Mirikitani is known for being a poet, dancer, and a community activist and earned a BA from the University of California, Los Angeles. Through her poetry and activism, Mirikitani is committed to addressing the horrors of war, combating institutional racism, and advocating for poor people and women. Mirikitani’s collection of poetry include Awake in the River (1978), Shedding Silence (1987), Suicide Note (1987), We, the Dangerous: New and Selected Poems (1995), and Love Works (2001). Poetry
of mental illness, and views of suicide. It has been estimated that almost 50 distinct Asian American ethnic groups speaking 30 different languages reside in the United States alone,” (Hapa). Many Asian Americans are very traditional family’s “Asian Americans are more likely than other Americans to value "marriage, parenthood, hard work and career success” (Saw) . The poem Suicide Note by Janice Mirikitani, is a poem about a young Asian-American who commits suicide by jumping out of her dormitory
family, and even from friends is inescapable. People can tear themselves down in many ways, such as through school, not feeling they look good enough, and even just not feeling like they’re ever good enough to be living on Earth. In Janice Mirikitani’s poem “Suicide Note,” it talks about an Asian-American student currently in college. She tries her hardest, she wants to succeed and make her parents proud. Her parents have high standards for her, as they want her to receive a 4.0 grade point average
The poem “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy and “Suicide Note” by Janice Mirikitani are both about how two young women could no long take the pressures society placed upon them. Although the two poems have a very different tone, language, and structure the same underlying theme exists. In both poems the girls struggle to be perfect and to conform to the desires of others. Both women in the poems ultimately commit suicide because they can no longer live with the criticism and lack of acceptance that
“Suicide Note” by Janice Mirikitani, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, and “Dreams of Suicide” by William Meredith are the three poems that connect together in several different ways. Not only do the poems link together, but the authors do as well. This paper will present biographical information about the authors, symbols throughout the poems, and the literary elements the authors chose to use in the poems. It will also explain how the symbols and literary elements that are used help emphasize
“Daddy” and Janice Mirikitani’s “Suicide Note,” show the struggle and pain that oppressive forces perpetrated on women. Although, both speakers are oppressed the way they end the oppression and the cause of it are very different. Patriarchy has always existed, and it affects women all over the world. For example, banned bride abductions in Central Asia have continued to occur, and the women who resist abduction, risk death, or becoming ostracized from their country (Werner 2). “Suicide Note” by Janice
“Mirror” vs “Suicide Note” Poetry is a type of literature that uses rhythmical composition to implement the reader with beautiful, imaginative or elevated thoughts (dictionary.com). Two of the finest poems during their time were“Mirror”, by Sylvia Plath, and “Suicide Note”, by Janice Mirikitani. Sylvia Plath was a troubled poet; throughout her life she had dealt with major depression. During college she attempted to put an end to her life by taking sleeping pills; she was placed in a mental institute
everyone should take. “Suicide Note” by Janice Mirikitani talks about a girl who committed suicide just because she didn’t have kindness for herself. I choose to compare the reading by Mirikitani with chapter number five “It’s Never Too Late” of the book “When Things Fall Apart” by Pema Chodron because this chapter talks about how people should start having kindness for themselves. This is a part of the book that Asian-American girl who committed suicide, which Mirikitani talks should have read it
Janice Mirikitani was born to Japanese American parents. She is a sansei (third generation Japanese- American). She is a college student attending University of California Los Angeles. Mirikitani doesn’t seem to be struggling in school, but while she is aiming for a 4.0, she seems to be falling a tab bit short. She was sent to my office because she had a breakdown in the middle of an exam in class. The professor was extremely worried about her, because she was one of his top students yet recently
parents can be intimidating and emotionally draining. For most parents, having their child succeed is a top priority, and children want to exceed parents’ expectations by achieving good grades and a high standard in school. In the poem “Suicide Note,” by Janice Mirikitani, a female Asian American college student is struggling to live up to her parents expectations. She does not receive a perfect grade point average that her parents are expecting, and she does not have the strength to face them in person