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Sample Student final exam answers 2018 (2018 final exam assignment) Part 3: Model Research Reports |
LITR 4340
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Jojo Hunter
Stuck Somewhere In-Between
I am half white, half Hispanic, yet I grew up with only
the white side of my family. Because of this, I have had problems that
minorities have experienced, yet I do not necessarily identify as a minority. I
also cannot identify as white because my skin is not fair, but dark. I am brown
in color, yet I grew up, and only know, my white side of my DNA. I only know
English, but when someone tries to talk to me in Spanish, I often get a
disgusted look or questioned on why I don’t know “my language.” I am left having
to describe my family tree to a complete stranger. I have been rejected by both
the dominant culture that I grew up in, and I have been dismissed as a “gringa”
or “coconut” because I lack all knowledge about being Hispanic. I have also been
rejected by the dominant culture for having darker skin and have even been call
“Spic” or “nigger.” These things hurt me, because I never did anything to
deserve being called names, and I certainly had no hand in what my skin color
would be. My son is half-white, a quarter-black, a quarter-Hispanic, and fair
skinned. However, he identifies more closely with black culture (music, dance,
speech) but he is too young to realize this. I have wondered if he will be
treated as I have been, or if, because he simply looks like the dominant race,
would he be treated better?
I would like to explore the topic of mixed race
experiences from writers of all ethnicities to determine whether or not my
experiences relate closer to those of minority or immigrant writers. I don’t
know how many books, stories, or articles have been written about being bi- or
multi-racial, but I am curious to know if other people have had similar
experiences to my own as children or adults. I want to know what commentary
there is, and I would like to see if others have come up with solutions to
combat my identity crisis. After reading short stories, poems, and articles
written by bi-racial authors, I have seen some common themes and questions
throughout. Most of the works address a acceptance from one race or the other, a
harder than normal childhood/life, and the fear of being “enough”.
WSP, a writer for
The Waterhole writes that racial identity in America is very complicated,
adding that, “We are a melting pot nation, full of biracial citizens who are
torn between being accepted by one culture versus being rejected by the other”
(WSP). Because of the color coding that exists in America, people are associated
with an ethnicity, culture, language, or class depending on the color of their
skin. Marcus Samuelsson also documents this in his tale about his journey to
America from Switzerland. He is dark in color, but everyone in his adopted home
have very fair skin. When he came to America, he made friends with the other
Swiss cooks where he worked, but he became enthralled with the black culture.
After being invited to all sorts of event with an African-American co-worker, he
writes,” At times, it felt like a cultural test: What would it take for me to
belong? Was the color of my skin enough?” (IV II, 320). He had already been
labeled as a black man by the people in America, and he questioned how people
were labeled culturally in America. When he finally meets some fellow New York
immigrants that are also Swedish through adoption, they begin to form a bond,
and better become acquainted with America in this new grouping. Fortunately,
this can make one stronger than going it alone, especially as an immigrant.
Immigrants are family people. Unlike Americans who tend to move away from family
like at an early age, most immigrants remain close to both their immediate and
extended family, so it is no surprise that the gentleman found solace in forming
a bond with one another.
Blitheful, a contributor to CNN iReport, recounts her
childhood experiences as a half white, half black American minority. She says
that she was not accepted by the children in the black community that her mother
was from because she “talked white” and had different textured hair from them.
When she went to school in the white community, she was not accepted because of
her looks. One of her friends even judged her before she knew her because she
thought she was all completely black and that made her think she was going to
shoot everyone at school. Because of the color code that says white is good and
black is bad, those that are somewhere in between are associated with those
“bad” people at the end of the spectrum. Fortunately, there are more and more
mixed couples and more bi- and multi- racial families than ever! The color issue
is something that is being talked about, and it is more widely recognized that
there is some in-between. The generations of the past had bad memories
associated with people of other races, but equality has come a long way in
America. A U.S. News article that
broke down data from a US Census Bureau report says that “non-Hispanic white
people will be a minority by 2043” (USNews).
Unfortunately, many poets who are bi- or multi-racial
write about being torn between cultures, skin color, and expectations of them.
Jean Toomer, a poet wrote “Portrait in Georgia,” was the son of a bi-racial
father and married a mixed race woman. The narrator in this poem describes their
features as dangerous: “Hair braided”…”coiled like a lyncher’s rope” and his
slim body, white as the ash of black flesh after flame (Toomer). In Mei Mei
Evans short story “Gussuk,” she also talks about mistaken identity and not
fitting in (IA, 237). When Lucy visits Kigiak, the residents mistake her for one
of their own, but she is later classified as a Gussuk because she is not like
them at all. She fights to become assimilated to the culture, even praising
herself silently for this noting that she was “eating real Eskimo food” and “her
predecessor had probably holed up in that trailer night after night eating
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches” (IA, 243). The symbolism of this whole scene
suggests that Lucy figures she will be accepted since she is trying to
assimilate, and the former person in her position sat eating bland, American
food when there was so much more to experience. Unfortunately, she finds herself
missing the American culture that she grew up in after getting drunk with the
locals, and cannot continue to stay in a place where she is neither a local nor
a proper American.
This story proves that there are others that have the
same feelings of not belonging, just as I used to. These stories and poems have
powerful messages about the power of division and how it can confuse, objectify,
and alienate people from their own families. The texture of hair, the color of
skin, and the attitude of others does not define who we are, but the judgement
laid upon us or the intrusive questions that some ask make us feel as if we are
not good enough to be a part of certain groups. Some of the words that describe
us are mulatto, mixed-race, Halfie, and many other words that are neither nice
nor accurate.
Kee Malesky’s article
The Journey From 'Colored' To
'Minorities' To 'People Of Color she says that our language choices when we
describe people who are not white can be demeaning and have negative
connotations about them. “Language is and always will be an essential element in
the struggle for understanding among peoples. Changes in the words and phrases
we use to describe each other reflect whatever progress we make on the path
toward a world where everyone feels respected and included” Malesky Writes. This
article looks at the progression of American’s nomenclature for those non-whites
over the years. It states that while the term “colored” used to be for
designated for those that were African, today is it used to describe anyone who
is not “white.” Some point out that this is not fair because the skin of “white
people” varies as well. The article wraps up by adding that “people of color”
may also be used to describe those in a low economic standing. Again, this
groups people into categories once again erasing some of the progress that has
been made by civil rights leaders for everyone’s equality.
These stories and articles have a common theme of
non-acceptance by one side or another, and they highlight the ignorance of those
that lump people into categories based on the color of their skin. This leads to
low self-esteem and feelings that things will not get better in the future
because the color of your skin cannot be changed. Being categorized by something
that you have no control over is tough, especially for impressionable teens. In
order to stop the cycle of judgement we have to educate those that don’t know
what they are doing is discriminatory and hurtful. I will be sure that I educate
my future students to look at literature of minorities and mixed-race authors to
promote awareness of the issues facing conflicted people like me.
Sources:
Written by contributor Blitheful:
Mixed race and racism here:
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1019065
A short essay on bi-racial
identity written by WSP:
https://wspucla.wordpress.com/2011/05/14/if-im-biracial-who-am-i-a-short-essay-about-the-problematic-nature-of-being-multiracial/
Poetry by bi-racial people:
https://www.poetrysoup.com/poems/best/biracial
UsNews Report on the future of
skin color:
https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/12/12/old-and-brown-america-in-50-years-census
Jean Toomer Poem:
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/portrait-georgia
Kee Malesky- National Public
Radio: The Journey From 'Colored' To 'Minorities' To 'People Of Color':
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2014/03/30/295931070/the-journey-from-colored-to-minorities-to-people-of-color
