This week in class we read three different pieces, "Champion of the World" by Maya Angelou, "Because My Father Said He was the Only Indian who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play 'The Star Spangled Banner' at Woodstock" by Sherman Alexie, and "Fish Cheeks" by Amy Tan. These three narratives all had to do with marginalization and the isolation each author felt from society.
In "Champion of the World", Angelou uses Joe Louis's boxing fight as a symbol for her race's fight against white society. When Louis defeats his white contender, Angelou feels as if it is a win for the entire Black race. For a moment she doesn't feel marginalized anymore. However, at the end Angelou points out that "it wouldn't be fit for a Black man and his family to be caught on a lonely country road". By saying this, she shows she knows that their fight against marginalization is not over.
In Alexie's piece, he talks about how his alcoholic father listened to Jimi Hendrix over and over again. Jimi Hendrix, who was also from a marginalized race, helped Alexie's father deal with the isolation he felt from the rest of society. Sherman Alexie showed how his father dealt with marginalization by taking comfort in those that were also isolated.
Lastly, in "Fish Cheeks", Amy Tan talks about the struggle of coming from a Chinese family but trying to fit in to white society. She is embarrassed by her culture when the minister and his family come to her family's traditional Chinese Christmas dinner. Tan tries to overcome her feelings of isolation by assimilating to the dominant culture. In the end, Tan realizes her foolishness and learns that she needs to be proud of her culture and what makes her different.
Although all these pieces dealt with marginalization, all the authors handled it differently. Showing how marginalization affects everyone in a different way.
In "Champion of the World", Angelou uses Joe Louis's boxing fight as a symbol for her race's fight against white society. When Louis defeats his white contender, Angelou feels as if it is a win for the entire Black race. For a moment she doesn't feel marginalized anymore. However, at the end Angelou points out that "it wouldn't be fit for a Black man and his family to be caught on a lonely country road". By saying this, she shows she knows that their fight against marginalization is not over.
In Alexie's piece, he talks about how his alcoholic father listened to Jimi Hendrix over and over again. Jimi Hendrix, who was also from a marginalized race, helped Alexie's father deal with the isolation he felt from the rest of society. Sherman Alexie showed how his father dealt with marginalization by taking comfort in those that were also isolated.
Lastly, in "Fish Cheeks", Amy Tan talks about the struggle of coming from a Chinese family but trying to fit in to white society. She is embarrassed by her culture when the minister and his family come to her family's traditional Chinese Christmas dinner. Tan tries to overcome her feelings of isolation by assimilating to the dominant culture. In the end, Tan realizes her foolishness and learns that she needs to be proud of her culture and what makes her different.
Although all these pieces dealt with marginalization, all the authors handled it differently. Showing how marginalization affects everyone in a different way.
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