Of The Poem 'To The Man Who Shouted' By Franny Choi

Poetry is a form of literature that some view as obsolete in the modern world, but in the poem “To the Man Who Shouted ‘I Like Pork Fried Rice’ at Me on the Street”, Franny Choi dispels that belief. She uses poetry as a medium to convey her own personal experience with the stereotyping and fetishization of Asian American women, which is an issue that millions of Asian American women still face today. When considering Choi’s background as a Korean American woman and how that has shaped her identity and philosophy, we see how being an Asian American woman is intrinsically a core part of her work, which is why much of her work is about breaking the stereotypes that come with this identity. The content of Franny Choi’s poetry is indicative of

In the next lines of the second stanza she writes, “flimsy white fork / to snap in half. dispose of me.” which suggests that the people who see Asian American women as the stereotypes fail to see them as holistic people. It implies that the value of Asian American women lies only in the stereotype, and once that has been taken advantage of they are worthless. The continuation of this theme can be seen when she writes, “lucky man. / go & take what’s yours.” One interpretation of “take what’s yours” could be society taking the stereotype of Asian American women, and thus Asian American women themselves since some people do not see the difference, and using them purely for their own pleasure. Since society has created the stereotype, these lines imply that it and the people it is about are rightfully theirs for the taking, regardless of how it affects the people in question. Knowing Choi’s philosophy, this interpretation makes a lot of sense as she, as an Asian American woman, simply wants to be treated as a

In an interview with Voice of America, she said that her identity as an Asian American “definitely play[s] into all of the reasons why [she] write[s] and why [she] continues to write” (Byrd). That is evident throughout this poem which is about a facet of the Asian American narrative, the fetishization of Asian American women, that is not always discussed. Women from every background deal with catcalling and other forms of casual sexual harassment which is what makes this poem relatable, but Asian American women must face this unique brand of intertwined racism and sexism in their daily lives. “To the Man Who Shouted ‘I Like Pork Fried Rice’ at Me on the Street” is not the solution to this problem, but it is a powerful piece of literature that demonstrates no one is simply a