Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
portrayal of youth by media
portrayal of youth by media
mass media effects on youth
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: portrayal of youth by media
I am Vietnamese, I am American
Durian fruit. When people ask me how I feel about my Vietnamese culture, the first thing that comes to mind is durian fruit. Unlike the strawberries or cherries found at Safeway, durian fruit at first glance does not even look edible. The entire fruit resembles a dirty old football, except that durian weighs nearly three pounds. One-inch spikes and a tough brown outer peel cover the fruit, giving it an intimidating look. Inside, yellow, kidney-shaped pieces line the peel like orange slices. As a child, I hated durian. I refused to even taste it. Later on, when I was older, my mother bribed me with two dollars to try the meaty flesh. I fell in love with the fruit instantly. Its heavenly aroma tantalized my olfactory senses. The fleshy kidney-shaped parts felt as smooth as butter inside my mouth.
Just like the durian, my Vietnamese culture repulsed me as a young child. I always felt that there was something shameful in being Vietnamese. Consequently, I did not allow myself to accept the beauty of my culture. I instead looked up to Americans. I wanted to be American. My feelings, however, changed when I entered high school. There, I met Vietnamese students who had extraordinary pride in their heritage. Observing them at a distance, I re-evaluated my opinions. I opened my life to Vietnamese culture and happily discovered myself embracing it. `
When I was seven years old, I wanted very much to be American. I wanted to be like Richie Cunningham from the sitcom “Happy Days,” which aired often in the early 1980s. I wanted his startlingly blue eyes, his confident smile, his red freckles, his red hair, and of course his strong “American” voice. I envied his tall, strong frame and ...
... middle of paper ...
...cabulary served as a constant reminder of my long-time neglect of my culture. I always regretted—and to this day, still regret—losing those valuable years.
Nowadays, in the new house that my parents strove so hard to get, I no longer have to drag a chair into the bathroom. It took twelve years, but I can now see my reflection perfectly well. There are big differences when I look, though; the mirror is no longer cracked, the face I see is no longer small. I look older and a little bit wiser (I owe this to the tough yet proper way I was raised). I still do not detect any blue eyes or red hair or red freckles, but that’s okay because Richie Cunningham, if he were real, would actually envy the way I have two cultures at my disposal. I have become a living microcosm of two worlds, a living testament to the harmony between my Vietnamese and American cultures.
Phillips, Delores B. "Quieting Noisy Bellies: Moving, Eating and Being in the Vietnamese Diaspora." University of Minnesota Press 73 (2009): 47-87. Print
For a long time, women were oppressed and controlled by men. Particularly in early 19th century, these thoughts and stereotypes bound women stronger than ever. "The Yellow Wallpaper", written by Charlotte Perkins, Gilman shows us how men and women were treated differently during early 19th century by alluding men and women figures into her two characters, the narrator and her husband. “Yellow Wallpaper” is about one man who controls the narrator and forces her to hide herself and makes her isolated from the world by giving her wrong diagnosis and one woman who is absolutely forbidden to do anything and isolated from the world because of her “depression”. In the story, Gilman conveyed her view of men as authorized, controlling figure that doesn’t appreciate women’s feelings or thought and women as powerless figure that were ignored and oppressed by men through the use of characterization of husband, wife (the narrator), and symbolization.
The Lottery is an amazing work of fiction not only because of its extraordinary twist on the concept of tradition, but for its classic irony and impeccable use of symbolism. The Lottery questions whether or not tradition should be respected for what it is or evolve to suit new generations. When asked the purpose of writing The Lottery, Shirley Jackson responded that the story was "to shock the story's readers with a graphic demonstration of the pointless violence and general inhumanity in their own lives." (237) Jackson was a true visionary as a female author who created a thought provoking and alarming story to readers in a time when tradition was still heavily weighted in society.
In a female oppressive story about a woman driven from postpartum depression to insanity, Charlotte Gilman uses great elements of literature in her short story, The Yellow Wallpaper. Her use of feminism and realism demonstrates how woman's thoughts and opinions were considered in the early 1900?s.
Why would a civilized and peaceful town would ever suggest the horrifying acts of violence can take place anywhere at anytime and the most ordinary people can commit them. Jackson's fiction is noted for exploring incongruities in everyday life, and “The Lottery”, perhaps her most exemplary work in this respect, examines humanity's capacity for evil within a contemporary, familiar, American setting. Noting that the story’s characters, physical environment, and even its climactic action lacks significant individuating detail, most critics view “The Lottery.” As a modern-day parable or fable, which obliquely addresses a variety of themes, including the dark side of human nature, the danger of ritualized behavior, and the potential for cruelty when the individual submits to the mass will. Shirley Jackson also addresses cruelty by the citizen’s refusal to stand up and oppose “The Lottery.” Violence and cruelty is a major theme in “The Lottery.”
An understanding, of Jackson’s life and times may serve to illuminate motive and meaning, thus yielding further appreciation of this work. Shirley Jackson was born 1919, in the time of the “Lost Generation”. While attending Syracuse University, she met Stanley Edgar Hyman, a classmate, Jewish intellectual numismatist and literary critic whom she married in 1940. With the War’s end in 1946, publication of “the Lottery” in 1948, and her marriage to a Jewish intellectual it seems likely that news of the Holocaust would have influenced her writing. In “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson describes a situation that aside from time and location mirrors Europe under Nazi authority.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" is an observation on the male oppression of women in a patriarchal society. The story itself presents an interesting look at one woman's struggle to deal with both mental and physical confinement. Through Gilman's writing the reader becomes aware of the mental and physical confinement, which the narrator endures, and the overall effect and reaction to this confinement.
The psychologically thrilling story of “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman explores the dark and twisted aspect of the American society in the nineteenth century. Through the use of theme, Gilman creatively captures the cultural subordination and struggles women faced on a regular basis.
In Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper," a nervous wife, an overprotective husband, and a large, dank room covered in musty wallpaper all play important parts in driving the wife insane. The husband's smothering attention, combined with the isolated environment, incites the nervous nature of the wife, causing her to plunge into insanity to the point she sees herself in the wallpaper. The author's masterful use of not only the setting (of both time and place), but also of first person point of view, allows the reader to participate in the woman's growing insanity.
The story of “The Lottery” is a dark tale that gives the reader a window into a community blighted by an tradition propagated by ignorance; sending a message that reverberates with many events, ideas, and observations throughout the annals of time. Written by the great Shirley Jackson, this fable exemplifies how delusion and illogical thinking led to the terrifying and morose ending of Tessie Hutchinson's existence. Shirley Jackson was well known in her lifetime, but not necessarily as the literary master she is hailed as today. Jackson had great interest in the culture of witchcraft, and deeply incorporated this knowledge into one of her first short stories: “The Lottery.” While this influence greatly improved the haunted tone of the story, it also spawned various rumors regarding Shirley Jackson herself, being a reclusive bookish woman interested in the dark arts. However, just as the “witches” of Salem were mercilessly murdered for ambiguous reasons, so too was Tessie Hutchinson. Shirley Jackson saw the reflection of these poor souls within our very lives, and channeled their sorrowful essence into a meticulous story that is as moving as it is disturbing.
Trinh Vö, L. (2008). Constructing a Vietnamese American Community: Economic and Political Transformation in Little Saigon, Orange County. Amerasia Journal, 34(3), 85-109.
Why were the cash grants given to mothers? Do you think this was a good idea or a bad
The Yellow Wallpaper is a very astonishing story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman that daringly reaches out to explore the mental state of a woman whose mind eventually begins to be broken down to a state of insanity by the appearance of a creeping woman who is trapped behind a revolting yellow wallpaper. This short story takes a look at the causes of the narrator’s insanity by how she was confined in a house alone, trapped with only her mind and a dull wallpaper; while dealing with depression and consuming strong
When I was younger, I felt different among my group of white friends. Since I was so Americanized throughout my early years of elementary school, I was always too scared to share my culture – even when my friends heard me speaking Vietnamese to my parents on the phone, I would be jokingly made fun of and some would try to mimic my speech. I felt like no one would understand it or treat me differently because of me being Vietnamese. Like I mentioned earlier, being a Vietnamese-American I sided with my American identity more than my Vietnamese one – to the point where I could no longer speak fluent Vietnamese (as I use to when I was younger). As I grew older, I lost my Vietnamese heritage along the way, and with it, I lost a significant portion of my identity. However, since I have entered college, I have been trying to gain that part of my identity back. It is especially helpful that SJSU has a 32% Asian population with copious amounts of Asian festivities going around on campus. With that, I forced myself to become more sociable and outgoing and ended up joining the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) here on campus. By becoming a member of VSA, it brought back memories of why I enjoyed being Vietnamese in the first place -- it inspired me to not be afraid to share my culture with others and be proud of who I am just as Mrs. Rojas had done for Rose. The people that I have met in the
Vietnam is actually three parts, the North, Middle and South and is located in Southeastern Asia. There are about fifty four different ethnic groups within Vietnam, and the population is in the millions. The Vietnam Culture is much different than that of the United States. Every aspect of their culture has a meaning, and a purpose, from birth’s to grieving they take very seriously. The Vietnamese people who have migrated to the United States still live in much of the cultural ways, if not they may be ousted by their families although this is rare, it does happen.