Ethnic Literature Essay

The enclosure heathen when in conjunction with the cry literature in the academic discourse community of students, often brings egress mixed feelings of excitement and dread. On the adept hand, students understand that they will be motorting away from the canonical American literature which can be boring in their eyes on the other hand, students interpret the term heathen literature to mean distinctive which can equal perplexing or ambiguous and possibly at times not relatable because it is outside(a) their scope of experiences.Perhaps before jumping into wherefore it matters, the term ethnic literature should be defined first and because I am take over learning how to interpret this term myself, I searched for a suitable one I could agree with. I found one in an word entitled Assessing Teachers Knowledge of Multi- social Literature, and the article actually utilize another source themselves to make out up with a workable, laymans definition. Ethnic literature as d efined by D.E. Norton (as the articles source) is, Literature well-nigh racial or ethnic minority groups that ar culturally and socially contrastive from the white Anglo-Saxon majority in the United States, whose largely middle-class values and customs argon to the highest degree represented in American literature (qtd. in Hager & Thompson 22). I deal this definition works well to define what ethnic literature is on a surface level, but the more I dig in, I feel that this desire goes much deeper.I asked myself, who can write close ethnic literature? hindquarters anyone just pick up a pen so to speak and tell a story about a young Japanese boy, or a Hispanic family? Can an African-American writer write about Hispanic or Chinese people and claim it is ethnic literature? And the answer to myself is no. wherefore? Because unless that African-American has been submersed in the Hispanic or Japanese acculturation from the time of childhood, how argon they going to capture the very essence of being, thinking, and life register day-to-day in that culture? And level if that African-American had, they would still close likely fuck off a different perspective from the average Hispanic or Chinese person because of being different themselves (i.e black) and possibly are treated different by the community at large which corrupts the prevalent cultural thinking.At this deeper level I am trying to get at, I find John M. Reillys article Criticism of Ethnic Literature Seeing the Whole Story helpful in acquiring this. He tell aparts that, the assertion of ethnicity in literature can be do only through a procedure by which the writer resolves established problems what moves from recognition of identity to creation of a strategy for handling worldly concern still is not literature until the individual author sustains her or his ethnic identity through a sequence of formal choices (4). I am interpreting this to mean that as a reader of this literature, I should gather and feel throughout the story (perhaps subtlety) that in some way, the characters mindset (and perhaps actions) in the story differ from my own specifically because of the culture they stupefy grown up in in, which has shaped that characters thinking. on that point are thoughts and feelings ideas, I gaint understand without further report from the author, which is sometimes provided, and sometimes not. An example of this is in Brando Skyhorses novel The Madonnas of remember Park, I find myself wondering what the significance of the jacaranda trees mentioned in different parts of the book. Looking up what they are, it becomes apparent to me as jacaranda trees are native to Central America roots back to their homeland. The blossoms from the trees fall and are scattered everywhere. Felicia in chapter 2 states that theres no way getting away from them (25). Basically meaning, you cannot escape who you are and where you come from. I would not have understood this had I not explored the history of that tree to uncover the significance in the book.Another example is in Seventeen Syllables in the story Seventeen Syllables. The story about a Japanese family is easy to read, but is hard to connect with as I dont share the same philosophies about a cleaning ladys berth in the Japanese culture. A specific spokesperson in the story was when Mrs. Hayashi, Rosies mother received her the first place prize for her stellar Haiku. When the man from the newspaper presented her with a package, Mrs.Hayashi, stating she knew it was unorthodox, asked if she faculty yield it because she was very curious. (Yamamoto 17). At this point, I am thinking to myself, I dont get it why wouldnt she untied it? but upon reflection, I considered the patriarchal society that is dominant in this culture, and perhaps it is the wifes obligation to consult or have the husband open the gift, even if it is not specifically for him.Yet another example is in Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. To c ome specifically to the point, I do not understand this idea of why it is understood that Dominican men are supposed to be these manly men that women flock to and fall on their knees for. That the sexual appetency along with innate sense of charisma from Dominican men is expected, and when its lacking, it doesnt go unnoticed. Anywhere else his triple-zero batting average with the ladies might have passed without comment, but this is a Dominican kid were talking about, in a Dominican family dude was supposed to have Atomic take aim G, was supposed to be pulling in the bitches with both hands (24). why is this idea so indoctrinated in this culture according to the book? This is perhaps something I will never understand, except that it is a part of their culture. all of these examples are all good and well, but the important question is why is ethnic literature important? What can be gained from reading it? From a most basic viewpoint, it is a highly effective vehicle for luck peopl e understand themselves and the world around them. Thompson and Hager in their article state that, multi-ethnic literature mirrors and validates the experiences for minority groups and juxtaposes the familiar with the less familiar for mainstream children (22).In other words, through reading ethnic literature, readers can find shipway to connect with others around them that are different. The article also states that when readers are unfastened to divergent thoughts, language patterns, value systems, and different ways of living, that it can open up awareness about others and create compassion and understanding towards them that might not have happened without the literary exposure (23).To sum it all up, I will never argue against the instruction of ethnic literature in the school setting. In fact, I think teaching it should begin decent from the beginning in kindergarten, and perhaps one day we wont need the designated term ethnic literature perhaps one day it can just be Ameri can Literature and part of the timed American canon of literature.Works CitedDiaz, Junot. The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. overbold York Penguin, 2007. Print.Reilly, John. M. Criticism of Ethnic Literature Seeing the Whole Story. scathing Approaches to EthnicLiterature. 5.1 (1978) 2-13. Web. 21 Apr. 2012.Skyhorse, Brando. The Madonnas of Echo Park. wise York Free Press, 2010. Print.Thompson, Deborah L. and Jane Meeks Hager. Assessing Teachers Knowledge of multi-ethnicLiterature. Yearbook of the American Reading Forum. 1990. 21-29. Web. 21 Apr. 2012.Yamamoto, Hisaye. Seventeen Syllables. New Brunswick, NJ Rutgers University Press, 2001. Print.