Multiculturalism Explained In One Word: Hapa, By Kristen Lee

1090 Words5 Pages
Why do you like puppies? I know it is a weird question but really why do you like puppies. Is it because they are extremely fluffy and adorable? Or is it because culturally you just love them? But can also be that you love them because at nine years old you got your first dog. A person’s culture influences how people view the world and others sometimes. One’s culture helps one judge what is right or wrong. But actual life experiences can also influence why people view certain aspects of life the way they do. Sometimes culture can influence the way one views others and the world. In this interview/essay written by Kristen Lee, “Multiculturalism Explained In One Word: Hapa” the interviewee says, that despite Hapa being a very negative…show more content…
In the poem, “Legal Alien” by Pat Mora she says, “ Mexican to Americans/ a handy token/ sliding back and forth between the fringes of both worlds/ by smiling/ by masking discomfort/ of being pre-judged Bi-laterally” (Mora 32). The speaker knows how wrong it is for people to judge her. It is wrong for Mexicans to not accept because she is American and vice versa. By showing how wrong it is it impacts how the speaker starts to view people. She now feels that people judge her before she isn’t has a chance to actually say a word because of the specific situation she is put in. And in this poem you can see the struggle of her not trying to let the aspects of her culture cause her to rude to others. In the essay, “An Indian Father’s Plea” by Robert Lake he says, he wants his son to just proud of his culture despite the circumstances he is being put in.. The child’s father knows he is right. His son should love and embrace his culture. But because the child doesn’t the child starts to view others and the world as extremely mean and judgmental. The kid knows that he shouldn’t hide who he is but because of the situation he is in. These people know how right and wrong the situations they are put in. But because of it they let it influence how they see the world, their culture, and other…show more content…
And culture to me does not involve all of your direct life experiences. In the novel excerpt, “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan she says, “And how I realized how many people were in the audience- the whole world, it seemed. I was aware of eyes burning into my back. I felt the shame of my mother and father as they sat stiffly through the rest of the show” (Tan 23). Because of her life experiences on playing the piano she doesn’t want to play it ever again. She her life influenced by an experience in her life but not by her actual culture. In life you go through things that cause you to change your mind on certain things. In the personal essay “Two Ways to Belong in America” by Bharati Mukherjee she says, “If America wants to play the manipulative game, I’ll play it too, she snapped. I’ll become a U.S. citizen for now...” (Mukherjee 71). Her life experiences helped her impact how she viewed America. Her views weren’t changed because culture either. The character’s sister knows she doesn't want to lose her Indian roots and at first she does like America. But the change of policies causes her to second guess how she views America and living in it. Life experiences help carve how you view things in the world more so than culture
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  • An Indian Fathers Plea By Robert Lake Analysis

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    “My mother believed you could be anything in America” (Tan 18). Her mother probably already thought that one could be anything in America no matter what her culture was. In the interview/essay: “Multiculturalism Explained in One Word: Hapa,” by Kristen Lee explains that she embraces the different cultures, “It’s meant to be slightly derogatory but I embrace it as a source of empowerment” (Lee 4). She embraces a derogatory term to define her outlook on her world. But most of the time people’s culture

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