Create a new account

It's simple, and free.

My Year of Meat & Blossoming of Bongbong

This paper is a summary of a more detailed consideration of issues raised in two works of fiction by female Asian American writers. The first is a short story written by an established Filipino American author, Jessica Tarahata Hagedorn, entitled, "The Blossoming of Bongbong." The second is a first-time novel by a Japanese American writer, Ruth L. Ozeki, titled, My Year of Meats. These two works illustrate important concerns of many Asian Americans - feelings of alienation and isolation that many immigrants and children of immigrants face, the contrast of cultures that characterize the Asian attempts to join the American melting pot, and the ways that such attempts both succeed and clash with what it means to be an American. Both works share some literary devices in dealing with these complex subjects, including the use of letters, memos, and quotes. Both also use food and recipes for food from contrasting cultures to illustrate the struggles that Asian Americans often face as they try to understand and be understood by their adopted culture. One shows clearly the tragedy and isolation that these efforts can produce, while the other offers a more lighthearted but no less profound examination of what it means to be Asian American in modern society.

Robert G. Lee observes, "The history of Asians in the United States has been a continuous struggle against racial exclusion and subordination" (xi). As he writes, "Asia is not a biological fact but a geographic designation" (2). That Eurocentric America sees the diverse range of cultures and ethnicities of Asia as a single identity is part of the challenge that Asian immigrants face in finding their identities as Americans.

Hagedorn's story tells of a gay Filipino whose attempt to integrate into his new homeland contributes to his mental illness and finally leaves him isolated even from himself. Elaine H. Kim calls this a satirical story of an immigrant who "is confused and ...

Page 1 of 3 Next >

More on My Year of Meat & Blossoming of Bongbong...

Loading...
APA     MLA     Chicago
My Year of Meat & Blossoming of Bongbong. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 20:44, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1703532.html