Do you want extra credit? Post a comment on this blog post in response to this prompt:
Watch Anna Deavere Smith's TED talk. Post a comment of at least two paragraphs to the blog. Here is your prompt: which of her characters do you believe is most representative of America? Why? Support your "why" argument with specific quotations from the video.
If you want extra credit, please post your comment by Monday night, October 14, at 11:59 PM.
She called the piece “Swallowing the Bitterness”. The piece was about the aftermath of the 1992 Rodney King verdict. After he was sentenced, African Americans took to the streets to seek “justice” for this unfair verdict. Her portrayal of the Korean merchant was one of sadness and agony. She explains that in America, Koreans are worthless: “Koreans are completely left out of this society and we are nothing.” She was questioning the way justice was portrayed in America. Because of the trial, African American took to the streets: “They were having a party…They got their rights by destroying innocent Korean merchants.” The merchant goes on about how blacks have all these rights, (medical treatments, food stamps, GR, welfare etc.), but Koreans got nothing. She doesn’t want to come off as racist, she just wishes she could be part of the enjoyment. She wants to live together in harmony with African Americans, but because of the riots, she believes there is “too much difference” between them.
ReplyDeleteI believe that her character portrayal of the Korean American was accurate. America only sees the difference between two racial groups: African Americans and Caucasian because of their struggles for over two centuries. It seems that it is rare when it focuses on the struggles of Hispanics and Asians. The Korean American was a prime example of this. When the verdict was read, the news only covered the destruction and the riots that blacks did. But rarely did it see the Asian or Hispanic point of view. And sadly in many merchant stores at this time, justice was not served for them.
I believe that the most representative character is Studs Terkel because when Anna Smith talks about him she brings technology in the america society and it is a a big part in the america society. Studs Terkel was born in 1912, he was a radio man. Anna Deavere Smith quotes him about his defining moment in America History, which is the technology. Technology results in “less and less human touch “and also Anna Smith says “more and more, less and less awareness of the other “. America it is a place where the technology can be observe in everywhere, people have it and use it all the time. In the train station for example it is possible to see people using their phones all the way throw their destination, without stop to observe a person on their side, it is really rare to see conversation between strangers on the T station.
ReplyDeleteAnna Smith said “You see in the old days we had robots, robots imitated humans. Now we have humans imitating robots”, on the train or in most of places that you go to, listen to the human voices are electronic, radio, the driver in the bus, train and in the airplane,and a friend on the phone. Technology it is part of the daily in the America society.
I believe Ms Young Soon Han is the perfect representatives of America nowadays. Why? Because she is an immigrant, desires to integrate into the mainstream culture and hopes for the rights that she deserves in this society. America population is made from the immigrants who come from all over the world. It is truly true that most of the immigrants come to this land with the American Dream. Most of them experienced some dissatisfaction or conflicts in their own country and America becomes a great land of hope and future to start over. However, the sweet dream turns out a nightmare when we discover countless of differences in the real America such as what Ms Young confessed “I used to believe America was the best. I watched in Korea many luxurious Hollywood lifestyle movie. I never saw any poor man, any black”
ReplyDeleteJust like any other immigrants who do not complain much and start working to make end meet but the there is the bitterness when realizing so much unfair in this society, the unfair in the policies among immigrants “I began to really realize that Koreans are completely left out of this society and we are nothing. We didn't qualify for medical treatment, no food stamp, no GR, no welfare, anything. Many African-Americans who never work got minimum amount of money to survive.” The bitterness seems to go to the peak after the verdict but she has to swallow and find a way to accept because “They fought for their rights for over two centuries and maybe because they sacrifice other minorities Hispanic, Asian, we would suffer more in the mainstream.” She really desires to live in harmony in this culture but it is so hard to do, maybe another two centuries of struggling like the African or maybe impossible.
Anna Deavere Smith imitates 4 characters stud Terkel, Paulette Jenkins, a Korean women, and a bull rider. Every imitation is very impressive for me because she acts very like them. I realized she has really pay attention to their accent, stress, attitude and etc. Most impressive person was Paulette Jenkins. Her story was really depressing because she go through the past not stopping child abuse by husband and end up killing the child. More worse, they try to keep the thing secret and change the fact. That reminds me of Japanese rather than American because they are trying to keep their feeling secret. I suppose it is a kind of our custom, so sometimes I cannot understand how they feel about. I think the best one which represents todays American is a Korean women. she speaks about how Koreans don't seem to be recognized in society. she wants to get along with the black people probably because she feels lonely. it was hard to understand she is trying to say, but “I wish that, I wish that, I wish that I could be part of the enjoyment. I wish I could live together with black people” makes me feel that way. When I came here for the first time, I remember I was really surprised at the ethnical diversity. However, as a few months passed, I realized some people with same nationality tend to build their own community in some areas. I think they are not recognized in society, but they seem they keep themselves away from America on purpose.
ReplyDeleteI think the Korean shop keeper is most representative in Anna Deavere Smith's TED talk. She expresses questions about what justice is in society thorough Korean-American woman. The 1992 Los Angels riots were occured by the trial result of the the Rodney King Riots. African-American, then, had many struggles toward social problems, such as increasing an unemployment rate of them, oppressing from police, and Death of Latasha Harlins. African-American were victims in the background of the riots, but they made many victims of Korean-American. In her speech, "They fought for their rights for over two centuries, and maybe because they sacrifice other minorities, Hispanic, Asian, we would suffer more in the mainstream." America has to accept diversity, but it needs serious efforts because America is a democratic society. Many dicisions are made by opinions of a majority, and ideas of minority are tend to be thought little of. We don't forget that America is made of many ethic groups. Views are different amang the people as well as justice. In the TED talk, "Igniting, igniting, igniting fire. Igniting fire. It's still there; it can burst out anytime." We also face this matter now.
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