Research

Dilasha Shrestha

Dr. Edwards 

ENGL-1302-41325

15 November 2022

Culture Shaped Our Perceptions

One common theme in several literal writings is the coming-of-age experience. In a much greater sense, the happenings describe how experiences transition from a simple and straight way of viewing the world to a more complex and realistic view. Everyone feels these experiences differently because everyone has unique perceptions of the world. A contributing factor to these differences may include race, gender, culture, etc., as illustrated by Junot Diaz and Sherman Alexie in their short stories. The Indian-born Sherman Alexie, in his story, “Indian Reservation,” narrates the coming-of-age experience of a Native American.

In contrast, Junot Diaz focuses on a Dominican African American in a story entitled “How to Date a Brown girl, (Black girl, White Girl and Halfie’) (Díaz, 1995). Both stories are similar, with the spiking difference being the style of play. Diaz describes the experiences of the African Americans using humour as a way of stereotyping the view of the world. On the other hand, Sherman explains the stereotyping acquired through a journey via the Reservation school (Alexie, 1993).

References

Alexie, S. (1993). Indian Education. Atlantic Monthly Press. http://www.cengage.com/custom/static_content/ OLC/s76656_76218lf/alexie.pdf.

Díaz, J. (1995, December 18). How To Date A Brown Girl (black girl, white girl, or halfie). The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1995/12/25/how-to-date-a-brown-girl-black-girl-white-girl-or-halfie