Revise my essay

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Misha Smith

Professor Sandor

English 1A

17 May 2020

The Comparison and the similarities of Culture

According to both novels, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by

Sherman Alexie, and American Born Chinese”, Gene Luen Yang have both shared the same

situations to being stereotype cause of their cultural heritage.

Alexie and Yang have briefly experienced the similarities in both novels of racial

discrimination due to the cultural of being belittle because of their own race. “When the class

finally figured out that we weren’t related, rumors began to circulate that Suzy and I were

arranged to be married on her thirteenth birthday” (Yang 31). This had gone to affect them into a

different aspect because they weren’t related in any kind of form, and that they've assumed that if

they’re not related that maybe, that they’re supposed to be married at a young age. A young age

that they believe that other culture heritage is different from the other culture. “It’s a school on

the reservation border filled with the poorest Indians and poorer- than white kids. Yes, there is a

place in the world where the white people are even poorer than you ever thought possible”

(Alexie 45). Discrimination still plays a major factor in the culture of believing that another race

is actually poorer than another race. Which will always continue to belittle race after race, and

continue to the myth of actually believing that every race has some kind of poor people. “Just

remember this, “my father said. “Those white people aren’t better than you.” (Alexie 55).

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Another reason to why that if the hate still continues as a hatred against one another that it will

never change the mind of others, and that will go beyond the line from one another to build a

better relationship with another race. This goes to show that the discrimination of another culture

taken the edge of continuing the hate against one another, and it has been the cause to the

situation that why another culture is belittle.

Alexie and Yang also explain the situation of being a student who’s the only race in a

school full of one particular race, that make you feel you're out of place. When one of the new

students who came from Tai Wan had experience a situation where when he wanted to become

friends with one of the other classmates and when he wanted to start a conversation with the

other classmates. It had begun like this, “Eh... We B-Be Friends? I have enough friends” (Yang

38). Although in the novel of American Born Chinese begun to feel disappointed because the

thought of him being different from the rest of them would make him feel out of place, and

didn’t want to be friends with. “A few of my white classmates have been to a grandparents’

funeral. And a few have lost an uncle or aunt. And one guy’s brother died of leukemia when he

was in third grade. But there's nobody who has been to more than five funerals. (Alexie 200).

Another reason why Yang felt out of place because even though that some of them been to

funerals a few times, but they haven’t been to more than four. Which gave him another

disappoint that he doesn’t belong nor fit in with the rest of them because they have been to less

than five funerals, but he has been to five of them. “All of these whites' kids and teachers, who

were so suspicious of me when I arrived, had learned to care about me. Maybe some of them

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even loved me. And I’d been so suspicious of them. And now I care about a lot of them. And

loved a few of them” (Alexie 212). This goes back to the fact that even though they’ve been

suspicious of another human being because of what they’ve thought of, instead of knowing of.

That gives them the opportunity to be not even get the chance of going outside of their mindset

of learning to care instead of judging.

Although in both novels Alexie and Yang had gone through difference prior to what it’s

like to move away, and being able to start difference at a new place. “You know how I

transferred from Hughes Academy at the beginning of the year? Well, the year before that I

transferred from High Rohmer High. (Yang 126). Changing location and making better decisions

to start over when things get difficult. Which can trigger you to adjust to it because when you get

frightened of how things will look if you stay. So, moving on to different places will make you

feel like more comfortable, and less stressful. “And once I arrived at Reardan, I became

something less than, less than, less than Indian” (Alexie 83). When you arrived at places you

start to think less of your own culture because you’re busy trying to fit in with the rest of the

cultures. That you are no longer thinking or doing activities that you normally do in your own

culture. Which shows once you leave another state that you think less and less than your average.

“She found a home across the road from a University, they soon now spent all his free time

reading book about mathematics, science, and history” (Yang 24). In this particularly situation

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that once you move on to a different location, you’re more focus and less distracted on learning.

Which goes beyond that when She had found a home away from the University, that she had

more time to study than to not being able to stay at all. That shows moving to away to other

places is sometimes for the better.

Alexie and Yang have briefly experienced the similarities in both novels of racial

discrimination due to cultural of being belittle because of their own race. That they assumed that

the race of another are supposed to be the opposite of theirs. Alexie and Yang also explain the

situation of being a student who’s the only race in a school full of one particular race, that make

you feel you’re out of place. Making new friends in a new school environment, and not be

accepted because you feel that you the opposite to the rest of them. Lastly, how they went

through the differences prior to moving away, and starting at new places has become a better

decision for their lives.