Friday, September 10, 2010

Escape the Box


We have spent the past three weeks discussing questions surrounding identity. As part of those discussions, we you have read several stories, listened to music, performed poetry, written in journals, and created identity collages to express your own unique cultural identifiers. We have also discussed various examples of "the box," which is a metaphor for any obstacles or barriers that might isolate, frustrate, enclose, or sometimes protect someone from a larger world.

Think back over everything we have read so far for this unit ("Theme for English B," "High Yellow White Trash," "Sylvia's Story" from National Public Radio), American Born Chinese, "Black, White and Jewish" and "Being Poor in a Land of Plenty." Your task now is to write and post a comment in this forum in which you describe a connection between at least TWO of these works, focusing on the role of "the box." Think about how different characters face similar or different challenges. Think about similarities or differences in the kinds of disguises characters wear. Do you think these characters will escape from their boxes? What kinds of factors put characters and/or people in boxes? Are the "boxes" constructed by society (for example, by stereotypes), or do families and individuals create their own boxes?

When you have made a connection between at least two works, write a post describing that connection. Make sure to mention specific characters/narrators, and to be clear about how the "boxes" they experience are similar. Your post should be in the form of a well-developed paragraph with a topic sentence and evidence, examples, and text references. You should feel free to respond to your classmates' posts, as well as to ask your classmates questions.


*** Remember to use your first name and "Doyle period ___" when you sign your post. Also, if you choose to respond to what another classmate wrote, please do so in a respectful manner.

37 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

“High Yellow White Trash” and “Sylvia’s Story (From NPR)”
In HYWT, the author talks about how she eventually started to talk like her father and act more stereotypically black, at her mom’s resentment. In Sylvia’s story, she wants to be more American, but her parents want her to be a traditional Mexican girl. Both of them want to be or act like something that they weren’t born into, and their parents, or at least one of their parents disapprove of it. Lisa in HYWT started using slang around her mom and white friends, and all of them, especially her mom, though that it was improper and ghetto. Sylvia’s aunt, who she barely knew, and who her mom held in great regard, said that Sylvia wanted to be a normal American and once she grew up, she would resent her parents. Most of her life, Sylvia used a disguise around white people, except for when she was a teenager, whereas Sylvia doesn’t really use a disguise around anyone. In Sylvia’s family, her parents live in a box, but they enjoy it and have no interest in escaping it. When Lisa is around white people, she said that they tend to place her and a stereotypical black box, and vice versa. I think that this relates to a stereotype that we learned about last year in humanities: The tragic mulatto. He/she will never fit in white or black society

Micaiah, Doyle, Per. 3/4

11:14 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think that Theme for English B and Sylvia's Story are connected. Both are from minority groups. They both are kind of in a box because Sylvia doesn't want to be a traditional Mexican girl, while the protagonist for Theme for English B says that just because he is black doesn't mean he is exactly the same as other black people. They are both stereotyped.

Avik, Doyle, 3-4

11:18 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Daniel Period 3-4

The two comparisons I am doing are HYWT and Sylvia's Story NPR. THe reason why Theresa is in a box is because she has two parents divorced of different colors. Whenever she has to visit her parents individually she has to put on a disguise and act as if she has adopted the traditions of the parent she is visiting. When she visits her dad she has to act like everything is easy and talk slang. When she stays with her mother, she has to act like she is educated and she has to not talk slang.
The box Sylvia is in is that her parents are from Mexico and she wants to be a traditional american girl get a good education and get a job but her mom wants her to become a mexican girl. Stay at home, get kids at an early age, and not get a good education. But she doesn't disrespect her mom so she does not automatically turn into an American.
The comparisons are that both girls want to have their own choices but their parents are preventing them from doing that. Sylvia doesn't want to be a mexican girl and Theresa doesn't want to wear a mask whenever she wants to visit her parents.

11:20 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Both Jin (from A.B.C.) and Krystel (from Poor in a land of plenty) feel out of place in their enviroments, which doesn't make their new lives or transitions any easier. Krystel lives in a fairly rich suburb of Chicago, she is always trying to fit in, but the truth is that her family is in what the goverment classifies as poverty. And Jin has just moved from San Francisco, where he lived in Chinatown, he has come to Mayflower Elemantry School where he is the only Asian boy in his third grade class. Krystel always has kept herself "looking middle class" and is carefully making sure her family's disguise is intact. Jin is also careful he is trying to seem like an all american boy, using a disguise, instead the asian american boy he is. Krystel's dad hurt his back working, and has been unemployed for two years, she tries to help with her family of 6's big expenses, by giving her mom (who does have an income) the $7.50/per hour she makes as a teen volunteer. Jin has a hard time at first trying to make new friends and fit in, but after a boy named Wei-Chen comes from Taiwanand he and Jin becpme friends, and a few years later Wei-Chen starts dating Suzy ( as far as the story suggests is the only asian girl in the class.) Jin starts to become a little more comfortable in his enviroment. Jin and Krystel both go from routines to uncertainty, having to deal with unexpected things and sometimes getting by, day by day. They are taking what life throws at them.
Maya D., Doyle, Per. 8/9

7:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Sylvia's story" and "American born Chinese".
Both Sylvia and Jin are trying to accommodate to a society that is entirely different from what they have lived inside their respective "box". Specially for Sylvia she feels mistreated and misunderstood,however she admits that her parents are actually trying to support her. On the other side, Jin is having problems at school, where his fellow students treat him differently because of his ethnicity, and feels angry when Wei Chen arrives at the school, fearing that people will start treating him even worse than they did before because Wei is, unlike Jin, completely new to America. both of them are fighting, however Jin is fighting society and Sylvia is fighting her own family.

Jose Carlos Doyle per. 3-4

10:11 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

In ABC Jin is in a box because he is Chinese for instance if he was not Chinese he would have never met Wei Chin because if he was American he would have been with people like Tim. In Sylvia’s story if she was not Mexican she would not always have people telling her how to be a real Mexican girl. In ABC people tell Jin not to “eat there dogs”. In Sylvia’s story they wouldn’t tell her how to be proper Mexican. Both of these people are in a box they are trying to get out of, but of course in ABC it is just a book in sylvia’s case it is real life.


Conor Doyle
Period

12:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Black, White, and Jewish/Monkey King from ABC
In Black White, and Jewish, the author wants to change herself. In the Monkey King chapters (of ABC), the Monkey King wants to change himself. The Monkey King succeeds in making a name for himself. But the author of BWJ has to grasp the idea that she has been set up in hard place for her. When she tries to impress Bryan, this brings out this problem.
Charlie, Doyle 8/9

5:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think that “High Yellow White Trash” and “Black, White and Jewish” are connected because both main characters are split between two deferent worlds: the black world and the white world (figuratively speaking). In *HYWT Lisa is speaking slang around her family and friends, her mom is white and doesn’t like it one bit. In **BWJ the main character doesn’t want anyone to see that she has a black mother because the boy that she likes doesn’t like black girls.
* High Yellow White Trash.
** Black, White and Jewish

-Morgan, Doyle, 3rd/4th periods

5:50 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Chin-Kee (ABC) and the protagonist in the story "High Yellow White Trash" are both stuck in a box. Chin-Kee's box is more of a society-set box because Chin-Kee doesn't seem to realize that he is a major stereotypical Chinese person and is in a box that he will probably never get of due to the fact that he doesn't know that he is in this box that society set. Instead of trying to move out of this box he actually wants to be more into it. The protagonist in "High Yellow White Trash" is also in a society-set box but also in a parent-set box. Everybody expects her to be a certain way because of her color so when she is with her black friends she must act like they expect her to so she can fit in. When she is with her white mom and her white friends she must act white because her mom expects her to act white. So when Lisa is with her black dad she is in a society-set box and when she is with her white mom she is in a parent-set box. Both Chin-Kee and Lisa are in a society-set box but in the end Lisa's is different.

Harry Ni Doyle Per 8/9

6:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Comparison of “High Yellow White Trash” and “Sylvia’s Story (From NPR)”
Sylvia and Theresa are doing a lot of things similar. They are both code switching between worlds. Sylvia was code switching between her family (Mexican) and her friends (American). And Theresa was code switching between her parents two different worlds (black and white worlds). Sylvia has more trouble escaping so called box that she is stuck in. Her mom is constantly watching her 24/7. However, Theresa had less trouble escaping. It was like she escaped every night and learning from him. Because she was living with her mother she had to escape. Theresa is like the ultimate warrior in a cartoon and both sides are trying to get her on their side. The box was stopping her from completely going to her father’s side. And the box also separated the two worlds and in Theresa’s case her mother in the box was sort of representing that her father was the bright side. In Sylvia’s case her family made the box vs. society. Sylvia wanted to completely escape the box but her mother was really watchful and stopped her every move. Both of them escaped the box in some ways but they did not always escape successfully.
Kelvin, Doyle, Per. 3-4

7:52 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"High Yellow White Trash" and "American Born Chinese" Comparison.

There are many similarities in the stories High Yellow White Trash and American Born Chinese, like they both have boxes for the characters, both the main characters are trying to get into the boxes instead of away from them, and the characters put on disguises to hide themselves around different people. In High Yellow White Trash, the main character, Lisa Page has a box for white people and a box for black people. On p. 4, High Yellow White Trash says, “There were many white things coming clear to me now just as there were many black things. I was putting the world together, organizing it into two separate files.” This tells us that Lisa is creating boxes for different people, (and ethnicities.) Also, in American Born Chinese, Jin is trying to be in a non-Chinese box. For example, he brings a sandwich to school on p. 34 after the kids laughed at his dumplings. Both Lisa Page and Jin have boxes around them and so do the others in their stories. Also, Lisa and Jin are both trying to get into the boxes so they won’t stick out. When Jin brings the sandwich to school, he is putting sandwiches in an “American” box. Jin is trying to get into the American box and out of the stereotypical Chinese box. In High Yellow White Trash, Lisa Page says on p. 4, “And so I started seriously reading books, beginning in the seventh grade. Books became a passion of mine but they worried me to they were more of those white things.” This tells us that Lisa Page was trying a little to be in the “White” box while also trying to stay in the “Black” box. Last, Lisa Page and Jin both put on disguises when trying to fit into their boxes. We see this when on p. 97 and 98 in American Born Chinese Jin gets a perm to look like the boy he thinks Amelia likes. There is evidence of Lisa Page’s disguises in High Yellow White Trash on p. 3, where it says, “I held my chin up, slipping into my white-girl disguise………. Without this costume I was suspect and I knew it.” Lisa Page is changing herself to act more like what she thinks white people are like. Both Lisa Page and Jin are trying to escape the boxes put around them by stereotypes. Both are put in these boxes because of their ethnicity. Both of them are creating new boxes in their mind to act like and be like to fit in. The stories High Yellow White Trash and American Born Chinese are very alike because in both stories there are boxes put around different people, both the main characters are trying to get into some sort of box they think they should be in, and both characters put on different disguises to try to be more a part of those boxes.

Angela, Doyle period 3-4

7:59 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Although Jin from American Born Chinese and Marcus from Being Poor in a Land of Plenty struggle, their boxes are different. Jin, who is faced with stereotypes, gets picked on at school and wants to be white so he can fit in. Marcus, who lives on a farm, lives in poverty and has a hard time financially. In American Born Chinese, when Wei-Chen came as a new student, Jin did not act nicely toward him at first because he considered Wei-Chen an embarrassment; Jin felt ashamed of his own heritage. Marcus, whose family is poor, can't afford trendy clothes for teens; he sometimes feels like he doesn't fit in. However, he maintains optimism and hopes he will go to college and not have financial problems as an adult. He is a positive person who believes one is in poverty only when he/she does not have any food or shelter at all. Both Jin and Marcus have difficult lives, but they are in very different situations.

Elizabeth
Doyle, 8-9

8:45 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

“Poor in a land of plenty”, “Black, White and Jewish'' and “American born Chinese”
In ABC, Jin is insulted because he is Chinese, while in Krystel’s life, she is insulted because she is not very wealthy. Also, the people who are doing the insulting, never really get the chance to get to know either of them. Basically, they are stereotyped by what they look like or what school they go to. Though you see this more in Jin, they both would rather be like everyone else, white or wealthy. Krystel and Jin also do things that would, somewhat, make them more like who they want to be, Jin getting the curly hair and Krystel getting a job. Jin also has a connection with Rebecca Walker in “Black, White and Jewish”. Jin changes his appearance, physically, to please the girl he likes, and Rebecca changed her appearance for the boy she liked, by not having her black mother come to the play. All three of these people have been faced with one horrible thing, being stereotyped.

Elena, Doyle
8/9

8:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am writing about “Black, White and Jewish” and “American Born Chinese” for this post. In each of the stories, the character wants to distance him/herself from one part of his/her culture. There “boxes” are there acceptance of their cultures. In ABC, Danny wants to get away from his Chinese culture. In BWJ, the protagonist wants to get away from her African American culture. In ABC, Danny feels embarrassed by his cousin Chin-Kee. Every time Chin-Kee visits, Danny has to change schools. This means that Danny’s box is created by society. His whole box is Chin-Kee. When Chin-Kee first arrives, he makes Danny’s friend leave, and then he pees in Steve’s pop. Even though Steve reassures him, Danny still feels very uneasy.

In BWJ, the protagonist wants to hide her African American culture. She is half white, half black. In the story, she really likes a boy named Bryan, but he doesn’t like black people. This is the whole cause of her box. She wants Bryan to like her so she makes a box, that in which she can’t accept the African American side of it. The protagonist wants to show Bryan the fact that she is related to white people. So when her stepmom or father come to pick her up, she draws attention to herself to make Bryan notice that she is related to whites. She also asks her mother not to come to her play performance because she is black. I think both characters will eventually get out of their boxes, but it might take a long time for them to realize and accept who they are. These are examples of how boxes can be about someone’s culture and their acceptance of it.

By Jonathan Doyle
Period 8-9

9:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Genevieve,Doyle, Periods 3 and 4

In both "American Born Chinese" and "Black, White and Jewish", the main characters of each story line try to change themselves but, in the end, shame is what they feel the most.
In "American Born Chinese", both the Monkey King and Jin attempt to change the way they look, their personality, and the way they feel. The Monkey King does not like the way he is accepted by others because of the fact that he is a monkey. Jin feels out of place because he is the only Chinese boy in his class and is never really accepted because of that. After one date with Amelia, Greg tells him he cannot date her anymore because he is making sure Amelia makes the right choices especially right before the beginning of high school. Greg is watching out for Amelia because he is very good friends with Amelia and, as he tells Jin, she is like a sister o him.
Both of these situations are similar to the one in "Black, White, and Jewish" because the main character, Rebecca Walker(as a child), is caused to think that being black is a bad thing in the setting she lives in. She is embarassed by her mother who is black, so preffers when her white relatives pick her up from school. She tries to act like, what she calls, "a not black girl". In the end of the short story, the little girl is ashamed of what she has done and the way she has tryed to changed her self. The Monkey King is stuck in a monkey box that he can never escape, as hard as he tries. Jin is stuck in a box of the way he is tresed because he is Chinese. Rebecca Walker is trying to create a new box for herself to get stuck inside of because of a litte boy that she likes.
Both stories relate to the lesson that changing the way you were meant to be causes worse in the end.

9:02 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"American Born Chinese" and "Sylvia's Story"
In American Born Chinese the Monkey King is kind of in a box. When he comes to the party the gods don't let him in because he's a Monkey, and they always expect him to be like a monkey, and not have shoes and be uncivilized, and the Monkey king is very unhappy about this, so he tries to make it seem like he's not a monkey, he shape shifts into a human like form.
In Sylvia's story Sylvia is also expected to do things, like the Monkey king. But she's expected to be like other mexican women, get married young and not have an education and take care of the children and listen to Mexican Music and hang out with other Mexicans. The Monkey King is expected to hang out with Monkeys, and he can't be better than the gods, so the monkey King shows the gods that he's better. Their both trying to escape their box by doing something that their own kind doesn't do. The Monkey King has the monkeys wear shoes, and he becomes human, and civilized, and Sylvia has an education and is in college, and does stuff other American's do, and not Mexican things. So their both going outside of their box, trying to escape their world.
Julia, Doyle Per. 8/9

9:20 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

In American Born Chinese and Black White and Jewish, the authors feel ashamed of what they really are, and fight to prove that they're really white and american. They are both trying to impress the person that they like, by changing to what they think that person wants them to be, neither are comfortable in their environment's when theres something there that points out that they aren't white. Like Jin he didn't want Wei-Chen come to his school because Wei-Chen pointed out the stereotype that Jin tried to avoid, Rebecca from Black White and
Jewish didn't want her mother to come to her play because her mother was black and Rebecca was trying to say that she wasn't. Both Jin and Rebecca are trying to change what they are so completely that they lost what makes them what they really are.

Anna, Doyle, Per. 3/4

9:48 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I believe that there is a strong similarity between Jin’s character in American born Chinese and Krystel in Poor in a Land of Plenty.
Both Jin and Krystel feel out of place in there environment; Jin, feels that he should look more American than Chinese because he believes that the white kids who go to his school are supposedly better than him, while Krystel also has trouble fitting in but not because of her race or ethnicity but because of her families state of poverty and the fact that unlike most kids she has to have a job and take care of her four siblings. At first a person would say, after looking at these two people that the conditions they are in have nothing to do with each other, and I agree that Jin and Krystel don’t have a lot in common but there situations are very similar in a sense that they both really want to fit in and know the correct path to take.
Both Jin and Krystel are in a box, Krystel because of her poverty and Jin because of his race. Another similarity between these two is that their parents or family members made both of their boxes, although in Krystel’s case I do agree with anyone who would say that her box was created by society.

Daphne, Doyle, Per.8/9

3:52 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

“Black White and Jewish” and “Silvia” (from NPR.)

I think these two stories are alike. Silvia is a Mexican girl and Rebecca is American. Both of them want to be something that there not. Silvia wants to get out of her moms box. She doesn’t want to grow up and be like all her cousins. Her cousins are eighteen married and have multiple children. She wants to be like a bird free into the sky. She even tried to poke a hole on “the box” but her mom would stitch it up right away. She wants her mom to understand that she is different. On the other hand, Rebecca wants to be “non” black. A friend told her that black is how she saw Rebecca. From that point on Rebecca wanted to be more white (non black). She started buying dolls. Because she thinks that it is more something that a white girl would do then a black girl. When she heard that a guy that she has a major crush on doesn’t date “black” girls she wanted to be white even more. This is how I think these stories relate in a way.

Fu-Cheng , Doyle 3/4

4:38 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"High Yellow White Trash" and "Black White and Jewish" are very similar to me. First of all because in both stories the girls are of a biracial family, but most importantly because in both situations, the girls are trapped in a box. In "High Yellow White Trash" Lisa talks about her "white people disguise" and her "black people disguise". On the first page of "Black, White, and Jewish" Rebecca says she had to become "well trained in not breaking the code, not saying something too white around black people, and not saying something too black around white people". These, as you can see, are very similar situations. Lisa's box is not knowing who she is, skipping back and forth between two different worlds, while Rebecca's box is being black, because the boy she likes does not like black girls, Rebecca deals with trying not to be black, she tries to make Bryan see her as a "not black girl". So as Lisa struggles with her identity, Rebecca tries to escape it. I think people can easily create their own boxes for themselves, but i also think society is a big part of it as well, society creates the stereotypes, the racist jokes, and the "good" and "bad" characteristics people might have. But a person can just as easily create their own box due to humiliation, or a low self esteem.

Ellie, Doyle, Per. 8/9

6:54 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

In "High Yellow White Trash" the main character has a black parent and a white parent just like the girl in "Black, White and Jewish", both main characters switch codes, one for the "black world" and the "white world". They both are trying to fit in with other people. They both put the two "worlds" into different categories. in HYWT Lisa talks about how the black people seem to have more fun and joke around, and the white people are more serious and read a lot of books. In BWJ the girl says that she starts combing her are all the time, so that she would look more like a white person. A difference in the stories is that in HYWT Lisa doesn't want to be more like a white person, instead she starts acting more like a black person, and in BWJ the girl starts acting more like a white person. They both live in two worlds.
Julie, Doyle period 3/4

6:59 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"High Yellow White Trash" and "Black, White, and Jewish"
HYWT ("High Yellow White Trash") and BWJ (Black White and Jewish) are connected in a couple ways, the girl, Lisa, (also the narrator) in HYWT was a mixture of two races, her father was black, and her mother was white. When she is around white people, she puts on her "white girl disguise" and when she is around black people, she acts more herself, but not fully. She has part of her "black girl disguise" on, but she feels more comfortable. More herself then when she has to put on her "white girl disguise". Rebecca Walker in BWJ is also a mixture of two races. Her mother is black, and her father is white. Unlike Lisa, she doesn't have a "white girl disguise" until she is in third grade, when Bryan Katon, the boy she likes, tells her that he doesn't like black girls. When ever someone from her father's side of the family picks her up, she makes sure that it's right in front of Bryan Katon, and she slips on her white girl disguise. she makes sure he sees her being loved by white people, trying to show him that she's not all black. She even goes as far as to tell her own mother that she doesn't want her to come to her school play. Both Lisa's and Rebecca's parents have been divorced, so they live in even more of a split life; between their life with the black side of their family and the white side of their family. When Lisa starts to use slang around her mom, her mom highly disapproves, she thinks it's improper. Lisa and Rebecca are both in a box. A box of what race they should "act", which one they should try to look like, even which one they are ashamed of. They are both trying to escape the box of mixed races, one they will probably never escape.

Merrick, Doyle, Period 8-9

7:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

In Black, White, and Jewish and American Born Chinese, the main characters have similar difficulties in social circles. In Black, White, and Jewish, the main character, Rebecca, likes Bryan, but Bryan says, “I don’t like black girls”. In American Born Chinese, Jin thinks Amelia likes Greg because he has curly hair, so Jin gets a perm. The difference between these instances is that in Black, White, and Jewish, Bryan says outright that he doesn’t like black girls. In American Born Chinese, Jin just assumes that Amelia doesn’t like him because of his hair.
Rachel Doyle 3-4

7:46 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"American Born Chinese" and "Sylvia's Story"(from NPR)
in American Born Chinese,Jin wants to be more American and disregard his Chinese culture and traditions. Simularily, in the Syvila story, her parents want her to "stay in the box" and accept he Mexican culture and language. Both characters are the same because they want to come out of the "box" and learn new cultures and languages. For this reason, I think the two characters are connected.

Travis,Doyle 3-4

8:04 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think that a lot of the stories that we have read are very similar. In someway they connect together and a lot of the time it has to do with a character being outside or inside of their "box." Other conflicts might be parents, friends or other people trying to get the main character in or out of their "box." A connection would be between Danny, chinkee in American born Chinese and Sylvia. They connect because both characters have a very different opinion or perspective from their other family member(s).In Sylvia’s story, Sylvia wants to just be a normal American girl but her mother thinks she should still follow the Mexican culture where you do huge parties. There are also bad things of the Mexican culture such as girls do bad things when they are on 16 when they aren't even out of school. If her mom could notice those things about the culture she may rethink the situation. One reason that slyvia's mother is so stubborn is because she is scared to go outside of her box. On the other hand chinkee doesn't understand how much he is embarrassing Danny. Chinkee does a lot of weird things that a lot of people at school think are weird. They don’t know that talking that way and eating cat gizzards is very normal in china. In fact, some things that American people would do in china, the people living there may also think that it is weird or hilarious. Danny knows people will think his cousin is weird so he does things to avoid the situation by coming to school late, etc. Danny really needs to come out of his “box” and understand that eventually chinkee will leave and people will start to like him, but he is to stubborn to notice things like that. I think he will keep switching schools until he figures that out. Overall these situations are very similar because some family members or characters are too stubborn and won’t come out of their “boxes.”


Jack Mulligan, Doyle period 3-4

8:29 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think that a lot of the stories that we have read are very similar. In someway they connect together and a lot of the time it has to do with a character being outside or inside of their "box." Other conflicts might be parents, friends or other people trying to get the main character in or out of their "box." A connection would be between Danny, chinkee in American born Chinese and Sylvia. They connect because both characters have a very different opinion or perspective from their other family member(s).In Sylvia’s story, Sylvia wants to just be a normal American girl but her mother thinks she should still follow the Mexican culture where you do huge parties. There are also bad things of the Mexican culture such as girls do bad things when they are on 16 when they aren't even out of school. If her mom could notice those things about the culture she may rethink the situation. One reason that slyvia's mother is so stubborn is because she is scared to go outside of her box. On the other hand chinkee doesn't understand how much he is embarrassing Danny. Chinkee does a lot of weird things that a lot of people at school think are weird. They don’t know that talking that way and eating cat gizzards is very normal in china. In fact, some things that American people would do in china, the people living there may also think that it is weird or hilarious. Danny knows people will think his cousin is weird so he does things to avoid the situation by coming to school late, etc. Danny really needs to come out of his “box” and understand that eventually chinkee will leave and people will start to like him, but he is to stubborn to notice things like that. I think he will keep switching schools until he figures that out. Overall these situations are very similar because some family members or characters are too stubborn and won’t come out of their “boxes.”


Jack , Doyle period 3-4

8:29 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Lisa and the girl from Black, White and Jewish are both girls who are of two different races who are both put into two different boxes but they deal with it in different ways. Lisa deals with it by trying to change her costumes when she visits the different worlds, “I was organizing the world into two different worlds” but she is never able to have a perfect costume, “I was turning blacker by the minute, yet in my head I was still white, I couldn’t double-dutch to save my life, I was too soft spoken, and with black people I am too loud.” The girl from Black, White and Jewish has decided that since Bryan doesn’t like black girls she has to be a not-black girl. So she tries to make a costume of whiteness but really I do not believe that this will ever be possible because to lose her blackness because it is part of her heritage. Lisa is also most likely never going to leave her two boxes because nothing she ever does will let her step stereotypes which she can never escape. These two characters are put into their boxes because of their clothing, style, music, and overall personality. Although they are also put into these boxes just because of what they were born with; a black and white heritage. Each girl is defined by the black or white world which she occupies at different times, even if she wants to escape this such as when she tries to be white to please the boy she likes, she finds that she is very sad. Lisa and the girl from Black, White, and Jewish are two different girls from two different places although they both have the same goal, to fit in.
Fabrice, Doyle, per. 3-4

10:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Zach Ms. Doyle per 3-4

In my parigraph I used Silvia's story
In her story shes trying to escape the box but her mother wont let her. Silvia does not want to be a avarage mexican girl she wants to break out of the confiened box and be something extrordinary. Silvias story realy remines me about the story Black, White and jewish because both Rebecca and Silvia are trying to escape the box by trying to be part of another group of people like in Black, White and jewish Rebecca is hanging out with her white friends more often also making her look more like a white girl. In Silvia's story sheis trying to connect her self with the outside world.
Both stories are like a documentary about there lives and the box they are in. also the story sais that rebecca and Silvia will stay confined in thier box or finaly break out.

9:56 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think that "Sylvia's Story" (from NPR) and "American Born Chinese" are related because both characters are trying to fight their way out of their box to become who they really are, not who everyone else says they are. In Sylvia's case, her family doesn't believe in her. In Jin's case, his peers don't believe in him. Both need to find a way to ignore the judgment of others and just follow their heart. However, Sylvia is stronger, and is better at ignoring judgments than Jin. Jin is still affected by everything other people say. He cares a lot about what other people think. I think that with Wei-Chen though, he will eventually accept himself, and be like Silvia, and fight all the harder.

Alina, Doyle 3-4

9:59 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Lisa Page from High Yellow White has a box similar to Rebecca Walker from Black, White and Jewish. They both have an African American parent and a white parent. Lisa feels like she always has to put on a black, or white disguise to fit in with the Race she is with. She did this since her childhood so she feels with each different Race she has to be contained in a way she does not want to, to fit in. Lisa handles her box by acting herself even if that makes her seem strange because acts like both black and white at the same time. Rebecca feels that her box contains her from the boy that she likes. The boy she likes tells her that he doesn't like African Americans. At this remark ¬Rebecca feels tainted from her mom. Rebecca always tries to break out of her box in front of the boy she likes by running up and hugging a white relative. She leaves fast when a black relative comes to pick her up. Rebecca even tells her mom not to come to the play so that she wouldn't look bad in front of the boy she likes. After her school play Rebecca learns that she should just be herself because she feels bad when she leaves part of her family out. In conclusion Lisa and Rebecca start out in different boxes, but they both end up finding the same way out of their boxes.
Brynn per. 8,9

7:52 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Lisa Page from High Yellow White has a box similar to Rebecca Walker from Black, White and Jewish. They both have an African American parent and a white parent. Lisa feels like she always has to put on a black, or white disguise to fit in with the Race she is with. She did this since her childhood so she feels with each different Race she has to be contained in a way she does not want to, to fit in. Lisa handles her box by acting herself even if that makes her seem strange because acts like both black and white at the same time. Rebecca feels that her box contains her from the boy that she likes. The boy she likes tells her that he doesn't like African Americans. At this remark ¬Rebecca feels tainted from her mom. Rebecca always tries to break out of her box in front of the boy she likes by running up and hugging a white relative. She leaves fast when a black relative comes to pick her up. Rebecca even tells her mom not to come to the play so that she wouldn't look bad in front of the boy she likes. After her school play Rebecca learns that she should just be herself because she feels bad when she leaves part of her family out. In conclusion Lisa and Rebecca start out in different boxes, but they both end up finding the same way out of their boxes.
Brynn per.8,9

7:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think that the story lines of "High Yellow White Trash" and "Black, White, and Jewish" are very similar. Both stories are about a girl, who is trying to figure out who she really is and what everybody expects of her. They both have a black parent and a white parent, and both of their parents are divorced. In "Black, White, and Jewish" a boy who goes to Rebecca's school named Bryan tell Rebecca that he can not play with her or be friends with her because she is colored. Before this, Rebecca hadn't really thought about her skin color, she was simply a different color, that is all there is to it, but when Bryan says that, she realizes that there are things that make her different from her friends, and she tries to fix that by proving that she is a "not black girl" to Bryan. In "High Yellow White Trash" Lisa is trying to figure out who she is after her parents get divorced, she hadn't realized that there was something different about her until she is told why her parents get divorced, and her mom acts like being black is a bad thing. In the end of both stories, the girl, Rebecca or Lisa, realizes that it is too hard to try to be someone that you are not, and that you can't make yourself pure black or pure white.

Sophia, Doyle, Period

11:09 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

In “High Yellow White Trash” and in “Black, White and Jewish” both the kids parents are divorced. Lisa Page and Rebecca Walker both struggle at the begging,with their boxes and with what other people think of them and at the end they finding their way at the end. In HYWT Lisa had to go between to world, the white wold and the black world “I felt split in half, traversing these two world - one affluent and one poverty-stricken, one black and one white”(3). In “Black,White and Jewish” Rebecca goes to school and she likes this boy but “he doesn’t like black girls” (18) so Rebecca tries to show him that she is not a black girl by giving her stepmother a hug. In the end Lis find her way out of the box by pushing past what her mother and father expect her to do like being proper and learning the do what she thinks is right which is looking at the the magazine Essence. Rebecca find her way out of the box by not thinking of what other people think of her and feeling ashamed of what she thought before “shame sicks to me like sweat” (18).

Phoebe
Doyle
Per. 3+4

8:04 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Black, White, and Jewish" and "High Yellow White Trash"
In both of these stories, the authors talk about not fitting in and they both have a white parent and a black parent. I find it interesting that in both stories, that their parent split up and they both eventually act more black than white. Also, in both of these stories, their boxes are the way they are expected to act in the different communities. I think both stories have the same basic principal, that the authors don't fit in because they are part white and part black.
Maia , Doyle, Period 8-9

10:30 PM  
Anonymous Giulia said...

I think that American history and Sylvia’s story are connected.
In both American history and Sylvia’s story Elena and Sylvia’s moms are putting them in boxes mostly because of their race and they both want to break out of them.
Elena’s mom is putting her in a box to shield her from other richer, white people’s judgments, like Eugene’s mom but Elena wants to break out of the box because she is very exited to be going to Eugene’s house for the first time and she doesn’t really understand how things are between people of different races.
Sylvia’s mom is putting her in a box both because she is scared, but also because she wants Sylvia to be a normal Mexican girl, to have children at 16 and stay in the house all day cleaning, never going out because she is to scared, just like her mother. This is not Sylvia’s dream so she is rebelling.
Both Elena and Sylvia are rebelling


Giulia,
Doyle 1/2

6:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bill from "Crickets" feels the same as Eugene's mom. Because both Bill and Eugene's mom want to stay in there own box. They don't want to move to another box. Ted trying push Bill out of the Vietnamese box and Elena is trying to get Eugene's mom out of the American box. Ted and Eugene's mom are similar because they don't want someone to join there box. They want to stay how they are and not leave.

9:40 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

In “American History”, Elena is denied what she wants because she is Puerto Rican. This is similar to Sylvia’s story, in which Sylvia feels trapped by her box. Elena gets denied by Eugene’s mom because she is not white. Similarly, Sylvia is put down by her parents who think she should be like other Hispanic women her age. Elena is limited by the fact that she is not white just like Sylvia. Neither of their parents think they should try to break out of their box. Both Elana and Sylvia disagree. Elena and Sylvia are similar in many ways.
John
Doyle 1-2

9:43 AM  

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