Blog Post 4 Topic 4

As a Filipino immigrant who came to the United States six years ago, I gained the realization that there wasn’t a lot of sources in the media that portrayed the same experiences I went through to assimilate to American society. I personally had a very difficult time assimilating because of the big culture shock. Many made fun of my accent, stared at my clothes, and were even confused because I didn’t shave my legs. Because of this, it was almost as if I had to redesign my whole identity to fit in. Yet, the process of fitting in doesn’t always happen positively. This is why I thought that The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston is particularly interesting because not only does it portray multiple struggles that Asian immigrants go through that are usually looked over, but it also defies the stereotype of Asians being a model minority. This includes the difficult language barrier, but it also exposes the racist attitudes given to other ethnic groups.

Kingston presents the story of a little girl who immigrated from China who had to redefine herself as she entered the world of American culture. The author expresses that when she “had to speak English for the first time, I became silent” (Kingston 63). I can sympathize with this claim because I went through the same experience. English is considered as a second language in the Philippines. I have been learning the language since the young age of two. Yet when I arrived in the U.S., I was bullied for the way I talked. Some of my classmates would mock me when I would speak and told me that I was a F.O.B. (Fresh Off the Boat) because of my accent. Because of this, I became very insecure about myself. I would hardly participate in class and would only feel comfortable talking to other people who were also Filipino. From being known as one of the loudest students in my class in the Philippines, I became someone who people claimed was mute. Furthermore, Kingston included that she “liked the Negro students (Black Ghosts) best because they laughed and talked to me as if I were a daring talker too” (64). The author’s use of the word “Negro” conveys the racist ideologies that stems from the influence of stereotypes. I can definitely relate to this because my parents would sometimes proclaim racist statements to others such as “She’s wearing a hijab, she’s going to blow up the store” or “Don’t trust that black man, he’s probably a convict”. Because there is a huge lack of diversity in the Philippines, it is understandable how Asian immigrants would base off their perceptions of people of color based off their negative portrayal in American media. Hence when they come to the U.S., their understanding of ethnic groups is very stereotypical.

The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts highlights a lot of underlying problems when it comes to immigration and the assimilation to a new culture. It allowed the audience to gain a new insight about Chinese culture and how it is reflected in American culture. From this, the text allows native residents to be more understanding to those immigrating to their country. But more importantly it presented that Asian immigrants have some work to do as well when it comes to being more open-minded to other individuals. Immigration may bring out feelings of frustration due to misplacement, but it is no excuse to lose compassion for others.

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