Being Asian-America Analysis

Words: 1185
Pages: 5

War leaves an impact, not only affecting those who experienced it, but also the generations that follow, affecting their perception of self-worth. Those that grow up hearing the story of their elders and the tragedies that their elders underwent are also affected, a chain reaction that seems never ending. These stories are repeatedly used to put in perspective the treatment that future generations are given for being Asian. A validation of sort as to why they are seen as Asians and Asian-Americans and yet not simply as: Americans. Growing up, in response to the prejudice that they have faced, Asian-Americans form a distorted self-image of themselves. They understand, and sadly have often accepted, that they are stereotyped, seen as a threat by some, seen as an enemy by others, and usually not considered American unless the adjective Asian is preceding it. The loss of freedom that one experiences in reply to these …show more content…
The government, the very people that were to protect them, they could no longer turn to. If the government had not acted as an enabler in the horrible treatment towards Asian-Americans, would any of these events and emotions that were faced have had to be faced. How different would the lives of Otsuka’s unnamed family and Lam and Heidi be? Rather than enabling the atrocious behavior towards Asians, if the government had enforced the natural rights of humans, the social justice and equity part of America that is so fantasized about: “the collective responsibility of a free and just society is to ensure that civil and human rights are preserved and protected for each individual regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, nation of origin, sexual orientation, class, physical or mental ability, and age.” Would Otsuka’s family have a name, would Lam ever have to blow up on US, and would Heidi still be hostile towards Vietnamese culture and calling herself