Kirsten Campbell
Literature Across Cultures
Reading Response
Glazier and Seo’s article deeply resonated with me and was in stark contrast to Padilla’s. I found myself drawing numerous connections to this piece, linking its content to my experiences in other courses like Human Relations, Language Acquisition and Development, and Adolescent Literature. What stood out was the section with Mark and Alita because it mentions how the classroom community is one big melting pot. However, this metaphor of a melting pot, often associated with conformity, didn't quite capture the essence of multiculturalism. A better analogy is a kaleidoscope, a salad, or a symphony because all cultures can be together but still display their unique qualities, embodying multiculturalism's true spirit.
Referring back to Mark, he is part of the majority that feels cultureless. I relate to that a little bit because I did not know my ethnic background until I recently took a 23 and Me test. Before that, I would say, “I don’t know; I’m white,” but in Adolescent Literature, we read about diverse characters who were of different ethnicities, and yes, it would represent them, but their family, friends more represented them, and where they lived. Your culture is not what defines you. One question I would ask is, since the majority of students feel cultureless, do you think students of different cultural backgrounds become more Americanized and lose touch with their heritage?
Glazier, J., & Seo, J.-A. (2005). Multicultural literature and discussion as mirror and window? Minority students in one U.S. high school class find their voices, but the majority students have a different experience. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 48(8), 686+. https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.morningside.edu/apps/doc/A132746287/PPPC?u= morningside&sid=bookmark-PPPC&xid=61f53cd6.
Hi Kirsten!
ReplyDeleteIt is really awesome that you were able to take a 23 and Me test to figure out your heritage. I know for sure that I have some German and Canadian in my blood from my mother's side and father's side respectively. Although, I am unsure about anything else. I like when you said that family and friends represent you more than ethnicity. As humans, we are social creatures for the most part, and the people we know affect us in small or large ways. In regards to your question, I believe it all depends on the family. Do they keep celebrating their cultural holidays in America even if neighbors or friends do not celebrate? Do they continue to eat foods specific to their culture? Do their beliefs change once they move to America or do the parents and/or relatives that moved to the U.S. pass down the beliefs through the generations? I also think it would depend on if the students are still able to visit family members from the area where the culture is very strong. It would help reinforce their culture and beliefs against "Americanization."
Hi Kristen!
ReplyDeleteAs Hali mentioned, taking a 23 and Me test is awesome! I have had family members complete them, which has taught me a lot about where I came from. For a long time, I also related to Mark because I did not know my family history. Now I am proud to tell people I am partially Hungarian and French! To answer your question, yes! I do believe students with different cultural background do feel as though they are forced to become Americanized. For example, let's think of Native Americans. Many tribes have lost so much of their cultural language due to being forced to become more "American". After many years, tribes are now starting to reteach those languages, so their culture does not become lost. We as a country need to celebrate different cultures rather than just ignore them.
What if we reframe what being an American is? Or think about what it means? Should we make the assumption that being Americanized is negative? Why is it negative? Or let me ask, what about being Americanized is negative? I'm asking the questions to encourage you to dig deep into your question to think more about what's underneath.
ReplyDeleteJen,
DeleteI have thought about that question since teaching a small group reading about our flag. I had a pre-reading and a post-reading question about what the colors of our flag symbolize to them. Many of the answers were “America” or “freedom” at the pre-read, but it got much more in-depth after the post-reading question. One student mentioned their dad and how he fought in Afghanistan, and another mentioned how they are thankful for their family and the struggles they had to get where they are today. Americanization is seen negatively because cultures lose customs and traditional values, but cultural diffusion is joyous, where different cultures can bring customs and traditions to enrich American society.
Oh! And I have a follow-up question for you: when you say kaleidoscope, salad, or symphony, what do you mean? Can you share how those analogies work?
ReplyDeleteSure Jen!
ReplyDeleteLet's consider the 'melting pot' analogy. In this context, cultures are not merely mixed, but they dissolve or conform, much like the ingredients in a cake. When you bake a cake, the individual ingredients-milk, butter, flour, eggs, and sugar-are no longer distinguishable, but blend together to form a new entity, the cake batter. This analogy helps us understand the process of cultural assimilation.
The cultures are represented and seen when you use the analogies of a salad, a symphony, or a kaleidoscope. When you look at a salad, you can see all the ingredients. The lettuce, tomatoes, onion, peppers, olives, croutons, and dressing are together but not hidden. You can see that every individual ingredient, like multiculturalism, has uniqueness. When you think of a symphony, there are all these different instruments, but you can still hear different parts when a piece of music is played. The piece might tell some instruments to decrescendo so we can listen to a part that is sometimes hard to hear. When you think of a kaleidoscope, there are so many stained glass colors, and you can move twist the scope to unveil more.