The Psychosocial Chinese American
According to a short story by Amy Tan, “Fish Cheeks”
United States of America is one of the multi ethnic
country which is consist of multiple culture and people who is coming from many
other countries in the world. One of the most immigrants in the US is Chinese
people which is called Chinese American. According to the US Government
records, the first Chinese immigrants arrived in 1820 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_American, History, line 1). There are three points program for
the individual Chinese people to follow.
Toward the self, the moral goal of a person is to be a chun-tzu or gentleman.
Toward the family, to be a well fitting member working
for its prosperity and happiness.
Toward the humanity, at large, to be an active
participant in the world.
(American Multiculturalism class, March 15th 2011)
According to these points, many Chinese people try to
survive in America. They do not want to back to their own country if they did
not do these points yet. It is not easy to reached. The phychosocial condition
of Chinese American, as a “model minority” in United States is very oppressed
and distressed. The truth of Asian Americans, especially Chinese is different
from what is portrayed in mass media. They often being the victim of racial
harassment. It is particularly happened to them who live in urban cities. In school settings, Chinese American students,
compared to other students of other ethnic backgrounds, are found have show
lower sense coherence and overall competense, and also have difficullty to
being friends with their peers from other ethnic groups. In work settings, they
also being a subject of discrimination of various form by the employees. These
may be an affect for many children, their families also their communities. The
impacts of this situation can be potentially harmful to individuals as well.
The model minority fallacy creates social isolatin for Chinese American because
it leads to misunderstand and alienate the Chinese American. (http://www.caerda.org/journal/index.php/newwaves/article/viewFile/11/9, Reality of Asian Americans Psycolosocial State,
Psycological Impacts). This situation of the affects of those discrimination is
described by Amy Tan in her short story, Fish Cheeks. Actually, this is her
real experience.
The short story “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan is about a
fourteen-year-old girl, Amy, a Chinese American who lives in one of the state
of US. The problem of her is that she ashamed of her self, her family and her
cultural live as a chinese people. She thinks that being a chinese american is
the most shameful thing which is happened in her life. She always whish that
she and her family were more American so that she could fit in. People with
slim body, sharp nose and so on like what other people has as “white” people in
order to she can go out with the other people in America, especially her
favourite boy, Robert. One
of the difficulties of being a people who lives in other country is when we
have to adapt with the differences between the culture of our old home to the
new one. This is which Amy felt when she is caught in a dillema between to be
proud of her difference or try to be as American as she possibly can. She
cannot fully understand the culture of her parents because she grow up with the
American culture of her peers.
She felt in love with a “white” boy called Robert. She
really likes him. But she believes that Robert won’t like her because of she is
a Chinese American. Her Chinese heritage makes her different. The top of her
frustrated is when she found her parents had invited Robert and his family to
her traditional Chinese Christmas Eve Dinner.
“ I fell in love with the
minister's son the winter I turned fourteen. He was not Chinese, but as
white as Mary in the manger.” (Paragraph
1, line 1)
She worried about Robert in many things. About her
“shabby Chinese Christmas”, “Noisy Chinese relatives” and also “Chinese Food”
which is made from a fleshy prawns, slimy rock cod, tofu, which looked like
stacked wedges of rubbery white sponges, soaking dried fungus and also a plate
of squid. Not the roasted turkey and sweet potatoes.
“When
I found out that my parents had invited the minister's family over for
Christmas Eve dinner, I cried. What would Robert think of our shabby
Chinese Christmas? What would he think of our noisy Chinese relatives who
lacked proper American manners? What terrible disappointment would he
feel upon seeing not a roasted turkey and sweet potatoes but Chinese food?” (Paragraph 2)
According to the
worried of Amy we can assumed that Amy has been influenced by the culture of
her “new” country, America. She taught that the cool one as a culture is being
a blond-hair with sharp nose, being patient and the roasted turkey and sweet
potatoes than her own culture as a Chinese.
“For Christmas I prayed
for this blond-haired boy, Robert, and a slim new American nose.” (Paragraph 1, line 2).
In my oppinion, beautiful is relatives. It cannot be seen by personal appearance
only. The real beauty of someone is lay on his or her moral and characters.
What the utility of being a beautiful person in appearance aspect but in moral
aspect she or he is nothing. One more, sharp nose is not always beautiful. Your
face is created by God, and He always will be choose the best one. So, believe
that people is beautiful with his or her own way. When people know someone as a
beautiful person in appearance, it will be gone or forgotten when he or she
were died. But if people know someone as a beautiful person because of his or
her moral and characters, it will be immortal and always be remembered even
though he or she already dead. For example, many people know Princess Diana
from England. She is one of the most famous and inspiring people in the world
not because of her beautiful appearence, but people know her because of her
nice and great moral and characters. Being a princess did not make her attitude
be an arrogant. But conversaly, she activated in many social event as long as
she live until she dead.
Amy also feels really depressed and stressful during the
Christmas Dinner Eve. She many times over feel so embarrased and desponent
because of what her family did. She prayed that she suddenly dissapear because
of her embarrasement. Especially when her father took her favourite food and
put it into her plate, fish cheeks and did his loudly belched for showing he
was satisfied and gratefull to her mother’s cooking.
“Dinner threw me deeper
into despair” (Paragraph 5, line 1)
“I wanted to disappear” (Paragraph 5, line 6)
“I was stunned into
silence for the rest of the night”
(Paragraph 6, line 4)
This may be happened because of the discrimination of her
peers in school about her difference. So that she feel so uncomfortable if
other people know and see her live culture as a Chinese with her family. Her peers
taught that being a Chinese people including all her culture and heritages is
ashamed and not cool, whereas in fact a culture of anywhere, any country or
region definitely has its own beauty, goodness and unique. In example, China is
one of the main birth places of Eastern Martial Arts which is called Kung Fu or Wushu. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_China, Martial Arts, line 1).
“Kung Fu/ Wushu adalah ilmu beladiri dari Tiongkok. Akan
tetapi, arti kata Kung Fu yang sebenarnya memiliki arti luas, yakni sesuatu
yang didapat dalam waktu yang lama dan ketekunan yang sunggunh-sungguh.
Sehingga, seorang ahli memasak yang hebat pun dapat dikatakan memiliki Kung Fu
yang tinggi.” (http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_fu, Paragraph 1)
Kung Fu is considered to be one of sports branch for now and be
one of the most famous in the world. Until today, there were more than hundred
varieties of Kung Fu existed. It is
proper to Amy to be proud of being a Chinese because she has a thing which is part
of her culture, famous in the world right now.
The question is why her mother did not serve the menu
like what the most American people eat ? Like “roasted turkey and sweet
potatoes” ? Why she served the traditional menu of China ?
“What terrible disappointment
would he feel upon seeing not a roasted turkey and sweet potatoes but Chinese
food ?” (Paragraph 2, line 4)
Also her father, why he did not refrain him self from his
“belched chinese polite custom” to honor Robert and his family ? Who really do
not accustomed to that way.
“At the end of the meal
my father leaned back and belched loudly, thanking my mother for her fine
cooking. "It's a polite Chinese custom to show you are
satisfied," explained my father to our astonished guests.” (Paragraph 6, line 1)
According to the story, I assumed that Amy’s parents want
to help her to introduce their culture to Robert and his family. There is no
something which is bad or “shabby”. Every culture has their own way and
tradition. So, what Amy pretend for ? Being a Chinese American is not a
disaster or something embarrasing like what she thinks. It is fine to be
different with other people. Because the difference does not make a sepatarion,
but it makes a beautiful pattern to be seen. It is also can be an
identification for her from other people by their uniquely. Even she wants to
be same like American girls outside, her heart and soul must be pround of being
a Chinese.
“After
everyone had gone, my mother said to me, "You want to be same like
American girls on the outside." She handed me an early gift.
It was a miniskirt in beige tweed. "But inside, you must always be
Chinese. You must be proud you are different. You only shame is be
ashame." (Paragraph 7)
Even though in the beginning Amy were ashamed about being
Chinese, in the end of the story it is mentioned by the time she in adult, she
learns to appreciate her heritage. She also learn even her family as Chinese
American full of strange points this one and that one, they still deserve to
get her full respect. Although Amy never goes out with Robert, she realized
that changing who you are or pretending to be someone else just to impress
others is not really worth it. She finally understands that everyone unique,
different and has their own beautiful side. Amy may have wanted to look like
Californian girls, but she will always stay true to her Chinese heritage.
In conclusion, being different is not a bad thing or
ashamed, it is gift. Who is people who embarrased because of got a gift ?
According to the story, Amy is a normal young girl who is influenced by the
environment of live so that felt ashamed and embarrased of her own self. It is
usually happened to a teenagers who is trying to find their soul of live. But
as time goes by, when she were adult, she finally realized that everyone is
different and unique by their own way. This is describe that being grow up is
proccess. The characters of people depend on their experience and problems in
their own life.
References :
·
Psycological
Effects on Being Perceived as a “Model Minority” for Asian Americans, Mei Tang, University of Cincinnati
Last updated :
March, 2007
Access :
April, 19th 2011
·
Chinese American,
Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia
Last updated :
April, 17th 2011
Access :
April, 19th 2011
·
Kung Fu, Wikipedia,
a free encyclopedia
Last updated :
April, 20th 2011
Access :
April, 23th 2011
·
Culture of China,
Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia
Last updated :
April, 21th 2011
Access :
April, 23th 2011
·
American
Multiculturalism Class’s material, Mr. Arido Laksono
Last updated :
March, 15th 2011
Access :
April, 23th 2011
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