Janice Mirikitani Suicide Analysis

Suicide: Is It A Personal Choice? In Janice Mirikitani’s “Suicide Note,” a young girl is writing a note to her parents on a cold, snowy night telling them the reason she took her own life. Mirikatini writes this note from the young Asian-American’s pressure-filled mind who has battled with the feeling of being “not good enough” for too long. This poem is filled with many comparisons and analogies that descriptively illustrate what the girl that Mirikitani writes about was thinking and feeling. The suicide note displays the overwhelming pressure that young adults feel from their families and friends, how prevalent suicide is in today’s society, and how Asian-American background can subconsciously influence toward suicide. The young girl begins her note with these words, “How many notes written… ink smeared like birdprints in snow” (Mirikitani 366). The young girl’s beginning statement implies that this is not a sudden decision; her thoughts and feelings have brewed in her mind for some time …show more content…
Asian-Americans are not only pressured by family, but they have to balance what their culture and history is telling them also. Suicide is a horrible act that devastates the loved ones left behind, but it also can be an act of honor. The girl that Mirikitani portrays in “Suicide note” is relatable throughout the world because of the pressures she faces. Although other’s want to decide who a person should be, the true decision resides in the person’s own, unique life. Therefore, many aspects of life influence suicide. The girl continues to apologize until she takes her life and wishes to apologize even when she is gone, “On my broken body, cover me like whispers of sorries” (Mirikitani 367). Each life is made just how it should be and even when others are not pleased, the individual should be just that, an