Comparing Meaning Of A Word And Being A Chink

The essays, “The Meaning of a Word” by Gloria Naylor and “Being a Chink” by Christine Leong examines how hurtful and degrading words can be. Both authors shared similar thoughts on the topic of these derogatory terms and their effect. The authors show how hurtful slanderous words can be. While some differences between Naylors piece and Leong’s piece are evident, the similarities are striking. Both authors, share the purpose of trying to show the meaning of these harmful words and their underlying effects on people. Naylor describes that the first time the word was directed towards her that even though she did not know what it meant she knew it was unacceptable. When Naylor was handing back papers in class a child directed a slanderous term towards her “I didn’t know what a nigger was, but I knew that whatever it meant, it was something he shouldn't have called me” (Naylor). Showing, how by the tone the student said the word in and his body language showed her than it was a degrading word. In addition, Naylor understood that she was being discriminated against based off of the tone the child used. Furthermore, showing how a derogatory term has a degrading effect. In the other piece, Leong describes how she felt after she saw the word chink written in her father's handwriting. In seeing this, she knew that someone had called her father a chink because her father writes down terms he hears and does not understand. “I …show more content…
Both authors show the effect of these words and how they can damage the person they are projected on to. In addition, the authors highlight that people make these comments off of appearances rather than personalities. Furthermore, the antagonist both have different backgrounds, childhoods, and races yet they still attract offencive terms. Hateful words make deep imprints in people and deprive one of their self