When you strip away someone’s wealth, title, and knowledge, the only essential thing that remains is their identity. Being able to fully walk out and live in your identity speaks louder than wrestling with exterior labels. Those that are confident with their identity stand very distinct from the rest of the crowd. However, there is a great emphasis on which identity you choose to cover yourself with. An exhorted and idealized identity many desire is to be an American. When someone is an American, they are considered to be an American everywhere they go. They are not easily shaken; they remain assured in this identity. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon to see many Asian Americans struggling to measure up to this so-called identity as an American.
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The film Yellow Face created by The YOMYOMF Network was about the life of DHH in regards to the theater media. The film opens up with the Miss Saigon musical controversy in which a white male actor was casted to play an Asian role. DHH was quite unhappy with this event and did everything in his power for changes to occur. Unfortunately, this was unsuccessful. Continuing on with the plot, DHH accidentally casted a white man, Marcus, to play an Asian role in his own play, Yellow Face. To cover up his mistakes, he made up a story that Marcus had a fraction of Asian blood as a Jew from Siberia. DHH eventually had no choice but to fire Marcus. However, Marcus chose to carry this identity and continued on to play Asian roles in other musicals. Other complications with DHH’s father arose but at the end of the film, DHH revealed the truth about himself and Marcus. DHH can be viewed as a man who saw the potential in multiculturalism. By definition, he chose to stand up as an Asian individual first before choosing to be an American. He was against the whole idea behind yellowface because this did not encourage different ethnic groups to participate in plays. While certain mishaps happened throughout the plot, DHH’s stance was firm. He believed that there was nothing wrong with being an American while carrying an Asian fragrance. …show more content…
In the short passage “Clothes” by Chitra Divakaruni, readers can clearly see how the melting pot realistically takes place. Sumita, the main character, was an Indian living in her homeland. Through an arranged marriage, she moved to America to meet her future husband. They have a great relationship dynamic and appear to be an amazing fit for each other. Unfortunately, the husband is murdered later on. This entire arranged marriage unravels a much more significant history than a romance story. When Sumita first moved to America, she embraced the idea of change and freedom, something she was unable to experience in India. Although she did not completely abandon her own background, Sumita definitely prioritized the American culture. In a society where being an American was the more dominant being, Sumita slowly started to slip out of her traditional ways. She merged together her Indian heritage with an American background through the different types of clothes she wore. Her new identity in America demonstrated the melting pot process. For example, the traditional Indian clothing for women calls for a sari while Sumita’s husband graciously allowed her to wear “jeans [that came] with a closefitting T-shirt which [outlined] her breasts” (Divakaruni 143). This act allowed her to participate in American culture.
The film Yellow Face created by The YOMYOMF Network was about the life of DHH in regards to the theater media. The film opens up with the Miss Saigon musical controversy in which a white male actor was casted to play an Asian role. DHH was quite unhappy with this event and did everything in his power for changes to occur. Unfortunately, this was unsuccessful. Continuing on with the plot, DHH accidentally casted a white man, Marcus, to play an Asian role in his own play, Yellow Face. To cover up his mistakes, he made up a story that Marcus had a fraction of Asian blood as a Jew from Siberia. DHH eventually had no choice but to fire Marcus. However, Marcus chose to carry this identity and continued on to play Asian roles in other musicals. Other complications with DHH’s father arose but at the end of the film, DHH revealed the truth about himself and Marcus. DHH can be viewed as a man who saw the potential in multiculturalism. By definition, he chose to stand up as an Asian individual first before choosing to be an American. He was against the whole idea behind yellowface because this did not encourage different ethnic groups to participate in plays. While certain mishaps happened throughout the plot, DHH’s stance was firm. He believed that there was nothing wrong with being an American while carrying an Asian fragrance. …show more content…
In the short passage “Clothes” by Chitra Divakaruni, readers can clearly see how the melting pot realistically takes place. Sumita, the main character, was an Indian living in her homeland. Through an arranged marriage, she moved to America to meet her future husband. They have a great relationship dynamic and appear to be an amazing fit for each other. Unfortunately, the husband is murdered later on. This entire arranged marriage unravels a much more significant history than a romance story. When Sumita first moved to America, she embraced the idea of change and freedom, something she was unable to experience in India. Although she did not completely abandon her own background, Sumita definitely prioritized the American culture. In a society where being an American was the more dominant being, Sumita slowly started to slip out of her traditional ways. She merged together her Indian heritage with an American background through the different types of clothes she wore. Her new identity in America demonstrated the melting pot process. For example, the traditional Indian clothing for women calls for a sari while Sumita’s husband graciously allowed her to wear “jeans [that came] with a closefitting T-shirt which [outlined] her breasts” (Divakaruni 143). This act allowed her to participate in American culture.