Maya Angelou Human Family Structure

In her poem entitled “Human Family,” Maya Angelou writes, “I've seen the wonders of the world/not yet one common man...but we are more alike, my friends,/than we are unalike...We are more alike, my friends,/than we are unalike.” Angelou is correct in saying people are often more alike than they think. One of the most common human characteristics is possessing the desire to feel accepted, which, in turn, forces most people to conform to society’s standards. University professor and award-winning journalist Alex Tizon explicates the struggles he faced growing up in America as a Filipino immigrant in his memoir Big Little Man--In Search of My Asian Self. In this excerpt entitled “Land of the Giants,” he admits that everything he and his family changed about themselves was for the sole purpose of fitting in. Their immigration led to the abandonment of their native culture and the assimilation of a new one. In “Land of the Giants,” Tizon combines a multitude of literary devices, such as anecdotes, symbolism, and juxtaposition, with …show more content…
For instance, he narrates the time when he “was playing on the floor of his parents’ bedroom closet...when the door opened” (646). His father “[stands] at a small mirror” and “massage[s] his nose,” trying “to make [it] narrower and longer” (646). Later, when Tizon asks him why he does this, his father tells Tizon that people will percieve him better if his nose is flatter. Since these anecdotes place the readers in Tizon’s shoes, they expand the emotional connection between Tizon and his audience. They also increase the readers’ understanding of his situations and former views. The audience learns through these accounts why Tizon felt the need to change himself. His father struggled with the issue of masculinity and appearance, and Tizon gradually inherited this same mindset: One’s size determines his or her worth. His size and physical attributes could not be