Buried in Asian-American literature is a medley of voices from different cultures, race, and ethnicities. The passages I chose to be most important takes us back to question what it means for one to be considered American, and what even constitutes being an American. Mrs. Spring Fragrance’s letter teaches us carefully that our own nations has an equally rich discriminatory history in its treatment of immigrants from Asia. When Ichiro from Okada’s No-No Boy wants to be anyone but himself, he teaches us about the exclusion of race and the detrimental effects of Japanese-Americans resulting in physical and mental woundedness. Henry in Chang-rae Lee’s Native Speaker reflects the undermining effects of a seemingly positive model-minority stereotype.
