Introduction Escaping from the stereotypes that label certain groups of people is difficult, especially for racial minorities. While some of these stereotypes are accurate generalizations, many do not truly represent the people as a whole. Therefore, people should look past shallow stereotypes and learn not to let them define others, because stereotypes do not determine a person’s identity.
One way to learn more about the people of these racial minority groups is to read works of literature. Two short stories in particular, “One Friday Morning” by Langston Hughes (an African-American) and “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan (a Chinese author), give readers more understanding of the writers’ backgrounds and childhood experiences. “One Friday Morning” tells the story of Nancy Lee, an African-American high school girl who was denied a scholarship because of her race, even though she rightfully earned it. “Two Kinds” depicts a struggling relationship between Jing-mei, a young Chinese girl, and her mother. …show more content…
They are both fairly young, impressionable girls. Nancy is a senior in high school trying to make a path for her life (Hughes, 1117), while Jing-mei is in her later childhood and early adolescent years, forming her sense of identity. They come from very different backgrounds, cultures, and families, but they both long for their lives to fit their ideals of a “normal” life. Nancy desires to be treated fairly and not discriminated against (Hughes, 1122-1123), and Jing-mei wishes that she could discover her passions and talents for herself without pressure from her mother (Tan, 256). This desire to fit in with others is practically universal; every human experiences this. People always want to be like someone else, copying certain aspects of another’s lifestyle. The authors of these stories enable readers to relate to these characters through their desires to be respected and to find their own
One way to learn more about the people of these racial minority groups is to read works of literature. Two short stories in particular, “One Friday Morning” by Langston Hughes (an African-American) and “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan (a Chinese author), give readers more understanding of the writers’ backgrounds and childhood experiences. “One Friday Morning” tells the story of Nancy Lee, an African-American high school girl who was denied a scholarship because of her race, even though she rightfully earned it. “Two Kinds” depicts a struggling relationship between Jing-mei, a young Chinese girl, and her mother. …show more content…
They are both fairly young, impressionable girls. Nancy is a senior in high school trying to make a path for her life (Hughes, 1117), while Jing-mei is in her later childhood and early adolescent years, forming her sense of identity. They come from very different backgrounds, cultures, and families, but they both long for their lives to fit their ideals of a “normal” life. Nancy desires to be treated fairly and not discriminated against (Hughes, 1122-1123), and Jing-mei wishes that she could discover her passions and talents for herself without pressure from her mother (Tan, 256). This desire to fit in with others is practically universal; every human experiences this. People always want to be like someone else, copying certain aspects of another’s lifestyle. The authors of these stories enable readers to relate to these characters through their desires to be respected and to find their own