American Born Chinese - Being Noticed
Trying to be Noticed
Being noticed is about what people see, our external self. It is about dressing up, putting on make-up, and more. It is about how we choose to present ourselves. It is basically like advertising, getting ourselves noticed. We can cover our flaws and highlight our perceived strengths. It can be what the others see with a quick look across a crowd. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang is a graphic novel that shows that you are who you really are in the inside, and you can’t satisfy, or be respected by everyone and the stories of Jin Wang, Danny, and the Monkey King (“Great Sage, Equal of Heaven”) all face the problem of trying to stand out and attempting to change their status in society because they are looked down upon. Jin Wang a Chinese American boy, has issues right away when he enters Mayflower Elementary, where he is a target for stereotypical and racial remarks. He absorbs all of the hits, but ends up being in isolation, due to being different from the others. As his days in elementary pass, he meets a new student by the name of Wei-Chen. Wei-Chen was like past Jin in a way – he was also disliked because of his race and put into isolation within society. Jin soon realizes that the only way to survive in a racist society, he must assimilate to the American culture with Wei-Chen and friends and fight the battle of being un-noticed. The transformer action figures symbolizes the beginning of Jin and Wei-Chen’s progress in assimilating and changing who they are as people. Jin realizes that he can totally relate to Wei-Chen and is why he finally accepts him as a friend, or a partner in the fight through this “brick-wall” that prevents them from being seen at all. When Jin finally enters middle school, he notices Amelia Harris, a girl that he finds rather attractive, but can’t seem to have the courage to talk to her. At the same time, he meets another student by the name of Greg who seems to have gotten Amelia’s attention easily. In
Being noticed is about what people see, our external self. It is about dressing up, putting on make-up, and more. It is about how we choose to present ourselves. It is basically like advertising, getting ourselves noticed. We can cover our flaws and highlight our perceived strengths. It can be what the others see with a quick look across a crowd. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang is a graphic novel that shows that you are who you really are in the inside, and you can’t satisfy, or be respected by everyone and the stories of Jin Wang, Danny, and the Monkey King (“Great Sage, Equal of Heaven”) all face the problem of trying to stand out and attempting to change their status in society because they are looked down upon. Jin Wang a Chinese American boy, has issues right away when he enters Mayflower Elementary, where he is a target for stereotypical and racial remarks. He absorbs all of the hits, but ends up being in isolation, due to being different from the others. As his days in elementary pass, he meets a new student by the name of Wei-Chen. Wei-Chen was like past Jin in a way – he was also disliked because of his race and put into isolation within society. Jin soon realizes that the only way to survive in a racist society, he must assimilate to the American culture with Wei-Chen and friends and fight the battle of being un-noticed. The transformer action figures symbolizes the beginning of Jin and Wei-Chen’s progress in assimilating and changing who they are as people. Jin realizes that he can totally relate to Wei-Chen and is why he finally accepts him as a friend, or a partner in the fight through this “brick-wall” that prevents them from being seen at all. When Jin finally enters middle school, he notices Amelia Harris, a girl that he finds rather attractive, but can’t seem to have the courage to talk to her. At the same time, he meets another student by the name of Greg who seems to have gotten Amelia’s attention easily. In