1 Introduction
This paper is about the stereotypes that Asians and Americans have of each other. Therefore quotations from Boyle’s book: “East is East” are listed. Though it was not part of the presentation, you will also find the quotations on the Asians’ ideas about Americans here in order to give a statement on each nation’s representative’s awareness on those matters.
After that there is a chapter on coping with prejudices, and the terms of assimilation and acculturation are defined.
Last there is an overview of our presentation explaining the different phases, their contents and aims. The transcript of the news-show is given and a short reflection on the presentation and working on this topic can be found.
Before you read on, I would like to explain three terms here which are used simultaneously during this paper. Often it is not possible to distinguish between a cliché, a stereotype or a prejudice because the definitions of those terms are very similar and the choice of the right term depends on everyone’s individual experiences with regard to the certain subject.
Nevertheless I want to show that there are certain differences, by giving the definitions here:
• Cliché: A phrase or opinion that is overused and shows a lack of original thought.
• Stereotype: An image or idea of a particular type of person or thing that has become fixed through being widely held.
• Prejudice: Pre-assumption, pre-conceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience.
2 Quotes: The Asians’ Ideas about Americans
Actually this chapter on the Asian’s ideas about Americans was not part of our presentation. But when reading the book I marked all of those in order to compare the stereotypes both nations have of each other.
2.1 Words used for Americans in the Book
• long nose
• hakujin
• butter stinker
• keto (p.267)
• for Saxby: big hairy boifurendo
2.2 Hiro’s Grandma describing his Father
p.15
..(he always was dirty and hairy, no matter the version)…
2.3 Hiro’s View of Americans- Adopted from Films and Books
p.17f
But if Japanes were a pure race, intolerant of misgenation to the point of fanaticism, the Americans, he knew, were a polyglot tribe, mutts and mulattos and worse- or better, depending on your point of view. In America you could be one part Negro, two parts Serbo-Croatian and three parts Eskimo and walk down the street with your head held high. I
Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION
2 QUOTES: THE ASIANS’ IDEAS ABOUT AMERICANS
2.1 WORDS USED FOR AMERICANS IN THE BOOK
2.2 HIRO’S GRANDMA DESCRIBING HIS FATHER
2.3 HIRO’S VIEW OF AMERICANS- ADOPTED FROM FILMS AND BOOKS
2.4 HIRO’S IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICA
2.5 THE JAPANESE’S POINT OF VIEW ABOUT NEGROS
2.6 HIRO’S AMERICAN HOPES
2.7 RUTH TALKING ABOUT THE ASIANS IDEAS OF AMERICANS
3 QUOTES: THE AMERICANS’ IDEAS OF ASIANS
3.1 WORDS USED FOR ASIANS IN THE BOOK
3.2 OUTWARD APPEARANCE
3.3 FOOD
3.4 CULTURAL PREJUDICE
3.5 PEOPLE OF A LOWER CLASS
3.6 THE DANGER CREATED BY FOREIGNERS
4 AWARENESS OF PREJUDICES
5 COPING WITH PREJUDICES- THE ASSIMILATION VS. ACCULTURATION DEBATE
6 STRUCTURE AND AIMS OF THE PRESENTATION
7 CONCLUSION- REFLECTIONS ON THE GROUP PRESENTATION
8 BIBLIOGRAPHY
Research Objectives and Themes
The paper examines the prevalence of stereotypes, clichés, and prejudices between Asians and Americans as depicted in T.C. Boyle's novel "East is East." The primary objective is to analyze how these perceptions shape the interaction between different cultural identities and to explore the complexities of assimilation versus acculturation.
- Analysis of character-driven stereotypes in T.C. Boyle's work.
- Examination of cross-cultural prejudices between American and Asian perspectives.
- Definition and differentiation of core concepts: Cliché, Stereotype, and Prejudice.
- The role of assimilation versus acculturation in navigating a foreign society.
- Reflection on how media and societal perceptions inform individual interactions.
Excerpt from the Book
2.3 Hiro’s View of Americans- Adopted from Films and Books
But if Japanes were a pure race, intolerant of misgenation to the point of fanaticism, the Americans, he knew, were a polyglot tribe, mutts and mulattos and worse- or better, depending on your point of view. In America you could be one part Negro, two parts Serbo-Croatian and three parts Eskimo and walk down the street with your head held high. If his own society was closed, the American was wide open- he knew it, he’d seen the films, read the books, listened to the LPs- and anyone could do anything pleased there.
Pavement. … If he followed it, he reasoned, the road would lead him to civilization, to some tidy little farmhouse where he could risk showing himself and beg for food in exchange for doing odd jobs, maybe sleep in a barn like in those black-and-white movies with the clanking jalopies and the smiling long-nosed old ladies in bonnets and dresses that hung to the floor. Or he could find a diner or a McDonald’s like the ones in Tokyo-…- he could purchase a meal, fries and a Big Mac, Chicken McNuggets and a shake.
Summary of Chapters
1 INTRODUCTION: This chapter defines key sociological terms like cliché, stereotype, and prejudice while outlining the scope of the paper and its analysis of the novel "East is East."
2 QUOTES: THE ASIANS’ IDEAS ABOUT AMERICANS: This section compiles quotations from the text illustrating how Hiro and other Asian characters perceive Americans through lenses of media influence and social stereotypes.
3 QUOTES: THE AMERICANS’ IDEAS OF ASIANS: This chapter examines the derogatory and reductive ways in which American characters in the book label Asians, focusing on appearance, food, and perceived cultural danger.
4 AWARENESS OF PREJUDICES: This section analyzes the differing levels of self-awareness regarding prejudices held by both the Asian and American characters.
5 COPING WITH PREJUDICES- THE ASSIMILATION VS. ACCULTURATION DEBATE: This chapter discusses the sociological concepts of assimilation and acculturation in the context of the Asian-American experience.
6 STRUCTURE AND AIMS OF THE PRESENTATION: This chapter outlines the methodology and goals of the academic presentation, including a transcript of a news-show simulation used for analysis.
7 CONCLUSION- REFLECTIONS ON THE GROUP PRESENTATION: The author reflects on the seminar outcomes, confirming the relevance of studying stereotypes in literature as a means to understand cross-cultural identities.
8 BIBLIOGRAPHY: Lists the primary source text and supplementary digital resources used for the analysis.
Keywords
Stereotypes, Prejudice, Cliché, T.C. Boyle, East is East, Assimilation, Acculturation, Cross-cultural, Identity, American, Asian, Racism, Literature, Social Perception, Cultural Integration
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this academic paper?
The paper explores the mutual stereotypes and prejudices held by Asian and American characters in T.C. Boyle's novel "East is East," highlighting how these biases shape their respective perceptions of each other.
What are the primary thematic fields covered in the text?
The core themes include the formation of cultural stereotypes, the struggle for identity in a foreign society, and the sociological debate between assimilation and acculturation.
What is the central research objective?
The goal is to demonstrate how societal stereotypes are constructed and perpetuated in literature and to analyze how characters like Hiro Tanaka navigate or fail to navigate the cultural landscape of America.
Which scientific methodology is applied here?
The paper utilizes a qualitative literary analysis approach, extracting specific textual evidence and quotes from the novel to categorize and compare different types of cultural bias.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the work?
The main body focuses on categorized quotes from the novel, divided into the perspectives of Asians regarding Americans and vice-versa, followed by an analysis of how characters respond to these prejudices.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The most relevant keywords include Stereotypes, Prejudice, Assimilation, Acculturation, T.C. Boyle, and Cross-cultural identity.
How does T.C. Boyle utilize "identity" in his novel according to the author?
The author argues that Boyle avoids selecting "average" representatives of a nation, instead pairing a Japanese samurai archetype with a Jewish American identity to highlight that stereotyping is a universal, omnipresent human failing.
What role does the simulated news-show play in the analysis?
The transcript provides a creative methodology to summarize the stereotypes found in the book and serves as a tool for class discussion regarding how media discourse perpetuates these biases.
- Quote paper
- Melissa Naase (Author), 2011, The Americans’ and Asians’ Ideas about Each Other in T.C. Boyle’s “East is East”, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/176392
