Bonus Blog 3

I believe that all three stories share both similarities and differences. All three stories tell of how being different brings challenges and newfound awareness about themselves and others. In Onoto Watanna’s story the main character struggles with the fact that she was raised in Japanese culture and is seen as Japanese but she is also aware that she is half American. “I different from everybody else”(Watanna). She struggles in the story because she knows that to survive she must play the part of a geisha girl even though she despises what being a geisha girl means. She knows whom she is inside, but she knows that she must conform to others perceptions to survive. Mary Antin’s story and Sui Sin Far both tell stories of immigrants dealing with trials and obstacles that come with being strangers in a new country. Mary Antin’s story has an exciting hopeful tone, while Sui Sin Far’s story has a gloomy sad tone. Both stories talk about hardships and disappointments, but Mary Antin’s story has an element of hope and optimism while Sui sin Far’s story has feelings of disappointment and delusions. The characters in Sui Sin Far show how they are aware of how Americans view Chinese people when Hom Hing tries to plead with customs. Hom Hing is aware that he is a husband and father but more importantly is aware that he is a Chinese man in America. “ I had no fear of trouble. I was a Chinese merchant and my son was my son… The officers conferred for a few moments; then one drew Hom Hing aside and spoke in his ear. Resignedly Hom Hing bowed his head, then approached his wife”(Sui Sin Far 2: 300). However in Mary Antin story also shows how her characters are also aware of themselves and how other perceive them, but in this story it coupled with optimism and hope. Young Mary knows that their new home is located in the slums of the city but sees much more than the poor neighborhood. “But I saw a very different picture on my introduction to Union Place. I saw two imposing rows of brick buildings, loftier than any dwelling I had ever lived in. Brick was even on the ground for me to tread on, instead of common earth or boards”(Antin 2: 489). She does not focus on how she is perceived by Americans but instead decides to focus on what living in America means to her family. In the end all of the characters in the stories were aware of how others perceived them, but each remained true to themselves.