Tag Archives: race

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Please excuse all inappropriate/if im not politically correct

The story “Drown” by Junot Diaz is about Dominican Republic high school boy that lives in a poor neighborhood in New Jersey. At the beginning of the story the reader is introduced to another character named “Beto”. This Beto seems to have different rolls in the story. He is first introduced when the narrator indicates “he’s a pato (homosexual) now but two years ago we were friends” (page 1241). The term “pato” seems to have here a negative association. The reader can infer that the reason they are not friends anymore is because Beto is now gay. That same sentence continues that Beto had “a voice that crackled and made you think of uncles or grandfather.” This indicates to the reader that Beto was some kind of friend that the narrator looked up too or was an adult roll model to him. The two use to hangout day and night; “we stole, broke windows… pissed on people’s steps and then challenged them to come out and stop us” (page 1242) at this point they just seem to be good friends that did everything together and were just rebellious boys in a poor neighborhood. The narrator goes on telling the reader some more about his own personal life, which through out Beto is embedded in his stories. Much of the time he seems to write about Beto as though he misses what they had together. Right before the end of the story the reader is exposed to a sexual relationship they had. After that he writes; “my mother sensed that something was wrong” (page 1247) everything changes and their friendship starts to break. Though he still hung out with Beto a little, it is clear their friendship has changed. “Mostly I would stay in the basement, terrified that I would end up abnormal, a fucking pato, but he was my best friend and back then that mattered to me more than anything” (page 1248). The narrator is torn between being stigmatized in his community and being with his best friend he looked up too. Even though the sexual act happened only twice its still happened. It happened in a community where being gay is only to be a curse you shout out at the cops or in fact just to anyone you hate. Right before Beto leaves to college, Beto gives him a book and says “you cant be anywhere forever” (page 1249). This sentence he thinks to himself while watching his mother sleep and dream about his father who left her to another women. He thinks about his mother who has been always waiting for his father to come back even though he does not deserve her. “You cant be anywhere forever” he thinks. You cant always stuck behind in a reality that does not exist anymore. His mother must move on and forget his father, and he must confront his feeling to Beto and realize he has the right to be with him even though he will be called a “pato” in his community. He must stick to his own truth even if in his community being gay is frowned upon.

Chike’s School Days Analysis

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In Chinua Achebe’s literature, Chike’s School Days, there is a strong emphasis on the cultural difference between two different civilizations. In the context, two civilizations are Baptism and white’s Christianity civilization.

First, the author introduced Chike’s names, John, Chike and Obiajulu showing that people who believe in Baptism have three names consisting of English and African names. The reason why people would give a kid three name might be for different representation. John is simply an English name but, in the text, English seems to be very powerful that it changed many aspects of Chike’s family. Or an English name simply will give one higher level of power like when Chike refused neighbor’s yam arrogantly. It is clear that “being white” will give one some sort of superiority.” And for the name, Obiajulu, meaning “the mind at last is at rest, is a very symbolic name for a kid that represents the kid. It is very interesting on that one could know something about another by simply reading his/her name. But meanwhile, this juxtaposition of English and African names contrast the fact that English name is often meaningless beside it is being an English name. It is really sad when comparing to African’s name whereas each name is designed specifically to that person’s fact while English name was simply an English name. In the beginning of the story, name plays a big role on differentiating English and African cultures.

As previously mentioned, the title of “English” or “being English” or “living like English” seems to give a person a superiority over others even though the one may not is as noble as real English. This idea could be evidenced by the example when Chike refused neighbor’s yam with rude languages. Because Chike is brought up under “white education,” the way he acts, in the story, embodies whites’ behaviors. Despite the fact that Chike’s mother is lowest class person, Chike did not feel inferior to it but instead he felt proud or he was taught to be proud of being educated in “white way.” However, it is a very ironic that people in white education dress nice uniforms of white shirt and brown khaki shorts, but they are totally not as polite and civilized as those who did not wear or study in “white” education. Achebe shows that the often “white” of everything is always the best but it is not true. “White” is just a very superficial way to describe someone but “white” does not really give any advantage to anything. This shows that how people in Africa have view white as in their country.

Clearly, Achebe has demonstrated different values from two different cultures despite the fact that this text is very short. It is always very surprising that people label one culture superior than the other due to the race instead of the true values the culture possesses.