I don’t think anxiety and aversion has ever been a major barrier in writing for me. If anything, only anxiety has ever stressed me out a bit, however it was never anything major to the point where it caused barriers in my writing. I have never taken a disliking or disinclination to writing because writing is something I have always enjoyed since I was in elementary school. The only time anxiety has ever caused me problems is when I make myself believe that it’s more work than it actually is, which often leads me to put off my work for another day. If I feel like its a lot of work to do for a certain assignment I tend to avoid it as much as I can until I literally cannot push it back anymore, which is the day right before the due date and then I stress more on the thought “what if i can’t get it done on time?” One of Eickmeyer’s strategies I plan to adopt for my literacy narrative is breaking it down into different sections and spacing it out. A 1,000+ word essay can most definitely get extremely overwhelming, so therefore I feel like breaking it down into small steps and completing them along the way will take away the anxiety that comes from feeling the need to take on this major assignment as a whole.
Two worlds that I exist between is being the “perfect” south asian daughter and inevitably adapting to the modern ever changing world. A moment when these worlds collided is when I rejected the misogynistic views of how girls in south asian households are supposed to be raised. The standards for girls are that they’re supposed to stay in the house and never go out to have fun and just cook, clean, help out and look after their family. I made it perfectly clear that they should never expect me to live up to these standards. I felt guilty about rejecting this aspect of my culture, however, I realized that I was never obligated to live up to expectations that were placed on me even before I was born. People just felt entitled to hold rigid expectations and decided not to adjust them to me as a teenager that lives in New York City in the 21st century. Living in a western country in the modern age means a lot of forthcoming changes to those standards and expectations due to the ever-evolving changes of society. I also realized that people grow in any and all directions, so it’s not my fault if others aren’t prepared to grow with me.
2 thoughts on “Nishmitha Rodrigo Week 3 Reading Response”
Hi Nishmitha,
I am also familiar with the whole “perfect south-Asian daughter” stereotype. I have seen it be enforced by several of my friend’s families and although many Brown families are stirring away from this derogative expectation, it still lowkey lingers in many households including my own. I see it as in a way, we are lucky to be growing up in America where we have the option to choose our own lifestyle, which is why our parents came here, for that freedom. However, at the same time, Asian females should not be weighed down with the fear of disappointing their families.
I completely agree with you on pushing back simple assignments until you can’t no more. It is definitely a bad habit that needs to be broken. As well as making assignments harder than they really are!
Hi Nishmitha,
I am also familiar with the whole “perfect south-Asian daughter” stereotype. I have seen it be enforced by several of my friend’s families and although many Brown families are stirring away from this derogative expectation, it still lowkey lingers in many households including my own. I see it as in a way, we are lucky to be growing up in America where we have the option to choose our own lifestyle, which is why our parents came here, for that freedom. However, at the same time, Asian females should not be weighed down with the fear of disappointing their families.
I completely agree with you on pushing back simple assignments until you can’t no more. It is definitely a bad habit that needs to be broken. As well as making assignments harder than they really are!