American Born Chinese; Los Vendidos, My Beatles, & samples of East Asian literature

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Period 1: Lab

Please read the short story "From the Roaches' Perspective". Inspired by the story, choose an insect, object, or animal and write a story from this perspective. Like the story, allow the animal/object to witness something it shouldn't have seen.

See: Garden Party (animated short, trailer; winner of best animated short film, 2018)

Use your time in the lab to work on your portfolio. Workshop your pieces. Read American Born Chinese (see homework below) or look at the links bulleted below. Portfolios are due March 28.
  • A revision of a previous piece of writing
  • A Brechtian play draft
  • A piece about race

Period 2:

What does the Word Asian Mean to You?
How You See Me (Asian)

Let's read the short stories/poems from China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Korea. Then read the short Brechtian play "Los Vendidos" by Luis Valdez and the one-act play "My Beatles" by Satoh Makoto.

TASK: In the COMMENT section of the blog, please post a comparative/contrasting critique of the plays. Consider what we've learned about race--how does cultural heritage, identity, and the issues of race infuse these plays with significance for a contemporary audience? Your post on the topic will be due by the end of first period (lab) Tuesday, March 20. No late responses will be given credit. 
HOMEWORK: Read/complete the graphic novel American Born Chinese (and complete the plays).  Be prepared to discuss & write about American Born Chinese and post your comparison on the two plays we're reading next class.

Comments

Unknown said…
The plays Los Vendidos by Luis Valdez and My Beatles by Satoh Makoto examine Mexican, Japanese, and Korean culture, of course respectively, through a bit of an absurdist lens. Los Vendidos portrays Mexicans as cars, a Secretary coming to buy one to make governmental meetings more diverse. This play depicts the believed inferiority of Mexicans in American culture and exemplify the fact that people of different races are demeaned so harshly that, at times, they are no longer treated as humans. While My Beatles displays a clear sense of the tension between Japanese and Korean people, especially considering the treatment of Koreans during World War II, through Chong and Katsura, Katsura's dreams and fantasies of the Beatles show how American culture is idealized . Katsura hopes to rid herself of the struggles she has with Chong and the difficulties of Korea, the Beatles becoming almost like her saviors and guides to a better life. By making culture and race major concepts in these two plays, the playwrights present an idea of pervading inequality and the brutal realities of people living around the world. Americans may focus on the struggles of their own country, but to others, throughout history, America has been seen as a paradise of opportunity. The absurdist nature of both plays distort the characters, emphasizing their plights and the cruelty of racism in a subtle manner. While both plays address major issues, Valdez seems to take a more humorous approach while Makoto, who still uses some humor, gets serious and violent. Both are effective ways of presenting the issues and themes they want audiences to analyze. Overall, both plays emphasize the complexities of racial tension and the major gaps between different groups of people, forcing audiences to realize how cruel and harrowing our social world has become.
March 18, 2018 at 8:15 PM
Unknown said…
The two plays “Los Vendidos,” written by Luis Valdez, and “My Beatles,” by Satoh Makoto discuss the themes of racism and discrimination among different cultures. The plays, though they both convey the prominence of prejudice and racism within society, they do so in distinct ways. In Valdez’s “Los Vendidos,” the display of stereotypes is predominant, many of the characters in the play being perfect representations of American stereotypes of Mexicans. These include revolutionaries, farm workers, and violent gang members. There are also aspects of self-denial of one’s heritage in order to better assimilate, present in Miss Jimenez’s insistence that her name be said with the Anglicized pronunciation, rather than the natural Spanish pronunciation, being that she is of Mexican descent. Makoto’s “My Beatles,” is similar in the message it conveys, but does so in a more abstract and serious nature. It depicts the tension between the Japanese and Korean people that pervades the relationship of Chong and Katsura. The play also exposes the idealistic nature of American culture, seen through the portrayal of the Beatles. Katsura looks to the Beatles to help and guide her, representing the paradise that American presents itself as, though in reality is struggles violently with racism and inequality. These common themes in the plays are significant for a contemporary audience because of the prominent race struggles that are still occuring in the United States and around the world. Discrimination and institutionalized racism is rampant and although more attention is being brought to the issue, it is still far from being solved and needs as much awareness and concern as possible in order to finally be dismantled.
March 19, 2018 at 8:47 AM
//SJP// said…
Race and culture play a significant role in a lot of contemporary literature. As more people have an outlet and more mediums they can get their points and stories across. An example of this would be American Born Chinese. In this graphic novel, it tells the story of Jin moving to a new town and struggling with prejudice, assimilation, and cultural heritage. With mixing art and a story, the message comes across clearer which makes it so important because people can connect with the character's story as well as see their views in a different light. Whether people can relate to the main characters stories or they can recognize how they have been wrong themselves, it brings issues of race and culture up in a way that is recognizable and relatable.
March 20, 2018 at 7:47 AM
Unknown said…
The two plays "Los Vendidos" (Luis Valdez) and "My Beatles" (Satoh Makoto) have a underlying theme of racism, and how discrimination plays a part of many cultures of people of color. "Los Vendidos" makes a symbolic representation of the Mexican immigrant lifestyle in other countries (such as America) and how they are basically tools to the corporation. Valdez makes sure to write each "brand" as a Mexican stereotype, whether that be a loud and brash thug to a non-English speaking Mexican to a revolutionary. In this way, Valdez is showing how some people's perceptions of Mexicans creates this sense of objectification, and how some people see Mexicans as less than a person. "My Beatles" by Satoh Makoto plays this absurdist style of storytelling as "Los Vendidos" in the way that while Chong and Katsura have their own conflicts, there's a quartet randomly in their flat. "My Beatles" deals with the idea of how despite the fact that both Chong and Katsura are Asian, they have specific racial conflicts being Chinese and Japanese respectively (wow! Asian people are different? Who knew!). In "My Beatles" Satoh illustrates the idealized "American Dream," so to speak in the alluded Beatles of the Quartet, and how Katsura heavily relies on them to solve her every problem and need. Neither of the plays is "more important" than the other, and both effectively demonstrate the racial discrimination people of color face, and are able to demonstrate racism in a way that is not necessarily black and white, but a complex system so heavily grained into our society that sometimes we don't think we're downplaying an entire race when we are.
March 20, 2018 at 7:51 AM
Deja Simmons said…
In “Los Vendidos” and “My Beatles” the topic of race was tackled in different ways. “My Beatles" a play written by Satoh Makoto we were able to see how hard it was for Korean and Japanese people to be accepting of each other. In "Los Vendidos" we see how Ms. Jimenez's name is mistaken for Hispanic and pronounced the in that way. Yet, she makes sure it is pronounced in an English way. While she is also on the look out for a Mexican worker we are able to see the different stereotypes that Americans may have towards Mexicans. In America today we don't really see race as big of an issue as it really is unless it affects us directly. Overtime we have slowly started to realize how big of an issue it is, and we are moving towards making it better, but race discrimination is far from over. People today read about these things everywhere and see stories about the injustices that happen to others and say that they feel bad and wish that things were different, but they aren't willing to stand up and start to help be the change. Both of these plays help bring a little bit of light to how people are treated and how there are tensions not only towards people of color but also those of Asian and other racial descents.
March 20, 2018 at 7:52 AM
Unknown said…
The plays Los Vendidos and My Beatles tell a story of how Mexicans, Japanese and Koreans are portrayed in society. Los Vendidos uses humor to display the racial stereotypes society has used against Mexicans. In the play the character who owns the shop is helping Miss Jimenez find the model of Mexican she needs. The models range from hard working farmers to dancers to thugs. These people are being described as cars and if one has a flaw like not speaking perfect English they are seen as unacceptable. This shows that with stereotypes placed upon races they are no longer seen as real people. My Beatles has a harsher, more serious approach to the issue of race. Makoto uses the extreme example of a rape case to show the strained relationship between Japan and Korea. In The graphic novel American Born Chinese, the main character Jin faces racial tension. All three literary pieces have the theme of racial tension and struggling through prejudice. By writing these themes into such things as plays or a graphic novel, the audience is being exposed to the racial issues that might be suppressed.
March 20, 2018 at 7:53 AM
Anonymous said…
The two short plays, “Los Vendidos” by Luis Valdez and “My Beatles” by Satoh Makoto, are written in an absurdist style that examines Mexican, Japanese, and Korean cultures, and the discrimination and racism that they face. In “Los Vendidos”— literally translated from Spanish to say “The Sold Ones”— Mexicans are depicted not as people, but different models that can be bought and sold in a fashion not unlike cars. At the end of the play, the three “models” sit around talking after they drive the secretary off, and say “They think we’re machines” (line 360), and reveal that all along only the salesman was a robot. Through this, the play unearths how Mexicans are viewed so lowly and treated so poorly only to be discarded a little while later by Americans, that they are stripped of their humanity. “My Beatles” is not quite as obvious as “Los Vendidos,” rather more serious and abstract. It shows the tension between the Japanese and Korean people through Chong and Kastura. It also shows the idealization of America, through the Beatles. They become kind of like a guide to a better life for Kastura, a way to escape the struggles she has with Chong and Korea. Both plays expose the racism and difficulties people experience within the United States and out, and shows that we are still a far way out from being rid of prejudice and discrimination.

In “American Born Chinese” by Gene Luen Yang, the struggles of Jin’s move to a new town and the problems of prejudice, assimilation are shown. This succeeds especially well because, as a graphic novel, people have to see what the author intended to expose and are able to better connect with the characters.
March 20, 2018 at 8:03 AM
Unknown said…
In "Los Vendidos" and "My Beatles" both of the plays hit the topic on race in different ways. One was about the acceptance between the Korean and Japanese. In the other we see how Ms.Jimenez is confused of being Hispanic because of her last name even when she pronounces it in English so they wouldn't be confused. she was looking for a Mexican working so it helps to show how Americans see Mexicans in a stereotypical way.
March 20, 2018 at 8:05 AM
Dannaeplamer@blogpsot.com said…
The two plays Los Vendidos and My Beatles expresses a story how Asians are viewed in society. Both plays display the discrimination and racism these different cultures face. These plays briefly shows the importance of race and culture in literature. The Beatles display a lot of tension between the Korean and Japanese people. LoS Vendidos looks at race and culture a different way. It shows the pronunciation of Ms. Jimenez's name and how it is mistaken to be Spanish. This shows the American stereotype towards Mexicans. Overall both plays display a theme of racism and overcoming challenges faced in different cultures.
March 20, 2018 at 8:12 AM
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