Kesaya E. Noda's Growing Up Asian In America

In the story “Growing Up Asian in America,” by Kesaya E. Noda, there are certain lessons that she learned that were impactful in helping her find her identity. Noda took the identities of a Japanese, Japanese-American, and Japanese-American woman, and combined them together. For her first identity, Noda struggled with her Japanese heritage. She gives an example of how Japanese people were looked at compared to other ethnicities. “A third generation German American is an American. A third generation Japanese American is a Japanese American. Being Japanese means being a danger to the country during the war and knowing how to use chopsticks” ( Ln 39-41). Noda feels like society is being unfair because the Germans were also an enemy at one point, but they are seen as normal …show more content…
A quote from this story can be seen on lines 82-83: “They went without resistance; they offered cooperation as proof of loyalty to America.” At first Noda was mad about her parents decision to let it all happen, but eventually she learns a lesson and realizes that they were right. This was important because she becomes more proud of her family and who she is. Finally, Noda puts together her position as a Japanese-American woman. Noda compares a story about a nursemaid to her mother and herself. In this example she states that “The nursemaid is the intersection of heaven and earth, the intersection of the human, the natural world, the body, and the soul” (Ln 232-234). She’s making a comparison to an intersection because she feels as though her mother and her were the intersection between modern times and their families heritage and traditions. She can call herself a Japanese American woman with confidence and is proud to be a part of her family. Kesaya E. Noda becomes who she is through important life events that put different pieces and identities of herself together. Without these important events, Kesaya might not have been able to figure out who she really

Show More

Related Documents: Kesaya E. Noda's Growing Up Asian In America

Growing Up Asian In America Essay