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One of the issues that still exists among Americans is racial discrimination. It seems that people are so obsessed with their rights and freedoms that they neglect some certain simple rules in their relationships. Two literary works refer to how cultural differences may shape the population. Based on their personal experiences and observations, Amy Tan and Maya Angelou deliver interesting writings about racial differences and prejudice. In her essay “Fish Cheeks,” Tan shares a narration about a family dinner where Chinese and white traditions are compared. On the other hand, Angelou depicts people’s emotions during one of the most famous boxing matches between the “Brown Bomber,” Joe Louis, and a white contender. Both authors explain how minority groups have to break barriers and resist oppression. In their stories, Angelou and Tan use different settings and social contexts to highlight the role of family relationships, support the idea of removing racial barriers, and believe in positive change.
Angelou raises the theme of racial discrimination in a specific way, focusing on the role of settings, family, and society. She describes a famous boxing event and African American reaction to the black boxer’s victory. The author underlines the importance of the environment for minority groups in American society. At the beginning of “Champion of the World,” Angelou points to the place where people gather to listen to a radio broadcast of the match. “Along the walls of the Store,” there was no empty “inch of space” even if it took hours for some people to reach the place (Angelou 88). The author intends to specify that black communities do not have large spaces to share their needs or interests.
At the same time, the worth of family relationships cannot be ignored as Angelou defines the impact of black and white attitudes. Although it is not the initial goal of the author to specify the impact of family relationships, she still mentions that the store is the uncle’s property. People feel safe when they come to a place that belongs to a black family. Another remark is made after Joe’s victory, who is introduced as a hero, the “champion of the world,” and “some Black mother’s son” (Angelou 90). This literary work shows that racial inequality involves not only individuals but also all black families.
Finally, a comparison is developed between the match and human relationships in general, as a part of the social context. When Louis is about to go down, Angelou writes that “my race groaned,” and “it was our people falling” (89). Her main intention is to demonstrate how the example of one person motivates other people to break social barriers, follow their needs, and consider their rights.
“Fish Cheeks” is another short story, with the issues of family, society, and settings being properly explained by the author. It is a narration of a 14-year-old girl who feels affection for a young boy, Robert, who belongs to a different race. Tan’s descriptions are brief and limited, but the information is still sufficient to learn the issue of racial discrimination. The event of the story is about Christmas Eve dinner hosted by a Chinese family. In fact, the author does not mention that the dinner is in a house. However, the phrases “shabby Chinese Christmas” and “the kitchen was littered with appalling mounds of raw food” create an image of an ordinary house where a Chinese family lives (Tan 74-75). There is nothing terrible about the chosen place, but the feelings of the narrator show that some inequalities exist.
Tan’s essay is full of examples of how family relationships are established in minority groups. Chinese relatives are noisy, the mother is supportive, and the father “leaned back and belched loudly,” thanking his wife for “fine cooking” (Tan 75). In “Fish Cheeks,” the mother is a hero who helps her daughter break oppression and embarrassment barriers and teaches her daughter to “be proud you are different” (Tan 75). Only if families from minority groups support their children, then they are able to resist challenges and inequalities.
In Tan’s work, social inequalities represent one of the core aspects of family relationships and determine human beliefs and values. However, society cannot be good or bad but consists of the representatives of diverse groups with their requests and expectations. Many people express oppression because they believe in its power and allow others to do unfair things. Tan explains that the “only shame is to have shame” (75). It means that society does not determine a person, but a person could change the way society acts.
Angelou’s and Tan’s have dissimilar settings and a different number of characters in distinct contexts. Still, both authors try to prove the presence of racial inequality in American society. A variety of cultures and traditions may astonish guests and assimilate in a quiet manner (Tan 75). The main lesson of the stories lies not in the power of racial inequalities but the power with which people endow those inequalities. Until individuals live among the barriers but do not accept them as real, they are free. As soon as racial concerns bother a person or a family, their growth and influences become irreversible. Black people are ready to show that they can break the existing obstacles, not “be caught on a lonely country road,” and appreciate heroes’ possibilities to demonstrate strength and confidence (Angelou 90). “Champion of the World” reveals discrimination that exists in society, while “Fish Cheeks” illustrates how a family deals with this concern.
The discussion of discrimination based on race is a common theme for many literary works. Tan and Angelou do not try to invent a new problem but explain how people from minority groups deal with the already defined barriers. Both authors create heroes, either family members or athletes, who set the tone and encourage change. It does not matter if minorities are in their homes or a neighborhood store. The racial crisis is mostly developed inside, and people themselves are responsible for its growth or decline.
Works Cited
Angelou, Maya. “Champion of the World.” The Brief Bedford Reader, edited by X.J. Kennedy, Dorothy M. Kennedy, Jane E. Aaron, and Ellen Kuhl Repetto, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2016, pp. 88-90.
Tan, Amy. “Fish Cheeks.” The Brief Bedford Reader, edited by X.J. Kennedy X.J. Kennedy, Dorothy M. Kennedy, Jane E. Aaron, and Ellen Kuhl Repetto, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2016, pp. 74-75.
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