Spencer

Wescott
S00897624
ENGL-2610-401-Su17
Andrea Malouf
July 21, 2017
Individuality
Interpretation Project Review

Throughout all of our reading I have noticed that each character has a unique way of

handling the challenges they face. This individuality shows no correlation with race and

highlights diversity within racial groups. I believe it goes to that judgment and classification

based on race is illogical. The reading we have done so far highlights how individuals feel, act,

and react while facing challenges in their life which root back to how they feel they look to

others.

In The Thing Around Your Neck, by Chimimanda Adiche, the story outlines the inner

feelings of the main character that no one can see or hear. These feelings she has pertain to the

title, in that she often physically feels restricted. I believe it is symptoms of anxiety which is

common but her feelings are unique. The uncomfortable feeling of something around her neck can

be debilitating and restrictive to her at times. For example, when she thought she could trust her

uncle and he betrays and disrespects her she is burdened furthermore by this physiologic weight of

this feeling. Ultimately, I believe that these awful feelings she had to deal with were to her benefit.

She noticed that she felt un restricted and better when around people she trusted or when she

started to feel as though she had a home. It was these brief instances of relief that subconsciously

kept her motivated. Two apparent themes of the story are challenges that Immigrants face when

finding a new home, and specific gender based challenges woman can face. I think that it is the

unique ways the main character chose to handle her challenges makes this story so good.
 Amy DeSpain wrote a paper titled Loneliness about what by Chimimanda Adiches story

meant to her. It was really intriguing to hear what this story meant to other people as I felt so

connected to it. Reading her thoughts opened my eyes to so much more, I think that because I felt

so connected with the way the main character felt in the story it was hard for me to open my mind.

Amy Wrote So she resorts to just sending home extra cash and no accompanying letters. This

quote really brought light to a lot of feelings I did not realize she had. Amy explained how Akunna,

the main character, had such high expectations for America like being able to have big cars and big

houses. This made me think about the first TED talk we studied in class. About the dangers of

stereos types. Much like how The Americans here didnt know much about her, she didnt know

much about America. It was interesting to read Amys connection about how Akunna felt guiltily

about how little she had accomplished in America. She chose to just send money without notes

because she was embarrassed and sad about how hard it was for her in America.

Peggy Mclntoshs White Privileges: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack gives a unique

perspective on the rights that whites have over other races. It refers to the knapsack as a tool box

full of tools that are carried around by whites In America. What is so unique about Peggy and her

story is the point of view. The majority of our reading has been about struggles faced by individuals

based on race and judgments, told by those who were immigrants or visibly different. Peggy writes

as a successful American Feminist who reaches out past her personal challenges. Her unique point

of view maps out her interpretation of what she belies to be behind problems around the world.

She explains that much of this inequality comes from ignorance. She is an individual among her

race and gender classifications and her creative ideas make her so powerful. It is also that her

ideas outline how unique each problem is. Her idea that some people have these invisible

knapsacks shows that there is diversity within the problem as well. She really appreciates

everyones individuality on both sides of the conflict.

Nella Larsens Passing brought some really interesting aspects of racism into the story

and was really new to me. It really exemplified how simply judgements and racism can be based
by how a person looks. This story really highlights great diversity within races, as two childhood

friends face some of the same challenges. After reading the story it almost seems like a case study

of how regardless of race humans will make unique and individual choices to overcome the

challenges they are faced with. Clare, a young black woman, choses to create an identity that suits

the liking of her surroundings. From this she receives more opportunity and trust from coworkers

and community members. When Irene Discovers this, she is shocked and begins to question her

old friends identity. At this point in the story it explores how each person has a different and unique

definition of identity. It also opens up to how everyone has a different way of adapting to the

changes in their lives and the lives of those around them. Irene, also a you black woman, embraces

the challenges shes faced with and manages to become quite successful within her community.

I mentioned earlier how Clare creates an identity that pleases the people around her, she

did this by dressing and acting as if she was not black. By doing this she was able to go places

more freely and have more opportunity. When Irene discovers this she immediately begins to

question Clares identity; her family, culture, and heritage. It is interesting how Irene assumes that

Clare has the same beliefs as her regarding what identity means to her. This seems to me that

Irene is judging Clares decisions based on her race. Clares actions were extremely brave and

daring at the time. She seemingly managed to defy racism and judgments by changing her

appearance. It must have been thrilling for her to look around at people and think about how

foolish they were for basing their decisions based on how she looked despite her heritage and past

culture.

In this story Clare and Irene have many differences and it begins to seem that the only thing

they have in common is the challenges they face. Furthermore, the challenges they face are based

on two things they could not choose or control in their life, which are their gender and race. The

childhood friends are an excellent example of how individuals choose to handle challenges and

react to their surroundings differently. Irene seems to embrace the challenges around her while

Clare seems to adapt to overcome them directly.

 Reading Scott Allgiers Paper he wrote on Passing was very interesting and entertaining

to make connections with. Scott Writes Larsen is pointing out that our past is what makes us who

we are, not what we look like. This quote made a very good point that I did not think about. When

reading I often spend more time dissecting the characters and forget about the writer who wrote

the story about them. Scott makes a good point about what he believed to be Nella Larsens

message though out the story. I believe it relates to the common dispute of Nature vs Nature.

The difference between what makes a person who they are and how often this relates to judgments

and racism. I Agree with the point Scott believes the author is making, it is the experiences and

opportunities we face in our lives that make us who we are today. It is true that people are a

product of their environment to some degree, the outside experiences around them shape who they

will become. It is so unfortunate that so often racism and judgements blur the line between

attributes we were born with and those that we face over time. The racism and Judgmental

behavior of others around us can categorize and group. When this happens peoples opportunities

and experiences can be limited and controlled by those around them. This is unfair because the I

believe that everyone should have the same opportunities despite their race or skin color, because

it is one of the few things they cannot change. A persons race or skin color is how they were

naturally born, it should have no effect on their life, the choices they make and the experiences they

have will do that. I think that that is what Scott was communicating with his ideas about what Nella

Larsen was Conveying in Passing.

Li-Young Lees Poem For a New Citizen of These United States is a much different story

than Passing But I believe is shares similar themes. Lees Poem is about the struggles a man

faces after his immigration to America. Both stories illustrate how differently time and age bring

changes to ourselves and those around us. There are infinite combinations of characteristics that

make us unique but within those some are more open to change and some are more conservative

to adapt. The Character in Lees Poem struggles with finding his identity with all the changes he is
faced in America. Old memories remind him of home and he begins to feel guilty as he finds

himself transferring to his new home in America. He seems spiteful to Americans because he is

confused by the feelings he is getting while transitioning from home to America while facing the

racial challenges in front of him as a new immigrant. It frustrates him that is seems like other like

him are not having as hard of a time transitioning. As he looks at other immigrants from his country

he is judging them by race which seems unfair. The poem outlines his challenges as an immigrant

but shows how individuals with similar challenges choose to handle them differently.

Jhumpa Lahiris story When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine shows great examples of how

judgmental people can be simply by someones place of birth. It always amazes me how much

judgement is based upon the few things an individual cannot choose in their life, place of birth and

skin color. The story outlines the life of a girl who is the first American born citizen in her family and

the tension within her family. By looking at the feeling of her family members It is a great example

of diversity within race and family. Her parents are both immigrants yet they have different beliefs

and feelings regarding the lifestyle of their daughter. Her father believes that growing up in America

is not giving her the experiences she needs to be like him. While her mother is so grateful that her

daughter was born here because her life will be easier and better. This shows the diversity in ideas

and judgments within the family. It is also a great conversation the family has with Mr. Pirzada

about how the boarders of counties can changes and that even though someone is from a different

country or race they might like the same food as them. It is also important to talk about similarities

across cultures and races, as well as differences with in them. This story highlights how regardless

of how people look or where they are from they often have many similarities. For example, Mr.

Pirzada and her both like the same candy despite being form different places.

Jaime Scholle wrote a really great paper about Jhumpa Lahiris story. She Wrote Also, it is

a good example that it doesnt matter where we are from we can have some similitude. We can

have a good relationship and maybe adopt new culture traditions. She is Quoting the main

character Lilia, a young Indian Girl who was born in America. Jaime points out how throughout the
story Lilia is very observant about many details. She notices the many differences between her

friends family and her own. At her friends home, they do not watch the news and they do think

alcohol, which is much different than her house. Her parents watch the news and drink tea. I think

that this quote goes to show how similar the message in this story is to the others we have read.

That while it is where we are from that makes us who we are, it should not matter because we all

have so much in common and are free to adopt new culture in America.

Our class has read a lot of great literature which outlines and explains the challenges that

racism and judgments have caused for many around the world. The stories have been all very

different with different settings and times but they all have somethings in common. I believe the

biggest common theme in all the stories is how ever person handles each challenge in a unique

was despite what side of the conflict they are on

Being able to read everyones work was amazing and improved my reading and writing.

I think it was really neat that it also went along with the theme of the class. We are all very

different students form all of the place and we all have our own thoughts and beliefs, it was

really interesting to be able to compare and get ideas from everyone. It helped illustrate the

diversity within our class and how people in the same class at the same time can have such

different ideas. I really enjoyed reading everyones papers, it definitely helped open me up to

more ideas while reading and writing.

Work Sited

Adiche, Chimimanda. The Thing Around Your Neck. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2009. Print.

Peggy McIntosh is associate director of the Wellesley Collage Center for Research on Women.
This essay is excerpted from Working Paper 189. White Privilege and Male Privilege: A
Personal Account of Coming To See Correspondences through Work in Womens Studies
(1988), by Peggy McIntosh;

Larsen, Nella. Passing. New York, NY: Knopf, 1929. Print.

Lees, Li-Young. Poem For a New Citizen of These United States. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning,
1990. Print.

Lahiri, Jhumpa. Unaccustomed Earth. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008. Print. When Mr.
Pirzada Came to Dine

Scholle, Jaime. "Mr. Pirzada ." Interpretation Project (2017): 2. Web. 20 July 2017.

Alldier, Scott. "Passing Interpretation." Interpretation Project (2017): 1. Web. 19 July 2017.

DeSpain, Amy. "Loneliness." Interpretation Project (2017): 2. Web. 19 July 2017.