Sunday, July 04, 2004
Yuki SUZUKI's response to "A Step From Heaven"
What culture is superior to others? Are America's culture, life and education superior to those of other countries? Those questions were came up with my mind after I read the book assinged. Uhmma said Mi-Gook has the best education system and tried to make Young-ju's hair curl like American girls' to adjust American culture. I do not intended to disagree with Uhmma's conducts and say that American education is the best or do not pretend to be american girls. I say do so if you want to do. Actually, I like jeans and coca-cola. However, I have to say that we are part of our home town culture and history that we cannnot neglect even if we stay outside the home country. From view of cultural relativism, I cannot say that "American culture is the best, so take Levis Jeans and drink Coka-cola" because every culture all over the world have the equal values with america's.
Also, "A step from Heaven" stuck in my mind. Just title? No, it describes "America" itself vividly. An na, the author, describes America, "Mi Gook is almost as good as heaven. Let us say it is a step from heaven(26)".I cannot say that America is totally heaven as people imagine as many jobs and chances and equality, and liberty because America has two faces both of heaven and A step from heaven, in other words, illusory America and real America.
When I came here, OSU, I was shocked to see the elementary school students who were in summer camp here. All student in one school were people in colored and others in another school are whites. Students study in different schools based on their skin colors. It is said that almost 60% students in colored gave up graduating from university because they could not catch up with the pace of class that other white students can do with. Those fundamental difference of educational backgroung came from the separate educational system between Whites and the colored. From elementary school, chances to get higher education and equality did not exist for the colored here.It is real america, but I think heaven america can be described as the place that "effort" exist. For instance, Colin L. Powell is the immigrant from Jamaica and the first person in colored to be secretary of state with tremendous effort.
This is America with two faces.
Also, "A step from Heaven" stuck in my mind. Just title? No, it describes "America" itself vividly. An na, the author, describes America, "Mi Gook is almost as good as heaven. Let us say it is a step from heaven(26)".I cannot say that America is totally heaven as people imagine as many jobs and chances and equality, and liberty because America has two faces both of heaven and A step from heaven, in other words, illusory America and real America.
When I came here, OSU, I was shocked to see the elementary school students who were in summer camp here. All student in one school were people in colored and others in another school are whites. Students study in different schools based on their skin colors. It is said that almost 60% students in colored gave up graduating from university because they could not catch up with the pace of class that other white students can do with. Those fundamental difference of educational backgroung came from the separate educational system between Whites and the colored. From elementary school, chances to get higher education and equality did not exist for the colored here.It is real america, but I think heaven america can be described as the place that "effort" exist. For instance, Colin L. Powell is the immigrant from Jamaica and the first person in colored to be secretary of state with tremendous effort.
This is America with two faces.
