Reflection #4

One section of Carol Gilligan's In a Different Voice that really grabbed my attention was the section on abortion.  One of the last things I expected to read about for an education class was abortion, and I think Gilligan wrote about in such an informative, approachable way.  Abortion is one of those sensitive topics that people, especially young women, need to be informed about.  Gilligan was definitely informative in her writing, which was also something I really liked about it.  Keeping her tone informative kept the reader form picking up on any opinions or emotions connected to abortion.  Informative is a neutral tone that does not take sides, and is necessary when discussing an topic like this.  Gilligan conducted a study and interviewed women who had had abortions or were in the process of deciding whether to have an abortion or not. Personal experiences mixed with Gilligan's neutral way of writing are a great combination in teaching young women about abortion.

The personal experiences were the most interesting to me.  The process that goes on in a woman's mind when faced with this big decision taught me more than I had ever known.  Most women had different reasons for choosing, but there were a few similarities as well.  Feeling selfish for choosing abortion came up a lot, and so did the question of morality.  Some women were able to justify the choice of an abortion with reasons pertaining to family, money, school, and their relationships with lovers (fathers). Reading this made abortion appear to be what it really is, a necessary evil. Women are not terrible people for getting them, in our society it can be necessary for survival.

Reflection #3

The part of Unraveling the Model Minority Stereotype by Stacy J. Lee the most was the section on Korean students.  I could see this same stereotype in a Vietnamese friend of mine from my hometown.  She was always very driven in school, and in conversation would mention that her her parents were strict about grades, would prefer she stay in to study instead of go out at night or after school with friends.  I remember she was a bit difficult to make plans with too.  I was surprised at the motivation these parents had for their children and good grades.  This stereotype was one I had just accepted and never given much thought to, but the reason behind all of the pressure for good grades was surprising to me.  Getting the highest grades was a way to prove how smart and successful Korean people were, and a way to earn the respect of white people.  It makes some sense when one thinks about white people being as abundant as they are in the United States, but why the respect of white people?  Why not the respect of people in general?  I don't quite understand why the respect of white people is desirable.

Reflection #2

The entire time I read Children of Immigration, I thought of my mother and all the experiences she had growing up as the oldest child Italian parents who had immigrated to Massachusetts.  As a little girl, around 5 years old, my mother was the one who spoke in public, not my grandmother.  By the time my mother was born, my grandmother had learned English, but was too embarrassed by her accent to speak in public places.  My mother was also a teacher of American culture for my grandparents.  She explained everything to them that was questioned.  Simple things like brownies, lilacs, and pot roast were not around in Italy and completely unknown to her parents.  I can see hints of ethnic flight in the way my mother talks about growing up.  To this day, she still hates tomato sauce and believes that she hates it because it reminds her of her home.  As a teenager my mother was much happier away from home and would leave as often as she could.  When I was a kid, I did not have half of the responsibilities that my mother had.  She doesn't think it's right that as a child, she had to be a teacher to her parents.  She constantly had to answer their questions, speak in place of my grandmother, and find her own way in American culture. There wasn't really anyone around to be a teacher for her.