Accidental Asian Analysis
The Accidental Asian analysis paper sociology
Eric Liu grew up doubting his own identity. Early on he had trouble dealing with the problems of being an Asian-American. Growing up in a white suburban neighborhood Liu constantly felt out of place in. The suburbs that he grew up in caused him to struggle with his individuality. Who and what was he? How did he fit in the “big picture” as an American? He grew up with a family that allowed him to choose what he wanted to be never forcing any culture on him. Because of this freedom to choose, Eric in turn could not figure out for himself how he should act in a modern United States society as a minority. Liu’s group of collective essay’s deals with the entire process of what it means to be a white American. In giving a brief summary of “The Accidental Asian” and then critiquing the major theme of identity, a final analysis will be made on whether the overall essence of his work accurately deals with the modern Asian American struggle.
The collection starts off with Eric describing his father and who he was as a Chinese immigrant. The book shifts into a sort of list of ways Liu describes how he is “white” and what it means to be white. He talks about growing up and starts from his early years of trying to fit in by relating his experimenting with hair styles and dating. As he enters college he begins to view himself differently from his other classmates. After attending Yale, He slowly begins to develop a sense of belonging that in his youth could never grasp. The next part deals with Liu’s post-college life working for Bill Clinton. He considers himself an Asian American Activists and begins to pinpoint why he struggled with his identity in his youth. As his analysis continues he finds that Asian-Americans are over generalized into a falsely assumed mass culture. He then moves his thoughts into his experiences in Chinatown, calling it The Chinatown Idea. He explains that as a Chinese immigrant Chinatown is a
Eric Liu grew up doubting his own identity. Early on he had trouble dealing with the problems of being an Asian-American. Growing up in a white suburban neighborhood Liu constantly felt out of place in. The suburbs that he grew up in caused him to struggle with his individuality. Who and what was he? How did he fit in the “big picture” as an American? He grew up with a family that allowed him to choose what he wanted to be never forcing any culture on him. Because of this freedom to choose, Eric in turn could not figure out for himself how he should act in a modern United States society as a minority. Liu’s group of collective essay’s deals with the entire process of what it means to be a white American. In giving a brief summary of “The Accidental Asian” and then critiquing the major theme of identity, a final analysis will be made on whether the overall essence of his work accurately deals with the modern Asian American struggle.
The collection starts off with Eric describing his father and who he was as a Chinese immigrant. The book shifts into a sort of list of ways Liu describes how he is “white” and what it means to be white. He talks about growing up and starts from his early years of trying to fit in by relating his experimenting with hair styles and dating. As he enters college he begins to view himself differently from his other classmates. After attending Yale, He slowly begins to develop a sense of belonging that in his youth could never grasp. The next part deals with Liu’s post-college life working for Bill Clinton. He considers himself an Asian American Activists and begins to pinpoint why he struggled with his identity in his youth. As his analysis continues he finds that Asian-Americans are over generalized into a falsely assumed mass culture. He then moves his thoughts into his experiences in Chinatown, calling it The Chinatown Idea. He explains that as a Chinese immigrant Chinatown is a