- September 11, 2012
- Posted by: essay
- Category: Free essays
He wrote about the multicultural problems with America, which also included long trail of suffering, violence and discrimination. America’s racial diversity is reflected by the history of their ethnic persecution, long hours of drudgery and losses suffered disproportionately by the people. Ronald Takaki has illustrated and illuminated a truth about the Nation. His quote was “America has been settled by people of all nations You cannot Spill the blood of America, without spilling the blood of the whole world “(America on film By Sam B. Girgus).” We are not a “narrow Tribe.” Much fruitful work in book has been done by expanding the focus of traditional disciplines to include societies and cultures by the contributions of various racial and ethnical groups. The work of Takaki asks the readers to face conceptual and cognitive challenges of a world that is diverse rather than mono cultural. Main theme of this book is to tell about the importance and values of different ethnic groups and immigrants towards the completion of America’s progress.
Analysis of Takaki’s presentation
The epic story of America is told not only from the top-down, the perspectives of the rich and the powerful but more importantly the life experience, grievances and views of the common man, which is depicted as the Bottom ”“ up. This is a complicated indigenous story of America peopled by the people of the world. Lincoln quoted the nation to be a “dedicated, equality and self-evident” but it was only a “Proposition”. To make it a reality remained the ”˜unfinished work’ of the Americans. A Different mirror explains us   nervousness about diversity prevails across the community of America and policymaker’s seem to criminalize and incarcerate undocumented immigrants ”“ critical moment in America’s History. All of Takaki’s working definition dwells around the word “Epistemology”. It is a good fifty-cent word meaning critical thinking skill ”“ the questions of how do you know, you know, what you know? Epistemology asks the ”˜how’ of knowing may be important than the ”˜what’ of knowing. How you know about something determines what you know about something. Beginning with the colonization of the new world till the Los Angeles riots in 1992 he recounts the history of America by the voices of non”“anglo people of America, native Americans, African Americans, Jews, Irish Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos and all those who created the Country’s rich mosaic culture. In a vibrantly moving, Multi- cultural tapestry Takaki explains to us the modest views and thoughts of outlanders settled in America. Various critics have analyzed the work of Ronald and have explained it is a re-telling of Americas History based on the outlanders ”“ immigrants from various ethnicity. It rolls back towards the combinations dwelling between the immigrant’s history and the history of America itself, proving the history books of Americas to be incomplete. These people where the Pillar stones of America’s success and formed the basement towards it development internationally. In Ronald’s book it clearly depicts the good job done by the minorities and immigrants who still hold remarkable positions in various fields in the country’s progress.
Comparison of different ethnicities
America is a land made of different diverse faces all with a similar history of discrimination and segregation that could never be forgotten. It clearly depicts the life of different ethnic right from the Viking settling till today that has made up America. The different ethnics ”“ English, African, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Japanese and Jews are intertwined in this book for non judgemental view of the neglected truth. Takaki has acknowledged the past atrocities and faults of Americans in the past and now despite of all the differences. They can live together as a community of one. Takaki has also quoted that “If you learn the history of a racial group that is different from your own is clearly an advance in your knowledge, and it’s hard for me to think what the downside of that might be!” Diversity becomes the vehicle for the complexity of what happened in the History. He also mentioned that it is important to undo the damage created by the irrational exclusion of the experience of people of colour from the disciplines which advance claims of universality. These various ethnics in their own way made remarkable changes in the development of America as a nation as whole.
Overall reaction to the book
This book made the people of America to acknowledge the dramatic change in their nations ethnic composition is altering the way the people think about themselves. The deeper significance of America becoming a majority non ”“ white society is what it means to the national psyche, to individuals sense of themselves and their nation, their idea of what is to be an American. Through this book’s narratives the lives and circumstances, the people of America’s diverse groups are able to see themselves and each other in the common past. “The world is here a place where the cultures of the world crisscross.” Much of America’s past as the world points out has been riddled with racism. By this book Takaki demonstrates that most of the conventional history books of America are incomplete. Different Mirror not only depicts the history of different American groups but the history of America itself. The book shows that America is a nation founded by immigrants rather than a nation dominated by one white people or white face or a image. Ronald Takaki has made his landmark work and made it even more relevant and important. This is a remarkable achievement that grapples with the raw truth of America’s history and examines the ultimate question of what it means to be an American. The breadth of Takaki’s book results in less depth profoundly in analyzing the trans cultural and trans racial moments. This book mainly depicts the journey of Ronald Takaki in a taxi to a hotel to attend a conference on Multiculturalism. In these Chapters he explains about the various ethnics and the consequences they faced, their lifestyle, communities they dwelled within, struggles and obstacles they overcame and the multiplicity of the cultures that threatened them a social Fabric. The issue was how to deal with both the dimensions of nation’s motto “Epluribus unum ”“ out of many one”. What is Fuelling nations Identity and the content of Takaki’s curriculum is America’s intensifying Racial crisis. The alarming signs and symptoms are seemed to be found everywhere. Certainly one crucial way for our society ”˜various ethnic groups to develop a greater understanding of each other’ .Various critics referred that they began to revive about the history of America’s immigrants but encountered with the History of America itself. It’s believed that this book brought up about a great importance in the American president election in which Barrack obama came up with a dazzling victory with a scream “For a Change”.