Culture Paper

The essay “Growing Up Asian in America” by Kessay E. Noda deals with finding an identity and the racial prejudices in America.

The first thing we learn about the author is that she lives in America and her parents are from Asia. She had trouble growing up as a child because of her background. Kessay E. Noda had to fight cultural prejudices when she was young and even as an adult she has had trouble identifying herself. Is she racially “Japanese”, a “Japanese-American” or even a “Japanese-American” woman?

At the end she figures out that she is a mix of both cultures. Her mother is Japanese and thus she is also part Japanese. However, since she grew up in America she is also American. Therefore, she is a “Japanese-American” woman.

Finding your own identity is a very important issue. It is a reflection of who you are and who you want to be. I was born and raised in Germany. Therefore, I would say that I am a German. However, I also spent the last two years of my life in America. Based on my experience I would say that the American culture is different compared to the German culture. Thus, I think that I also represent a part of American culture because I have lived in Hawaii for the last two years. I have been influenced by several American cultural aspects and so I would say that I am 85% German, but at the same time 15% American.

When all is said and done the world is shrinking because of globalization. We have the opportunity to experience many different cultures and therefore I would believe that the majority of people are a mix of different cultures.