Works Cited
Steinbeck, John (nd) What Is Happening to America?
De Crevecoeur, Jean (nd) What Is An American?
Works Cited
Bourne, Randolph "Trans-National America" The Atlantic Monthly Vol. 118:1 (July 1916): 86-97.
Cahan, Abraham Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1896
Morrison, Toni The Bluest Eye. New York: Penguin USA, 1970.
Yezierska, Anzia The Bread Givers. New York: Doubleday, 1925.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3kdY2vMO0w
The above link is a Youtube clip from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. Most ballets are performed by a company of trained dancers. The performances are intricately choreographed to telegraph the emotions and feelings of the characters and to relay the plot of the story without using an dialogue. In this scene, the heroine Clara and the young prince watch a variety of performers, including a pair of dancers who are supposed to be Chinese. In the context of the ballet, this scene is supposed to be one of a series of wonders that the prince shows Clara because at the time of the writing of the ballet, few people would have had direct interaction with Chinese people. They appear in modified versions of traditional Chinese garb and appear to have exaggerated versions of Chinese peasant hats upon their heads. Although the performance is a ballet and the dance is performed in the traditional steps of such a piece, there is also an undercurrent of stereotyping in the choreography. For example, much of the time the dancers have their arms crossed which is often seen in films and plays with stereotypical Chinese people as a gesture that is common to the people. Also, the accessories that the dancers have like the fans in the woman's hands and the long ponytail of the male dancer underscore that these are not real Chinese people, but prejudicial depictions based upon what the western world knew of that Asian country. The customs of an entire culture are distilled down into a stereotypical showcase of preconceived notions.
This clip describes me and my quest for identity. I am Asian. Specifically, I am Chinese and am currently living in the United States. My identity is comprised of cultural influences of both China and the U.S. The dance from The Nutcracker shows how some of the western world view the Asian people and it is offensive in a way and understandable in another way. Not all Chinese people wear the traditional garb that is displayed in the ballet. Also, not all Chinese men wear long hair and very few Chinese women carry around fans, if any do at all. On the other hand, the Chinese dance from The Nutcracker is a celebration, an example of the Broadway theme of optimism, abundance, and even exuberance. The characters are happy and dancing to entertain Clara. To her, they are amazing people because she has never had the opportunity to meet Chinese people before. When comparing this dance to some of the other dances which are characteristic of the American culture, it is easy to see that ballets and dances like this one would be a direct precursor to the lavish Broadway musicals that would appear in the years after the ballet was written. Just as the Chinese dance is extravagant, colorful, and has some amazing dance moves from the performs, so too later performances would have to reach this level of aesthetic appeal if they hoped to have any success.
Works Cited
Howard, Con, David Noel Doyle, and Owen Dudley Edwards, eds. America and Ireland, 1776-1976: The American Identity and the Irish Connection: the Proceedings of the United States Bicentennial Conference of Cumann Merriman, Ennis, August 1976. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1980. Questia. 20 Feb. 2009 http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=9623779.
A www.questiaschool.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5021374584
Neuhaus, Richard John. "Contract and Covenant: In Search of American Identity." National Review 30 Apr. 2007: 39. Questia. 20 Feb. 2009 http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5021374584.
Brien, Conor Cruise. "Edmund Burke and the American Revolution." America and Ireland, 1776-1976: The American Identity and the Irish Connection: the Proceedings of the United States Bicentennial Conference of Cumann Merriman, Ennis, August 1976. Ed. Con Howard, David Noel Doyle, and Owen Dudley Edwards. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1980. 3-13. Questia. 20 Feb. 2009 http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=9623797.
A www.questiaschool.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5022752142
Scholl, Mark B. "Native American Identity Development and Counseling Preferences: A Study of Lumbee Undergraduates." Journal of College Counseling 9.1 (2006): 47+. Questia. 20 Feb. 2009 http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5022752142.