Author: Debra Chan

The Shadow Hero engages many Asian stereotypes which include having small eyes, parents having high expectations for their children, being emotionally indifferent and distant, having a good work ethic. Detective Lawful refers to the Chinese gang members as “sneaky, slant-eyed bastards,” which shows the derogatory language people use about Asians when they think they are not around (118). Hua is the typical Asian parent. She sets incredibly high expectations for her son, like becoming a superhero, and pushes her son to pursue her dream even when he doesn’t want to. Like another stereotype, Hua does everything that she can to help her son become a superhero (28-29). The mother also shows her emotional indifference in the beginning of the graphic novel when she tries to avoid being in Chinatown with her husband and son as much as she can (7). The hard working stereotype can be seen in the father as he runs his shop and in Hank as he trains with Uncle Wun Too. Learning to fight reveals another Asian stereotype in which Asians are good fighters, but this story also challenges the stereotype that all Asians know kung fu because Wun Too expresses that he is not teaching him kung fu (32).

This graphic novel challenges many other Asian stereotypes which include submissiveness, intelligence, and cowardice. Many believe that Asian women are submissive, but this novel shows strong female characters with authoritative roles. For example, Hua calls the robber out on eyeing her chest while pointing a gun to her head (13). Asians are said to be smart, intelligent people, but this story shows Hank’s stupidity and thoughtlessness throughout the novel. In media, Asians are not usually portrayed as the hero, but The Shadow Hero redefines that stereotype.

The story about Hank’s father being a successful fighter when drunk is actually based on a well known Chinese legend known as the Drunken Master.

New York changed significantly with the turn of the millennium. Two-term Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was a Republican in a historically Democratic city who wanted to reform the city’s liberal social policies to coincide with the nation’s more conservative ones. He was successful despite leading the city into turmoil for eight years. He was still seen as a good mayor for his response to the fall of the Twin Towers and for keeping the crime rate down. New York became known as the Contentious City. New Yorkers were not prepared for the physical and psychological effects of 9/11, and labeled the city as the Wounded City. With the efforts of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the city regained its title as the Resilient City as the economy started to work its way back up.

As a West Indian woman experienced, New York is a place where one could meet and interact with people of many different cultures and take part in their cultural events. The population surged as a result from the 1965 immigration reform with an influx of more numerous immigrants from the Caribbean, East and Central Asia, Latin America, and Russia, making New York the Immigrant City. Anthropologist Nancy Foner notes that although Dominicans, Chinese, and Jamaicans make up most of New York’s immigration, combined they only comprise 30 percent of the total immigration. There are over 110 different languages spoken in Gotham.

Russian Jews found their way to Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, where many Eastern European Jews had settled, after the fall of the Soviet Union. Although they were met with some challenges, they were city dwellers who had the skills, education, and support from the community to overcome the difficulties.

The Chinese found their way to Chinatown in Lower Manhattan, where they were isolated for a long time. They were barred from most occupations and struggled to survive working in restaurants and laundries. After the immigration quota was increased, Chinatown’s population boomed. Fortunately, the garment industry needed workers, but unfortunately, the work exploited the Chinese, making them work in sweatshops for little pay. Wealthy, educated immigrants from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Shanghai chose not to live in Chinatown and were known as “Uptown Chinese” as opposed to the “Downtown Chinese.” These uptown dwellers still influenced Chinatown by buying up real estate and pushing out the Cantonese dialect and making room for Mandarin. Two other Chinatowns sprung up in Sunset Park, Brooklyn and Flushing, Queens. After being allowed to become citizens in 1943, the Chinese got involved with New York’s political life, electing City Councilman and comptroller John C. Liu.

Latinos were faced with the dilemma of mixed identity. Puerto Ricans and Dominicans found themselves torn between embracing their American side and maintaining their Latino sides. To combat this, they travelled frequently between the States and their home countries. Dominicans settled in Washington Heights and upper Manhattan and Corona, Queens.

West Indians embraced their different cultures and celebrated pan-ethnicity. While Haitians celebrated their French culture, most West Indians emphasized their British ties to distinguish themselves from African Americans. Unfortunately, West Indians found themselves tied to African Americans based off the darkness of their skin instead of their ethnicity.

The title of Nella Larsen’s novel, Passing, refers to a popular idea that is evident throughout the past and even up to the present. It is clear that “passing” refers to people who have features close enough to looking like another race that it is believable to say that they are that specific race. This idea is not uncommon for its superficiality basing all of it on looks and mannerisms. In the time period of the novel, the early twentieth century, racial tensions are high and societal views of African Americans are negatively narrow-minded. Clare uses her light colored skin to her advantage as she lives life as a white woman, neglecting her black heritage. She shows her shame in her ethnicity by hiding who she really is from her husband and everyone else she meets. On the other hand, Irene embraces her black heritage and hosts events to bring the black community together. Although she does acknowledge her ethnicity, she still uses her light colored skin to her advantage like eating in the Drayton Hotel and hailing taxis.

My first thoughts of the title before reading the novel lead to the euphemism for dying: “passing away” or “passing on”. I was surprised to find that the only death in the novel came at the end with Clare.

Generally, my journals have been short and straight to the point, which is how I usually write. I do not see any change in my writing style, and the only difference I can see between my journals and my essays is the level of formality. My journals are less formal but are still structured similarly. Most of them are two paragraphs, unless the prompt covers multiple topics. My summaries have also been concise, but rather jumbled and unorganized.

I like my writing style, but it is difficult to write extended entries. The entry I like the most is the one about the American Dream in Bread Givers. It is the most structured journal with three paragraphs for each person mentioned. Each paragraph has a topic sentence and presents evidence to support the weak thesis.

Personally, I like note taking for more factual information like dates and events. Journal prompts focus the reading on a specific aspect for a more guided reading, which is good, but can be limiting. When given the prompts, one may only focus on answering the question instead of paying attention to the bigger picture of the whole chapter or book assigned. I like that journals add a more analytical take on readings, which helps in discussion.

The protagonist is baffled and overwhelmed by his new home, and everything around him is strange. He is lost and frustrated by the unfamiliarity of the environment and surroundings. The words and characters that appear around the city in this new world are confusing and make no sense. Tan does this so that we understand the protagonist’s experience and bewilderment. The letters look like symbols that resemble hieroglyphics, but could also be a combination of multiple languages. Tan includes somewhat familiar aspects in the new world that can be connected to something that we understand. For example, some of the letters look like letters from the Latin alphabet but they are upside down, mirrored, or in another orientation.

The most interesting part regarding words and symbols is one poster that a man is carrying in chapter three. The protagonist is waiting for the flying boat in the same way he would if he were waiting for a train. On the platform a man in the corner is carrying a sign with visible Chinese characters. These are the only clear cut symbols that we can recognize throughout the graphic novel. Those characters mean Tan in Chinese, but even more striking, they are the same characters for my last name in Chinese.

“The Empire City”, Chapter 5 of Joanne Reitano’s The Restless City discusses the Gilded Age in New York. Ragged Dick, a dime novel by Horatio Alger, portrayed New York City as a place of fascination and opportunity, believing in the rags-to-riches myth of the American Dream. Ragged Dick showed the optimistic side of Social Darwinism: one did not have to be a ruthless person in the Big Apple to live. On the other hand, Stephen Crane’s novel Maggie: A Girl of the Streets showed the pessimistic side of Social Darwinism, and viewed New York City as a place of temptation and desperation.

Robber barons, merciless magnates of industry, dominated businesses by being cold-hearted and doing whatever it takes to be on top. Wall Street became the home of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Trust, Cornelius Vanderbilt’s New York Central Railroad, Andrew Carnegie’s steel trust, Jay Gould’s brokerage firm, and J.P. Morgan’s banking house. Rockefeller, especially, was the epitome of the rags-to-riches myth with his frugality, cleverness, and diligence. He believed in a survival of the fittest in the business world and used it to fuel his success. Trusts led to governmental regulation of businesses, no longer a strict laissez-faire policy. Along with the evolution of the economy, the city itself was transformed with the help of inventions like electricity and the telephone. The new rich developed and modernized New York City with many structures that became iconic to New York, like the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.

In the late nineteenth century, New York became the center for finance, trade, industry, and immigration. With this fame came the infamy of political corruption led by the Tweed Ring. William M. Tweed controlled the Democratic Party and Tammany Hall. Tammany cheated democracy by having judges naturalize new immigrants in time for elections, pushing men to vote multiple times under different names, and using gangs to intimidate opposing voters. Tweed used his power for not only his own greed and selfish reasons, but for the improvement of the city. Under his domain, the Bronx was added to the boroughs, Central Park was completed, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Metropolitan Museum of art were constructed, He budgeted for orphans, schools, public baths, hospitals, public transportation, a paid fire department, and other improvements for the city. Riots like the 1871 Orange Riot plagued Tweed’s time in office and tested his control over the city. Tweed was finally arrested for corruption when the Ring’s account books were leaked to the New York Times. The Cooper Union rally led to the Committee of Seventy, a group set up to save the city from Tammany’s reigns.

Socially, the city showed a more Ragged Dick side, the hopeful and helpful face. Jacob Riis, initially a police reporter for the New York Tribune, released his book How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York. This book, filled with statistics, graphic images, and descriptions of the living conditions that people endured, exposed the sad truth and provoked social reform, like Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin had for slavery. Josephine Shaw Lowell, a dedicated philanthropist, was the first female commissioner of the State Board of Charities and the head of the New York Charity Organization Society (COS). She improved prisons, workhouses, and reformatories, and promoted a minimum living wage. The New York City Consumers’ League helped mainly females in the workforce who were treated unfairly. The League compiled a list known as the “White List” that named all the establishments that met their standards of acceptable working conditions. The National Consumers’ League worked to ban child labor for adolescents under the age of sixteen so that they can go to school. Private charities like The Salvation Army and the Young Men’s Christian Association reached out to the poor, while others like the Children’s Aid Society helped the children of the city.

Economically, the city strayed away from individualism and moved towards collectivism. Samuel Gompers, the most famous labor organizer, believed that the strike was a key weapon to fight for labor rights and that only an organization run of, by, and for the workers would persistently work to improve labor conditions. To combat unions and strikers, employers used strikebreakers, blacklists, lockouts and evictions. In contrast to the Knights of Labor, the Central Labor Union (CLU) used a broad range of strategies including boycotts and political activism, and accepted all races, immigrant or native. CLU nominated Henry George to run for mayor against Democratic Abram Hewitt and Republican Theodore Roosevelt. Although George did not win the election, he still secured almost a third of the votes, which surprised many and showed the power of the labor force.

In the Presidential Palace Fredo introduces Michael to a judge and a few senators from around the US. As Johnny Ola walks into the scene, it is at a wide shot of the conversation with Michael staring directly at the newcomer. After Michael greets Johnny, the camera cuts to a more focused shot of just Fredo and Johnny with a voiceover of Michael introducing Ola to his brother, believing that they have never met before. Directed towards the audience, Fredo’s actions make him look nervous looking around trying to avoid eye contact with someone he allegedly just met. The scene cuts to a shot looking over Fredo’s shoulder at Johnny, which seems to take the viewpoint of Michael sitting in his seat. After the two shake hands, the scene jumps to a shot of Michael looking over the shoulder of another man. In this part Michael’s expression is clearly visible and marked with suspicion. This cut shows the audience that Michael is gaining knowledge of Fredo’s betrayal, but the angle shows that Fredo is unaware.

In the following scene in the backroom for the Palace the scene gives a wide shot of Fredo, his company, Michael, and his bodyguard. One asks Fredo why they are standing and Fredo replies that everyone stands, but the show is worthwhile, as if he has already seen the spectacle. Michael picks up on that piece of knowledge and stares Fredo down. The scene repeatedly cuts from the performance, to Fredo, to Michael, and back to the stage. The cuts showing the performance sets the scene and backs what Fredo said. The cuts jumping between Michael and Fredo show the increasing tension between the two brothers. After Fredo lets it slip that Johnny Ola showed him this place, the scene moves to a close up of Michael showing an astonished expression on his face and later, a look of disbelief as he puts the pieces of his brother’s betrayal together.

New York City has been an economic hub for all kinds of Jews starting with the Sephardic Jews of Spanish and Portuguese origins to the Ashkenazi Jews of western and central Europe since its early Dutch era. The most influential and largest influx of 1.4 million Jewish people to New York were from Russia, Galicia, Hungary and Romania in the years 1881 to 1914. Some of these early immigrants were not prepared for the demanding urban life and labor of New York City, so they resided in small towns. America was only seen as a place of businesses and to make money with no room for spiritual values. Most immigrant Jews worked in the clothing and food industries and as building and furnishing and machine and metal workers. Almost seventy percent of Jewish immigrants were women or children, while other nationalities had percentages of about fifty. The Lower East Side, unlike many other ghettos, was not overrun by any one particular ethnic group and became the most congested region in the five boroughs due to the increasing Jewish population. New construction of bridges and subways led to an increase in Jewish population in places outside of Manhattan like Brooklyn and Queens.

Crimes such as arson, gambling, fencing stolen goods, picking pockets, and prostitution were common to the Lower East Side. German-Jewish leaders created the New York City Kehilla, which was led by Rabbi Judah Magnes, to maintain order and create a sense of community amidst the illegal activity on the streets. This organization with its many bureaus sought to many issues including improving Jewish education, overseeing Kosher foods preparation, and worker-employee relations. With the starting of World War I, these issues became less important and the group disbanded in 1925, unsuccessful in uniting the Jewish community.

Most eastern European Jews belonged to landsmanshafts, nationality-based organizations that aided in social services like life insurance, sickness and death benefits, and finding a job or housing and creating a sense of cultural community. One of the most significant benevolent-society organizations was the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, which began with the issue of providing burial facilities for those who died on Ellis Island.

Eastern European Jews were prepared for an urban center like New York City and took advantage of the economic opportunities it had to offer. Prior to the 1900s, these Jews dominated the clothing industry working as tailors or launderers. Tenement sweatshop numbers declined due to stricter laws and regulations like the 1892 Tenement House Act and an increase in mechanization of production. Generally, they worked sixty hours a week at ten dollars a week if one were lucky in almost unbearable working conditions. Women were paid a little more than half that amount, but part of their wages went to purchasing needles, thread, and even their own sewing machines. In the very early 1900s many Jews found themselves as pushcart operators, grocers, butchers, bakers, butter and egg shop owners, and candy store owners. Religious and cultural demands of such a large Jewish population spurred the ghetto economy by opening new factories and stores to accommodate their needs.

Unlike their Irish counterparts, eastern European Jews did not actively go to the polls to enact change, but when they did, they voted for the progressive Republican Party. In 1906 Morris Hillquit, an immigrant Bundist from Riga, ran for a seat in Congress on the Socialist ticket five times to no avail. His campaign was like those of other socialist union leaders, fighting for brotherhood, material improvement, and against corruption and inequality, but it could not overcome Tammany’s bribed votes. Finally in 1914, Meyer London, a Ukrainian immigrant socialist, was elected Congressman and gained support from the Orthodox community and the Zionists, who were normally against the Socialist Party.

Most immigrant Jewish did not remain truly orthodox, but retained forms of the religious culture and practices such as joining a synagogue, attending High Holy Days services, observing Passover, and following their diet. This change brought a divide between immigrant parents and American-born or raised children. Religious training for Jews was not emphasized in America as it was in other countries. Secular education was seen as the one option for achieving economic success and social status and the Jewish population teemed with enthusiasm to learn.

Socially, dancing and going to the cinema and theater were among the most popular activities to do for eastern European Jews of the Lower East Side.