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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 6 page essay that critically examines Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Chaim Potok's My Name is Asher Lev. Both narrative deal with growing up in a non-dominate culture. Central to Angelou's text is how her upbringing prepared her to resist racial stereotyping and prejudice. On the other hand, the prejudice which is the central focus of Potok's novel concerns the cultural friction that arises from Asher's gift for art, which is not a culturally condoned activity within the Hasidic Jewish community. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khcbal.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
up in a non-dominant culture. These books both deal with prejudice, but in very different ways. Central to Angelous text is how her upbringing prepared her to resist racial
stereotyping and prejudice. On the other hand, the prejudice which is the central focus of Potoks novel concerns the cultural friction that arises from Ashers gift for art, which is
not a culturally condoned activity within the Hasidic Jewish community. A note to the student researching this topic. Ethnic/racial prejudice and bigotry are not even a sub-theme in Potoks
novel. There may -- conceivably -- be a brief mention of some instance where anti-Semitism was an issue, but, if so, it was so brief that this writer could not
find it. As the student acknowledges, these books are more about self discovery and personal strength. However, there simply is not enough about prejudice/bigotry in Asher Lev to explore
this topic properly. Asher Lev states the direction of the novels narrative quite clearly from the beginning when he introduces himself. He states, "My name is Asher Lev, the
Asher Lev, about whom you have read in newspapers and magazines... the notorious and legendary Lev of the Brooklyn Crucifixion" (Potok 3). Lev goes on to explain that he is
an "observant Jew," which means that he is at odds with his own culture because "observant Jews do not paint at all" (Potok 3). His painting, which is very
controversial causes him to be considered "a traitor, an apostate, a self-hater, an inflicter of shame upon my family, my friends, my people" (Potok 3). In the next several
pages, Potok emphasizes that Levs Hasidic heritage is meant by his community to predetermine the course his life should take as much as if he were born to royalty. Potok
...