Strangers from a Different Shore
By: Ronald Takaki ©1998
I lived in Honolulu, Hawaii for 2 years, from 2000 – 2002. I can identify with the diverse cultures that Ronald Takaki was speaking about during his stay in the state. This connection he and I share is the prime reason I have chosen to blog on his essay. In the first paragraph Ronald Takaki quoted the common pidgin dialect of the island. He said, “Hey, da kind tako ono, you know,” (This octopus is delicious). The comment brought back many remarkable conversations I had shared with the locals of Hawaii and gave me a sense of brethren to Ronald Takaki. What I find most admirable about Mr. Takaki is that through his studies concerning Asian Americans he came across so much cruelty the pioneers of Asian American history suffered and still maintains a sense of the greater good that came from the endless amount of suffering early Asian Americans endured. One example is described in Mr. Takaki’s 8th paragraph with the explanation of an article submitted by the editor of The Californians, published in 1987. This article excluded the major contributions made by Asian Americans in pioneering aspects of the United States. The editor went as far as defining pioneers as “Americans and Europeans who settle permanently in California between 1823 and 1869.” Mr. Takaki expresses in his essay this timeframe in American history is when the transcontinental Central Pacific was completed and exalts the thousand of Asians who participated in the construction of this railway that remains a productive means of transportation to this day. Another example is the Naturalization Law of 1790 mentioned in his 19th paragraph. This law stated that naturalized citizenship is exclusive to white Americans only. What is sad about this law is that it was not rescinded until 1952. I can understand the ignorance of American culture in 1790, but for this ignorance to perpetuate until 1952 simply seems unacceptable.
Engaging images I have found online that portray the lifestyle of the Chinese at the time the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was enacted can be found at the following link:
http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/themed_collections/subtopic2a.html
This compilation of imagery leaves me with a satisfied visualization of the society Chinese men and women lived in during the 1800’s. After reading the essay I was filled with a sense of understanding and compassion for early Asian American pioneers. Honestly, I have not been informed of the rigorous lifestyle these people live in until I have read the essay. It seems our society is so caught up on other early American cultures’ hardships that the early Asian American hardship are just overlooked, and, in my opinion neglected to a degree. This alone speaks volumes on modern Asian American people’s integrity to push forward and not let the past beat them down. I feel as though I have been informed and I look forward to more readings by Ronald Takaki in the future.
Asian participation in the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad
