The Face in the Mirror Blossom Beeby p 2

Blossom Beeby, an adopted Korean child is brought up in a “manufactured” white family and her Asian-ness is suppressed. She identifies herself “inside” as a Caucasian person as a reflection of her surroundings; however when she looks in the mirror she sees a “foreigner”.  This sense of difference or confusion between the experience of self and physical appearance leads to a sense of denial and rejection. She feels empty.

Because of her confusion, she experiences conflict and rebels. Her relationships with migrants help her evaluate her place in the world and she becomes more comfortable among people of ethnic origins. “It was the first time I’d felt comfortable being an Asian”.

Once again, her identity is to take an important turn when she returns “home” to expose the myths of origin relating to her mother and the circumstances of her birth.

Link to Identity:

• Identity is constantly changing;
• Beeby feels a sense of loss, denial and emptiness because the image she sees in the mirror is not the person she feels comfortable with; she experiences her Asian-ness as something “inferior” to her white surroundings.
• Relationships are critical to our sense of self and as relationships change so does our self-image
• She returns home, thinking that she will be able to “find” herself but she realises that she lacks a close bond with her home and with her mother

SELF FROM A NEW PERSPECTIVE

Blossom Beeby  gains a different perspective on her identity and changes after she sees an advertisement in a fashion magazine. Formerly, she thought that Asian people could not possibly be beautiful. Brought up in a white environment as an adopted Korean child, her “asianness” was pushed to the crevice of her mind. She saw herself as inferior. But after seeing the beautiful Asian model, she realised she did not have to be ashamed of her ethnicity and began to realise that she could be proud of her appearance.

RELATIONSHIPS  AS “MIRRORS”

In Blossom Beeby’s case, the mirror of others provides a disjointed image of herself.  As a Korean, she finds herself in a white environment. As the only Asian kid at school, her Asian-ness is pushed to the ‘crevice of her mind” and she experiences her ethnicity as somehow inferior. It is negated and she comes to experience her ethnicity as something to be rejected.   (“For much of my childhood, my Asian-ness was pushed to a crevice in the back of my mind”.

• For example, Blossom Beeby, an adopted Korean child is brought up in a manufactured white family and her Asian-ness is suppressed. She identifies herself “inside” as a Caucasian person as a reflection of her surroundings; however when she looks in the mirror she sees a “foreigner”. 
• Consequences: she is uncomfortable; confused (“culturally confused”); she feels a sense of inferiority; she “accepts” but does not “like” her asian face.
• She is haunted by a sense of denial and rejection. She feels displaced, raw and empty.

• This sense of a gap (slippage) between the experience of self and physical appearance leads to a sense of denial and rejection that haunts her and leaves her feeling displaced, raw and empty.    She has self-doubts because of the tendency to ignore and suppress her ethnicity.

Changing mirrors: ethnic mirrors make her comfortable. “white kids are in the minority” 325

Search for “self” : her roots

Once again, her identity is to take an important turn when she returns “home” to expose the myths of origin relating to her mother and the circumstances of her birth.

• She believes that she might uncover the roots to her identity – she imagines the foundation of her existence as Korean Blossom – something that gives her stability and cohesion.  – a foundation – a date, temperature, place. Etc.
• The social worker names her Soo Jeong according to a landmark. It was not a nostalgic name offered by her mother; there are no bonds to restore. The name has been given to her arbitrarily by the social worker according to the landmarks with similar names.
• Whilst she sees a physical reflection of self in mother, there are no grounds for intimacy or emotional bonding.

If relationships are critical to our sense of self, then as relationships change and develop so too does our sense of self, our confidence and self esteem.  Once again, identity becomes fluid and depending upon meaningful and chance encounters with others, we may make welcome or unwelcome discoveries about who we are.

Relationships / other people/ connections with others are critical because they provide a reflection of who we are . People in our environment provide a mirror, which reflects accepted norms, views and values.  (WE form a continuous and evolving sense of identity through sameness with others and the mirrors reflect this continuity.)

The mirror maybe positive and flattering; the mirror might also be negative and destructive.

Blossom Beeby, an adopted Korean child is brought up in a “manufactured” white family and her Asian-ness is suppressed. She identifies herself “inside” as a Caucasian person as a reflection of her surroundings; however when she looks in the mirror she sees a “foreigner”. 

Beeby uses the imagery of a commercial product to describe her sense of alienation and cultural displacement. Accordingly, the commercial figurative reference to the “Made in Korea” baby with “scant” “care instructions” reflects her criticism of the impersonal attitude of her adopted parents. She believes she was brought up in an environment in which her parents seemed to follow a set of rules about the integration and assimilation of “Asian babies”. She believes that such rules tended to overlook and suppress her Asian appearance and personality so that she could better conform to her white social and cultural context.  In this context, her “asian-ness is pushed to the crevice in the background of my mind”

The author also uses the imagery of the mirror as a tool of self-awareness to reflect her confused cultural identity. She is conditioned to feel like a “rosy white kid” but the mirror reveals a “foreigner”.  The suppression of her Asian background unsettles her and creates self-doubts. She is made to feel as if being Asian is somehow inferior and this compounds her inferiority complex.

She reflects on the fact that “for much of my childhood, my Asian-ness was pushed to a crevice in the back of my mind”. This sense of a gap (slippage) between the experience of self and physical appearance leads to a sense of denial and rejection that haunts her and leaves her feeling displaced, raw and empty.   She is plagued by doubts and an increasing sense of resentment.

Beeby gains a different perspective on her identity after she sees an advertisement in a fashion magazine. Formerly, she thought that Asian people could not possibly be beautiful. She always saw herself as inferior. But after seeing the beautiful Asian model, she realised she did not have to be ashamed of her ethnicity; it could be a source of beauty and pride.

Her relationships with migrants, become a “rebellion of sorts”, and help her re-evaluate her place in the world. Frequenting bars with her new social circle, she realizes “it was the first time I’d felt comfortable being an Asian” and “I was finally glad to be an Asian.”

Once again, her identity takes an important turn when she returns “home” to expose the myths of origin relating to her mother and the circumstances of her birth.  She discovers that the social worker arbitrarily names her Soo Jeong according to a landmark with similar names. It was not a nostalgic name offered by her mother; there are no bonds to restore. She gains, though, a renewed sense of appreciation of her home in Australia and the opportunities it has afforded her.

World of the text (Setting):

Text response: In your text response essays, you will typically refer (or embed references) to the social, cultural and political status quo in your first body paragraph.

Many of the texts we read depict characters who question the social, cultural and political status quo. In such texts, there are depictions of contrasting characters. Some characters represent stereotypical views and values about race, identity and gender. There are those who try to dispel prejudice and dislodge stereotypical assumptions. There are those who expose the stigma that surrounds certain taboo topics such as mental health and sexuality.

Characterisation: The language of stereotypes

Beeby tries to conform to the stereotypical image of a “smiley Asian” kid who acts like the perfect pleasant “Chinese daughter”.

Owing to the fact that her Asian background is ignored, devalued and even stigmatised, Beeby becomes “scared” of Asian people. 

Owing to the stigma attached to Asian people, she is repulsed by the picture of the “shrivelled up old Asian woman”.

Imagery: The language of symbolism

The metaphoric/symbolic reference to the inverted mirror captures …

The image of the “clothing label” functions as a metaphoric reflection of …

Beeby uses numerous images of self-reflection to convey her cultural confusion and the disjointed image of herself. 

Beeby uses the imagery of a commercial product to describe her sense of alienation and cultural displacement. She believes she was brought up in an environment in which her parents seemed to follow a set of rules about the integration and assimilation of “Asian babies”. In this context, her “asian-ness is pushed to the crevice in the background of my mind”

The author also uses the imagery of the mirror as a tool of self-awareness to reflect her confused cultural identity. She is conditioned to feel like a “rosy white kid” but the mirror reveals a “foreigner”.  The suppression of her Asian background unsettles her and creates self-doubts. She is made to feel as if being Asian is somehow inferior and this compounds her inferiority complex.

Similarities and differences: The language of comparison

The coffee-table book provides idyllic images of the cherry blossoms which contrast with the picture of the old “shrivelled” woman.

Beeby juxtaposes her renewed sense of comfort  and sense of acceptance – “I fully acknowledged my Asian-ness” — with her previous sense of shame  and repulsion.  The nightclubs reflect her rebellious mindset and come to symbolise the comfort attached to the “cultural hodge-podge “ and a “comfort zone I’d never known before”.  This contrasts with the manufactured image of the Australian family with a perfectly adjusted “Chinese daughter”.

The difference between these two selves captures her emotional journey.

The conflicting images associated with the coffee-table book are analogous to the contrasting imagery of the mirror.

Using the imagery of the mirror, Beeby shows a contrast between her physical appearance and her white-washed mindset.  (This mindset is reinforced through tripling devices – my friends were white, my mind was white, … “  This leads to a sense of denial and rejection that haunts her and leaves her feeling displaced, raw and empty.   She is plagued by doubts and an increasing sense of resentment.

Like the mirror imagery, the coffee-table book also becomes a symbol of her confused identity. There is a contrast between the beautiful serene landscape which is pleasant and acceptable and the “shrivelled up Asian lady” who repulses her.

PROMPTS:

Discovering who we are and where we belong can be challenging.

Beeby gains a different perspective on her identity after she sees an advertisement in a fashion magazine. Formerly, she thought that Asian people could not possibly be beautiful. She always saw herself as inferior. But after seeing the beautiful Asian model, she realised she did not have to be ashamed of her ethnicity; it could be a source of beauty and pride.

Her relationships with migrants, become a “rebellion of sorts”, and help her re-evaluate her place in the world. Frequenting bars with her new social circle, she realizes “it was the first time I’d felt comfortable being an Asian” and “I was finally glad to be an Asian.”

Once again, her identity takes an important turn when she returns “home” to expose the myths of origin relating to her mother and the circumstances of her birth.  She discovers that the social worker arbitrarily names her Soo Jeong according to a landmark with similar names. It was not a nostalgic name offered by her mother; there are no bonds to restore. She gains, though, a renewed sense of appreciation of her home in Australia and the opportunities it has afforded her.

Blossom Beeby, an adopted Korean child is brought up in a “manufactured” white family and her Asian-ness is suppressed. She identifies herself “inside” as a Caucasian person as a reflection of her surroundings; however when she looks in the mirror she sees a “foreigner”.  This sense of difference or confusion between the experience of self and physical appearance leads to a sense of denial and rejection. She feels empty.

Because of her confusion, she experiences conflict and rebels. Her relationships with migrants help her evaluate her place in the world and she becomes more comfortable among people of ethnic origins. “It was the first time I’d felt comfortable being an Asian”. Once again, her identity is to take an important turn when she returns “home” to expose the myths of origin relating to her mother and the circumstances of her birth.

Statements and a checklist: Link to Identity

• This sense of a gap (slippage) between the experience of self and physical appearance leads to a sense of denial and rejection that haunts her and leaves her feeling displaced, raw and empty.    She has self-doubts because of the tendency to ignore and suppress her ethnicity.
• Blossom Beeby feels a sense of loss, denial and emptiness because the image she sees in the mirror is not the person she feels comfortable with; she experiences her Asian-ness as something “inferior” to her white surroundings.
• Relationships are critical to our sense of self and as relationships change so does our self-image
• Beeby returns home, thinking that she will be able to “find” herself but she realises that she lacks a close bond with her home and with her mother

Narrative / story-telling devices and language features

Quotes:

Beeby reflects on the fact that “for much of my childhood, my Asian-ness was pushed to a crevice in the back of my mind”.

• Link to author’s views:    As an adopted Korean child brought up in a manufactured white family, her “Asian-ness” is suppressed. She identifies herself “inside” as a Caucasian person; however when she looks in the mirror she sees a “foreigner”.  As a result, she feels “culturally confused”. She “accepts” but does not “like” her asian face. She is haunted by a sense of denial and rejection. She feels displaced, raw and empty.
• Narrative context:  The commercial figurative reference to the “Made in Korea” baby with “scant” “care instructions” reflects her criticism of the impersonal attitude of her adopted parents. She believes she was brought up in an environment in which her parents seemed to follow a set of rules about the integration and assimilation of “Asian babies”. She believes that such rules tended to overlook and suppress her Asian appearance and personality so that she could better conform to her white social and cultural context.  In this context, her “asian-ness is pushed to the crevice in the background of my mind”
• Purpose: This sense of a gap (slippage) between the experience of self and physical appearance leads to a sense of denial and rejection that haunts her and leaves her feeling displaced, raw and empty.   She is plagued by doubts and an increasing sense of resentment.