objective is impossible in junot diaz's how to date a girl
Maulana Restanto
1205896
5B
Commentary Writing
Objective is Impossible in Junot Diaz’s “How to Date a Brown Girl (Black Girl, White girl, or Halfie)”
Nowadays people always said we need to be objective in every activity of daily life, including being objective when we want to date a girl. However, Junot Diaz depicted in his prose how a guy received suggestions to date a girl in very subjective way. Torstenson (2006) stated this then becomes the crucial irony and driving force of the story, and the possible for either participant to know the other objectively becomes impossible as Diaz instructs the reader to go through subjective disguises onto his interactions, masking his history, social status, and even racial characteristics in hopes of manipulating the condition at the cost of emotional intimacy. This paper will examine the writer purpose and the use of subjective disguise to manipulate situation that affect readers’ emotion.
At the very beginning of the story the subjective disguise begins in line 5 paragraph 2 when Diaz instruct the boy to put the government cheese in different places depends on the girl’s background which the boy is going to date with. Another subjective suggestion depicted in paragraph 3 and 4 where Diaz instruct to act depends on the girl’s insider or outsider background that can be categorized as subjective disguises of interaction with girl. Masking history also suggested by Diaz, textual evidence showed in line 4 when Diaz told the boy to take down any embarrassing photos with family and an Afro.
The subjective perspective of social status also described in this prose when Diaz instruct the boy to act differently for each girl that has different social status as described in line 6 paragraph 2. The boy told to hide the cheese in the cabinet above the oven when the girl is from the Park or Society Hill, while if the girl is from Terrace Diaz suggest to stack boxes behind the milk. Subjective cover-up of racial characteristic
1205896
5B
Commentary Writing
Objective is Impossible in Junot Diaz’s “How to Date a Brown Girl (Black Girl, White girl, or Halfie)”
Nowadays people always said we need to be objective in every activity of daily life, including being objective when we want to date a girl. However, Junot Diaz depicted in his prose how a guy received suggestions to date a girl in very subjective way. Torstenson (2006) stated this then becomes the crucial irony and driving force of the story, and the possible for either participant to know the other objectively becomes impossible as Diaz instructs the reader to go through subjective disguises onto his interactions, masking his history, social status, and even racial characteristics in hopes of manipulating the condition at the cost of emotional intimacy. This paper will examine the writer purpose and the use of subjective disguise to manipulate situation that affect readers’ emotion.
At the very beginning of the story the subjective disguise begins in line 5 paragraph 2 when Diaz instruct the boy to put the government cheese in different places depends on the girl’s background which the boy is going to date with. Another subjective suggestion depicted in paragraph 3 and 4 where Diaz instruct to act depends on the girl’s insider or outsider background that can be categorized as subjective disguises of interaction with girl. Masking history also suggested by Diaz, textual evidence showed in line 4 when Diaz told the boy to take down any embarrassing photos with family and an Afro.
The subjective perspective of social status also described in this prose when Diaz instruct the boy to act differently for each girl that has different social status as described in line 6 paragraph 2. The boy told to hide the cheese in the cabinet above the oven when the girl is from the Park or Society Hill, while if the girl is from Terrace Diaz suggest to stack boxes behind the milk. Subjective cover-up of racial characteristic
Cited: Diaz, Junot. How to Date a Brown Girl (Black Girl, White girl, or Halfie). Torstenson, Casey S. (2006). http://www.swback.com/public/l/issues/004/You_Dont_Know_Me.shtml