How Do Alice Pung's Short Stories and Paul Keating's Eulogy, Explore the Role of a Person’s Relationship with the ‘World’ Around Them in Shaping Their Sense of ‘Identity’ ?
Identity is presented through the contents of belonging, values and beliefs. A person’s identity constantly changes and develops in time, depending on aspects of ethnicity, self-image and connection to a person or place. It is this which “builds” the qualities of identity. Prime examples of expressing the intricate nature of identity is clearly seen through Alice Pung’s short stories “The Face in the Mirror” and “Sticks and Stones and such-like” alongside Paul Keating’s memorable eulogy speech “The Unknown Soldier”.
In Pung’s short story “The Face in the Mirror”, the author explores how ethnicity illustrates how a person’s relationship in the world creates a sense of identity. The idea is seen in the quote:
“For much of my childhood, my Asian-ness was pushed to a crevice in the back of my mind. My friends were white, my family was white, my world was white.”
The female protagonist conveys her cultural identity, through the use of a compound word, describing her “Asian-ness” persona as being part of a white family. Pung also uses the technique of repetition, demonstrated through the word “white” coupled with the metaphor of “my world was white” to depict the fact that her whole lifestyle, revolves around “white” customs, as she neglects her original cultural origin being “made in Korea”. Through this, the audience are made to empathize for the protagonist as she is forced into neglecting her asian background. Hence, further reinforcing Pung’s concept of how ethnicity can be an aspect of identity.
Another way Pung demonstrated her concept of identity is through the use of the technique accumulation, in conjunction with rhetorical question in the short stories ‘Face in the Mirror’. For example. Accumulation is found where Pung lists “a name, a place, a date and temperature.” She follows this technique with the rhetorical question “but, what did it all mean?”. Pung uses these techniques to utilize the fact that the protagonist strives to find out more on
In Pung’s short story “The Face in the Mirror”, the author explores how ethnicity illustrates how a person’s relationship in the world creates a sense of identity. The idea is seen in the quote:
“For much of my childhood, my Asian-ness was pushed to a crevice in the back of my mind. My friends were white, my family was white, my world was white.”
The female protagonist conveys her cultural identity, through the use of a compound word, describing her “Asian-ness” persona as being part of a white family. Pung also uses the technique of repetition, demonstrated through the word “white” coupled with the metaphor of “my world was white” to depict the fact that her whole lifestyle, revolves around “white” customs, as she neglects her original cultural origin being “made in Korea”. Through this, the audience are made to empathize for the protagonist as she is forced into neglecting her asian background. Hence, further reinforcing Pung’s concept of how ethnicity can be an aspect of identity.
Another way Pung demonstrated her concept of identity is through the use of the technique accumulation, in conjunction with rhetorical question in the short stories ‘Face in the Mirror’. For example. Accumulation is found where Pung lists “a name, a place, a date and temperature.” She follows this technique with the rhetorical question “but, what did it all mean?”. Pung uses these techniques to utilize the fact that the protagonist strives to find out more on