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Re: More on Humor and More on Multicultural Literature
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From: Colleen Kelley <cakelley_at_ix.netcom.com>
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2013 12:17:38 -0500 (EST)
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Yes, this is what I loved about Lowji Discovers America . The humor exists not because someone else is laughing at Lowji, but because of the humor Lowji and his family see in how things are done differently in India and the US. It also exists because of the reader's surprise at how Lowji makes aspects of his native culture work in the new culture. More humor occurs when Lowji and some American boys his age discover a common nonverbal language, and Lowji shows his superior skills in this area. Thank you for the information about Lensey Namioka. I had not read her and have put her on my reading list. I think that Lowji's story and the Yang family series books help the reader to understand the experience of living in a new culture, and the concept of cultural difference. At the same time, these books provide some information about another culture. Other books that have been discussed here focus on protagonists who come from another cultural background and succeed in our culture--role models for those from that cultural background. These may be kids who were born in the US, or whose parents and even grandparents were born here, but who are dealing with prejudice because of their looks or "labels." I would expect there to be less humor in this second type of book, because of its purpose. Colleen Kelley
-----Original Message----- From: Mingshui Cai Sent: Feb 22, 2013 8:45 AM To: Colleen Kelley Cc: "ccbc-net,Subscribers of" Subject: Re:
More on Humor and More on Multicultural Literature
In multicultural literature, cultural differences could be a source for humor. This is exemplified in Lensey Namioka's saga of the Yang family. This Chinese family is navigating the terrain of American culture, going though clashes of cultural customs, beliefs, and values and often landing themselves in humorous or even comic situations due to misunderstanding . Although the humor may be aimed at the characters for the cultural blenders they make, it is not at their expense. It does not cast a degrading light on them, but rather show them as laughable yet lovable characters.
Mingshui Cai University of Northern Iowa On Thu, Feb 21, 2013 at 3:10 PM, Colleen Kelley cakelley_at_ix.netcom.com wrote:
I enjoyed the humor and exploration of cultural difference in Candace Fleming's book Lowji Discovers America .
Colleen Kelley
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2013 12:17:38 -0500 (EST)
body{font-family: Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:9pt;background-color: #ffffff;color: black;}
body{font-family: Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:9pt;background-color: #ffffff;color: black;}
Yes, this is what I loved about Lowji Discovers America . The humor exists not because someone else is laughing at Lowji, but because of the humor Lowji and his family see in how things are done differently in India and the US. It also exists because of the reader's surprise at how Lowji makes aspects of his native culture work in the new culture. More humor occurs when Lowji and some American boys his age discover a common nonverbal language, and Lowji shows his superior skills in this area. Thank you for the information about Lensey Namioka. I had not read her and have put her on my reading list. I think that Lowji's story and the Yang family series books help the reader to understand the experience of living in a new culture, and the concept of cultural difference. At the same time, these books provide some information about another culture. Other books that have been discussed here focus on protagonists who come from another cultural background and succeed in our culture--role models for those from that cultural background. These may be kids who were born in the US, or whose parents and even grandparents were born here, but who are dealing with prejudice because of their looks or "labels." I would expect there to be less humor in this second type of book, because of its purpose. Colleen Kelley
-----Original Message----- From: Mingshui Cai Sent: Feb 22, 2013 8:45 AM To: Colleen Kelley Cc: "ccbc-net,Subscribers of" Subject: Re:
More on Humor and More on Multicultural Literature
In multicultural literature, cultural differences could be a source for humor. This is exemplified in Lensey Namioka's saga of the Yang family. This Chinese family is navigating the terrain of American culture, going though clashes of cultural customs, beliefs, and values and often landing themselves in humorous or even comic situations due to misunderstanding . Although the humor may be aimed at the characters for the cultural blenders they make, it is not at their expense. It does not cast a degrading light on them, but rather show them as laughable yet lovable characters.
Mingshui Cai University of Northern Iowa On Thu, Feb 21, 2013 at 3:10 PM, Colleen Kelley cakelley_at_ix.netcom.com wrote:
I enjoyed the humor and exploration of cultural difference in Candace Fleming's book Lowji Discovers America .
Colleen Kelley
---Received on Fri 22 Feb 2013 12:17:38 PM CST
