"Does My Head Look Big in This" Cultural Diversity Analysis
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- Category: English
- Date Submitted: 04/01/2015 05:06 AM
- Pages: 4
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Cultural Diversity
In the novel: “Does my head look big in this?” themes and evidence of cultural diversity and the embracing of multiculturalism are prevalent. It is set during a period of transition, where the issues stemming from the old views and assumptions of society on particular ethnicities are addressed. The novel effectively displays examples of diverse cultures and explores cultural diversity from multiple viewpoints.
Acceptance is a key factor in the embracement of diverse cultures. We see how Amal, the “protagonist” of this novel deals with issues arising from the mistrust of her ethnicity caused by the misrepresentation and misinterpretation of her Muslim background and culture. We see how discontent with the situation Amal is with the internal monologue in Chapter 2 where she says: “Where you could deal with puberty and the teenage angst thing and have your crushes and go through your diets without have to do all that while being a prefix to terrorism, extremism, radicalism, and any ism. “ Through this quote she emphasizes the difference between public perception of her difference and her actual normality. The word “prefix” implies that these perceptions are done before proper personal judgment is made and is completely based the viewpoint of the media. The use of repetition with words such as “terrorism, extremism, and radicalism” suggests how she believes these perceptions of her ethnicity by the public eye are simply labeling her culture and race; also showing her belief that these “labels” are a form of stereotyping and biased judgment. These forms of labeling and media based judgment are obvious sign of mistrust and therefore the key factor of “Acceptance” is missing. Thus the wider society that Amal “belongs” to does not properly accept and embrace her ethnicity due to the stereotypes placed upon her race.
A major concern of cultural diversity is Tolerance. Tolerance antecedes Acceptance and is a major topic of the novel:”Does my head...
In the novel: “Does my head look big in this?” themes and evidence of cultural diversity and the embracing of multiculturalism are prevalent. It is set during a period of transition, where the issues stemming from the old views and assumptions of society on particular ethnicities are addressed. The novel effectively displays examples of diverse cultures and explores cultural diversity from multiple viewpoints.
Acceptance is a key factor in the embracement of diverse cultures. We see how Amal, the “protagonist” of this novel deals with issues arising from the mistrust of her ethnicity caused by the misrepresentation and misinterpretation of her Muslim background and culture. We see how discontent with the situation Amal is with the internal monologue in Chapter 2 where she says: “Where you could deal with puberty and the teenage angst thing and have your crushes and go through your diets without have to do all that while being a prefix to terrorism, extremism, radicalism, and any ism. “ Through this quote she emphasizes the difference between public perception of her difference and her actual normality. The word “prefix” implies that these perceptions are done before proper personal judgment is made and is completely based the viewpoint of the media. The use of repetition with words such as “terrorism, extremism, and radicalism” suggests how she believes these perceptions of her ethnicity by the public eye are simply labeling her culture and race; also showing her belief that these “labels” are a form of stereotyping and biased judgment. These forms of labeling and media based judgment are obvious sign of mistrust and therefore the key factor of “Acceptance” is missing. Thus the wider society that Amal “belongs” to does not properly accept and embrace her ethnicity due to the stereotypes placed upon her race.
A major concern of cultural diversity is Tolerance. Tolerance antecedes Acceptance and is a major topic of the novel:”Does my head...