A Different Mirror

The first and last chapters of A Different Mirror, by Ronald Takaki, speak about the diversity in America today. He talks about how it is important to emphasize cultural education and begin to learn about the other ethnic groups living in America. There are so many different groups living here, but it has become important for us to all blend together as one cohesive people. Instead of seeing the United States as many different nationalities, we should start to see ourselves as one whole, instead of many different groups of people. Takaki believes that in order for us to be one unified public we must have a better understanding of each ethnic group. In school we should learn about the different groups, along with developing a better understanding of the group dynamic in America. We used to see our country as purely black and white but we need to look at Hispanics and Asians as well since they are becoming a dominant part of our society.

The book also gives a considerable amount of history about the origins of African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, Irish, Jews and Indians. Looking at each ethnicity’s voyages here can help us to understand the similarities and differences between each group. All groups have contributed to the building of American economy and making the United States the prosperous nation we now live in. Students are becoming more willing to learn about the histories of different nationalities so they can have a better understanding of themselves and be less ignorant about the start of their homeland. The best way for people to learn more about our history is to listen to stories of diverse people. When people tell their stories we are “looking back in the mirror called history”. When we look at our past we can see the role and influence of each ethnic group.

The last chapter is mostly about the history of each nationality, which I found to be very confusing. The chapter talks about each nationality and the specific efforts in took to be considered equal when they arrived in America. Many minorities didn’t care how they were treated in war as long as the Americans saw they were loyal to their country, and would hopefully treat their families better than how they were individually treated. I found this chapter to be ironic, since so many of these minorities moved to America in search of a better life and were then treated unfairly. Takaki concludes that most of the tension in America comes from this idea that we are not willing to accept the fact that we are an extremely diverse society. I agree with this book that we need to look at the various minorities, see our differences, and then form one unified country. I think all the differences can help our nation to prosper. We have citizens with so many different talents and such a vast history that each individual group can help the prosperity of America.