A Different Mirror by Ronald Takaki takes us on a journey through American history using a unique point of view. Takaki's vision of America as a functioning society in the times before, during, and before America's "transformation" is told through a very different approach. Previously, when studying American history, the main idea was based on the establishment of America as a new land and the representation of its possibilities and opportunities by Europeans. However, A Different Mirror ventures in a different direction, one that examines America's history from the perspective of those who immigrated here and dedicated their lives to becoming citizens despite the hardships and prejudices that awaited them . Takaki's focus is on an alternative narrative that really digs into the idea of ​​a multicultural America representing all cultures and their own personal backgrounds that led them to the new world. Native Americans, Italian Americans, Jewish Americans, Japanese and Chinese Americans, Irish Americans, Mexican Americans, and especially African Americans have all played central roles in the development of American history. However, through this alternative look at America's history and the results and consequences of Manifest Destiny and the main narrative, I find myself asking questions and wondering why he decided to tell this story from this perspective . Saying Takaki is biased is an obvious statement, bias towards who or what is the real question. To me, this bias lies in the credit given to “white Europeans” in the founding and formation of America. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The first paragraph of the first chapter lays the foundation for the focus of the rest of the book. “How long have you been in this country.” This question alone says a lot about the racial diversity of American culture, but the reason I think it's included is because of the way it's asked. Had the taxi driver asked Takaki, “Where are you from?” Would that have been a more acceptable question? Maybe. I think the passive tone of the question is what makes it important. This gives the idea that the taxi driver assumes that because of Takaki's race he cannot be American, which is just ignorance on the taxi driver's part. One question that came up while reading this was that Takaki doesn't specify what year this happened. People's opinions have changed. If this had happened in the late 70s or early 80s, it would have been more acceptable to ask someone this question. Most likely not, but was it more common to assume that a person of another race was not from America at the time? Maybe. When it comes to America today, we can assume that every citizen has equal rights, regardless of race or ethnic group. I don't believe Takaki discriminates against people based on race, I think he is far too intelligent to make such judgments. based on ignorance. What I sense, however, is that he takes great pride and holds with the highest regard his own culture and his family's past experiences in building America. Being Japanese himself and a descendant of Japanese laborers in Hawaii, in my opinion this can cause an unconscious bias against white Europeans who settled here. At the same time, I also think that he is too educated to have thiskind of prejudices. “From an early age, he was acutely sensitive to the inequalities of Hawaii's harsh and ethnically divided plantation system. He saw how colored people worked long hours in the hot, humid sugarcane factories. I think his Japanese culture and the history of his ancestors weighs on his view of how his alternative narrative of American history was told in A Different Mirror. I feel like many history books, when discussing American history, tend to only talk about white Europeans and their progress in the nation. Although history books include the slavery, prejudice and mistreatment of immigrants, they don't go into detail about how these problems arose due to immigration and history books tend to lean directly towards the settlers. Takaki's point of view is refreshing and gives an entirely new perspective, but also tends to influence the reader's opinions. An example would be slavery in Virginia. “Virginia's 550,000 slaves constituted one-third of the state's population in 1860.” While Takaki, A Different Mirror, delves deeper into the tragic event of slavery in chapters three and five, through outside readings I have discovered that the vision he is trying to present to the reader, even though it is not t is not exaggerated, does not always tell the full story of these events. times. “Its early African laborers sometimes worked a tour of duty alongside Europeans under similar contracts. Black and white indentured servants shared alcohol, sex, marriage, death, and escape across what would only later, after slavery, be called the “color line.” Takaki never dwells on these incidents where blacks and whites work together and share their lives. Indentured servants and slavery are by no means the same, not all white people shared the hatred and racial attitude towards black people as the book would have us believe. But this also does not mean that all whites were pro-slavery and shared Takaki's implicit white attitude toward blacks; the abolitionists, for example, were just the opposite. To be honest, I learned more about the abolitionists from watching the forum video than I did from reading Takaki's book. I'm not pretending that Takaki didn't deliberately broaden his writings to focus more on abolitionists in an effort to shed more light on the suffering and troubles of slavery, but I don't think either side of the issue were also represented. Ronald Takaki is highly respected among his peers and an award-winning author. I make no judgment on his character or question his writing. A Different Mirror is a fantastic and extremely well written book that I would recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about our country's history. However, I would tell them to do so with caution. Takaki emphasizes the role that race played in America's growth. The main point Takaki is making is that in American history, being born with darker skin is a visual indication of being a lesser human being. In the 18th century, this was the common public opinion regarding all non-white races. Takaki's goal was to counter this idea that continues to grow to this day in America. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay Although I believe that a different mirror was not intended to be received with a bias in favor of.