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Essay / meant a fragmentation of the ego in which two separate selves compete for hegemony in the socially constructed self - one is a product of the ideology of the privileged group acting on the self and the other a product of the original ideologically marginalized. What makes cultural colonization problematic is that it undermines the deterministic power of double consciousness in at least two critical ways. First, the fact that Pan is biracial, as perfectly appropriate as that may seem, suggests a weaker form of double consciousness that may need the aid of two warring ethnicities within her; in other words, it ignores, and therefore diminishes, the inherent capacity of cultural colonization to fragment even those with singularly different heritages and no privileged parties (e.g. having two Chinese parents). By making Pan the offspring of an interracial couple, Far fails to depict the ideological pervasiveness of the phenomenon of double consciousness, because its deterministic characteristics are such that double consciousness is very naturally identifiable in non-whites, but can be seen when reading "Its Wavering Image" as being more of an affliction of mixed people than of simply all non-whites. The second gap regarding the deterministic power of double consciousness is that Pan is presumably old to be only now facing cultural colonization and struggles against double consciousness. . Mark Carson is clearly old enough to have a job as a journalist, not just an intern, and he engages in a deceptive romantic relationship with Pan, suggesting that she is of a comparable age. Even having lived in Chinatown her entire life, Pan is ultimately a Californian who, at this point, should have already been confronted with this controversial aspect of race relations in America. The proliferation of cultural colonization is endemic in areas with high concentrations of ethnically marginalized populations, and double consciousness is a relatively automatic consequence of the fragmentation caused by cultural colonization. Even if she has miraculously avoided all contact with whites all this time, the Chinese-Americans with whom Pan lives should, at the very least, be affected to the point of practicing cultural mimicry, "an imitation of clothing, language, behavior, even gestures.” of resistance” (Dobie 211). This is the privileged half of the duality described by Du Bois. The concept of double consciousness is one that Du Bois explains as being somewhat enduring like the timbre of the speaking voice; it develops incredibly early and remains as long as the colonized individual. For this reason, the adverb he uses to explain the length of time one feels this "duality" is "always", and the adverb with which he describes observing oneself through the eyes of others is "always ". Sui Sin Far's depiction of cultural colonization undermines the pervasiveness of double consciousness in order to create a tragic young adult love story between the colonizer and the racially innocent protagonist. As such, the text only illustrates the benefit of dual consciousness, which presents itself as an elusive duality that constitutes peace between two reconciled selves. Pan is forced to give up this advantage in her resistance to cultural colonization when she fully embraces her Chinese culture; However, double consciousness is at least as much of a disadvantage, and Henry Louis Gates discusses this duality of advantage and disadvantage at length in relation to his concept of double voice, explaining that it creates a unique voice for African Americans that They can indulge in both. Black and white experience, but 2015.
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