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Kayla Robb
English 1050
Spring, 2013
Essay #3
Reflection Essay
Misrepresentation
Throughout history, cultures have tried to recall their past either with writing or through story
telling. Unfortunately, there is always more than one side to a story, so there is never a way to achieve a
completely accurate account of history. Generally, when a history textbook is created for generations to
study, it is written based on that culture’s biased views; this leads to the exclusion of other cultures and
ethnicities. This thought leads to a question, are we as Americans excluding parts of our major history?
One of the most glorified accounts in American history is the Revolutionary War. In school we
are taught how we gained independence from Great Britain and were finally free from the
mistreatments we received from that monarchy. We are told of the bravery the rebels had against the
tyranny, and we fought in the war with great strategy for our freedom. After all that fighting, we were
finally able to be accepted as our own unique country of the United States of America, which is how
most American history books would depict the Revolutionary War. However, if you study a history
textbook from Great Britain, they call it the War of Independence. They do not depict us as heroes
fighting for freedom, but instead as rebels seceding from their true nation (Great Britain). As Americans
we grow up idolizing our history and how we became a country, but Great Britain doesn’t even consider
that war a noteworthy topic for their history textbooks.
In Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and Writing, Mary Gordon shared her view of
her ancestral past, which contrasts the stories we are told growing up about immigrants coming to
America. Gordon wrote about immigrants that eagerly came to Ellis Island in America hoping for a better
future in a new country, but received harsh mistreatment instead. They were inspected for diseases,
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tested for IQ and reading abilities, and marked with chalk if they had any problems. “Mothers feared
that if their children cried too much, their red eyes would be mistaken for a symptom of [trachoma] and
the whole family would be sent home” (434). As much as Americans like to imagine the immigration
process as being a rewarding experience for their ancestors, it was a brutal experience that is not
accurately portrayed in history books. Many schools try to ignore the dark times of our country’s past,
but it is something that needs to be taught so the ethnicities that were mistreated can be represented
fairly in American history.
In 2008, the first ever black president was elected into office. Before he was elected, Barack
Obama gave a speech titled “A More Perfect Union” during his presidential campaign that highlighted
African-Americans and how their history changed America (476). The horrible stories of slavery have
been passed down to each generation, and also in the history textbooks in schools. However, most
history books do not give a fair representation to how the slaves were treated, so this has created anger
toward the mistreatment of other races as well as the act of slavery. White and black Americans alike
feel resentment toward each other because of the past. “… this too widens the racial divide, and blocks
the path to understanding. This is where we are right now. It’s a racial stalemate we’ve been stuck in for
years” (480). Even today, almost 150 years after the Thirteenth Amendment of the US Constitution was
ratified (officially abolishing slavery), some black Americans feel misrepresented in history for the abuse
their ancestors went through.
Not only are cultures being under-represented in history textbooks, but also in our current
society. Children grow up learning how to treat others from their parents, and that is largely based on
society’s views. One such example is how some Americans view minorities negatively because they
cannot speak English well (or at all). With these false assumptions from current citizens, immigrants who
came to America are being treated unfairly and told they need to speak “American.” That statement is
completely unfair since our country is full of different races, cultures, and languages; there is no
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“American language.” In Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and Writing, Gloria Anzaldúa was
victim to such assumptions. She wrote about how her experience in school as a child was awful because
she was forced to create her own language. Since she wasn’t allowed to speak Spanish, and her accent
was frowned upon, she decided to almost create her own language. Most students today who are
bilingual with Spanish and English seem to form a language that is a mixture of the two so they can
satisfy both cultures; home and school life. “… what resource is left to them but to create their own
language? A language that can connect their identity to…” (522). Without being taught that diversity is
positive and learning more than one language is a talent, Americans often discriminate against English
language learners. As a child, Anzaldúa was physically punished if she spoke her native language. “I
remember being caught speaking Spanish at recess – that was good for three licks on the knuckles with
a sharp ruler” (521). That message that came from educators told her that the culture she identified
with was wrong, and sadly this ideology is still practiced today because of the lack of education on other
cultures.
Being ignorant of different cultures and their languages is an example of learned biased
opinions. In comparison to textbooks portraying history (such as the immigrants coming to America on
Ellis Island), learned biased opinions is something people observe from their authority figures such as
parents or educators. Another example of learned biased opinions is history being told through story
telling. A culture that is known to do this is the Native Americans. In Reading Culture: Contexts for
Critical Reading and Writing, Jane Tompkins pieced together essays from different people’s perspectives
on the Native American history and culture. She realized that not all the essays she studied could be
reliable because they were biased from the author who wrote it. “As I read on, however, I discovered
that the problem was more complicated than deciding whose version of events was correct” (441).
Sadly, there is never a way to know the true history unless you’ve experienced it yourself; and even
then, you can’t tell it to other people without being biased! “Being aware that all facts are motivated,
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believing that people are always operating inside some particular interpretive framework or other is a
pertinent argument when what is under discussion is the way beliefs are grounded” (450).
Compared to history being inappropriately portrayed in textbooks or learned biased opinions
being passed down to generations, there are the current events happening today that don’t get the
attention they need. These events are what we will remember in the future; therefore they should be
accurately documented as they happen. However, current events do not always get documented or
advertised correctly. One such incident is slum tourism. Slum tourism started around the 1800s when
the upper class in London wanted to see the condition of eastern London. Kennedy Odede wrote, “I was
16 when I first saw a slum tour. I was outside my 100-square-foot house washing dishes, looking at the
utensils with longing because I hadn’t eaten in two days. Suddenly a white woman was taking my
picture. I felt like a tiger in a cage. Before I could say anything, she had moved on” (519). This horrific act
of slum tourism has been going on since the 1800s, and still happens today. The rich will scrutinize the
poor for their own enjoyment, while the poor being observed gain nothing but shame from the
experience. Unfortunately this affair (and many others) doesn’t get documented accurately, so this is
why we are not taught about it in history; therefore, those affected by them do not get represented
fairly.
Ultimately, the best way to accurately know where you come from is to research the past of
your ancestors. In Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and Writing, Jamaica Kincaid writes
with a narration from Annie John and reflects on her ancestors and how they were victims to slavery.
She explains:
But we, the descendents of the slaves, knew quite well what had really happened, and I was
sure that if the tables had turned and we would have acted differently; I was sure that if our
ancestors had gone from Africa to Europe and come upon the people living there, they would
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have taken proper interest in the Europeans on first seeing them, and said, “How nice,” and
then gone home to tell their friends about it. (500)
Kincaid (narrated by John) made a very strong point about the possibility of her culture meeting the
Europeans first and how that small change would affect the entire future. She then compared her
ancestors past to the history portrayed in the textbooks at her school. Unfortunately, the textbooks did
not do an accurate job of depicting her past relatives’ struggles. After hearing the stories of her past, she
realized that the textbooks were not accurate; which in turn made her angry and hate Christopher
Columbus. “… to see the triumphant Columbus, brought so low, seated at the bottom of a boat just
watching things go by” (500). She then wrote in her textbook in pen to defy the picture. By defacing her
textbook, she was taking a stand against the unheard voices of her ancestors that did not get a mention
in the textbooks.
There will never be a completely accurate way to represent the past because it will be humans
who will recall the events. Every person is biased and they will recall their past differently than someone
else. The greatest way to know the past is to research multiple views, just like Jane Tompkins did when
she wanted a correct account of the Native Americans. Ultimately, the best way to know the past is to
research with an open mind and try to be unbiased.
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Works Cited
Anzaldúa, Gloria. “How to Tame a Wild Tongue.” Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading
and Writing. Eighth Edition. Diana George and John Trimbur. New Jersey: Pearson,
2012. 521-529. Print.
Gordon, Mary. “More than just a Shrine: Paying Homage to the Ghosts of Ellis Island.” Reading
Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and Writing. Eighth Edition. Diana George and John
Trimbur. New Jersey: Pearson, 2012. 431-435. Print.
Kincaid, Jamaica. "Columbus in Chains."Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and
Writing. Eighth Edition. New Jersey: Pearson, 2012. 498-503. Print.
Obama, Barack. “A More Perfect Union.” Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and
Writing. Eighth Edition. Diana George and John Trimbur. New Jersey: Pearson, 2012.
476-483. Print.
Odede, Kennedy. "Slumdog Tourism."Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and
Writing. Eighth Edition. New Jersey: Pearson, 2012. 518-520. Print.
Tompkins, Jane. "’Indians’: Textualism, Morality, and the Problem of History."Reading Culture:
Contexts for Critical Reading and Writing. Eighth Edition. New Jersey: Pearson, 2012.
439-451. Print.