Article Analysis Essay on "Home Is Where the Han Is: A Korean American Perspective on the Los Angeles Upheavals"

Introduction

The American Korean in Los Angeles was at the frontline of experiencing upheavals which were caused by riots. Racial differences led to riots which were made worse by anger from the African Americans and the Korean Americans. Koreans have stayed in the United States for a long duration hence losing their Korean citizenship. During the riots, shops which belonged to the Koreans were damaged rendering them jobless. Koreans were not living their dreams since they did not satisfy their wants. Therefore, this paper will review the books "Home Is Where the Han Is."

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Kim's Point of View About Sa-I-Ku

Elaine Kim believed that the media was the platform which was used to divert the attention from the root causes of racial violence in the United States. The statement is true because people blame the terrible occurrences on the external factors which do not implicate to the United States evil acts. Kim believed that the racial differences contributed to the riots since the Korean and the African Americans experienced anger which made the riots to get worse. The worst thing which the media did was not concentrating on how rioting groups used so that they can improve their relations with the Americans. For example, the media did not craft about the joint musical and the church services or the Korean merchants were providing donations to the black society. If the press could have written about this information, riots could not have emerged between the two communities (Kim 1-21). Therefore, the Americans believed that the media failed to represent the Korean American and the African American communities appropriately which they stated were the roots for the riots.

What Elaine Kim Means By” Many of Us Simultaneously Inhabit Two Americas: The America of Our Dreams and the America of Our Experience.”

The Korean people thought that they were going to live a fancy life since America is believed to be the land of opportunities. Koreans thought that they would acquire best and well-paying jobs and comfortable houses. Individual who migrated to America thinking that they can be successful from there, but all those anticipations were different. Due to racial discrimination, the Korean and the black American faced hard times since they could not access the well-paying jobs they had anticipated earlier. The Korean were getting discriminated due to their yellow color hence not being treated appropriately. The Korean were getting paid minimum wages and live in small houses (Kim 1-21). Due to this reason, the Korean people did not live their dreams since life in America was different from what they dreamed of experiencing.

What Does Kim Mean When She Says Korean Americans Are Political Pawns?

Kim believes that the Koreans are scapegoats since when the American people need the Koreans, they will tend to treat them nicely so that they can replicate the favor. Whenever the Korean citizens are in trouble, or they are experiencing challenges in the United States, the Americans do not tolerate them anymore. For example, the Korean women who killed Latasha Harlan do not deserve the brutal punishment they received which makes the entire community of Korea become a scapegoat. Whenever the whites sacrifice the Koreas, they blame the Koreans. The Koreans are associated with all the bad things which happen in American society hence becoming punished because of the wrongs which were conducted by others. Koreans are blamed because the Americans think that nothing good can come from them thus being associated with the evil things (Kim 1-21). Therefore, to deal with these issues, people have to accept each other and live like a family. The law should deal with the real individuals who conduct evil acts in the society hence minimizing the scapegoating between the societal members.

Why Elaine Kim Thinks National Consciousness is Important to Koreans

Through Nationalism, the Koreans would start to protect their identity hence fighting back against discrimination by the Americans. Some Korean have stayed in the United States for a long duration thus trying to gain the American character. Due to the many years which the Koreans have lived in America, they cease to become Korean citizens. National consciousness made the Koreans unite and start speaking one voice hence resisting discrimination that emanated from the Americans (Kim 1-21). Also, due to the change in lifestyle Koreans needed to unite as it made them fight for their rights. During the riots, the Koreans lost their shops which were a significant source of revenue. Riots made the Koreans remain poor since they did not have jobs which could be a source of income.

The Koreans had to engage in national consciousness so that they could enjoy the domestic services like other American citizens. The Koreans could not receive services from the police whenever they requested for help. Due to racial discrimination, they could not access these services (Kim 1-21). Therefore, it could be vital for the Koreans to call for national consciousness since they needed each other more than the government.

References

Kim, Elaine H. "Home is where the Han is: A Korean American perspective on the Los Angeles upheavals." Social Justice20.1/2 (51-52 (1993): 1-21. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/TREVOR/Downloads/KImElaine_Home%20Is%20Where%20The%20Han%20Is%20(1).pdf