Drown by Junet Diaz was rather hard for me to relate to since I’ve never really been in this type of situation. I have never really even been to another country for a visit. I found all of these stories to be somewhat similar in manner. With all of them written in first person, it was somewhat difficult to separate all of the different narrators from one short story to the next. The way this book is written, it almost seems like the stories are all about the author’s life. Not really knowing much about this author, just from reading this novel, I would say Diaz lived a very similar lifestyle.
The one thing I really didn’t like about Drown, was that it seemed like all the stories had about the same identity, or idea with it. All of the characters are immigrants. Most use or sell drugs. All of them have negligent or abusive fathers and they all seem to have come from Dominica. I think I would have liked the novel more if the stories all had very different backgrounds instead of all having a very similar one.
At the same time, with all of the stories having the same type of background and sad story to tell, by the last story, it was a little bit easier to try and fit into the story and understand where the narrator was coming from. This also works as evidence that this story maybe almost like a piece of the author’s identity and that these stories are actually true accounts from Diaz’s life.
Another thing that I really didn’t like about the stories was how the narrator often spoken in a “spanglish” type of dialect which made understanding parts of what he was saying difficult at times. I understand how using Spanish words helps bring out the identity in the character, but it also leaves readers wondering what the English translation for some of the objects and nouns he was referring to where. This was especially bothersome in the first and second stories in the book.
However, I did like the dialect used in boyfriend. At first, the dialect was somewhat comical to me, because it reminds me of people trying to be cool by using homie and homegirl. But after a couple of pages, I really got into this story and realized that this dialect is actually how the characters spoke and it wasn’t just being fake and goofy like the dialect might be used around here. The dialect in this story really helps to identity the characters and bring readers to the time and place of the story.

I found the essay “Black Skins, White Masks” rather interesting. This essay does a good job of showing that people don’t really know who they are, or aren’t willing to accept themselves the way the were made or the way they truly are. This shows that people are willing to change who they are, their values and beliefs to try to fit in with the greater part of the world. “Black Skins, White Masks” can go beyond just a certain type of person and really relate to everyone in the world.
At some point in time, everyone is wearing a mask, hiding who they really are. Whether its trying to impression a new group of friends, trying to get into school, or interviewing for a job or higher position, a person is always claiming or pretending to be something more then they really are.
This wearing of the mask can also be seen not just has hiding from an identity, but showing a new identity by demonstrating what one person hopes to become, or the type of people they are trying to fit into. This piece works very well with identity because it shows how people can and will try to adapt their identity to fit into a new country, culture, or group of people.
“Black Skins, White Masks”, makes a very strong point in the opening of the piece when the author writes that the more a black person assimilates to the French culture, the whiter he becomes and therefore the closer to a human he becomes. This statement really shows how humans have a hard time identifying with people are are different than them and that people on the “outside” of our cultures and beliefs can be like “aliens”. This piece does a good job of showing how different identities can be feared and how people would be willing to give up one identity for another to be accepted rather than having to spend their whole time feeling like an outsider.

Of the pieces we had to read over the last couple of weeks, the two that I felt I most related two were not the ones I was expecting to like. I really enjoyed the two essays, “If You Are What You Eat, Then What Am I?” and “At an Artists Colony”. I really did not think I would enjoy these two very much, but surprisingly enough, they took me back to my childhood and I really feel like I understand exactly what the writers are trying to get to in both of these works.
Firstly, in “If You Are What You Eat, Then What Am I?”, I feel like I totally understand where the author is coming from. In my eyes, the saying never really made sense to me in the first place. If someone eats a bunch of sweets, that doesn’t make them sweet, it makes them overweight and unhealthy. And just because someone eats meat, doesn’t necessarily make them an animal. The author is saying that is often feeling uncomfortable by being different from others in what she eats. At first she seems to what to be like her friends, but then it seems like she is grateful for the food her mom has provided her with and the sacrifices her mother made to make her more Americanized foods.
I am somewhat able to see where the author is coming from wanting to eat what everyone else is eating to fit in. When I was a little kid, and still now, I ate some of the weirdest things because my parents ate them or prepared them for me. I never saw it as “odd” or “weird” to eat something until others around me were eating it, or saying it looks gross. The author of this story goes through the same thing during her elementary school years and at first really wishes to have a hotdog to fit in.
Only she got sick from eating “regular” food it seemed like it somewhat lots its appeal. I especially enjoyed when she was in boarding school in England and couldn’t figure out what was on her plate. In the end, she stuck with the food she had grow up with and grown accustomed to. She even wanted to try and learn how to prepare some of the foods and dishes her mother served for her. I think the ending of this story really does fit well because it shows that even though at first the author wanted to be different, in the end, she was exactly like her mother. I think this just shows the impact parents have on their children, and that children often don’t realize this impact until make later when their parents are of old age or dead. This ending was truly fitting.
The next work I really enjoyed was “At An Artists Colony”. Although I related in a different way to this one, I really do understand exactly the point the author is trying to make and fully believe it to be true. The author in the story often hears people making racist remarks about black people, when she herself is actually black. She doesn’t look black, so people don’t think anything about talking about her ethnic group right in front of her. When the author tells people, “Yeah, I’m black”, they usually don’t seem to know what to say so they tell her she’s not really black.
This story also takes me back to my childhood in something my mom always used to tell me. Although I never recall making racist remarks such as the ones in this story, I have a very hard time keeping my mouth shout about other gossip. My mom and I would be in some public place and I would tell her “so and so did this can you believe it?” or something along those lines. My mom acted like the author of this story by responding with “ You shouldn’t talk about people because you never know who’s neighbor or aunt is sitting right next to you”. This really makes sense and this story backs up this point. People need to take time and think about what they are about to say and wonder if I would be appropriate if that person, or someone in that person’s family should want to hear what you are saying.
Although this story’s focus is mainly on racism and people not considering that people that may not look like the stereotypical fitting for that race, it could still be part of their background. This story really does have a powerful message that goes well beyond that of racism and racist remarks.