Rolling the Rs by R. Zamora Linmark - 435 Words

The United States is infamously branded as the â€Å"Great Melting Pot.† In R. Zamora Linmark’s Rolling the R’s, the reader recognizes that this legendary melting pot can also be a system that continually ensures some races and cultures remain inferior. Through a series of vignettes written with Pidgin English, the reader follows a group of Filipino-American fifth graders from Kalihi, Hawaii as they struggle with personal and sexual identities while they come of age. The characters in this novel are labeled as racially and sexually improper and are therefore shamed by their small, poverty-stricken Hawaiian community. This intolerance portrayed in Rolling the R’s coincides with America’s past when those who were different from the norm faced extreme difficulties and barriers to assimilate. This problem with integration is revealed throughout the novel by analyzing the various oppressions the children are forced to cope with on a daily basis. Am erican imperialism, organized religion, society’s view of sexuality, and the educational system all play a major role in suppressing groups of people who do not fit the traditional standard. When the U.S. finally granted Hawaii statehood, it affected both the economy and the culture of the Filipino people. In Linmark’s piece, the American culture is considered â€Å"privileged† in comparison to Filipino values and customs. The flow of American culture, products, and goods into the Hawaiian culture is referenced consistently byShow MoreRelatedRolling the Rs by R. Zamora Linmark841 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"No†¦ we have a daughter, and I don’t want to break a holy vow† (Linmark 94). This is a perfect example of how religion has oppressed these people over time. Furthermore, this may contribute to the extreme discourse between the parents and the children throughout the novel. The children can see how religion has affected their parents a s they are virtually brainwashed by their spiritual beliefs and the children wish to avoid the oppressions of this institution. They do so by using their language