10.

This weekend I went to a conference at the University of Michigan for Asian/Pacific Islander Asian high schoolers.  We discussed everything from how Asians are depicted in media to personal stories of how discrimination occurs towards us simply for what we look like.  One example of Asians in the media we discussed was the show Fresh off the Boat.  In this show, a young Asian boy named Eddie Huang tries to fit in at his school by dressing a certain way.  Although this situation was illustrated humorously in the show, the underlying message that Eddie was changing his appearance for acceptance is just as prevalent as it is in The Bluest Eye-“It may even be that some of us know what it is like to be actually hated— hated for things we have no control over and cannot change.”   Even though changing your wardrobe is a lot easier to do that changing your eye color, Eddie’s super traditional mom would not allow him to buy the trendy clothes which put him in a similar situation as Pecola.  Personally, I am proud to be Asian American and actively embrace my heritage.  However, some of the stories that were shared relating to Eddie’s condition taught me that not everyone is as lucky as I am.  Although, The Bluest Eye is fictional and Toni Morrison specifically tried to make Pecola’s situation as tough as possible, going to this conference showed me that similar situations exist in the everyday lives of my peers.  This weekend, I was able to really connect what we were reading and discussing in English class to real life.