Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Hotel on the box seat of bitterly and pleasing is a narration that explores the experiences of Chinese and Nipponese Ameri fuels during World struggle II with both penetration and compassion. The tommyrot begins in 1986 with henry, an elderly Chinese-American world paseo past the Panama hotel in Seattle, which has been boarded up since the fight. Memorabilia in posture the basement of the hotel excise heat content back to 1942 and his fifth grade truthful love, a beautiful Nipponese missy named Keiko. enthalpy and Keiko ar the provided Asians in their every last(predicate) white elementary in holdinghouse, to which they are scholarship sword lilyg and do non feel a wiz of be longing or word convey within the dominant culture.Because henrys nationalistic find has a annoyance for Japan, enthalpy keeps their fri restship and his love a secret until each(prenominal) contact is anomic when Keikos family is sent to an immurement camp. focus amidst hydroge ns fathers traditional Chinese values and Henrys American perspective is a bring out theme when forty years subsequently meeting Keiko, Henry, now a leave sits in the basement of the condemned hotel, holding long lost items which take him back to his childhood memories, thoughts and feelings.Henry recall(a)s his early days of world tormented by his peers, while wearying an I am Chinese departure daily, as his father did not fate anyone mistaken about Henrys nationality. He as hearty as recalls risks taken to support Keiko, and their combined love for Jazz harmony, as hale as times worn-out(a) before the inevitable evacuation of her family and of a love lost. While reading Hotel on the time out of hot and Sweet, we learn that Henry shares his lifetime story with his bear intelligence, in fancys of preventing the dysfunctional relationship that he had experienced legion(predicate) years ago with his proclaim father.This story teaches us to examine the bring in a nd mean twice, so that we do not repeat in solelyices within our own families. Feelings see from the Reading at that function were multiple emotions that were elicit in reading Hotel on the loge of Bitter and Sweet. Disheartenment and anger were feelings arouse when Henrys father enrolled his discussion into an all-white school. Henry was called derogatory names, pushed around and strained to do chores at school. Henrys father gave him a pin that said, I am Chinese and told Henry he needed to wear it constantly.Not wholly were kids at Henrys school making fun of him for affirm on the pin solely other Chinese kids would bedevil him on his panache to school. Henrys father commanded Henry to be Americanized however, the pin labeling him Chinese and living in a household where he was the only one who spoke English triggered a combination of anger and Disheartenmen. There was realization of what Henrys father was attempting to do scarce the anger was triggered from put ting his son in a situation that he was bullied on a daily bases sooner of sending him to a different school.When Keiko enrolled in the school Henry attended the lecturers mat relief since Henry was able to match with Keiko and develop a friendship with her. Henry was no longer the only non-Caucasian assimilator at the school. This resulted Henry to bond with another(prenominal) student his age and relate to mortal else that was dealing with similar situations. However, Henry and Keiko were charge to dish up in the cafeteria where it appeared that only kids who were in publish were sent. The readers were up tack that even the teachers and school staff were singling Henry and Keiko out. nonpareil of the or so heart wrench scenarios was when the Japanese American families were squeeze to relocate to poundage camps. Feelings of empathy and sorrowfulness for their displacement were expressed by these readers for the families. The families had little than two days to gath er only things they could carry and leave their homes. Henry promised Keiko he would keep her familys belongings they were not able to take with them that identified them as Japanese in a true(p) place in his house.Terror set into the readers when Henrys father found Keikos items and disowned Henry. As Henry struggled to find himself he attached more with Sheldon who played Jazz music in the streets. This gave the reader a genius of comfort that after losing Keiko and his father he was able to connect with someone who consider him and supported who Henry was. Mrs. Beatty who was the cafeteria cook asked Henry to help her in the internment camps to overhaul the community living there. This scenario brought hope to the reader that Mrs.Beatty understood and empathized with what Henry was feeling when Keiko was rived to leave. Each time Henry committed with Keiko at the internment camp it create happiness that Henry did not allow the difference in him and Keiko to impact his fee lings. It was thwart to read Keiko neer returned from the internment camp. Henrys decision to move on with Ethyl was shocking and somewhat disappointing. afterwards creation married and sharing a son, Ethyl passed away which was another risque experience in the harbor.It was a rage when Henry chose to look for Keikos items that she left(p) behind. Henrys reflection on his relationship with his son, Marty and the desire to improve it was heartwarming as was the relationship Henry substantial with Samantha, Martys fiance. As the story came to an end and Henry was face to face over again with Keiko it brought delight to the reader that after all these years and all the heart wrenching experience they were able to reconnect like they had never been apart.Reactive Behaviors from the ethnic Proficiency Continuum There are three points on the ethnic Proficiency Continuum that describe heathenish intolerance, which take cultural destructiveness, cultural incapacity, and cultur al sightlessness (Corwin, 2010, p. 1). tally to foul up, et. al. (1989), four parapets to cultural technique lead an organization or somebody to intolerance, including unawareness of the need to accommodate, subway to change, supposition of entitlement, and systems of oppression (p. ). Ford (2009) provided many scenes that can illustrate both the three points on the continuum reflecting both the attitudes of cultural intolerance, as well as the four barriers to cultural development in the novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. jibe to Cross, et. al. (1989), unawareness of the need to hold is seen when volume do not think an organization needs to accommodate diversity, but instead feel as though members of non-dominant groups need to adapt to the organization (p. 1). slightly illustrations Ford provided of an unawareness of the need to adapt took place in Rainier Elementary groom and the joined States government (Ford, 2009). The elementary school compel Henry a nd Keiko, the only students of color, to hap their lunch time serving all of the white students and cleaning the kitchen, and allowed them to be bullied pitilessly by classmates (Ford, 2009). Public annunciation One, pen by the United States president and the escritoire of war, was distributed and executed (p. 124).It demanded immediate evacuation of all persons of Japanese ancestry (p. 124). This proclamation illustrates that the United States government was apparently unaware that it is upon to imprison people based on their status as members of a non-dominant group. According to Cross, et. al. (1989), resistance to change is seen when organization members draw together to methods that do not fashion for people (p. 1). Ford (2009) provided illustrations of resistance to change within the pursuance organizations Rhodes Department broth (pp. 12-4), and Henrys family (pp. 125-9). Primarily, in Fords novel, Keiko was overjoyed to buy a peculiar(prenominal) nature for Henry, but the Rhodes Department Store clerk did not want to distribute it to her as she appeared to be of Japanese inheritance (p. 113-4). The clerk eventually begrudgingly sold the record to Henry when he showed her his, I am Chinese pushing (p. 114). The clerk showed a resistance to change in that she did not want to do business with people who appeared to be of Asian descent.Secondly, Ford (2009) set forth Henrys win over with his family once Public Proclamation One was posted, in which his father stated, ameliorate them than us (p. 125). Henrys mother went on to explain the trouble the family could encounter if they attempted to help Japanese American families, and explained Henrys fathers background of war between China and Japan (p. 126-7). Taken together, the comments of the parents do not deny that it is wrong to force members of the non-dominant group to evacuate their homes and be imprisoned, but quite resist the idea that anything should be done about it at the modern t ime.Ford weaves illustrations of another barrier to cultural proficiency, systems of oppression and privilege, throughout the novel. Examples of this include the way that Keiko and Henry are singled out to serve in the cafeteria, the way that Henry is bullied by his classmates, and that those of Japanese ancestry are forced to go to concentration camps. A thematic element that ties many of these scenes together is that of the I am Chinese thrust.Henrys disdain for the button because of it hurtful meaning with his father who sends him mixed messages that he moldiness be both Americanized, yet claim his Chinese ancestry through the wearing away of the button is contrasted by his use of the button at times to gain privilege, such(prenominal) as when he was allowed to purchase the phonograph album at the store, while Keiko was not. Despite this teentsy gain in privilege from wearing the button, it also served to foster oppression by his classmate, Chaz, who bullied him for his non -membership in the dominant culture, even pull the pin off Henry (location 339 of 4683).The button can further be utilise to illustrate a final barrier to cultural proficiency entitlement. While Henry clearly hated the button, there were also times when he used it or attempted to use it to his utility and to the advantage of Keiko and her family, whom he cared about. For example, when the police raided the jazz anteroom that he and Keiko were at and arrested several Japanese couples in attendance, he used it to shelter him and Keiko because there was a level of entitlement to accomplished rights that was inherent to being Chinese rather than Japanese (location 896 of 4683).Another clear sense of entitlement at the government level was attested by the taking away and marketing of property that was owned by Japanese people. (location 1372 of 4683). Proactive Behaviors from the Cultural Proficiency Continuum The following three points on the left side of the Cultural Proficiency Continuum are proactive sorts, shaped by principals culture is a frequent force, people are served in varying degrees by the dominant culture, and people have mortal and group identities. According to Cross et al, (1989) culture is a predominant force.It is the essence of the societal existence and cannot be over looked. In the book, Hotel on The Corner of Bitter and Sweet (Ford, 2009) Henry relates to other Chinese notables like Bruce Lee and His own son Brandon because he is of Chinese decent. Incidentally, the place was lonely because people did not discourse to their neighbors due to some cultural differences. The life of Henry was lonely like a grave this displays a cultural typeface of burying the dead which is not vernacular in the Chinese culture. According to Cross et al, (1989) people are served in varying degrees by the dominant culture.Ford (2009) described Henrys exchange with his family once Public Proclamation One was posted, in which his father stated, better them than us (p. 125). His father had participated in the war between the Chinese and the Japanese. The Americans helped the Japanese American families and this made Henrys father feel inferior to others due to the manipulation such families had. Even in schools, the give-and-take of people was predominantly dictated by the dominant culture and teachers turned a blind eye to mischief.In a society people have soul and group identities that define their ways and behavior (Cross et al, 1989). A good example from the book is described when Henry follows a intelligence service crew to the hotel that seems to stand between life-times just like him. The news crew members clear group while the camera-shy onlookers walked away to form a clear path have individual identities (Ford, 2009). Henry himself forms his own individual identity as a man in a place replete(p) of strangers (Ford, 2009).Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford, evokes the feelings that are described in the title throughout the telling of the fabulous story of one of the most conflicted and vaporific times during American history (Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Reading sort out Guides, 2013)The story is told from the point of view of a young Chinese boy and simultaneously from his observations and reflections years later of the time catamenia in which Henry witnessed and experienced the internment of Japanese Americans in his neighborhood and outrages toward himself from being of Chinese heritage.The story elicits feelings of bitterness and corsage Bitterness toward unfairness, injustice, discrimination and how the experience of reverence can lead to irrational actions and the savage treatment of others, sweetness of innocence, understanding, kindness and harmonized responses to those alike(p) conditions. The novel inherently addresses The Tools of Cultural Proficiency (Corwin, 2010) and demonstrates examples from the continuum of destruction, incapacity, blind ness, precompetence, competence, and proficiency.The author covers these phases of cultural proficiency while the reader is at the same time experiencing the conflicting emotions of bitter and sweet, hope and disappointment, and witnessing acts of fear and courage. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet has a lasting event on the reader. While telling the womb-to-tomb individual(prenominal) story of Henry it incorporates many lessons that would be difficult to forget.The reader gains companionship of the historical account of the Japanese Americans internment during World War II, the personal effect of discrimination on individuals and the greater culture, and insight as to examples of how kindness, empathy and knowledge can be powerful forces for society to use in overcoming the result of fear, judgment and discrimination.The social work profession can gain a better understanding of generational scathe that has had a lasting result of the survivors and family members of Jap anese Americans that lived this experience as well as cultural proficiency vs. the effects of prejudice and discrimination can be gained by reading this novel. The most important take away from this book would be incorporating the knowledge gained regarding cultural competency and utilizing it in the study of social work as well as in developing personal relationships with others.