Quiet Odyssey: A Pioneer Korean Woman in America by Mary Paik Lee - Essay Example

            Historically, Korea has long been the bane of the Asian continent.  Being surrounded on all sides by Russia, China, and Japan, Korea happens to be in a very delicate balance in South Asia. 

Korea and Russia have, in the past had strong ties as Communist countries.  China has long been party to Korea’s history since it is another border country. 

Having been invaded by Japan in the past made Korean sentiment towards the Japanese unfavorable.  The book talks about much of this interplay between Asian nations and the country of Korea at the beginning of the book.

Namely, another incident that was mentioned in Quiet Odyssey was the Russo-Japanese War.  Coincidentally, many of the problems Lee faced as a young woman stemmed from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941.

As has been discussed in this course, obviously various aspects of history have affected and impacted how people react to others, not only in South Asia but in the United States.  Of course, people cannot help but be influenced by their surroundings, however, one must remember that this is not a carte-blanche excuse to remain uneducated about one’s circumstances and social location.

In this course, it has been seen how failing to analyze one’s social location can have adverse effects on the Other (which is usually, but not necessarily always, a person of color).  Socioeconomically disadvantaged peoples are more likely to be discriminated against, have a harder time finding jobs, and in general, must struggle more than people from more affluent backgrounds, and this is no less true of Ms. Lee, who rose from an impoverished background in Pyongyang, Korea.

Besides being poor, Lee suffered racism at the hands of people who were upset by the attack on Pearl Harbor.  In retaliation for this, many people shunned Lee.

Lee was also the target of many racist insults and comments about her Asian background.  This is not even mentioning the fact that she had to stop people from hitting her child. 

Racism abounded in the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attacks.  Since Lee was an Asian woman, this only heightened people’s awareness of her.

First of all, people were upset at the Japanese.  The fact that Ms. Lee was Asian gave Americans a reason to insult her without regard for even knowing whether she was Japanese or not.

Even if she had been Japanese, that by no means would excuse such rancorous behavior from people who didn’t even know a person’s particular circumstances or background.  Secondarily, the fact that Ms. Lee was a woman made her a prime target because of the fact that women cannot defend themselves in ways that men can.

Thus her status as an Asian woman made Ms. Lee particularly vulnerable.  These factors made her a target for Americans’ racist agendas.

Asian culture is very much a part of Quiet Odyssey.  The fact remains that Koreans share cultural nuances with their Chinese and Japanese (and other South Asian) brothers and sisters.

For example, it is considered very rude to be loud and obnoxious in Asian culture.  In American culture, loudness and rudeness are allowed, and one might even venture to say such behavior is encouraged.

Another token of Asian culture is the concept of respect.  This is absent in American culture—which tends to encourage forthrightness and the expression of one’s opinion, regardless of whether one is correct or not.

Mary Paik Lee’s Quiet Odyssey is a journey of many worlds.  On one hand, we see the struggling individuals in Pyongyang, from which Ms. Lee came, toiling away at their everyday jobs.

Then there are the immigrants like Ms. Lee and her family, who came to America in search of a better life where their family name could be carried on.  These immigrants came to the United States precisely because they wanted a new life.

Instead of just finding a new life, Korean immigrants like Ms. Lee found that American culture was difficult to navigate.  This was especially true during the era of World War II. 

Various cultural and historical factors, both American and Asian, combine together to make Quiet Odyssey a very compelling read which explores the issues of history, racism, and Asian culture in ways that reimagine the immigrant’s struggle.