A Different Mirror by Ronald Takaki takes us through the history of America using a unique point of view. Takaki's vision of America as a functioning society in times before, during, and before America's “transformation” is told through a very different approach. Previously, when studying American history, the main idea was based on the colonization of America as a new land and the depiction of its possibilities and opportunities by Europeans. However, A Different Mirror ventures in a different direction, one that looks at the history of America from the perspective of those who immigrated here and dedicated their lives to becoming citizens despite the trials and prejudices that awaited them. Takaki's emphasis is on an alternative narrative that really digs its feet into the idea of ​​a multicultural America that portrays all the cultures and their personal backgrounds that brought them to the new world. Native Americans, Italian Americans, Jewish Americans, Japanese and Chinese Americans, Irish Americans, Mexican Americans, and especially African Americans have all played a vital role in the development of American history. However, through this alternative look at American history, the outcomes and consequences of Manifest Destiny and the master narrative, I find myself asking questions and wondering why I chose to tell this story from this perspective. To say that Takaki is prejudiced is an obvious statement, a prejudice towards who or what is the real question. To me, this bias lies in the credit given to “white Europeans” in the founding and shaping of America. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The first paragraph of the first chapter sets the stage of purpose for the rest of the book. “How long have you been in this country?” This question alone says a lot about the racial diversity of American culture, but the reason I think it is included is because of the way it is asked. The taxi driver had asked Takaki, "Where are you from?" would that have been a more acceptable question? Perhaps. I think the passive tone of the question is what made it important. It gives the impression that the taxi driver thinks that because of Takaki's race he can't be American, which is just ignorance on the taxi driver's part. One question that came up when reading this is that Takaki doesn't specify what year this happened. People's opinions have changed, if it had been in the late 70's or early 80's it would have been more acceptable to ask someone this question. Most likely not, but was it more common in those days to assume that someone of another race wasn't American? Perhaps. In view of the present day in America, we can assume that every citizen has equal rights regardless of race or ethnic group. I don't believe Takaki discriminates against people because of race, I believe he is too intelligent to make such judgments based on ignorance. What I hear, however, is that he takes great pride in and holds in the highest esteem his own culture and his family's past experiences in the creation of America. Being Japanese himself and a descendant of Japanese field workers in Hawaii, in my opinion, may cause an unconscious bias against the white Europeans who settled here. At the same time, I also think he is too educated to make these kinds of prejudices. “From an early age, he was deeply attuned to the injustices of Hawaii's harsh and ethnically divided plantation system. He saw how black people were put to work long hours in hot, humid cane factoriesfrom sugar.' I feel like his Japanese culture and history of his ancestors weigh on his vision of how his alternative narrative of American history was told in A Different Mirror. I feel that many history books when they talk about American history tend to only talk about the white Europeans and their progress in the nation. Although the history books include slavery, prejudice, and the mistreatment of immigrants, they do not go into detail as such issues they arose because of immigration, and history books tend to lean directly towards the settlers. Takaki's point of view is refreshing and offers a completely new perspective, but it also tends to influence the reader's opinions. An example would be slavery in Virginia. “Virginia's 550,000 slaves made up one-third of the state's population in 1860.” Although Takaki's A Different Mirror delves into the tragic event of slavery in chapters three and five, through outside readings, I have found that the vision he is trying to portray to the reader, while not exaggerated, does not always tell the full story of these events. times. “Its early African workers sometimes worked for a term of service alongside Europeans under a similar contract. Black and white indentured servants shared alcohol, sex, marriage, death, and escape across what would only later, after slavery, be called the “color line.” Takaki never delves into these episodes of blacks and whites working together and sharing their lives. Of course, indentured servants and slavery are not the same thing at all, not all whites shared the hatred and racial attitude towards blacks as the book would lead us to believe. But this is not to say that all whites were pro-slavery and shared Takaki's implicit white attitude toward blacks; abolitionists, for example, were exactly the opposite. To be honest, I learned more about abolitionists by watching the forum video than by reading Takaki's book. Now, I don't argue that Takaki didn't purposely broaden his writings to focus more on abolitionists in an attempt to further illuminate the suffering and turmoil of slavery, but I don't believe that both sides of the issue were equally represented. Ronald Takaki is highly respected among his peers and is an award-winning author. I make no judgment on his character or question his writing. A Different Mirror is a fantastic and extremely well written book and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read about the history of our country. However, I would tell them to do so with a grain of salt. Takaki places great emphasis on the role that race has played when it comes to the growth of America. The main point that Takaki brings to light is that in America's history, being born with darker skin is a visual indication of being an inferior human being. During the eighteenth century, this was the common public opinion of all non-white races. Takaki's goal was to counter this idea which continues to grow to this day in America. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay While I believe that a Different Mirror was not intended to be received with a bias against white settlers and British settlers, the fact remains that it is there. There were moments while reading this book when I stopped and thought, “Am I proud to be an American?” This is due to the message illustrated by the topic of this book. I feel that many people who have read this book or plan to read it in the future need to do so with an open mind. Now, I'm absolutely not saying there is one side.