As I mentioned in class, I want you folks to read A Step from Heaven through the lens of gender roles. In other words, I want you, as you read, to pay particular attention to how gender is constructed in the story. Here are a few questions to keep in mind as you continue to read:
How are the expectations of women different from men?
How do you think these expectations were put in place to begin with?
Are these gender roles, as you define them, positive or negative things? Or a bit of both?
How do you think gender roles are different across different cultures?
So, based on your readings so far (pp. 1-32), how can you go about answering these questions? What events or details in A Step from Heaven can you use to address or investigate these questions? I think there are a few key chapters, events and symbols that definitely begin to construct answers to the above questions. Can you find them? Or maybe you have found something that I or your classmates haven’t even noticed. Talk about it. So, for this blog, use the text to try and answer a few of the above questions. Look hard, quote the text, take some risks and think!
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One thing i want to talk about it her hair. She is planning on going to Mi Gook and she goes to a hair salon to get it done. I think that is a sterio type they have that the girls in America have a certain hair style. Maybe she thought that in order to fit in she had to get the curls. Then after she told her mom what she wanted and got her opinion, she instantly changed her mind. I think that shows that it wasnt truely what she wanted but what she needed to fit into the american girl sterio type.
ReplyDeletethrough the readings so far i havent really noticed any gender roles that stand out and make a big difference. i am a little behind since i wasnt at school on Wednesday but i dont think that would of made a difference. the only thing that really stands out to me so far is what zach said and i completely agree with him. it seems like not all people but most people that move here from another country or state dont necessarily try to fit in but they wouldnt always do what they did in there home town if it wasnt normal here.
ReplyDeleteThe only part that read was about Mi Gook going to the hair saloon to get her hair done. The steriotype in america is thaat girls want to look pretty and have to get there hair done.It seems like she wanted to fit in with the american culture
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone above^^^^^
ReplyDeleteI haven't really found any other types of gender roles within the first 30 pages, maybe I just haven't realized they were there?
It seems like later in the story Young Ju will not want to conform to the American culture, and will stick with her Korean heritage in some ways. I can see this happening because of her being hesitant to curl her hair, and also in the very beginning of the book before it even starts, there is an excerpt from later in the book where Young Ju talks about drinking Coke for the first time, and how she hated it.
As everyone else above said i truely do not think alot has happened so far in the book, but i think that the expectations for women are far more for men. Here in America women are expected to be house wives. The whole nine yards cook,clean,take care of the childen, and any other daily routine. Some women personally like there lifestyle as a home maker which that is a 24/7 job. When i establish my career later on in life i want to be at home with my kids, and take care of my family.
ReplyDeleteI read a little far ahead and one part when the family has the baby the father always talks about how the son is superior and how he will make their family proud and he said that in front of young ju. Also the son was playing with legos and the father abuses him becuase he tells him that he needs to clean up but the sone refuses and cries so he hits him. and this is a big gender role because the father expects the son to be strong and make the family proud and doesnt make him work that much while he makes the daughter work alot but expects her to go nowher in life.
ReplyDeleteWhen Young Ju has to get her hair curled just to look like the rest of the American girls that made me think that they wanted her to look pretty and feminine like a girl is "suppossed" to look. She was a little kid for crying out loud! She shoudn't be caring about what her hair looked like and looking pretty. Young Ju should have been absorbing the culture and trying to learn and make friends. I do think that different cultures have different gender roles.
ReplyDeleteI noticed a something else in the chapter Mi Gook. The mother talks about how she wants more for her daughter than just to be a fisherman's wife. So that told me that in their country women are supose to get married, and have children. They aren't expected to find their own future. She also talked about how rough her hands are and how she wanted her daughter to get a good education. This also tells me that in their society women are expected to work and don't need to be educated. This stereotype has probably been in place since the begining of the society, like it has in many places around the world. They live in a traditional society and that ideal of women is unfortunately very traditional.
ReplyDeleteIn the book there are very specific "roles" men and women are each supposed to carry out. It's stated that women are supposed to marry, have children to raise. They are not expected to carry on with their education or advance themselves in some way. There's also a difference in what boys and girls are allowed to do. Just today we read about how the children were supposed to be outside helping clean the car. Instead her brother continues to play with the bubbles when she still has to work. He is also allowed to pee in the front yard with "an audience" and the fathers excuse is "he's a boy and young."
ReplyDeleteI agree with all the comments that there haven't been defined gender roles so far in the book but that there are definite expectations for men and a seperate set for women. During an open mic today in class we talked about a middle eastern country where a judge ruled that it's okay to hit your wife if she disobeys. This shows that no matter what the culture, there will always be different roles men and women play.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the hair salon I like what Zach V said in that American girls do have a certain hair style/apperance and she decided to get the curls to fit in. I think it's important not to give up her Korean culture with new American ways but blend them together more so that she will still feel comftorable with herself and not change too much.
The biggest thing that happened that i've read so far, is the event where Young Ju is in the car with her mother and father and they are looking at the house they are about to move into. Young Ju's mother is pregnant at this time, and the father still has no sympathy for his wife...In the car, Young Ju's mother and father are speaking about the house, and the mother talks about when the baby comes she can get a job and work. She also talks about how they should have stayed with the aunt so they could save money and move into a better house. The father thought that his wife (Young Ju's mother) didn't appreiciate the house they just got...so this made hm angry. He started hitting his wife and Young Ju got reaaly scared.He didn't stop hitting his wife until she agreed to what he said.In doing this, it made the mother feel useless because she had no power, If she hit back, he would have just beat harder. I don't think this is fair. I also think this is how some men feel in relatonships. They think they can do anything and get away with it because they are the guy. That's how society portrays men.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading A Step from Heaven, we noticed that men overrole women and it seems that women live in fear. They do what they are told without questioning why-they do what is expected without repeling. Uhamma (spelling?) allows herself to be an abuse relationship without steping up for herself and I think that this is based on the customes found in Korea. Women in many countries still are not found equal to men-its what they are used to, even if it is not morally correct in our eyes. I believe that when they move to America their eyes will be open to new ways of a different life, were women and men are on almost the same page-though even in America we have our defualts were not everyone is equal, we are much further than many countries around the world and especially those in the Mideast and in Asia. It is their custome to have women be consider lesser than men but hopefully those countries will realize that all are equal no matter gender or race.
ReplyDeleteWhen i was reading a step from heaven, i noticed that women are being treated as less than men are. Its obvious by the way they think its acceptable for men to beat their wives. Even the judge agrees that its acceptable if the wife acts up. I agree that the women of that culture are living in fear because they are being put in situations where they might be physically abused.
ReplyDeleteWhile i was reading a step from heaven it seemed to me that boy's could do no wrong. For instance when Yung's, or Young how ever you spell it, little brother was peeing outside i thought that if the father was truly who he was supposed to be he would have taken his son inside and put his butt in time out because you just dont pee in public.( and have an audience)
ReplyDeleteI believe that culturally some of the gender roles are probably different in Mi Gook than Korea. I can also kinda see that Apa is playing favorites with his son which has a hidden meaning that the boys are meant to be more successful, he also lets park get off with doing wrong things like peeing outside. And he would never let young Ju get off with something like that
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that after Joon was born Apa was saying how his son was going to be strong and make the family proud while he never says anything like this to Young. Apa hits Joon on the head when he starts tyo cry and Apa tells him the whining is what women do men are stronger than that. he also lets Joon get away with many more things than Young could ever get away with.
ReplyDeletewhen she went to the slaon to get her hair done...she wants to look pretty, and thats how most girls are, they want to look pretty. they feel the need to, to make people notice them. sometimes its not about all about your looks. so i think she was just trying to fit in. thats how i looked at it!!
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I did notice was that the mother talks about how she wants more for her daughter than just to be a fisherman's wife. I took this as that in Korea the women are expected to get married to a man then raise the children while the husband is away at work. Therefore this is one of the reasons why the mother is happy to be moving to America because here in America women can have their own career. I think gender roles are a negative thing. You should have to act a certain way just because of what sex you are. Everyone should be equal and be free to chose to do what they want and not to be judged or have a role of how they should act be thrown upon them.
ReplyDeleteSo I agree with the others who read the part about her getting her hair done at a salon, in order to fit in. But another part of the story that this is shown is when Joon is outside playing with legos and he cries when Ju breaks his flag.When his father sees him crying and whining, he slaps him across the face and tells him to man up. When he is done, he kicks Joon just because he doesn't think that men should cry. Apa thinks that only women can cry and show pain, and that men have to be tough. Also, we see that Uhmma works as a cook, and is always inside the house. She never really comes out. It could be because Apa thinks that a women's job is to cook and stay inside while the man works( like when they are washing the car). It seems as though, even after they move to America, they keep their gender roles defined by their culture, and don't adapt the ones from the country they move to.
ReplyDeleteWomen are supposedly delicate. Therefore according to men they cannot preform the same tasks as men. They are meant to take care of the family and the house. I think these perceptions of gender roles were first put in place because of religion. Most religions put men above women. These gender roles are negative. Women are equal to men. There is nothing a man can do that a woman can't. Obviously gender roles differ from culture to culture. In other countries it may be ok to treat women like dirt. This disgusts me. I really hope this will change in the very near future.
ReplyDeleteone of the 1st things that poped into my mind when u brought this up was the part were the little boy started peeing in the street. and the father or some one said that's what he is suppose to do and just let him be and it was the girls job to was the car and to not disrupt the boy. that kinda frustrated me but i is a different culture and gender rolls and dramatically different from our culture.
ReplyDeletethe two biggest things i noticed is when yung ju goes to get her hair curled and when the little boy pees in the front yard. almost everyone has already talked about these... but oh well! anyway, i think yung ju getting her hair curled is intresting because it seems like she is trying to be like the other american girls. i think her parents are upset that she might be forgeting about her culture. and then its weird how its okay since he is a boy he can pee in the front yard, but a girl cant?
ReplyDeletei think that these gender roles are a little similar from our culture's gender roles. however in some countries its extremely different. like for example zach brought in that article about the judge saying its okay to beat your wife if she spends to much money. really? that is so stupid! i was completely shocked when he shared that with our class. but i guess that just proves how different cultures around the world can be...
I think the expectations of the women in the book are very differnt then the men. Being the reasons that Apa wanted to control what happens in the house and be the only person to work; not the women. While now days this its very comman for women to get jobs and make choices around the house.
ReplyDeletein pages 1 through 32 there weren't really any parts that seemed to show gender roles. In later pages i started to see notice gender roles. Apa treats Young Ju differently than joon. Joon doesnt have to do any chores when Young Ju always had to do chores when she was little. An example of this is when Young Ju and Joon went outside to wash the car with Apa. Joon stopped working and decided he was going to pee in public. Apa said that it was alright for Joon to do this because he is a boy. This is obviousley not acceptable for anyone to do this but it shows how Apa allows Joon more freedom.
ReplyDeletei think gender roles for women and men are polar opposites as the american public veiws them. most men believe that they should be the bread winner, the buisness men, the entrepenuer, and the women should be the second best, the house wife, do i agree with this.... no. i think these expectations were put into places because men saw themselves as more powerful and hard working then women so they took it upon themselves to make this the norm. i think in some ways the roles are both positive and negative because for one i could give some people a comfortable niche to fit into but on the other hand some hard working women, because of how our expectations are, could work very hard and get no respect. i understand that it is this way in many other countries as well, women are less valued than men.
ReplyDeleteconner turk
ayo! dis is kinda a touchy subject fo me. cuz in my family my pops is the one bringin it home and my mom has always took care of me and my siblings at the house, that jus the way i was brought up. my opinion on it has changed a little over the years because in our society we see alot more successful women going out and getting good jobs and doing alot more then da average house wife. and dats good for them, yah digg.
ReplyDeletemohamed
I would have to agree with everyone above throughout the beginning of this book female characters were considered second class citizens. When i was reading i thought of that article that Katilyn Rogers brought into about how women are meant to serve the men and how women are always inferior in the presents of men. Also like in the book it bring up the point to were women have to dress up to go out were as men can go out looking whatever they want.
ReplyDeleteI feel like in the beg that there was many gender roles being named! Soo i feel that in the book we have not seen this yet... ALthough if you do no the roles in china or korea that the women are treated very poorly and are known as a sex partener or just known as the mens slave... I feel that we as women are catagorized as that and i think through out the book we wills ee thiss, maybe not as much bc they are moving or have moved to the us!
ReplyDeletei haven't quite picked up on the 'gender role' of things within the first 30 or so pages. I did happen to notice the stereotype of how american girls must have their hair or something. Young Ju is coming to Mi Gook so she must have her hair a certain way. I don't think they should have made the little girl think this way and make her change her hair. In all honesty the book is a little confusing , the writing in it is a unnique style.
ReplyDeleteThe one part where i see a gender difference is when Young Ju and her father are washing the car. Ju has to do all the work scrubing the car while her younger brother just sits there playing with the sponge. Her dad even sees him embarrassing the family as Ju puts it and he doesn't care and says it's fine. This shows that woman are made to do all the work and men are just allowed to do what they want.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with what a lot of people are saying about the hair,and American Stereotype. A main point of the book so far has been her gettting her hari curled at the saloon, and their plans for moving to Mi Gook, or America. I think that it is odd that they think that Americans are all curly haired. I dont see that stereotype, but a guess since most all Koreans have straight hair, they see the curly hair as a major cultural difference. But am i stereotyping Korean's hair by saying that? I wonder if she will be happy with changing herself to fit in in America. Will she feel like she lost a part of herself but trying so hard to blend in?
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ReplyDeleteone thing i just have to say about this book is that the father is so mean! he literally treats his wife and children like rotten pigs. he is so cruel to his family. i swear reading the parts where he abuses his wife and children make me so mad. i hate people that abuse others. anyways the book is really nice and intersting. i just think the father needs to learn a lesson or two about respecting people. even if they're family.
ReplyDeletein the book the expectations of women in young ju's family are that they are the maids and caretakers of the house. men are the ones who bring home the dough. i have no idea how they were put into place but my only guess is that the male is the stronger of the pair ( no offense ladies) so therefore was the one who brought home the food. like the dad says that he doesnt like beggin for a home to stay and when the mom says that she can work he slaps her. no these gender roles are not fair but thats what ppl think male brings ome the dough and the women care for the young. in america women have freedoms where this role can be completly different but in say like the middle east they have very little if no freedoms.
ReplyDeleteI think when they had to go to Mi Gook to get her hair cruled its something she really didnt want to do but for her to look like everybody eles and be normal (i guess) she had to get her hair done. I also, think that the wife gets treated unfair because the husband seems to have no conserens about her and shes having a baby. I just think that the men think since were men we control everything.
ReplyDeletei agree with zachs point about how women do things just to fit in, but i think thats totally true in todays society, because if you dont wear clothing, or brand, or hair or shoes the way other girls do, youre an outkast or you dont fit in, so it puts pressure on you to change so you can fit in but it shouldnt be that way.
ReplyDeletei think that the expectations of women has changed significantly from the past. it used to be that you were to stay at home and take care of the kids and cook the food. now they have close to equal jobs. women are allowed to work outside the house if they want to. also with the bill that Obama signed that made it a law that women who do the same job as men must be paid the same amount.
ReplyDeleteI think that role of a woman in many cultures is to just stay to home and work at home. They are the home person and the man is to work and go out and get the bread for the table. I think that this was set a long time ago when the men were the ones who hunted and women were the gathers of the crop.
ReplyDelete......can i comment on this? :) i have no idea what's going on in this blog. so hi.
ReplyDelete