Tricia Leong ASA 002 A03 Week 4

I found that W.P.'s poem "Who Killed Soek-Fang Sim?" accurately embodies the struggle of Asian American women in academia as described in Fight the Tower. It hits readers with a dose of reality and warns them of the consequences of silence while, instilling a sense of guilt and encouraging Asian American women to speak up and fight against an oppressive system.

One thing I found interesting about this poem was the fact that the writer chose to write this poem to the tune of a well-known, patriotic American song. She states in the narrative, "I picked up my pen and wrote “Who Killed Soek-Fang Sim,” to the tune and lyrics of 'America the Beautiful.' (W.P. 2014). This choice draws a contrast between a song that praises America and speaks of its greatness and beauty, and a poem that describes the harsh reality in America for a certain minority group. The narrator expresses a sense of guilt for remaining silent while, "...rumors shroud you... Till every drop of blood, every cell of our being is filled with this cancerous doubt" (W.P. 2014). The poem acts as a sort of apology, as the narrator realizes that she was a part of the forces that led to Soek-Fang Sim's death. She vows to fight for both Soek-Fang and all the other Asian American women going through similar struggles. This is drastically different from "America the Beautiful" as it criticizes America instead of praising it; in this way, the poem simultaneously serves as a sort of tribute and a call to action for Asian American women. I wonder if there a reason W.P. chose to use "America the Beautiful" rather than "The Star Spangled Banner" or another American anthem.

In the poem, W.P. states that, "Only this yearning to be seen / Through the glass of justice / As 'good enough equals...'" (W.P. 2014). By referring to justice as a "glass," the narrator implies that the justice system does not really protect certain individuals, as glass is easily breakable. Glass is also transparent, suggesting that justice is not blind to race; those in power will only see a person's race and thus associate that person with the corresponding racial stereotypes without hearing what the person has to say. This possibly refers to the questionable claims by several institutions that their acceptance and hiring systems are "colorblind." Is anything really ever "colorblind?" The poem implies that the American justice system is therefore not sufficient to protect minorities, as it is easily breakable and influenced by racial stereotypes.

References

Scales Justice [photograph] (2018). Retrieved from https://favpng.com/png_view/scales-justice-measuring-scales-justice-measurement-clip-art-png/epTp4TV5

W. P. (2014). "Who Killed Soek-Fang Sim?". Fight the Tower (pp. 77-82). Rutgers University Press.