Tricia Leong ASA 002 A03 Week 5

W.P.'s poem "The Cost of Speaking" demonstrates how Asian American women in academia are essentially stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to fighting for their rights. Whether they choose to speak out against the discrimination and inequalities they face or remain silent for fear of losing everything, they face countless consequences, all of which eventually lead to mental and/or health issues. This poem delivered a harsh dose of reality for me, as I had no idea what goes on in my professors' lives outside the lecture hall. I have a great amount of respect for my professors who endure obstacles like this and still show up to class like everything is okay.

In the first section of the poem, the writer describes what happens when one of these women speaks out and stands up for herself. You are first alienated from everyone else, branded for life, "shushed shamed, then shoved into the court..." (W.P. 2014). Your friends abandon you and you are now in danger of losing everything- your job, your family, your friends. This affects causes your health to deteriorate and "You die young, depending on your strength, your will to live" (W.P 2014).

On the other hand, the second section of the poem illustrates the consequences of not speaking out. While many readers would expect the silent woman to live, the poem suggests otherwise, stating: "You still die young, depending on your level of conscience" (W.P 2014). In this section, what kills you is your conscience, the guilt that "eats you up from inside" (W.P 2014) for not fighting while everyone around you fights and suffers. You attempt to justify your decision, convincing yourself that silence helps you keep your job, feed your kids, and keep you happy. This version of you has essentially bought into a sort of model minority myth, and this will eventually be the cause of your demise as your silence allows others to take advantage of you and stomp all over you. You're then, like the first woman, alone. The guilt you feel takes a toll on your health, and you end up in the same place as the first woman.

This poem presents the two options Asian American women in this fight against the academy- and neither option is ideal. No matter what you choose, you end up in the same position. The poem thus suggests that this future of excessive stress, isolation, and health tolls is inevitable- the choice is whether you want to remain silent or go down fighting. With more Asian American women rising up to fight the system, could we see this changing in the future?

References

PrinceOfLove. Beautiful Asian patient in bed [photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/beautiful-asian-patient-bed-190973786

W.P. (2014). "The Cost of Speaking". Fight the Tower (pp. 161-163). Rutgers University Press.