Symbol Analysis
If we're immigrants, chances are we'll have to deal with stereotypes. That's because people who are considered "strange" or "different" are often the victims of stereotypes. As a Chinese-American, the speaker of the poem also has to deal with stereotypes. Chin's speaker shows us how stereotypes about Chinese-Americans are untrue or misleading.
- Lines 36-37: By referring to the children of Chinese immigrants as "trustworthy" and "thrifty," the speaker presents common stereotypes applied to Chinese-Americans. '
- Lines 38-39: Here the speaker says that "experts" who study immigrants are fooled by stereotypes about Chinese-Americans. These immigrants are not as "trustworthy" or "thrifty" as these experts in education, statistics, and demography like to make out.
- Line 42: The "Model Minority" is the most common stereotype about Chinese-Americans. It's a stereotype that depicts Chinese (and other Asian) immigrants as hardworking, law-abiding, and of course "thrifty." By saying that this stereotype is "a tease," the speaker suggests that it's just an empty label. The "Model Minority" stereotype doesn't do justice to the complexity of Chinese-American life.