American Born Chinese By Luen Yang

American Born Chinese written by Luen Yang portrays an Asian boy named Jin who moves from San Francisco Chinatown to a mainly white dominated community. Upon arriving at his new school in the neighborhood he faces a struggle of fitting in with his peers and self acceptance. Going to drastic measures to change himself so he can meet society's expectations of “normal”. He learns how to not be ashamed of himself but rather embrace his identity. Likewise to ABC, Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech discusses to not be ashamed of who you are and changing yourself due to racial prejudice and inequality. Stating the importance of being yourself and not allowing others to take that away or judge you for showing your true colors. Both

In unison they share the theme of not being ashamed of yourself.

Not being ashamed of yourself is present in ABC after Jin finds out that his cousin Chin-kee is the Monkey King. Chin-kee uses this as an opportunity to tell Jin how he was serving as his conscience and a signpost to his soul. Monkey king then states “You know Jin, I would have saved myself from five hundred years’ imprisonment beneath a mountain of rock had I only realized how good it is to be a monkey” (223). Monkey king was once ashamed of who he was much like Jin. No matter what he did, only misfortune came out of wanting to change himself. Due to his stubbornness of wanting to change himself he was only met with imprisonment. Once he returned back and was content with his true form he had a realization that he was happier being himself. He didn’t need to be ashamed of who he was and was

showcases not being ashamed of yourself In like minded ways to ABC in “I Have a Dream”. During his speech he compares the government and society he lives in to a bank. “We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation” (1). MLK is demanding he and other civil rights activists are given the rights they deserve as human beings and citizens of America. They know what they deserve but it's not given to them due to the color of their skin. He doesn’t want people to be ashamed because of their skin or discouraged into giving up fighting for what is rightfully theirs. MLK continues to talk about how judging someone based on their skin color is useless and it would be more productive to judge one's individual characteristics and morals. MLK speaks “One day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” (2). A light is being shined on the fact to showcase not hide who you are. You should not have to change yourself to fit society's expectations. You should judge how you act as a person, not qualities that you have no control over. It would be pointless to judge someone on things they can’t choose to change since it is out of their control. His speech is an impactful response to be proud of who you are and stand up for yourself. Everyone should be treated equally and there is no need to change or be ashamed of