This paces it firmly in the postcolonial tradition, where identity is almost entirely based on a negotiation of traditional ethnic identities with Westernized stereotypes and perceptions of these identities.
At the same time, the construction of the text itself -- its multiple voices and times without any solid reference points, the fragmented sentences, and perhaps most of all the inconsistent yet regular use of the second person which demands a knowledge or understanding of the reader that the reader simply doesn't possess -- all mark the book as a work shaped largely by postmodern tendencies and attitudes (Spahr). In this context, the very concept of identity is a near fallacy, if not an utterly nonsensical notion. There is certainly a great deal of postmodern meaninglessness observable throughout the novel, much of it related to the sense of self that the central figure of the novel seems in constant undirected and unconscious search of -- she is grasping randomly at the straws of her life and finding nothing solid.
The construction of the book into nine sections, each supposedly devoted to a specific Muse from the ancient Greek mythology of artistic inspiration, is itself emblematic of the struggle to define identity in the book. By rooting the work in that of the ancient Greeks, Cha is tying her text directly to the foundations of Western civilization and literature, but at the same time the text of each section does not always have a clear and definite resonance with the Muse to which it is dedicated. In this way, Cha is both paying respect to and utterly ignoring the mores and standards of Western literature, both literally and figuratively. This is highly similar to the identity of her protagonist, which understands, succumbs to, resists, and is confused by the various external forces attempting to shape and direct her all at once, in a confused an amorphous blob of identity.
Postmodern and Postcolonial
The elements shared by Where Europe Begins and Dictee far outweigh their differences, at least insofar as their constructs of identity are concerned. In both books, the central figures are generally shown as uncertain of their identity -- uncertain of its consistency over time, uncertain of the sources of its formation and/or inspiration, and uncertain even of its concrete existence. This is a distinctly postmodern view of identity, and is also an outgrowth of the Western postcolonial period and culture in which these two Asian female authors lived and wrote. The similarities...
Identity Theft Corp (ITC) is a new company specializing on the identity theft service. The company assists customers to monitor their credit report in order to identify any suspicious charge. The company will also provide the leg work to clean up the mess left behind because of the identity theft and assist customers to rebuild their credits. The objective of this proposal is to provide strategic planning and implementation for Identity
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