entry 3_ Vu Thi Giang

Entry 3: Identifying bias       

                                      Item 1:

Ðầu lòng hai ả tố nga,
Thúy Kiều là chị, em là Thúy Vân.

Mai cốt cách, tuyết tinh thần,
Một người một vẻ, mười phân vẹn mười.
Vân xem trang trọng khác vời,
Khuôn trăng đầy đặn, nét ngài nở nang.
Hoa cười ngọc thốt đoan trang,
Mây thua nước tóc, tuyết nhường màu da.

Kiều càng sắc sảo, mặn mà,
So bề tài, sắc, lại là phần hơn.
Làn thu thủy, nét xuân sơn,
Hoa ghen thua thắm, liễu hờn kém xanh.
Một, hai nghiêng nước nghiêng thành,
Sắc đành đòi một, tài đành họa hai.
Thông minh vốn sẵn tư trời,
 Pha nghề thi họa, đủ mùi ca ngâm.
Cung thương làu bậc ngũ âm,
Nghề riêng ăn đứt Hồ cầm một trương.

Khúc nhà tay lựa nên chương,
Một thiên bạc mệnh, lại càng não nhân.
Phong lưu rất mực hồng quần,
Xuân xanh sấp xỉ tới tuần cập kê.
êm đềm trướng rủ màn che,
Tường đông ong bướm đi về mặc ai.

                                                      (trich “Truyen Kieu- Nguyen Du)

-      -   Stereotype

-        - Analysis: In the poem, Nguyen Du – a great poet showed opinions about patterns of beauty’s Vietnamese women in feudal society; and Thuy Van and Thuy Kieu were representatives. Not only  Nguyen Du but also old society thought that Vietnamese women were believed to have real beauty if they were gentle, well-mannered (“Mai cốt cách, tuyết tinh thần”,  “Hoa cười ngọc thốt đoan trang”); virtous and reserved ( “êm đềm trướng rủ màn che, Tường đông ong bướm đi về mặc ai.”)(they grew up in respectable and good education family)

-        In addition, in old society:

·       Black smooth hair, white skin (“Mây thua nước tóc, tuyết nhường màu da”) ,the kind-hearted face like a round moon and curved eyebrows were thought to be pure and plump beauty.( “Khuôn trăng đầy đặn, nét ngài nở nang”)

·       People also reckoned that if a woman had both talent and beauty, she would not a happy and peaceful life in the future.(“Khúc nhà tay lựa nên chương,
Một thiên bạc mệnh, lại càng não nhân”)

Item 2:

-        - Discrimination

-        - Analysis: this is an ads about “fairy soap”, but it is not effective when showing discrimination between black people and white people. A white child wearing a nice dress and shoes holds Fairy soap, meanwhile the black child wears drags and no shoes; she bows her head with awkward appearance. The white child asked the black child “Why doesn’t your mama wash you with fairy soap?”à There is a bias (racism) toward the black people because they are believed to be untidy, slovenly and silly.

Item 3:

-     -    Prejudice

-       -  Analysis: the title “Most men ask “is she pretty” not ask “is she clever?”, and “Freshness, Charm- the Enticement more precious than personality and cleverness – do you seek it? […] Often we marvel at her- the girl who only asset is beauty. She knows so little says so little; yet serenely attracts everyone to her side. Too often her clever rival sits in a corner, alone. Brains or beauty- but why choose? Combine beauty with cleverness, charm with wisdom. Develop your beauty to bring out the sweetness of your personality. That’s what thousands of girls have done and found new happiness as the result”

è This ads has bias (prejudice) about sexism here. Women are not as clever as man. Their only asset is beauty and even the beautiful appearance more precious than personality and cleverness. Girls not only having charm appearance but neither know nor talk too much as well always are dreams of every man. However, the girls with intelligence do not have peaceful and of course, do not have attractions to man(the girls in the corner).

Item 1: trich Truyen Kieu – Nguyen Du

 Item 2: http://deathchuck.tumblr.com/post/4708989599/why-doesnt-your-mama-wash-you-with-fairy-soap

Item 3: http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/sizes/adaccess_BH1218/