Kevin Garcia

English 102

Ms. Batty

11/07/2018

Different

Discrimination has been an issue for humans throughout history. We have developed

discrimination due to people having a different characteristic, beliefs or having a different

background then others. The most common discrimination we have seen now is race, sexuality,

and gender. People have expressed their opinion through different medium of communication for

an example tv, internet, blogs, and books. In two pieces of literature “M. Butterfly "and “Left

Hand of darkness” both have different opinions on the generalization of a roles of a person. “M.

Butterfly” is a fiction story told about a man that was relocated to a new country due to a job

opportunity and meets an actress in which opens his shown a new perspective to the culture and

gender roles. In “Left Hand of Darkness” is sci fi story is about a character that is also visiting a

new planet in which he is as to be a medium to convince this new planet to an alliance. Both

authors have similar and contrasting ideas on the topic of discrimination. In the stories “Left

hand of darkness” by Ursula K. Le Guin and “M. Butterfly" David Henry Hwang both use

racism, sexuality and gender to show different societal expectation.

In both David and Ursula Book have two different themes of how race is perceived and

how society treat the people that are “different”. David Henry Hwang uses race to show how
other cultures have prejudice to each other, during time of war. An example is when the two

main character Song and Gallimard were having a conversation and Song says, “You think

you’ve been touched by the whitey god?” (Hwang 13). In this scene the author shows how Song

perspective of the “white” people of west to be full of themselves due the complexation of their

skin. In an article by Hsiao-hung Chang named “Cultural/Sexual/Theatrical Ambivalence”

explains how the author uses the stereotype of the east to explain why Song decide to choose the

word “whitey god” and it says “the play seems to repeat and to deconstruct at the same time the

stereotypical representation of the Orient. (Chang,1)”. In this scholar article shows that the Song

beliefs is tied to the beliefs of the country. The author Ursula K. Le Guin describe race in the

story to be more neutral, there is still prejudice but it all depends on the situation. An example is

when the Ai has a conversation with the king and the king says, "I don't know what the devil you

are, Mr. Ai, a sexual freak or an artificial monster or a visitor from the Domains of the Void, but

you're not a traitor, you've merely been the tool of one. (Le Guin, 19)” the king offends the main

character but still shows some unbiased. The king tells Ai even though he is different than

everyone else, he will judge him by his past work. In an article by Mona Fayad she wrote “The

very fact of his existence represents an epistemological break for those Gethenians willing to

believe--unlike the King of Karhide.(Fayad, 4)” Mona explains that the people of Karhide’s see

the main character as a neutral identity, they do not fear him but don’t dislike him either. There

also some similarities in which both authors both shown in their books. In both books shows how

the main characters do not feel welcome in their temporary homes but feel more comfortable

once they spend time with the culture. In “M. Butterfly” there are also stereotypes between two

different group of people which their race is better than the race but in “Left Hand of Darkness”

are more welcoming of a different race. Racism is sometimes developed due to misleading
information or due to judging a person action and then developing a stereotype to that race

instead of the person. Racism is an issue that we are dealing today.

Sexuality was told different in these two stories one was more accepted and the other was

looked down upon. In the play “M. Butterfly”, we saw how homosexuality was a looked upon in

the story by one culture and how they perceive it. In one part of the play Song was talking to her

superior about her mission and her superior says “Shut up! And you won't stink up China

anymore with your pervert stuff. You'll pollute the place where pollution begins-the West.

(Hwang ,72)” the commander knows that song is a male and tells him that that he is as been

corrupted by the enemy beliefs. This show how homosexuality is not accepted in song’s country

which is also comes with a penalty. In the article “Cultural/Sexual/Theatrical Ambivalence in M.

Butterfly” the writer writes “these heterosexual Asian-American men's indignation against

"effeminate" stereotype should be read not only in light of the historically enforced feminization

of Asian American men but also in light of the gender conflict long existing in Asian-American

literary studies(2)” the article explains that homosexuality was look down upon throughout Asian

history and that is something that is still present today. Another topic in the left hand of darkness

is sexuality. In the book, kemmering is a term when two people grows either a male or female

part where the can have intercourse. In one chapter of the book it states, “In those days, as now,

full brothers were permitted to keep kemmer until one of them should bear a child, but after that

they must separate; so, it had never permitted them to vow kemmering for life. (Le Guin. 10)”

kemmering is acceptable even though they are sibling, but there are restriction to it. This show us

that homosexuality is not an issue in Winter or they do not have the word homosexuality in there

planet. In a scholar journey written by Wendy Gay Pearson she states “the Gethenians

sexual/asexual nature makes them responsive to monthly cycles, thus linking their experience of
sex and gender to human women's experience of menstruation. (3)” the writer states that both

parties of the relationship will experience the same sexual experiences which shows that there is

a gender less country. Homosexuality in both stories was shown to be common, the main

characters had to questioned if he was a straight man or gay man. Also, both stories had side

characters that was open with their sexuality and did not care what other people care about them.

Not every person will accept the freedom of choosing who they love due to beliefs or opinion,

but we have seen more countries accept it. Sexuality is not the only issue where both stories take

upon it also the issues with gender.

In both stories gender roles are define differently, one is strict roles and the other one is

nonexistent roles. In a scene in “M. Butterfly” the author expresses the point of view of a

western role vs an eastern role. In a scene where Song and Gallimard said “You've been very

patient dealing with my ... eccentricities. A Western man used to women freer with -- their

bodies. (Hwang, 51)” song is talking to Gallimard about the stereotype of women in Gallimard's

country, which are more obedient to the male. In the article "Who's to say?" or, making space for

gender and ethnicity in 'M. Butterfly.' by Karen Shimakawa wrote “It suggests that analyses of

shifting gender identity must also take into account the ways gender is projected onto geography,

and that international power relations and race are also, inevitably, inscribed in our figurations of

gender.(2)” the writer explains that gender roles are tied into the region they live and the beliefs

of the person. This belief of the role of a person is based on the gender is enforced depending

where you live. The story M. Butterfly explains the effects of stereotypes of race, sexuality, and

gender from a different perspective. In Ursula book gender is nonexistent, the people in winter

are both gender and there are not specific roles for the Gethenians. An example is when the

protagonist says, “I tried to, but my efforts took the form of self-consciously seeing a Gethenian
first as a man, then as a woman, forcing him into those categories so irrelevant to his nature and

so essential to my own.(Le Guin, 10)” this shows Ai the lead character being confused to of the

gender and also accepting who that person is. In Mona Fayad article there is a part where she

explains on how Ai is perceived from the people in winter, Mona Fayad wrote “he translates the

"neutral" sexual identity of the androgynes he encounters into assigned "masculine" and

"feminine" roles. (4)” this show how Ai is more stable role. In both stories the roles of the

protagonist are very similar, in the beginning they feel very masculine then later in the story they

switch roles to the feminine role. Also, there is a secondary character that changes the character

from a masculine role to the feminine role. Gender roles is very complex, there are several

opinions on whether there she should be roles or roles makes it simpler, but it all depends on the

situation or in this case the story.

In conclusion in the books Left Hand of Darkness and M. butterfly both describes the

issue of being different and the stereotypes that come with it. These stories tell us how people

feel when they are coming to a new county, love the opposite gender, or feel like they have

limitation due to their gender. In the stories written by David and Ursula talks about how each of

the characters go through the struggle of dealing with race, sexuality and gender roles. These

stories have their own lessons to teach the reader and have their own opinion of the situation but

also shown similarities in which character is introduce it in the stories. Discrimination is a huge

issue worldwide; some countries are heading to the direction to acceptance of whatever the

person chooses to do and other countries want people to follow whatever the culture or what the

government says. An example of countries on which have change their laws to battle against

discrimination is Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Sweden and Germany these 4 countries legalize

gay marriage and have accepted their beliefs. I believe that people can't not be judge or limited
by their beliefs, sexuality or by their gender. I believe people should be accepted to any place or

any environment if they are not going either hurt any person or do any that might endanger the

other person life. I hope we all become more open minded and more willing to learn different

cultures to help another feel welcomed.

Sources

1.Chang, Hsiao-hung. "Cultural/Sexual/Theatrical Ambivalence in M. Butterfly." Contemporary

Literary Criticism, edited by Jeffrey W. Hunter, vol. 196, Gale, 2005. Literature Resource
Center,
http://library.lavc.edu:2102/apps/doc/H1100061262/LitRC?u=lavc_main&sid=LitRC&xid=d1d0
11e3. Accessed 6 Nov. 2018. Originally published in Tamkang Review, vol. 23, no. 1-4, 1992,
pp. 135-155.

2.Shimakawa, Karen. "'Who's to say?' or, making space for gender and ethnicity in 'M.
Butterfly.'." Theatre Journal, vol. 45, no. 3, 1993, p. 349+. Literature Resource Center,
http://library.lavc.edu:2102/apps/doc/A14617715/LitRC?u=lavc_main&sid=LitRC&xid=0dc3fa
70. Accessed 6 Nov. 2018.

3.Pearson, Wendy Gay. "Postcolonialism/s, gender/s, sexuality/ies and the legacy of The Left
Hand of Darkness: Gwyneth Jones's Aleutians talk back." Yearbook of English Studies, vol. 37,
no. 2, 2007, p. 182+. Literature Resource Center,
http://library.lavc.edu:2102/apps/doc/A167030913/LitRC?u=lavc_main&sid=LitRC&xid=e07f7
2d8. Accessed 6 Nov. 2018.

4. Fayad, Mona. "Aliens, androgynes, and anthropology: Le Guin's critique of representation in

The Left Hand of Darkness." Mosaic: A journal for the interdisciplinary study of literature, vol.
30, no. 3, 1997, p. 59+. Literature Resource Center,
http://library.lavc.edu:2102/apps/doc/A465696089/LitRC?u=lavc_main&sid=LitRC&xid=168f2
115. Accessed 6 Nov. 2018.
Le Guin, Ursula K., 1929-2018. The Left Hand of Darkness. New York :Ace Science Fiction

Books, 19871969. Print.

Hwang, David H, and Giacomo Puccini. M. Butterfly. New York, N.Y: New American Library,
1989. Print.