Paying an Attention to Heritage...

Back in 3rd grade I lived in an American town full of Japanese immigrants. Most of my peers only had Japanese parents and had never been to Japan. To be honest, they didn't act all too different from my friends back in Korea or Canada. Heritage, such as genes or upbringing, may affect the way you look or even the way you pronounce a word in English. But that'll be pretty much it; it is unlikely that it will affect any more of who you are.

Mark Twain, in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, portrayed this theme very well. Near the climax of the story, protagonist Huck is found pondering his possibilities, and whether he should rescue his friend, a runaway slave named Jim. His decisions and actions are not interfered by his heritage at this point. Huck follows his own set of beliefs that he had developed throughout his adventures, acting differently from what other people had done before him and shown him. His character as a person wasn't a result of his skin color, or his home town. It was his experiences and the way they were presented upon him.

This was the case with president Obama's election back in 2008. His genes him his skin color, but it did not give him his victory in election and his actions as a president. However, he will be remembered by many as the first African American president, and not much more. This is why heritage, while it does not determine who we are as a person, still plays an important role as to how we are seen by others.

Think of it like this. The Japanese, during WWII, invaded many Southeast Asian nations and killed thousands of people. However, that does not make my Japanese friends from 3rd grade a bunch of cold blooded murderers.


Does heritage determine who we are as people?

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn