The Other
Truong Tran speaks to the reader directly, throughout the reading you will notice that he is not using proper punctuation. This to me felt like an insight into his thoughts. I can feel his frustration and I appreciate him writing them that way, you can relate or think about how events can affect us tremendously. Tran uses harsh words throughout the piece and does not sugarcoat what he is trying to say. Aware that some might not appreciate the writing style, he took the risk to make a point.
While it was difficult to understand the first time, I reread it and realized that Tran was writing what he thought, this made me dive into the piece more. Tran wants us to hear him and understand. It’s becoming agitating to use the same old racist tactics. “ that person was shot and killed again. that unarmed black man running the other way. i seen as dangerous. becomes endangered.” In 2022 we were aware of the effects of racism on our community, yet a lot of individuals felt the need to participate in racist acts. This was frustrating for Tran, he has experienced racism for most of his life and here he was an adult going through the same experiences over and over again.
“ The Other” are minorities in our community. Tran did a great job including how minorities are treated in the workplace. “ when the older white colleague takes you under his wing. gives you advice. he tells you.” We are in the 20th 
century and still treat most white colleagues as superiors, we act as if they have more knowledge because of their race. Minorities often can’t speak up, or address ideas because we are treated as less. Once individuals look at you and see you are of a different nationality, they question your ability to do the job. Minorities have a hard time speaking up. They are already in a workplace that questions how qualified they really are. Tran understands this and is frustrated that we have made little to no changes.
Hayyrette Mullen piece “ We Are Not Responsible” further reflects the frustrations of Tran. The poem describes that they are not at fault for the tragedies that happen to minorities. Compared to Tran’s piece of trying to show that a change needs to be made, Mullen piece gives an insight into the mindset of someone who is not affected personally by racism. Mullen did a great job stating excuses Americans can make if racism does not affect them. Mullen stated the following sentence “ It’s not our fault you were born wearing a gang color.” This provides insight into how blind and small-minded some individuals can be. Instead of coming up with ways to help, they deal with the issues by blaming the victims. It further shows how Mullen and Tran are both aware of the racism in our community but make us aware of the different ways individuals will fight against it.
Resources
Tran, Truong. Book of the Other: Small in Comprasion: Essay. Prose.Poems.Antipoems. Kaya Press, 2021.
Mullen, Harryette. “We Are Not Responsible.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, 2002,
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/145281/we-are-not-responsible