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Mary Grace Heustess

Taylor Rhodes
Daniel Frank
Engl 103
2/10/15
Asian Discourse
Discourse- its the thing that unites, limits, and forms us into the people we are. As James
Gee describes it, it is our Identity kit (Gee, 7). Discourse is formed by small, more intimate
influences like family and friends but it can also be shaped by something bigger and more
ominous; something like a national origin. When you start to mix individuals from different
nations, those Discourses become more apparent. College is a perfect place to experience
those different Discourses. One of the most substantial Discourses seen in college
atmospheres, especially at Clemson, are Asian students and their cultures(Asian students and
cultures encompassing both India and China, we will take a look at both) . Values, beliefs, and
social customs are a few of the key components that create Discourses. Discourse is often
approached in a binary way; them vs. us. To adequately analyze a Discourse, all sides have to
be seen and you, yourself have to step outside your own Discourse. To examine the Asian
Discourse, the rhetorical analysis of the Indian national anthem and an interview with a student
from China will give further insight into the Discourse.
When it comes to the shaping of a nation, and in the same sense the shaping of a
Discourse, there are many influential elements. One element in particular would be the National
Anthem. In the video(link below in Appendix), Indian children are singing their national anthem,
with images, depicting the meaning of the song. The use of children in the video singing the
national anthem displays the nations love for their children and the importance of them in their
culture. These children are also in a school setting with their school uniforms on, emphasizing

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the priority of education in India. To go along with the children singing the song, colorful visuals
are used to depict each lyric the children sing incorporated into the video. Lighted candles,
colorful signs, and pictures are among some of the visuals used. The visuals are most likely
made by the children, and draw the audience in to pay attention to what they are singing. At the
beginning and end of the video, Indian children give a message about the importance of their
education and how you can help. This appeals to the pathos of the audience. Most people have
a soft spot for kids and would love to help them out in anyway. At the end of the video, a link is
shown with a .org at the end. The .org adds credibility to the video because it signifies an
organization producing the video. Overall, this video demonstrated the importance of children in
Asian culture as well as education. The national anthem itself outlines the values of the Indian
culture. The last four lines,
They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise.
The saving of all people waits in thy hand,
thou dispenser of Indias destiny,
victory, victory, victory to thee.
displays nationalism, a love for the country, and a responsibility. The nationalism and love is
seen in the first and last lines. The people pray and want the best for their beloved country and
they praise it. It is even seen in the line that states the saving of all people waits in thy hand,
suggesting a superiority. That line also suggests a responsibility; the saving of people lies in the
hands of the Indian nationality. Throughout the anthem as a whole, there is a sense of
nobleness, a nobleness that is carried over into the individuals of the Indian national origin.
To be able to better understand a Discourse you must look past the Discourse that you
are a part of because it will influence the way you perceive and may hinder your understanding.
Instead of trying to suppress your own bias nature, a better way to take a look from the inside of
a Discourse is to look from someones eyes who is a part of this Discourse. Jerry, A student at

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Clemson University, was born in and raised in Asian culture and attended different levels of
education in China. Jerry was originally born in Beijing, China and then moved to the United
States at the age of thirteen. Since the age of ten, he was enrolled in unique multi-cultural
learning experiences. The curriculum for the classes he took were introduced by US
ambassadors and submerged the students in other cultures to better accustom the students for
future traveling. Jerrys family originally planned to move to Florida five years before he was
enrolled into these multi-cultural classes. The website Real Clear outlined big differences
between Asian and United States education systems. American teachers are heavily
encouraged to engage their students and openly discuss material. Students are often given the
opportunity to raise their hand and ask questions during the class. And generally the teacher
has to choose between a number of hands, children eager to answer the question at hand. On
the contrary, Asian teachers give lectures throughout grade school; rarely stopping to ask
students to answer questions or input on the given material. Students predominantly keep their
heads down, pencils moving swiftly, making sure not miss a word during the lecture. Jerry
concurred that there were indeed instances where he would have liked to ask a question but did
not because he did not want to disturb the teacher from teaching or hinder other people from
learning. Questions were rarely asked during lecture and if a student had a question they would
usually wait till the end of class. He also pointed out that while this information is mostly true, the
stereotype about relative grading in most asian societies is false. Jerry guessed that around
10% of courses at the institutions he attended were graded on a bell curve. Due to the
sensitivity of the courses, he said they have it this way so the students will try their hardest to
earn the best grades. Specialized courses, like engineering, were only available to students who
applied for enrollment.
Jerry also provided a lot insight on some of the customs and social identities in China. It
is not common for people to use irregular handshakes or greeting gestures besides waving and

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traditional handshakes. A law was passed in China called the one-child policy, a population
control policy that stated that a family could only have a maximum of two children per
household. If this law was broken, families would have to pay yearly fines until the extra child
reached the age of eighteen. While this is still a legitimate law in China, the law is no longer as
strictly enforced. Families may have more than one or two children but if it exceeds to a
staggering number, repercussions will be enforced. Jerry laughs and states, It makes sense, it
is sort of ridiculous to have five children in American culture too. According to Jerry, marriage is
a more common practice in China- it is considered taboo if a women is not married by the age of
forty. It is desirable upon reaching young adulthood to search for long-term relationships. A
major part of the discourse in China is success comes with popularity. From a young age, Jerry
noticed success attracted people and individuals who seemed like they had their life put
together had a lot of friends. Jerry pointed out that discrimination is not a problem in China
because everyone more-or-less shares similar physical attributes. Interacting with people lies
deeper than what is on the surface, individuality stems from personality and family background.
Laziness, incapability, and apathy are traits that are highly frowned upon in chinese culture.
Best said by Jerry, the palest ink is better than the best memory.
Discourses can be created from something as ominous as a national anthem, including
religion and an attitude toward your country, to education and the social norms of that society,
as shown by the interview with Jerry. The analysis of the national anthems India pronounced the
importance of children and education in India. The interview with Jerry gave insight into the
education and social lives of those living in China. Both India and China are different Discourses
in themselves but fall under the huge Discourse of Asian society. This displays the diversity
within the Discourse as well as the unity. Just like Diversity is seen within the Asian Discourse
itself, it is seen on the college campus too, and better understanding of the Discourses around
you will lead to more harmony and understanding.

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Works Cited
"4 Big Differences in American and Asian Education Norms." RealClear. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb.
2015.
Sengupta, A.N. "Cultural Differences between America and India." (n.d.): n. pag. Now2gether.
Web. 10 Feb. 2015.
"12 Differences Between Chinese Education and American Education." DALIAN DIARY. N.p.,
01 June 2007. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.
"The U.S. National Anthem." - The Star Spangled Banner. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.

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"Watch: Do You Know What Our National Anthem Means? Indian School Children Translate
'Jana Gana Mana' to English in This Touching Video." IBNLive. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.
"National Anthem." - National Identity Elements of India. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.

Appendix
"Watch: Do You Know What Our National Anthem Means? Indian School Children Translate

Interview: Xijun (Jerry) Zhou

Beijing, China. Lived there for ten years, Went to highschool in Florida.
Not a typical chinese man, not a typical chinese student because of education background. He
learned from US ambassadors, subdued to a very unique learning experiences. Multi cultural
learning experiences since the age of 10.
1 What are some differences between here and your home? Any similarities.

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Much less organized, academic pressure. Stems from competing with colleagues, huge nation
so only the best will get a good job. Few courses use relative grading, despite the stereotype of
China using mostly the relative grading system only 10% of courses are graded on bell curve.
Specialized courses, like nuclear engineering use relative grading. Due to the sensitivity of the
courses, they have it this way so the students will try their hardest to earn the best grades. The
schools that incorporate these specialized courses are heavily guarded because of so many
radioactive materials at the school. The schools are usually independent facilities. Special
schooling requires special training and not everyone can join. Despite the difficulty to get into
such schools, many students apply and the application office overflows with business. Heavy
government influence in education. Pros: stability, improve current technology. Cons: slow
progression.
2 Do you feel the education system is better here or worse? How comfortable in the classroom
and with your professor do you and your peers feel?
Fundamental purpose of education is to improve society, so it is unique to the society in
question. Each countrys education is good for their people, both systems fit the society. The
american education system would not work in a chinese community, but neither would a chinese
education system work in an american society. I base this answer on the two different
governments of the countries, democracy and socialism. Socialism has a more communist
approach than democracy, but its no North Korea. Its all relative, it is a lot different but it is a
good fit for china.
3 What are some social aspects that would be considered strange here but are considered
normal back home? (For example, it is a lot more common for people to ignore personal space,
especially at the train station or bus stop.)
There aren't any creative versions of handshakes, just traditional handshakes in China.
Structure of society is the same, each class wears their own clothes. You wouldnt see someone
who worked at mcdonalds walking down the streets of China in the emperors clothing.
Encouraged by decedents to engage in sexual interactions, to better familiarize yourself and
with what kind of person you would like to spend the rest of your life with. Very common for
women to be married by the age of 40. Love is taken seriously and it is more of a search for a
soulmate than a date.Back when the birth rate restriction law was passed by the Emperor,
people were very concerned with not having too many children and marriages were sometimes
arranged by families to not cause problems with the government. Population control is still a
thing and is the law just not as serious. Like downloading music off the internet. Population is
just as diverse as the US, personality wise. Since most people in China have similar physical
traits people tend to care more about what's on the inside than what's on the outside.
Discrimination is not a real problem in China. If you're skillful and don't sit on your ass then
you're welcome. The palest ink is better than the best memory. Popular kids are usually the
most successful individuals, success is a quality desired by everyone. US is a lot more
acceptable to be lazy and unfocused on doing something with your life. If you stay indoors
playing video games, watching netflix, not doing your work.. you wont make very many friends.

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