asian american studies

Midterm Essay: Metacommentary (750 Words)

Form: The form of this essay will take after Jenny Boully’s The Body, an Essay. Rather than writing a standard essay form, you will instead write only footnotes that reference an absent body text. The body text you reference can be a real text, such as a text from class, your own writing, or elsewhere. Alternatively, it can an imagined text, one that doesn’t actually exist at all.

Content: The content of this essay is your commentary on something else. Your notes about the absent text you are referencing. Your observations and thoughts about that which we cannot, ourselves, as readers, see. If your absent text is a poem from class, then your essay will be your thoughts on the poem. If your absent text is a grocery list you put together the night before, then your essay will be your thoughts on that grocery list.

Citations: You must reference or cite three texts, either poems or essays, from the readings we’ve done in class.

Expanded Midterm Explanation

When writing this paper, you’ll begin by choosing something from your journal, from your notes, from lecture, from the texts we’ve read in class, etc. 

Ex 1: As the Vietnamese delegates explained how the US War in Viet Nam depended on gendered and sexualized violence in Asia, Asian American women emphasized the transnational nature of that violence. “We, as Asian American women, cannot separate ourselves from our Asian counterparts,” Evelyn Yoshimura argued. 1 “Racism against them is too often racism against us…. The mentality that keeps Suzy Wong, Madame Butterfly and gookism alive turns human beings into racist murdering soldiers and also keeps Asian Americans from being able to live and feel like human beings.”

Add a footnote or two, explaining your thinking about something in your chosen excerpt.

Evelyn Yoshimura references the inseparability of Asian American women from Asian women across the world. How the Asian American woman might sometimes seem an isolated figure, distant from those who live in Asia. But how the very same violences that affect Asian American women affect, too, those women across the Pacific.

Ex 2: You can also add a footnote based on your own footnote!

It has never occurred to me that I might be isolated, myself, from Asia. I have always considered myself to be in relation to people, even if I’ve only been once or twice to Japan. There is something that keeps my attentions on Japanese media, Japanese people.

Ex 3: You might add a footnote to something you’d written in your assignments earlier. For example, if earlier you wrote about your parents’ immigration story:

I think what I was trying to say here was that in order for me to understand myself, in order for me to explain myself to anyone else, I first must start with the story of my parents. So I want to take this space to tell that story.

But remember! The source of your footnote will not be included in the essay. Only the footnote.

Later, when you cite your sources, say what you used. But the texts you use, themselves, should not appear in the essay.

So, the beginning of my final essay would look something like:

1. Evelyn Yoshimura references the inseparability of Asian American women from Asian women across the world. How the Asian American woman might sometimes seem an isolated figure, distant from those who live in Asia. But how the very same violences that affect Asian American women affect, too, those women across the Pacific.

2. It has never occurred to me that I might be isolated, myself, from Asia. I have always considered myself to be in relation to people, even if I’ve only been once or twice to Japan. There is something that keeps my attentions on Japanese media, Japanese people.

3. I think what I was trying to say here was that in order for me to understand myself, in order for me to explain myself to anyone else, I first must start with the story of my parents. So I want to take this space to tell that story.

This essay is essentially a bunch of numbered comments on a bunch of texts that are not actually present, except when you cite them in your works cited page.

Some strategies:

If you are unsure how to write your footnotes, here’s some ideas:

1. Go through your notes. Highlight those places you’re most interested in writing about. Then, write a footnote detailing why you’re interested in that note. Write a footnote detailing what it was that you were trying to understand at this point. Write a footnote about where your mind wanders off. Write a footnote about what you fail to understand here. Write a footnote about something tangentially related. Etc.

2. Another technique might be to refer directly to the texts we’ve been assigned. Write a footnote interpreting the text. Write a footnote rewriting the text in your own words. Write a footnote that challenges what is being said. Write a footnote detailing your confusion, and you attempt to work it out. Write a footnote that speaks of how this passage made you feel. Write a footnote that speaks of what this passage made you think about. Etc.

3. You might also go back to your own journals and think about what you’ve written there. And highlight, further, and expand upon what it is you’ve said. Explain why you said what you said there. Explain what you didn’t explain before. Explain what it is you need to understand to be better able to understand the thing you wrote. Write a footnote that tells the story behind the story. Write a footnote in which you reflect upon why it was that you write what you wrote. Etc.

Each of these are potential ways of writing the essay. There are many possible forms. Your job is to create your own.

Calculate the price
Make an order in advance and get the best price
Pages (550 words)
$0.00
*Price with a welcome 15% discount applied.
Pro tip: If you want to save more money and pay the lowest price, you need to set a more extended deadline.
We know how difficult it is to be a student these days. That's why our prices are one of the most affordable on the market, and there are no hidden fees.

Instead, we offer bonuses, discounts, and free services to make your experience outstanding.
How it works
Receive a 100% original paper that will pass Turnitin from a top essay writing service
step 1
Upload your instructions
Fill out the order form and provide paper details. You can even attach screenshots or add additional instructions later. If something is not clear or missing, the writer will contact you for clarification.
Pro service tips
How to get the most out of your experience with Homework Mules
One writer throughout the entire course
If you like the writer, you can hire them again. Just copy & paste their ID on the order form ("Preferred Writer's ID" field). This way, your vocabulary will be uniform, and the writer will be aware of your needs.
The same paper from different writers
You can order essay or any other work from two different writers to choose the best one or give another version to a friend. This can be done through the add-on "Same paper from another writer."
Copy of sources used by the writer
Our college essay writers work with ScienceDirect and other databases. They can send you articles or materials used in PDF or through screenshots. Just tick the "Copy of sources" field on the order form.
Testimonials
See why 20k+ students have chosen us as their sole writing assistance provider
Check out the latest reviews and opinions submitted by real customers worldwide and make an informed decision.
Technology
Thank you for your work
Customer 452551, October 22nd, 2021
Accounting
Thank you for your help. I made a few minor adjustments to the paper but overall it was good.
Customer 452591, November 11th, 2021
Finance
Thank you very much!! I should definitely pass my class now. I appreciate you!!
Customer 452591, June 18th, 2022
Political science
I like the way it is organized, summarizes the main point, and compare the two articles. Thank you!
Customer 452701, February 12th, 2023
Psychology
Thank you. I will forward critique once I receive it.
Customer 452467, July 25th, 2020
Political science
Thank you!
Customer 452701, February 12th, 2023
Psychology
I requested a revision and it was returned in less than 24 hours. Great job!
Customer 452467, November 15th, 2020
Business Studies
Great paper thanks!
Customer 452543, January 23rd, 2023
Education
Thank you so much, Reaserch writer. you are so helpfull. I appreciate all the hard works. See you.
Customer 452701, February 12th, 2023
11,595
Customer reviews in total
96%
Current satisfaction rate
3 pages
Average paper length
37%
Customers referred by a friend
OUR GIFT TO YOU
15% OFF your first order
Use a coupon FIRST15 and enjoy expert help with any task at the most affordable price.
Claim my 15% OFF Order in Chat
Show more
<