Sabrina Gurung Date & Time Analysis Part 2

 In Date & Time, author Kaye preaches the concept that "a story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end, but not necessarily in that order" (Jean-Luc Godard). In the first third of Date & Time, he begins with his “Ending”, followingly readers are introduced to his “Beginning” in the second third. This section in the center is a brilliantly detailed sequence of himself in the youth of his existence. In the “Beginning”, Kaye addresses his identity crisis in America, his childhood as an Asian American, the sentiments and experiences he faced as a child. Each of his subtopics in this section introduced important variables in his youth from the "reflections on the new glass" about his experience of warm love to "teeth" about his conflicting racial identity. Despite the fact that each story were all distinct, they all focused on his development from experiences and feelings of invalidation to the man he has become.

The poem Apparition, in particular, illustrated a key message for me as an Asian American. As I pondered the implications of each word in this poem, I felt a sense of connection and comprehension with the tale being conveyed. Apparition represented the invalidation Kaye felt as an Asian American child. In this tale, Kaye appears to be buried in his thoughts and feelings at such a young age, as he felt shadowed by his white companions. He focuses on his peer Jonathan's impact and treatment of him, saying, “It is third grade and I have never been able to make Dad Laugh like that- but Jonathan”(Kaye). This remark highlights how young Kaye was when he began to feel rejected. Additionally, as an Asian American, reading that Kaye's emphasis that his white peer Jonathan was able to make his father laugh more than Kaye had made him laugh made me sympathize because I could see me in his position. In the reality of people of color, white peers generally appear to receive more attention, and witnessing your own father feed into it, is a very disheartening feeling. In addition, the poem develops through Kaye's middle school experience. Kaye has challenges not just because of his age but also because of his race as a young male in an age where most are seeking belonging. Kaye is made the center of attention in the cafeteria by his own friend Jonathan, but not for anything great he accomplished, but for Jonathan to make a joke out of Kaye's features "ching chong chang chong" (Kaye). The cafeteria chuckled at Jonathan's Kaye joke, making him feel like he'd done something good by tossing Kaye under the bus. Sadly,  I completely understood Kaye's feelings during this situation, since I recall how it felt to be mocked for traits that every human had. I was often insecure, and I used to imagine becoming blonde or having features as my white friends in order to be accepted into society or at least be compared to normal. Little did my innocent young teen self realize was that it was okay to not be what society wanted me to be, moreover, it was a good thing to be unique. 

Through Kaye's voice in this poem, he not only represents himself but the Asian American community. This understanding is important because it allows non-people of color to comprehend the consequences racism and stereotypes have on children of color, and it is especially important since it helps Asian Americans and anybody else who can relate understand that they are not alone.