How do women write from the point of view of a man?
How do authors write from the point of view of someone living 200 years ago?
These writers make you feel as if they've had these experiences, and know how these people live. This exploration outside of what we know is what makes books interesting, but this can easily cross the line into cultural appropriation.
Dipping your pen in someone else's blood
Dipping your pen in someone else's blood refers to authors crossing a line into cultural appropriation.
It's great for there to be different cultures in books, as long as the characters do not become stereotypes. The characters should not be reduced to simply "Asian geniuses", or "Mexican drug dealers".
Do I agree or disagree?
I agree with the statement in the article, as I think white people, as the dominant culture, can easily cross the line into cultural appropriation.
When writing, authors can try and put themselves in the shoes of a minority culture, such as African Americans, but in reality, sometimes they can't understand the culture to the extent they need to, or they don't understand the racism black people have to go through.
This is understandable, as they have never had to go through it themselves, but when they to write about it, they may stereotype and cross the line into cultural appropriation.
Minority Groups in The Book Thief
In the book I am reading, The Book Thief, the main minority group are Jewish people, as the book is set during the Second World War and during the holocaust.
Jewish people are not represented in a stereotypical way, and Zusak does not cross the line into cultural appropriation even though he isn't Jewish.
The main Jewish character we see in the Novel is Max Vanderburg. He is presented in a way where we gain empathy towards his struggles as a Jewish person. We are introduced to him struggling to survive, huddled in a ball alone in a dark room.
The narrator most of the time is Liesel Meminger, a German child. I don't think there would be a better perspective in the telling of this story, because since she is a child, Liesel's opinions and beliefs are still evolving, and so when Max comes into the story, she does not feel disgust or hatred as many Germans would have at the time. Liesel and Max form a very close relationship, and she sees him as a friend despite the anti-semitism she sees all around her.
Check out my friend Kendal's blog for her opinions on The Book Thief!
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