In Lawyer’s League by Sherman Alexie, the protagonist, a half African American and half Native American, seems to be only hurt by his ethnic background. His genetics are nearly flawless, except for the fact that his skin color seems to get in the way of his romantic life and political career. In Eric Liu’s Notes from a Native Speaker, he emphasizes assimilation and the various meanings behind it.
The different viewpoints of the two men is interesting for many reasons. The man in Lawyer’s League felt a strong attraction to a woman who was white, but refrained because of how society would negatively view the couple. The man in Notes from a Native Speaker was not affected by this because he sees himself as already assimilated to western culture and goes as far as to say he sees himself as essentially white.
The different points of view of the two men are particularly interesting. The man in Lawyer’s League knows his true blend of ethnicities and embraces it fully. The Chinese American from Notes from a Native Speaker doesn’t see himself as any different from a white person at all. This may be due to the fact that the man from Lawyer’s League wants to pursue a career in politics and needs to be very careful of how other’s view him.
Some good points here, especially as you’re trying to figure out their differences in your final paragraph. I would argue, though, that Liu does see himself as different from white men, and that he’s conflicted that he doesn’t know more about his “roots.”