Cultural Immersion: Language Practice as Performative Activism
by Eleanor Liʻulā Svaton I chose to write a monologue for my Theatre 617 PaR performance as a way to explore the concept of performance of self. By exploring the trajectory of life events that shape who I am continually evolving to be, I hoped to use performance to possibly influence this path I am on in life, based on the idea that performance is a powerful force to shape reality and how we perceive the world and people around us—my reality, but also those who experience the performance—the audience. I created a rhetorical situation between all of us in the theatre to affect the entire culture and connections of those in attendance. My education as an outsider welcomed into the rituals of Korean and Hawaiian culture, someone not raised and reared in the tradition of these rituals, offers unique experience, worthy of consideration. I find cultural immersion to be an appropriate way to show respect to my host culture by giving my full attention to understanding and participating. I...
