I managed to read through two and a half of the provided short stories for today, completing both "Hitting Budapest" and "Whites". Being of mostly white European decent, all of these stories have been written from perspectives that would not be considered my own. But the point of "listening" without necessarily relating was brought up. That is an idea that is very personal to me because of my belief in having sympathy for other human beings. Though I cannot physically reach empathy for the characters in these stories I have tried my best to understand their messages. You may or may not agree that there are important moral lessons packed with these writings. Perhaps they are aimed at particular audiences to express the existences of different worlds on a parallel course. I would agree that this is the very case, especially for myself coming from a culture where I am often not exposed to these sorts of characters. It is eye opening in a way I feel should be more frequent.

I'm choosing "Whites" to analyze for ethos. There is a heavy feeling of struggle detailed about Japanese woman in America. I feel as if the story makes a point of their mistreatment, longing, and will to continue despite, all as specific elements. In this case its ethos would be an idea that this particular demographic has been pushed into a harsh world created for them by people of white backgrounds, particularly men. Throughout the story men in particular are described as demanding and dominant. They are considered liars, the women their victims, and it is made worse by white men who use the women for their own desires because they believe they can easily take advantage of them. The ideas of "home" and "childhood" appear to be the most cherished, as described in the end by the narrator who makes these memories out to be better than their current situation. And yet still, a woman's independence and will to carry on are both praised as demonstrated in scenes between women who leave their husbands and seek other women for advice.

There is indication of a voice used in this story. Though it covers a broad subject, it is still a voice relatable to a certain group of people. It speaks for multiple people, in this case, but is still present as being a certain "individual" with a particular background. By placing in specific contexts and clues it is easy to get the feeling that narrator "knows what they are talking about".

Regarding the characters, they are connected to their world as opposing forces. There is the ruling class, namely the white men, and the quiet, working class, the female Japanese immigrants to America. The ruling class is portrayed as not recognizing, or mentioning what hardships that they place on these women, though they may, or may not be aware of it.