The authors Alvarez, Wong, and Mora all send very good messages that are definitely true about immigration. In the the short story Liberty by Julia alvarez, a young girl and her family have a hard time immigrating to the the US. They are given a gift, a Black and white dog. But that's not the gift they wanted to receive. In order for them to move to the the United States the must first receive their visas (an endorsement on a passport indicating that the holder is allowed to enter, leave or stay for a specified period of time in a country). When they finally get their visas the they can leave to go to the US to live the the rest of their lives. In the the story the struggle to be an all american girl by Elizabeth Wong, A little chinese girl
She explains that there is no lasting shame in being born in America, and that as a minority you are the first in line for scholarships. Most importantly, she notes that "In America, nobody says you have to keep the circumstances somebody else gives you (289).” Living in America, it was effortless for Waverly to accept American circumstances, simply because she was born into liberties of America without a true realization of what advantages she had gained effortlessly. Her mother was far less fortunate however, having struggled so hard to find her own independence while attempting to keep true to her cultural background. As a Chinese mother though, she also wanted her daughter to learn the importance of Chinese character. She tried to teach her Chinese-American daughter "How to obey parents and listen to your mother 's mind. How not to show your own thoughts, to put your feelings behind your face so you can take advantage of hidden opportunities . . . How to know your own worth and polish it, never flashing it around like a cheap ring
I read the book Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez. Anita, an eleven year old girl, is suddenly sent into a very scary and unknown world, right in her own home. Her cousins are running away to the United states, but to get away from what? Her parents are keeping secrets and she tries to get information from her sister, but finds out very little. Anita finds herself struggling when she is forced to grow up very quickly and try not to act as scared as she feels at times. Through the view of a young girl, this story really captures what it’s like to feel like immigration is the only option for a family.
In the story, "Fish Cheeks" it talks about how Amy Tan's Chinese family invites an American boy's family over for dinner. Amy Tan wants to impress him and thinks that he wont like the food her mother made even though it is her favorite food. She can tell that he doesn't like the food and she is embarased. So, Amy wants to fit in.
When humanity is faced with a great challenge, inevitably they always find a way to thrive. It seems that no matter what happens, no matter how bleak a situation becomes, there is always someone who is willing to fight back. This mentality has been all but lost in humanity in the short story “Amnesty” by Octavia Butler. Throughout the story we continually find out more information about the ways that humans as a whole have been changed by the arrival of an alien species known simply as Communities. Through the analysis of this short story I will delve into why the main character is an exception in this story by examining the position of power she has taken and how she is using this position of power. While Noah seems to be a victim of her circumstances
Justina Chen Headley explores in her book Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies) the search for her protagonist’s identity, Patty Ho, which is a part Taiwanese, part American girl. Headley displays the mother as a one-dimensional parent who is holding onto conservative and traditional Taiwanese values, and is imposing her cultural values onto her daughter as a justification for her strict parenting style.
...in her essay “No Name Woman”. The Chinese tradition of story telling is kept by Kingston in her books. Becoming Americanized allowed these women the freedom to show their rebellious side and make their own choices. Rebelling against the ideals of their culture but at the same time preserving some of the heritage they grew up with. Both woman overcame many obstacles and broke free of old cultural ways which allowed them an identity in a new culture. But most importantly they were able to find identity while preserving cultural heritage.
One striking similarity in the writings is that all characters lose their heritage over time. In “The Struggle to Be an All-American Girl”, Elizabeth was forced to attend Chinese school by her mother to retain her Chinese heritage and to speak proficient Chinese. However, she hated the Chinese School and strongly preferred speaking English over Chinese. She...
Before We Were Free written by Julia Alvarez, tells the story of an 11 year old girl named Anita. She lives during a period of political issues in her country, the Dominican Republic. The story basically is about how Anita's father and uncle have a secret plan to assassinate the dictator because they want freedom in their country and how they reach freedom in the United States.
In ‘’My undocumented life” like many others, Jose Antonio Vargas is an undocumented immigrant here in the U.S. He arrived on this country when he was twelve due to many economic crisis, after he arrived in Mountain View, Calif. He entered sixth grade starting the new life that was waiting for him living with his grandparents. Time had passed by, Jose was now sixteen, so he decided to go get his driver’s permit at DMV office when he handed the clerk his green card as proof of U.S residency she examined it saying “This is fake”.Life hasn’t been easiest since he has to lie and act like someone else in order to not get deported, he doesn’t have all the rights as a legal American citizen even though he works as hard as one.
There are those who choose to immigrate to the United States in hopes of leaving poverty and oppression behind in search of a better life in a country that does not welcome all with open arms. President Obama reminds those who are lucky enough to have born in this great country that, “For all the noise and anger that too often surrounds the immigration debate, America has nothing to fear from today’s immigrants. They have come here for the same reason that families have always come here–for the hope that in America, they could build a better life for themselves and their families. Like the waves of immigrants that came before them and the Hispanic Americans whose families have been here for generations, the recent arrival of Latino immigrants will only enrich our country,” (2013, para 22). One of the stories in the book Enrique’s Journey is that of a young mother, Lourdes and her inner strength to persevere through the obstacles life throws at her. She comes to the United States looking for a better future, and in the process leaves behind her two young children in
Other times,in trying to instill what is left of the Chinese heritage, the American way of life is blended in, but alas, "I wanted my children to have the best combination: American circumstances and Chinese character. How could I know these two do not mix?" (Tan 289). The characters of the novel, The Joy Luck Club, unravel the intricacies of combining a Chinese heritage with American circumstances and tell of the relationships between mothers and daughters. The strong bond, that is present amongst the characters, will infinitely outlast all obstacles. From each generation, all of the women "are like stairs, one step after another, going up and down, but all going the same way" (Tan 241). There are advantages and disadvantages to growing up with American circumstances, as well as learning and obtaining Chinese character, but one must be chosen over the other to be free. "I think about two faces. I think about my intentions. Which one is American? Which one is Chinese? Which one is better? If you show one, you must always sacrifice the other" (Tan 304).
In Amy Tan’s, “Two Kinds”, Amy demonstrates that the American dream may be far from reality. In the story Jing- mei endures many tests and trials forced upon her by her mother, Mrs. Woo. In the story, Mrs. Woo sets unreasonable expectations for her daughter; hoping that one day they too can live the American dream. Amy Tan suggests that it is best for a person to find their own identity and not have one unwillingly forced upon them, no matter the circumstance.
In an article by David Haugen and Susan Musser, published in 2011, it is stated that, “Obama detailed his vision of how the laws of the United States must operate to fix the broken system. He advocates a "path toward citizenship" for those noncriminal aliens living and working in the country.” Former President, Barrack Obama, defends that, although undocumented immigration is illegal and should be punishable, if the immigrant is working and playing a positive role in the economy, they should be given the feasibility of obtaining American citizenship. During his eight years of serving in office, Obama gained the support of many immigrants and worked toward making America a land of opportunity. Many will lean toward the perspective of Obama because a big population of the U.S. is made up of immigrants, mainly from the bordering country of Mexico. In the same article by David Haugen and Susan Musser, one of the most notable motives for immigration is discussed. The article mentions, “Mexican and Central American immigrants come to the United States because it offers the hope of economic opportunity and, perhaps, a chance to reunite with family members that have already established themselves in the country.” The act of moving to the United States, with or without documentation papers, can sometimes be the only way that a family can remain a union. The deportation of immigrants is a leading cause of broken
America was not everything the mothers had expected for their daughters. The mothers always wanted to give their daughters the feather to tell of their hardships, but they never could. They wanted to wait until the day that they could speak perfect American English. However, they never learned to speak their language, which prevented them from communicating with their daughters. All the mothers in The Joy Luck Club had so much hope for their daughters in America, but instead their lives ended up mirroring their mother’s life in China. All the relationships had many hardships because of miscommunication from their different cultures. As they grew older the children realized that their ...
This story is an allegory of life for many Chinese Americans. Many came to America for the opportunity to lead a better life. Entrepreneurship is a big part of that American dream. The Changs’ owning a pancake house represents so many of the Chinese people that own their own restaurants upon coming to America. Mr. Chang’s hesitance to Americanize and his idea that “to embrace what he embraced was love” also represents the views of many Chinese immigrants. Jen’s own parents maintained some of their own ideas of how she should live her life. They didn’t believe that writing was an honorable thing for a woman to do and didn’t support her in her decision until her picture and story was run on the front page of a Chinese newspaper and “their people” accepted it.