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I just read a story called “The White Umbrella” written by Gish Jen. The question I am answering is this: Why did Asia throw her white umbrella down the sewer at the end of this story? Here are some of the reasons I think Asia threw her umbrella down the sewer. For example, in the story Asia receives a white umbrella that was given to her by her music teacher. When Asia got into the car after her piano lesson she hid the umbrella from her mom. I believe she did this because she didn’t want her mom to think she only cared about material things. Asia states that her mom would say, “Things all you want are things just like an American.” I think Asia didn’t want to upset her mom and her culture by showing her something Americans use. In addition,
I think Asia threw her umbrella down the sewer because she really loved her mother. Asia was even willing to lie about her mother just to make her look good. Asia knew that showing the umbrella to her mom would cause her mother more stress. Furthermore, I think Asia threw her umbrella down the sewer because she felt bad for wishing that her music teacher was her mom. Once Asia herd that her mom was working double shifts at stop and shop, I think she then felt bad. I think Asia realized how hard her mom was working and didn’t want to upset her by showing her the umbrella. I hope I was able to prove why I think Asia threw her umbrella down the sewer. This story wasn’t just about Asia throwing an umbrella down a sewer. It had a lot more meaning then that, and I hope I was able to prove that to you.
To begin with, immigrants who have settled in a country with new cultures and customs are often scared to lose their cultural values, not only for themselves but also for their family. They tend to hold on their artistic souls and customs when adapting to a new country. Mrs. Engkent hates everything about Canada, she feared losing her Chinese culture if she conformed to the “fan gwei” way (different countries culture). “If you are here long enough, they will turn your head until you don’t know who you are— Chinese” (Engkent, pg.144) Mrs. Engkent did everything in the Chinese way, she
She has never had to experience the idea of fitting in with her own culture. Being American is simply natural and a way of life for her. Traveling to another country, especially to one that was nothing like she expected it to be, helped to her stumble upon some important insights. She states being away from her own culture did not change her but made her able to realize what values and habits were the most important to her. In the other story, author Patricia was of Korean descent, but was born and raised here in America. Due to her Korean descent Patricia never really knew for sure where she belonged. She used a name to describe it, “hyphenated Americans,” because she looks like she is from another country but was born and raised here. People right on the streets of New York will ask her where she is from and compliment her on her good English skills. This makes it difficult to truly identify as an American. To really know what values and habits are her own. Traveling to Korea, visiting what they have called her homeland, taught Patricia some important insights of her own.
These stories taught that you should accept your culture and that people all over feel embarrassed by their culture. You should not be afraid to be how you are just to impress a boy like amy did in fish checks. Nor should you have to change the way you dress or look like the girls did in I Want To Be Miss America, or be classified as a slow learner just because you were taught a different way than other people. People should not be ashamed of their culture just because people do not understand it and think it is weird. You should be your self and if people can't accept that then it's their
Throughout Asian American literature there is a struggle between Asian women and their Asian American daughters. This is the case in The Joy Luck Club, written by Amy Tan and also in the short story "Waiting for Mr. Kim," written by Carol Roh-Spaulding. These two stories are very different, however they are similar in that they portray Asian women trying to get their American daughters to respect their Asian heritage. There are certain behaviors that Asian women are expected to have, and the mothers feel that their daughters should use these behaviors.
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 ...
At the beginning of their adventures, they were singing and praying toward Buddha to help them get through their days on the fields or as a maid (Otsuka, 2011, p. 28). As time passed they started to grow a desire to be like other women among the American community; such as, talk, dress, walk, and act like them. For the protection of their family and themselves, the women put their kimonos in the attic along with any other stuff that made them stand out for persecution (Otsuka, 2011, p. 54).Buddha continued to be removed from their lives especially among their children that slowly began to behave more like an American speaking English fluently, and less Japanese forgetting all their god and Japanese words. Otsuka stated that many of the children attended Buddhist church on Saturdays to avoid working in the fields or at the shops (Otsuka, 2011, p. 73). When the war began, the rumors spread of those who are Japanese were being taken from their beds in the middle of the night if suspected of being spies. This great fear of being viewed as a traitor led many people to burn many tokens that reminded them of the past; such as, pictures, clothes, Buddha, anything that tied them to people in Japan. They wanted to be recognized as true Americans and let the people know that they are Americans though their skin doesn’t send that message. However, despite their best
Some were as young as fourteen while some were mothers who were forced to leave their child behind in Japan, but for these women the sacrifice will be worth it once they get to San Francisco. Yet, the women desired a better life separate from their past, but brought things that represent their culture desiring to continue the Buddha traditions in America; such as, their kimonos, calligraphy brushes, rice paper, tiny brass Buddha, fox god, dolls from their childhood, paper fans, and etc. (Otsuka, 2011, p. 9) A part of them wanted a better life full of respect, not only toward males but also toward them, and away from the fields, but wanted to continue the old traditions from their home land. These hopes of a grand new life was shattered when the boat arrived to America for none of the husbands were recognizable to any of the women. The pictures were false personas of a life that didn’t really exist for these men, and the men were twenty years older than their picture. All their hopes were destroyed that some wanted to go home even before getting off the boat, while others kept their chins up holding onto their hope that maybe something good will come from this marriage and walked off the boat (Otsuka, 2011, p.
In the short story, "Two Kinds" by Amy Tan, a Chinese mother and daughter are at odds with each other. The mother pushes her daughter to become a prodigy, while the daughter (like most children with immigrant parents) seeks to find herself in a world that demands her Americanization. This is the theme of the story, conflicting values. In a society that values individuality, the daughter sought to be an individual, while her mother demanded she do what was suggested. This is a conflict within itself. The daughter must deal with an internal and external conflict. Internally, she struggles to find herself. Externally, she struggles with the burden of failing to meet her mother’s expectations. Being a first-generation Asian American, I have faced the same issues that the daughter has been through in the story.
In the essay " Rice for Thanksgiving " by Jocelyn Fong who is a full american, partial asian young girl is a young girl who admires her untraditional thanksgiving, and meaning. Fong loves thanksgiving, due to her Grand mothers special dish " Rice and Gravy " as said in the essay Her Grandmother always celebrated the American way, She even never got around to teaching Fong's father their native language. " I believe in rice and gravy, I am half Asian and completely American. " by Fong saying that, she completely accepts the mix she is by referring to the mix of food that is a tradition. You should celebrate holidays the way it makes you happy, with your very own culture regardless the fact if it is different.
Waverly’s mother captures this perfectly when Waverly asks about Chinese torture, “Chinese people do many things,’ she said simply. ‘Chinese people do business, do medicine, do painting. Not lazy like American people. We do torture. Best torture” (Amy Tan 2). Waverly’s mother explains that Chinese people do many fields of study. In her own opinion she states that the Americans are lazy, making the Chinese much better the stated fields. By her and the culture’s belief, the culture surrounding these skills is very prideful. Prideful in that they are the best of the best, without anyone to be beaten by. Waverly is enforced into thinking that they are the better of cultures compared to Americans, and she takes this into note but does not keep to it like her mother. This pridefulness is seen in my Filipino culture often. My family believes that the American culture comes second best to noone, however, they also believe that American culture is extremely wasteful and in-considerate of others. My mother has specifically stated that Filipinos are best when it comes to working hard-labor when she compares to American aspects. Unlike Waverly, since I associate more with American culture over time, I never considered the pride of my culture when it is compared other cultures; even feeling angry when the pride is valued over getting along. The pride of my
“Paper Menagerie,” by Ken Liu, is an emotional story of a selfish son and his interactions with his out-of-place mother, who had immigrated from Asia to be his father’s wife. Jack is a half-Chinese, half-American boy who lives in Connecticut. In the beginning of the story, he is very attached to his mother, but certain incidents with other kids make him want to be as distant as possible from his Chinese mom. He demands that his mom converts to being a “normal” white American mom and that he and his family should give up all Asian customs. This beautiful story shows that selfishly basing your actions on the need to fit in can harm yourself and others.
Gifts of Rain Seamus Heaney's poem Gifts of Rain is divided into 4 sections. These 4 sections could symbolise the stages of life which consists of birth. childhood, adulthood and death. It could also symbolise the stages of the river in which it suggests the development of the river from its. source to where it gets strong.
It is most difficult to adapt to a culture when one is forcd to live there, verses when one is only visiting. Visiting a foreign country can come as a culture shocked to many people. In most cases the culture gaps are either accepted or looked down upon, because certain people do not accept such different ways of living. It is difficult to accept a culture that an individual did not grow up in, because he or she has different views about what is socially acceptable. A custom affects the lives of each and every person differently. One’s culture is what defines who one is and how he/she lives. In the memoir Iron & Silk the author Mark Salzman describes his adventure in Hunan Province of Southern Central China, where he teaches English in the Hunan Medical College and learns martial arts. Salzman experiences a culture gap through out his visit, he encounters situations where he admires the difference and where he is also left speechless by it. Coming from America, Salzman was not exposed to any type of Asian culture except for the literature he read, and so he was shocked, surprised and stunned by the Chinese customs.
Her cultural capital can influence things she buys such as her Mercedez Benz; America has placed value heavily on cars which the "culture industry" realizes. Class reproduction can be continued through these actions. This can essentially be a part of national culture. Her situation was not too severe but nowadays there are lots of issues and culture wars that could have aggravated the circumstance. However, nowadays people are pushing for multiculturalism despite the ethnocentrism present which has been done in the past through public spheres. Public spheres sometimes are hard to succeed due to cunterpublics however networked public, such as Twiter, are widespread now . That is why sociologists stress the importance of cultural relativism. The idea of things simple as nationalism can be taken to an intense level which causes problems within the community. Culture impacts identity heavily so people are very protective of their tastes and
The story “Two Kinds” is based on a mother/daughter relationship told by the daughter in first person narrative. As seen through the daughter’s eyes the relationship is strained due to different views caused by a generation gap, different beliefs and cultures. The mother was born and raised in China and Ni Kan was raised in China town after her mother migrated to America in 1949. When her mother left China, she had to leave behind her parents, husband and twin daughters and through it all remained certain that America would provide her with opportunity’s that she didn’t have before. “But she never looked back with regret. There were so many ways for things to get better.” (pg. 821)