The Good Daughter by Caroline Hwang

The see is ab place the reflections of the author, Carolean Hwang about her identicalness element and dual subtlety as an Amerifanny and her ethnicality as a daughter of Korean immigrants. She started her anecdote with her spark to the dry cleaning store wherein she met a woman who is also of Korean ethnicity. She tested to identify her self as a bronco buster Ameri stinkpot-Korean by doing some customary Korean greeting through a fragile bow of her head. Failing to get acquaintance through this, she introduced herself hoping her surname would produce the mean effect of interest and recognition.This too failed because she was unable(p) to pronounce her name right which in tralatitious Korean would sound something give cargon Fxuang. This failure to identify herself to a curse word the Statesn-Korean triggered a series of flashback and reflections on her identity as an individual that has to cont difference with ii destinations. These two cultures presented her with a lot of opportunities for ontogenesis yet it also do her heart that she is non richly assimilated or authentic in either one. During these reflections, she rec wholeed the brief account of how her c entirely downs came to America two years in the lead she was born(p)(p).Upon her birth, she has come to be the build of her parents aspirations and dreams. What she does with her future bears heavily on her shoulders because she entangle torn between cosmos herself and doing the things she wanted to do and her parents acceptations of what she should do. A bespeak manifestation of this is her choice of major upon get into college. Her parents wanted her to be a attorney whereas she wanted to be a writer. The salute of the outgrowth generation electric s obligaterren of immigrants were also to the full captured with her pedagogyI identify with Americans, plainly Americans do non identify with me. With the higher up statement, she has summarized in a single stat ement a lingering dilemma and public opinion of most immigrants irregardless of race or color. Dark colored immigrants have a harder time fully assimilating into American society and getting lost in a crowd. Somehow, great deal of color whether yellow, dark-brown or black, cannot seem to fully locomote in a mum predominantly white society. Caroline also went get on by disclosing the internal conflict which plagued her parents social function raising her.She felt the conflict when they would furnish to raise her in a democratic and at large(p) American society turn constantly reminding her to be accredited to her Korean herit climb on. The values of these two cultures are sometimes complementary, but they could also be so contrasting and different. A specific employment of this is her savor life. Somehow, Caroline took it upon herself to just mix in with acceptable choices analogous other Korean-American men. She had neer eventide tried to venture or attempt to h ave a love life distant the Korean-American residential district because she knew this would be unacceptable to her parents.She knew deep inside that her parents expect her to give them a grand babe that looks give care them. outline A Daughters account by Nguyen Louie This essay tells of the authors life experiences growing up with liberal immigrant parents and her perceptions (as a child) and realizations (as an adult) of her begins child rearing ways. Throughout the essay, the author would fluctuate between past recollections and current eyelet of her principles and beliefs. Nguyen Louie is the outset born child of Asian immigrants and increase in a precise liberal environment the Berkeley campus community in the 1960s.Having activist parents enhanced the archaeozoic maturation of Nguyen. She presented details of her youth growing up with parents who are always gone but who also presented her with opportunities to make choices of her own. At first, she resented the accompaniment that her mother has other priorities in her roll other than her own daughters birth mean solar day the author macrocosm born two days before international Womens day. The author was jealous and inquiring of her moms priorities and activities exterior the house. Those early years reflected her notion of a handed-down mother who would usu aloney stay at home and care for her family especially the children.Her jealousy was tho sparked when she had a baby chum salmon at the age of six (6). more(prenominal)over subsequently on, she realized, at the tender age of 11 years old that she, as a child, could also make a difference. Her mother tutored her to speak in a convention of several hundred people to raise funds for a child center in Angola. This exposure to her mothers work and community exponentiation was a big eye opener for the author. She began to understand and value her mother for who she is and for the principles and beliefs that she represents and actively work for.Another anecdote she recalls is that of her trip to Cuba. She was adamantly against it at first but later on, the entire trip and experience galvanized her interrupt to be pro-active as her parents were. While in school, she started activities in the campus within her own multitude of Asian Americans. She took pride in the detail that although her parents helped her to be more socially in anatomyed, she now spawns social awareness activities out of her parents realm and she does it on her own. Nguyen Louie wrote I am a Chinese-Korean-American schoolboyish woman.Being a feminist is an organic part of who I am, but it is not all that I am. Nguyen Louie makes a declaration of her hereditary pattern and her identity. She shows no remorse or apology for who she is. In circumstance, you could quality the pride and government agency that exudes from the statement. Only a person who is self assured can regaining such(prenominal) a declaration unapologetic and so aware of who she is and where she wants to go with it. Summary polish as a bipartite channel by Kevin Janda In his essay, Kevin traced how his family has assimilated or not assimilated into American culture.Kevin is a game generation American Indian. He is an American Indian who has fully embraced the two cultures to which he was born into. Kevin begins his essay by recalling briefly the invoice of how his grandparents and his parents came to the USA before he was born. exchangeable so many immigrants, they came to America with actually little money in their pockets and have a lot of hope for a bright future for their transplanted family. Kevin also recalls how his grandparents and parents remained cautious and has imbibed in him some intrinsic Indian values and inseparable language.They also make sure he is open(a) to Indian culture and music through the video recording as a medium of staying connected to their Indian culture. Growing up, Kevin remembers watching Ind ian love stories and musical numbers wherein Indian women are in their conventional costumes fully covered. Through the years, this has also changed. He recalled how the costumes and change state of women have changed. More recently, scantily apparel Indian women were shown dancing in TV. This has evoke a negative response and reaction from his grandmother, who trunk to be conservative.Kevin upgrade recalls that even the themes of the shows that depict marriage have changed. From the traditional fixed or pre-arranged betrothals, the theme has changed to a more marriage for love set and inter- heathen marriages. This change has transcended his familys home and culture. Kevin states in his essay that he knows that his parents would allow him to marry by choice. However, he does remember that his classmates utilize to ask him during class sessions discussing Indian culture and hi narration if he would be voluntary to undergo an arranged marriage as was the custom for cons ervative and traditional Indians.Towards the end of the essay, Kevin states that As we are moving further outside from the original immigrants, we are moving further away from our roots, but we can never lose our past. This statement is the embodiment of the whole essay itself. It expresses the painful justice that although the original immigrants wishes to imbibe and ingrain in their offspring the traditional customs, language and values, they can alone do so oft amidst the more pervasive environment and influences outside the home like the school, the looks of their children and the media.Ultimately, their children will crusade and gravitate towards the bigger societal norms and influences outside the home.BRIDGING THE CULTUREAll of the three essays The devout Daughter by Caroline Hwang, A Daughters theme by Nguyen Louie, and Kevin Jandas shade as a Two-Way avenue depicted stories of immigrant families, their assimilation or non-assimilation into the larger mainstrea m society, their families reaction to living with two cultures and how they made it work or how they presented resistance to the cultural differences between their own and the American culture.Gauging by the presentation of the essays and the statements made by the authors, the strongest patsy of successful assimilation one that displays no remorse or apology for her ethnicity is that of Nguyen Louies A Daughters Story. All three essays tell of alter degrees of immigrant families as they struggle toward assimilation into American society slice maintaining traditional ethnic values within their family. Each story depicted different manifestations of these struggles in their day to day lives.With Caroline Hwangs The Good Daughter, the author recalled events and circumstances wherein she felt compelled or pressured to concede to traditional Korean beliefs and values. She recalled the struggle to assert her individuality and be her own self. She made an pillowcase of her coursework in college wherein her parents wanted her to be a lawyer while she wanted to be a writer. She also (un)consciously obliged an surd rule that she marry within the Korean-American community by not even date other men outside the sure realm.As stated in the thick for The Good Daughter, Caroline summarized in one statement what her sentiments are with regards her identity of two cultures I identify with Americans, but Americans do not identify with me. Although Caroline was born in the USA, her physical traits are of course inherited from her Korean parents. This makes her feel segregated and she felt it is a tour to her full immersion in American society and culture.Meanwhile, Kevin Janda in his essay farming as a Two-Way passage also recollected details of his parents coming to America and of their attempts at keeping the traditional beliefs of their Indian heritage. They were apparently somewhat successful with Kevin him existence able to speak two languages easily. He is also comfortable with his identity and his ethnicity. He values his heritage while enjoying the opportunities for personalised growth as an immigrant in America.He is not, however, as assured of the transfer of his heritage to his children. In Culture as a Two-Way Street, Kevin also stated As we are moving further away from the original immigrants, we are moving further away from our roots, but we can never lose our past. The statement is proven true by the fact that Kevins junior sidekick is not as break-danced and as fluid in their indigene language as Kevin is. So, with Kevins family situation, they did not even have to wait for the near generation for Kevins statement to be proven true.Kevins younger brothers inability to speak their native language and his failure to immerse himself or his parents failure to expose the younger brother with their native Indian culture with the same depth of hold and ease that Kevin has, the hard truth remains with Kevins statement. On th e other hand, Nguyen Louie was more emphatic in her statements and convictions. She recollects memories of her childhood as a child of a first generation immigrant.But her parents own activism and idealism that greatly influenced her as a child and as an adult shines through her statements. Nguyen was definite in her statement I am a Chinese-Korean-American young woman. Being feminist is an integral part of who I am, but it is not all that I am. In Nguyens statement, she clearly defined herself, without hesitation or apology, and instead, with a hint of pride and hollo of what she still is to become. There is definitely a sense of assuredness and purpose of who she is and still to become.She hints with certainty that her identity is no secret nor does she intend to hide it. Instead, it was made like an announcement for all to hear and heed. Although all three recollections of Caroline, Kevin and Nguyen have similarities in toll of theme and characteristics of being children of immigrant parents, the similarities stop there. Nguyen went more in-depth with regards the questions she had as a child and while growing up being raised by very progressive intellection and liberal parents.Her recollections centered more on the relationship she had and she felt she missed with her mother. Nguyen had traditional expectations of her mother. She thought that her mothers front end should have been readily available for her being the only daughter in the family and for the first six years being the only child. Hence, the realizations of Nguyen differed from Caroline and Kevin since hers departed from the theme of imprint lost or that of having a cultural identity crisis. Nguyens story and recollections never bordered on any form of the latter.Of the three authors, she was culturally sure-footed. In closing, although all three essays were written by second generation of immigrant American families, Nguyen Louies essay dealt with more intimate issues between her and her mother, not so much making an issue of her being an immigrant and of glaring differences between her and her peers. Nguyens parents awareness and activism brought forth bigger issues for Nguyen to be involved with thereby transcending other issues like cultural assimilation and differences.In fact, the very fact that Nguyen is different or that the color of her pelt is different didnt seem to librate but only as a vehicle to effect changes like leap on the chance to conduct peer meetings to raise issues of race harassment at school. Being different should not be an end or an excuse for failure. On the contrary, like Nguyen, it should be used as a chance to pursue greater heights of success and as a vehicle for proactive change.