Essay 1 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 14

1 - Essay Example More importantly, immigration had a significant impact on cultural identity for the Chinese family struggling to make a living in an American culture. Therefore, since this engaging story was systematically written by an immigrant, Tan, who uses her experiences and that of her mother to explain real life situations, makes this story a magnificent piece of writing. Globalization has merged the world into one small global village eliciting the need for accommodating cultural diversity. The case of Tan moving from a Chinese cultural background to an American culture provides a good example of cultural integration. Cultural background determines the language we speak, how we speak it as well as expectations from others. More importantly, cultural beliefs are best reflected through language as people communicate. For instance, whereas Tan may shake hands and bow down as a show of respect, an American might not understand the meaning. Moving into a new cultural territory, like Tan’s family did when they moved to America, presents a myriad of challenges not only cultural difference but in communication as well. In this story, Tan places an emphasis on the theme of alienation and discrimination, through focusing on the various prejudices that she and her mother went through as a result of language imperfection. For instance, Tan shows how her mother has for long been looked down due to the fact that she spoke â€Å"limited† or â€Å"simple† English, most of which quite ironically could be understood by most people (Tan 59). Moreover, Tan also shows how her mother is a victim of prejudice by explaining how doctors had presumably said that her CAT scan results could not be found. But later, when Tan arrives and talks in perfect English, the doctors admit that the scan results would be found and offers apologies for any sufferings that her mother had