Two Ways to Belong in America: Bharati Mukharjee BBS 1st Year Patterns for College Writing

 

 Two Ways to Belong in America: Bharati Mukherjee (page 212)

About the Essayist

Born in 1940 in Calcutta, India, novelist Bharati Mukherjee immigrated to the United States in 1961 and earned an M.F.A. and a Ph.D. in literature. Her fiction often explores the tensions between the traditional role of women in Indian society and their very different roles in the United States. It was written to address a movement in Congress to take away government benefits from resident aliens (foreigners).

The Main Theme of the Essay

The essay 'Two Ways to Belong in America' is about the issues that oppose all immigrants in America.  In America, it is a common misconception that all foreigners are similar; it is believed that they all have similar dreams and each of them ends up chasing after the same jobs. However, not only do immigrants from different countries hold different dreams, but those with a shared background even have varying hopes and dreams for the future. This is evidenced in Bharati Mukherjee’s essay. She utilizes several rhetorical strategies in order to show that immigrants have the ability to be assimilated (adapted) into the American culture, but that they should not be exiled if they choose not to follow said culture.

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Analysis of the Essay ‘Two Ways to Belong in America’

In Two Ways to Belong in America, Bharati Mukherjee talks about two sisters (Mukherjee and her sister Mira) who moved to the United States in the 1960s. They hope to pursue their dreams and achieve their goals with college and further education. Bharati and Mira had similarities in appearance and religious beliefs, but their lives ended up going down different paths. They had planned to go back to India after their education to marry the men their father had chosen for them. However, they did not go as planned. Bharati married a Canadian American man and became an American Citizen, despite the culture she was born into.

On the other hand, Mira married an Indian man and obtained her green card. Over the years, both sisters have adapted to America in different ways and have formed different beliefs based on their experiences. Mira wants to maintain her Indian identity. She believes that the immigration laws should only apply to those who go to America after the rules have been implemented. In outrage, she tells her sister, “If America wants to play the cunning game, I’ll play it too”. By getting a temporary American identity, she proves that she is willing to play the game that America has thrown her way. This will only be for the time she stays in America; she loves her country and will eventually criticize American citizenship and go back home. Unlike her sister, Bharati has adapted to the American community and feels like a part of it.

She compares the situation in America to the one that she faced in Canada, where the government turned against the immigrants. Therefore, through her experience in Canada, she understands the betrayal her sister feels; that is why she has already acquired American Citizenship. Regardless of the immigration struggles both sisters went through, they remained close and they did not let their divergent thoughts get in the way of their relationship. Both sisters know that they have sacrificed their beliefs and values to be where they are and hope others will not have to go through what they have experienced. This essay shows the parallelism between what different immigrants think of moving to the United States from their home country. Some hold the change and are excited to adopt new cultures, while others are scared and wish to hang on to their culture.  Mukherjee Adopted the American culture and she says “America spoke to me – I married it” while her sister Mira argues “some kind of irrational attachment to India that I don’t to America”.

According to Mukherjee, Mira is a pleasant well-educated woman who has deliberately not adopted the American culture, despite the posed requirements on immigrants. She states that her sister is “professionally generous and creative, socially courteous and gracious. She is here to maintain an identity, not to transform it.” Mira felt the American Dream, she remained true to what she was and never lost her Indian background. The author presents the struggles faced by immigrants in their quest for the American Dream. The tone of the essay is reflective and sympathetic while the style adopted is an anecdote (personal). Mukherjee reflects on her life and compares it to the sisters through a persuasive voice. The essay structure shows the emotional development of Mira.

Bharati writes about how they have kept good relations though they differ very much. Then she shows what each sister thinks of the other in their heart.  This comes after she describes how Mira was angry after she knew about the anti-immigration bill. There are two ways to belong in America. The first means that you either have a green card or be a citizen. Another way is to fit in with society and to feel as if you belong. But to belong to America also requires to be able to live an independent life.      

Comprehension

1.     At first, how long did Mukherjee and her sister intend to stay in America? Why did they change their plans?

At first, they planned to spend 2 years in the USA, then get a degree, come back to India and get married to the man chosen by their father. But later their plan changed. Bharati got married to an American man beyond her family’s approval and her sister Mira got married to an Indian in the USA and started working and living there.

2.     What does Mukherjee mean when she says she welcomed the “emotional strain” of “marrying outside [her] ethnic community”?

Our writer, Bharati Mukherjee got married to an American of Canadian parentage. This marriage was against her parents’ wishes. So for getting married to an outsider, she and her husband were not accepted, not welcomed. So she said she welcomed “emotional strain”- mental and emotional tension.

3.     In what ways is Mukherjee different from her sister? What kind of relationship do they have?

The writer says that she (Bharati Mukherjee) and her sister (Mira), who has lived in the USA for about 35 years, were similarly minded sisters in the beginning. They used to give an identical view on politics, social issues, love and marriage. They were identical in looks and used to wear the same dress sari. However, the similar-minded sisters heavily diverged over the issue of the new rule (but failed to implement it later on) for resident aliens. Bharati Mukherjee holds a neutral view on this new rule because she is already an American citizen but her sister Mira is annoyed with the new rules. She feels that she is used.

4.     Why does Mukherjee’s sister feel used? Why does she say that America has “changed its rules in midstream”?

Mira Mukherjee, the sister of Bharati Mukherjee has been living in the USA for 35 years. She has become nationally recognized for her contributions in the fields of preschool education and parent-teacher relationships. She is a resident alien. Resident alien means a legal permanent resident who lives in the USA legally, sometimes for their whole lives but does not apply for citizenship. Most of them work and pay taxes like any citizen.

In 1996, the American Congress (like the parliament of Nepal) drafted a new rule denying government benefits, such as social security. At this point, Mukherjee's sister feels that she is used and she is manipulated. She is allowed to live in America due to her talent. She has obeyed all the rules and paid taxes as well. She has spent her more creative year in the betterment of the American preschool system. So while the American Congress drafted the new rule against people like Mukherjee, she felt used. According to her if the USA want to implement these new rules, they should be applied to newcomers, not to ones who are already in the USA.

5.     According to Mukherjee, how is her sister like all immigrants who “have stayed rooted in one job, one city, one house, one ancestral culture, one cuisine for the entirety of their productive years”?   

Her sister Mira has been living in the USA for 35 years. She has been working in the field of preschool and parent-teacher relationships. In her words, she is there in the USA because of her “talent”. But she never tried to get permanent residency in the USA. She planned to return to India finally. When her sister Bharati Mukherjee married an American and became a permanent citizen of the US, Mira was still attached to her indianess, her culture and her toot.

6.     Is this essay a point-by-point or a subject-by-subject comparison? Why do you think Mukherjee chose the strategy she did?

This essay is a good example of a point-by-point comparison essay. The writer has made a point-by-point comparison of both sisters on the issue of new rules against resident aliens. Her sister Mira is a resident alien. Resident alien means a legal permanent resident who lives in the USA legally, sometimes for their whole lives but does not apply for citizenship. Most of them work and pay taxes like any citizen. In 1996, the American Congress (like the parliament of Nepal) drafted a new rule denying government benefits, such as social security. At this point, Mukherjee's sister (Mira) feels that she is used and she is handled. She is allowed to live in America due to her talent. She has obeyed all the rules and paid taxes as well. She has spent her more creative year in the betterment of the American preschool system. So while the American Congress drafted the new rule against people like Mukherjee, she felt used. When Mira Mukherjee is heavily touched by this new move of Congress, her sister Bharati is just silent. When Mira feels she is used and manipulated, Bharati doesn’t, Next, when Bharati was married to an American, Mira married an Indian. When Bharati is already a permanent American citizen, Mira is still Indian and wants to return to India in a couple of years. This point-by-point comparison is suitable for a more complicated issue. A reader can follow comparisons and contrasts more easily. So the writer has used this strategy in this essay.  

Purpose and Audience

1.     What is Mukherjee's thesis? At what point does she state it?

Mukherjee's thesis is that experiences as an immigrant in America can differ greatly from one person to another. She states her thesis most explicitly in paragraph 11, when she writes, "In one family, from two sisters alike as peas in a pod, there could not be a wider divergence of the immigrant experience."

2.     At whom is Mukherjee aiming her remarks? Immigrants like herself? Immigrants like her sister? General readers? Explain.

Mukherjee's remarks are probably directed at other immigrants like herself; though she initially comes off as a bit harsh on her sister, she seems to understand her sister's decisions more by the end of the essay. Her journey toward a better understanding of the validity of resisting citizenship may offer helpful insights for others who hold the same views as Mukherjee did.

3.     What is Mukherjee's purpose? Is she trying to inform? To move readers to action? To accomplish something else? Explain.

Mukherjee's purpose is to inform; she likely wants her audience to reconsider their perspective on immigration. She wants the reader to recognize that there is not just one universal immigrant experience and that each immigrant's motives and values are going to be different, even for those from such similar backgrounds as Mukherjee and her sister.

Style and Audience

1.     What basis for comparison exists between Mukherjee and her sister? Where in the essay does Mukherjee establish this basis?

The basis of comparison for the two is established immediately in the essay; both sisters have lived in the US for the same amount of time. She goes on in the following paragraphs to describe more similarities; both sisters planned to stay for only 2 years but stayed long after they each got married and started living in the US.  

2.     Do you think Mukherjee should have used cause and effect to structure a section explaining why she and her sister are so different? Explain what such a section would add to or take away from the essay.

A cause-and-effect section could add some interesting insight into what factors led to the two sisters holding such conflicting values. The essay does not indicate how far back the two sisters' differing views go; it would be interesting to see if their values were at odds before coming to the US or if something happened while they were living in America to spark this.

3.     What points does Mukherjee discuss for each subject? Should she have discussed any other points?

The points Mukherjee discusses include each sister's marriage, each sister's views on her Indian heritage, whether or not to become an American citizen, and the choice to embrace American culture. These points are sufficient, especially since the author often goes back to reconsider these points throughout the essay as she recalls how her views have shifted over time with the country's changing views on immigration.

4.     What transitional words and phrases does Mukherjee use to signal shifts from one point to another?

The transitional words and phrases Mukherjee uses include: "Instead," "...we never said what was really on our minds, but we probably pitied one another," "I realize," and "Nearly 20 years ago."

5.     How effective is Mukherjee’s conclusion? Does it summarize the essay’s major points? Would another strategy be more effective?

Mukherjee’s conclusion is very effective as it simply summarizes the essay’s major points. I don’t think other strategies would be more effective.

 

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