Two Ways to Belong in America by Bharati Mukherjee
Bharati and Mira,
two sisters, who are furious about immigration restrictions: kept
their Indian background, got married in their community, limiting and
reserved, desires to return to India after retiring, wearing customary saris,
gave off their Indian ancestry to become Americans, eloped outside of her
culture, adventurous, open-minded and wears t-shirts and normal blue jeans to
dress.
Structure through
Vocabulary and Sentences Types
The only things that
set her apart from the millions of hardworking but successfully quiet
documented immigrants as well as their less fortunate "illegal"
brothers and sisters are her fluency in English and the rage, rather than fear,
born of confidence from her education. Before presenting the verb, Mukherjee
lengthens her phrase by including the attributes and characteristics of her sister.
Mukherjee frequently utilizes short sentences, but he gives them more depth by
introducing prepositional and appositive words to establish a regular pattern.
Mukherjee uses bitter and sympathetic tones. She combines these tones to
express her conflicted feelings against both the immigration laws and her
sister.
Purpose: The author of this essay argues
against the reduction of immigrant rights.
Tone: Bharati says, “I think we felt
sorry for each other. She is to blame for my life's lack of structure, the loss
of my Indian identity, and the absence of a constant daily routine. In this
chapter, Mukherjee demonstrates sympathy and empathy as both sisters feel sorry
for one another's outlook on life.”
Structure: Mukherjee uses multiple parallel
structures to highlight her dismay at the government's deception. For the
duration of their active years, they have remained entrenched in a single
career, one city, one home, one ancestral culture, and one cuisine.
Background/Comparative
Aspects: She
contrasts herself with her sister Mira, pointing out disparities in accent,
clothing preferences, and viewpoints on American immigration laws. The author
deliberately used a nasty description of her sister, yet she ultimately felt
sympathy for her. She expressed pity by saying that her sister preferred to
keep her culture intact rather than change it in reaction to Congress.