Two Ways to Belong in America

 

Two Ways to Belong in America 

                                               - Bharati Mukherjee

Summary
"Two Ways to Belong in America" tells the story of an Indian woman and her sister immigrating to the United States. Their plan was to stay in America for two years, earn their degrees, then return home to India to marry grooms chosen by their father. However, things did not go as planned. The sister, Mira, who studied to become a teacher, married an Indian man earning his business degree and has remained in the states for years, though she wishes to return to India to retire. The author, Bharati Mukherjee, married an American-Canadian man and has lived in every part of North America. She celebrates the word "mongrelization", a term used to describe the subjects of the books she writes. Though Mukherjee and her sister are still close, they both have diverging opinions on the topic of Americanization and what it means to be an American. Mukherjee's sister feels that she is still attached to India in an indescribable way that she does not feel for America. Mukherjee, however, embraces jeans and the variety of music American has to offer.

This story shows the parallelism between what different immigrants think of moving to the United States from their home country. Some embrace the change and are excited to adopt new cultures, while others are scared and wish to hang on to their culture. However, there are also a few who do not know where they belong; they have embraced enough American culture, but still have some connection to their home culture as well. To Mukherjee, she needs to "put roots down, to vote and make the difference that she can. The price that the immigrant willingly pays, and that the exile avoids, is the trauma of self-transformation." She believes that she needs to, metaphorically, plant her feet on the ground, and find her true

Question & Answers

Two Ways to Belong in America

A. Comprehensive:

Q.1. At first, how long did Mukherjee and her sister intend to stay in America?

ANSWER : They only intended to stay two years, just to finish their degrees, then they were going to return back to India to marry the men their dad had chosen.

Q.2. What does Mukherjee mean when she says she welcomed the "emotional strain" of "marrying outside her ethnic community?

ANSWER: I think she meant that not only was she prepared for this strain, but welcoming it because it was for a cause stronger than any strain could pull apart.

 

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

ANSWER : Mira is more aggressive with her politics, feeling forced to become a U.S. citizen through laws made by Gore, but her sister loved and embraced America, as much as her own country maybe. Mira was enraged to hear she'd have to become a U.S. citizen to stay legal.

Q.4. Why does Mukherjee's sister feel used? Why does she think America has changed "its rules in midstream"?

ANSWER : This is due to Gore's "Citizenship U.S.A. drive". Her employer went to the I.N.S. and petitioned for a labor certification, after thirty years of loyal and progressive work. When she says "changed it's rules midstream", she means that the new laws for immigration should only apply to new immigrants, not all of them.

Q.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"?

ANSWER : She means that, in a certain sense, she's a bit stubborn. She's not willing to change anything about her lifestyle to adapt to the new "rules" set by the government, and that her sister is one of many who have the same beliefs.

 

 

B.Purpose and Audience :

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

ANSWER : 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 immigrant experience."

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

ANSWER : 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.

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

ANSWER : Mukherjee's purpose is to inform; she likely wants her audience to reconsider their own 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.

C. Style and Audience :

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

ANSWER : 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 longer after they each got married and started lives in the US.

Q.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.

ANSWER : 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.

 

 

 

 

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

ANSWER : 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 cuIture. 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.

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

ANSWER : 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."