Culture is something everyone learns and develops. Your background, expectations, and the effect America may have, all heavily affect our cultures. Your family and friends might share certain aspects of your culture, but each person perceives it differently. Culture guides you by giving you a backbone to form your life. Culture profoundly affects someone's perspective on the world.
In the personal essay, “Two Ways to Belong in America” by Bharati Mukherjee, it describes the way America can affect another backgrounds culture. The essay talks about two sisters who move to America and take on completely different lifestyles. Bharati takes on the American culture of wearing blue jeans and t-shirts, marrying a man from North Dakota, and accepting American citizenship. Her sister Mira, on the other hand keeps her Indian roots while in America. She still wears the traditional sari, married an Indian student, and didn’t accept America's view on immigrants. Mira didn’t like all the new
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Someone who may have big expectations for you can be your parent, which Amy explains in this story. Jing-Mei’s mother came over to America from China. Jing-Mei was raised in America, and her mother loved the opportunities it offered. “My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America.” (Tan 18.) Her mother was persistent. She wanted her daughter to be a prodigy. “The tests got harder and harder.” (Tan 19.) The pressure that formed from these expectations caused Jing -Mei to rebel from her mother’s wishes. She wasn’t very nice to her mom and became defiant. She came to the conclusion, “I won’t be what I’m not.” (Tan 19) Jing-Mei broke free from her mother and her wishes. This formed her future and outlook on who she wanted to be. The effect of her mother’s culture made her mom expect a lot, which in return affected Jing-Mei’s outlook on the