“Many immigrants and refugees have endured significant hardships in their native countries, including poverty, war trauma, persecution and rape," says clinical psychologist Dennis Hunt. "But few may have anticipated the stress on their families that was waiting for them in the United States. This adage can be proven true due to the fact that –having come from foreign area- traditions and perspectives may contrast greatly compared to the natives. Due to this, being accepted into society in multiple aspects of life may prove difficult for most immigrants considering their unfamiliarity in the lifestyle of their adopted home. This may cause numerous obstacles to appear in their life that they may have great difficulty overcoming/adjusting …show more content…
They quickly adjust to this, and states in line 44-45 on page 4 that ‘She phones a lot from America, and Mama admitted that she sounded …show more content…
Most immigrants arrive in a new country not knowing a trace of the native language, consequently causing communication problems as well as lack of job opportunities. This is emphasized in the stories of Bonne Annee as well as The Latehomecomer, in which either the author themselves or their families are incapable of speaking a certain language. In the story of Bonne Annee, it is shown that the author is incapable of speaking his elder’s language, describing it as a ‘mystery’. This may prove it more difficult for the author to communicate with his family, while in the story of The Latehomecomer, it is shown that the author’s family lacks English speaking skills which is necessary for them to learn in order to pass a citizenship test. Their grandmother, however, is at the biggest disadvantage, not knowing even enough English to ‘prove her loyalty to pledge, “I would fight for America if it were ever in danger.”’ as described in lines 273-274 on page 60. However, the stories of My Favorite Chaperone and A Place To Call Home describe how immigrants manage to either adjust to or overcome this problem. In My Favorite Chaperone, it describes how the main character and her brother –Maya and Nurzhan- manage to get through this by taking ESL classes –a program used to improve a person’s level of English. They also translate for their parents when needed as shown on page 11where Maya translated what Mr.