'Names/Nombres And Amir'

“Names/Nombres” and “Amir”

Adjusting to environment can be difficult. So, you must improvise, adapt, overcome. This is shown in the short story “Names/Nombres” by Julia Alvarez and the story “Amir” by Paul Fleischman. The two stories each show that it can be tough to live in a new area. Many difficulties come with living in new locations. In “Amir,” on page 119, it says “The object in America is to avoid contact, to treat all as foes unless they’re known to be friends.” This shows that Amir is not fond of or used to the way Americans treat each other, whereas in his native country of India, they treat all as friends unless they’re known to be foes, which is the exact opposite. This story shows that American culture can be difficult for foreigners to adapt to.

This is proved to be the case in “Names/Nombres.” On page 496, it says “I, her namesake, was known as Hoo-lee-tah at home. But at school, I was Judy or Judith, and an English teacher once mistook me for Juliet. This shows that she wasn’t used to her new names, because they never called her by her true name. This evidence supports the fact that new environments can be tough to live in. Adapting to a new culture can be a struggle. On page 121 of “Amir,” it says, “She’d gotten quite angry and called me—despite her own accent—a dirty foreigner,” referring to a prejudiced citizen. This proves that it can be difficult when you’re different and still adjusting to a new lifestyle, and sometimes it can come with consequences, like being yelled at or treated differently. One of the hardest things in life is not being familiar with the location you live in. This is shown on page 500 of “Names/Nombres.” On this page, it says, “…but I burned with shame whenever they singled me out as a foreigner, a rare, exotic friend.” This shows that she doesn’t like being treated differently because of heritage, showing yet another difficulty when it comes to adjusting to new