Mariah Henson
Mrs. Love Hilliard
Multicultural Lit & Film
30 January 2017
Being Different Isn’t Easy
The clothes look great, English is good, personality is the best, shoes match the designer outfit, if only this was enough to fit in. All kids feel the need to be accepted by their peers and most will do almost anything to fit in at school. Cultural and family differences affect student’s self esteem when they are striving to feel accepted even when your look different from those around you. Through the years of growing up, finding a balance between having traditional American values and following your cultural religious beliefs is a life time journey. Peer pressure for kids in school has a significant impact on a student’s self-esteem …show more content…
A part of growing up and finding one's own self-acceptance is a long process. In “Fish Cheeks” the Chinese mother says “You want to be the same as American girls on the outside… But inside you must always be Chinese. You must be proud you are different.” (Tan 1). It is a parent’s desire for their children to be happy with the understanding they will embrace their culture and accept it is okay to be different. In Robert Lake’s essay “An Indian Father’s Plea,” Lake discusses how “he (Wind Wolf) is caught between two worlds, torn by two distinct cultural systems.” (Lake 1). When kids are young they don’t always see how important the family culture and heritage is to you because all kids want to do is avoid being judged. Parent's from other cultures don't always understand how difficult the adjustment is for their children in school. In the essay “I Want to Be Miss America,” the mother said "the grass always grows on the other side of the fence," (Alveraz) "her daughters looked fine just the way they were." (Alveraz) The four sisters could not trust her opinion, they felt they had to change their looks to fit in. Nobody wants to be the kid who is left out and not accepted. This is the kind of damage a young kid will never forget and will struggle to feel worthy and loved as who they are as they grow older. This is evident in the essay “I Want to Be Miss America” that after many years that they said " We had already acquired the habit of doubting ourselves as well as the place we came from." (Alvarez) After years of trying to be one of “those girls,” it just could not be possible and that sense of disappointment on how they looked carried on throughout their adult
Mrs. Love Hilliard
Multicultural Lit & Film
30 January 2017
Being Different Isn’t Easy
The clothes look great, English is good, personality is the best, shoes match the designer outfit, if only this was enough to fit in. All kids feel the need to be accepted by their peers and most will do almost anything to fit in at school. Cultural and family differences affect student’s self esteem when they are striving to feel accepted even when your look different from those around you. Through the years of growing up, finding a balance between having traditional American values and following your cultural religious beliefs is a life time journey. Peer pressure for kids in school has a significant impact on a student’s self-esteem …show more content…
A part of growing up and finding one's own self-acceptance is a long process. In “Fish Cheeks” the Chinese mother says “You want to be the same as American girls on the outside… But inside you must always be Chinese. You must be proud you are different.” (Tan 1). It is a parent’s desire for their children to be happy with the understanding they will embrace their culture and accept it is okay to be different. In Robert Lake’s essay “An Indian Father’s Plea,” Lake discusses how “he (Wind Wolf) is caught between two worlds, torn by two distinct cultural systems.” (Lake 1). When kids are young they don’t always see how important the family culture and heritage is to you because all kids want to do is avoid being judged. Parent's from other cultures don't always understand how difficult the adjustment is for their children in school. In the essay “I Want to Be Miss America,” the mother said "the grass always grows on the other side of the fence," (Alveraz) "her daughters looked fine just the way they were." (Alveraz) The four sisters could not trust her opinion, they felt they had to change their looks to fit in. Nobody wants to be the kid who is left out and not accepted. This is the kind of damage a young kid will never forget and will struggle to feel worthy and loved as who they are as they grow older. This is evident in the essay “I Want to Be Miss America” that after many years that they said " We had already acquired the habit of doubting ourselves as well as the place we came from." (Alvarez) After years of trying to be one of “those girls,” it just could not be possible and that sense of disappointment on how they looked carried on throughout their adult