A Journey Across The World Physically And Economically Essays Example

Institutional Afilliation

The article I chose is “Facing Poverty With a Rich Girl’s Habits” written by Suki Kim. The article is a discussion of Suki’s immigration into the United States. The purpose is to discuss her transition from a wealthy lifestyle in a country where she spoke the native language, Korea, to a lifestyle of struggle where she did not know the native language, America. Kim’s genre here can go into an autobiographical account as to what happened through this transition. The audience appears to be a wide variety of people. Kim can either be focusing on immigrants who are going through the same, or those who are not going through the same, but may know or recognize someone who is. The tone is melancholy and a tone of explanation. It is apparent the author, Kim, wants us to understand her struggle and relate to her difficulty fitting into the new society.
My emotional response was much different than expected when I read the title and seeing the length of the article. I was surprised to see that so much emotion and so many feelings can be input into such a brief article. I felt for the author as she was describing her struggles, and attempted to place myself in her shoes. The writer was literally in a position in Korea where she was not only on top of the world economically, but also knew the area and the language efficiently and masterfully. Learning about the author’s first playmates was also something that played to me emotionally, “Their sons, Andy and Billy, became my first playmates in America, though playmate was a loose term, largely because they spoke English and I didn't” (Kim p. 1). It is very difficult for me to imagine attempting to fit into a new society and the first people that I became close with did not even speak the language I did. The author chose to place this line in the beginning of her article which I believe appealed to the emotions of a reader and wanted me to continue on quickly, as I knew struggle would ensue, and hopefully prevalence.
This article not only discusses the transition for immigrants from one country to another, but also the economic struggles for someone who is coming from a higher standard of living. By reading this article I see that it is not simple to assimilate into a new society, learning that there are even differences among the immigration class itself. I feel for the author when reading this piece, and look at some of the advantages and disadvantages people have when entering or living in certain societies.

References

Kim, Suki.(2004). Facing Poverty With a Rich Girl’s Habits.