...Week 3 Assignment 1.1 \\Eng 115 The author of the essay “Facing Poverty with a Rich Girl’s Habits” is Suki Kim. In the essay, Kim wants to explain her struggles. The essay discusses the struggles she had as a child being in the 7th grade and moving from South Korea to Queens, NY. She went from being rich to being poor basically overnight. Her world as she knew it was changed in an instant. Her father went from being a billionaire to having nothing. Her main purpose is to describe what she faced while trying to adapt to different beliefs and cultures. Kim talks about her life going to a new school where everyone spoke English. She noticed that even Korean American kids avoided her. She had not realized there was much diversity within an immigrant group. There was definitely a separation between the groups. Being a teenager, she was “already rooted in Korean ways and language”. Her soul was not quite American although on paper that is what she was considered. She would rather use her Hello Kitty backpack instead of one that had pictures of the Menudo boys who were popular in the 80’s. She was upset that her parents would not allow her to pierce her ears. Most girls her age had their pierced. It sounds like she struggled to fit in and still keep her Korean culture Her lifestyle changed tremendously. She went from having a chauffer to taking public transportation. She had to get used to being called an Asian when she had only heard that term in school in...
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...Essay summary: Suki Kim’s “Facing Poverty with a Rich Girls Habits” Facing Poverty with a Rich Girls Habits is an insightful essay published in New York by the author Suki Kim. In this essay, she shares various challenges that she had to overcome in order to adapt to a new life of poverty and cultural diversity in New York after leaving behind her affluent and luxurious life in South Korea. This article discusses the author’s point of view as 13-year-old Korean immigrant who moved to United States out of desperation and financial tragedy rather than in search of a better life. The author’s main idea in this essay is to convey the message that the foundation of divided immigrant groups, cultural differences and generation gap are so deeply rooted even in the United States that it is impossible to eradicate them from the mindset of people. The author emphasizes on the fact that her wealthy and sheltered background in Korea created confusion. Thus, making it difficult for her to identify with people’s perception of her race in America “One new fact that took more time to absorb was that I was now Asian, a term that I had heard mentioned only in social studies class”, stated author Suki Kim in her article. She continued, “In Korea, yellow was the color of the forsythia that bloomed every spring along the fence that separated our estate from the houses down the hill. I certainly never thought of my skin as being the same shade.” The author struggled to accept the fact that...
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...Korea had jail time behind it, something that her father didn’t want to go through or put his family through. So they left Korea in the ‘80’s and moved to Woodside, Queens in New York. To what Suki says was an “ugly house” that a Korean family owned that ran a dry cleaners. Their sons, Billy and Andy became her playmates. Suki was picked on from the other Korean children both at home and in school. She felt out of place. Therefore the other students didn’t want anything to do with her kind. They were Koreans, but not Korean American. They would call her FOB, “fresh out the boat,” or “yellow.” Funny because they didn’t arrive in a boat, they flew here in an airplane. Even the rich Koreans that left there and came here moved to Manhattan or Westchester. The children were ashamed of her and her kind. In order for her to learn English, she would watch reruns of “Three’s Company.” “Immigration is meant to be the great equalizer, yet it is not easy to eradicate the class divisions of the old country.” (para. 7 pg. 63) Suki says that, “more brutal than learning English was facing poverty with a rich girl’s habits and memory.” (para. 11, pg. 63) Summary of Facing Poverty with a Rich Girls Habits Assignment 1.1 Summary and Personal Response – Draft Version October 25, 2013 Facing Poverty with a Rich Girl’s Habits by Suki Kim The author of “Facing Poverty with a Rich Girl’s Habits” is Suki...
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...Summary and Personal Response Professor D. Ogden, Ph.D. English 115 Jeremy Hardison April, 13, 2015 In the essay “Facing Poverty with a Rich Girl’s Habits,” author Suki Kim describes how her lifestyle as a wealthy child of a millionaire changed overnight. Due to bankruptcy her father lost everything and being that in Korea bankruptcy is a crime punishable by jail time, her family fled to America. They lived in Queens, New York where they rented a home from another Korean family as she describes queens as “the wild west” (62). An interesting focal in her essay is when she explains her first English word she learned in junior high school which was “F.O.B., short for fresh of the boat” (62). She could not grasp the understanding to why the other kids referred to her that way when her family had flown from Korea to America. She also learned that she was “Asian” and found it to be very offensive because the skin reminded her of the Forsythia flowers that characterized the lower class when she was in Korea. Another interesting key point Kim describes is taking public transportation for her very first time. This was an important moment she defines as she was used to being chauffeured. Without the use of maids she had when her family was rich, she noticed things became seriously messy around the house, and found it to be humiliating to take their dirty clothes to the laundromat. This was a challenge for her because she was accustomed to her princess lifestyle of servants for...
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...She went from being rich to being poor basically overnight. Her world as she knew it was changed in an instant. Her father went from being a billionaire to having nothing. Her main purpose is to describe what she faced while trying to adapt to different beliefs and cultures. Kim talks about her life going to a new school where everyone spoke English. She noticed that even Korean American kids avoided her. She had not realized there was much diversity within an immigrant group. There was definitely a separation between the groups. Being a teenager, she was “already rooted in Korean ways and language”. Her soul was not quite American although on paper that is what she was considered. She would rather use her Hello Kitty backpack instead of one that had pictures of the Menudo boys who were popular in the 80’s. She was upset that her parents would not allow her to pierce her ears. Most girls her age had their pierced. It sounds like she struggled to fit in and still keep her Korean culture Her lifestyle changed tremendously. She went from having a chauffer to taking public transportation. She had to get used to being called an Asian when she had only heard that term in school in South Korea. She no longer had a maid. She had to take her clothes to a Laundromat to wash them. In South Korea, she had a governess helping her with her homework. She now had to do homework by herself. The purpose is to describe what her journey was like coming...
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...At the University of Michigan Medical School, we are committed to building a superb educational community with students of diverse talents, experiences, opinions, and backgrounds. What would you as an individual bring to our medical school community? Being Asian in the racially homogenous community of [small town], it was clear: I did not belong. When my father moved to South Korea after my 8th grade year, I was excited to spend summers there. I would finally belong. I was wrong. My excellent Korean language skills let me feign native status but my American mannerisms betrayed me. To Koreans, I was just American. At [university], a diverse community, I sought out Korean-Americans. But they questioned whether I truly understood the Asian-American experience due to my [predominantly white state] upbringing. To them, I was white. While these cultural rejections from my various communities were painful, I learned to recognize individuals as unique entities despite shared identity markers such as race. I vowed to always see the whole person; not just her external stereotypes. I have stayed true to this promise as a teacher in [New York City] and have seen the rewards in the form of fruitful relationships. I will continue to do the same with my patients. My struggles to belong taught me to work easily with a variety of people by adjusting my perspectives without sacrificing my values, and listening carefully to others. I built my own sense of belonging, which was more than my...
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...Journal of International Business and Cultural Studies When East and West Meet, Page 1 When East and West Meet: An Essay on the Importance of Cultural Understanding in Global Business Practice and Education S. J. Chang Illinois State University ABSTRACT As today’s business decisions and choices are increasingly influenced by the diverse cultural backgrounds and perspectives of various corporate stakeholders, it is critical for business managers to have multicultural understanding. This motivates us to refine our business perspectives and approaches in global arena as well as our educational philosophies on global business management. Based on casual yet experiential discussions, this essay presents some cohesive points on comparative cultural understanding and business implications thereof between the “West” and the “East,” which is presupposed by the cultural contrasts between America and Korea. It can hopefully serve as a practically meaningful guideline for business practice and education on multiculturalism. Keywords: multiculturalism, global business management, comparative cultural understanding Journal of International Business and Cultural Studies When East and West Meet, Page 2 INTRODUCTION Thanks to the rapid and continuous expansion of large global businesses, today people, capital, information, and technology travel more freely, rapidly, and widely than ever. The everexpanding scope and scale of large global firms over the recent decades have...
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...the nation that best educates its citizens” stated President Barak Obama in early 2009 as he delivered a speech to fellow Americans on a new education plan in which he praised and applauded the Republic of South Korea’s education system (Quaid Paragraph 4). Obama expressed his aspiration to lengthen school hours and school days for students across the nation by stating that “if they can do that in South Korea, we can do it right here in the United States of America” (Quaid Paragraph 26). However, thousands of miles away in South Korea, citizens were flabbergasted. Individuals spoke up as cartoon artists for Chosun Ilbo voiced their opinions by illustrating two Korean students advising President Obama’s children to ignore everything their father has said about South Korea’s education system. Currently in the United States, approximately 25% of Americans do not graduate high school. While the remaining 75% do graduate with a diploma, on average 30% of them do not attend college (Cookson Paragraph 1). On the other hand, in South Korea a reported 93% of students fully graduated high school and more than half the students went on to college (Lynch Paragraph 3). PBS reported that in “… the world rankings of 15 year-olds released in November [2010], South Korean students scored second in reading while American kids were 17th. And they scored fourth in math. Americans came in at 31st (“In Hypercompetitive”). Based on statistics alone, one would generally come to the assumption that Korea’s...
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...Korean Vs Us Management Essay Compare and Contrast US managers with the Managers of the Rebublic of Korea – business Introduction We have chosen to compare and contrast U.S. managers withthe managers of The Republic of Korea (ROK). The ROK is a tinynation of 42,621,000 people residing precariously on the southernhalf of the Korean Peninsula (Cook l995). It has a very highpopulation density with 1.121 persons/ sq. mile. They areethnically homogenous with 99.9% being Korean and .01% Chinese. The age distribution is 30% under 15 years of age and 4.3% overage 65. They have a life expectancy of 73 years of age forfemales and 66 year of age for male. The primary religions are Confucianism, Mahayana Buddhism,Ancestor Worship, Shamanism and Ch’ondagyo which account for 66%of the population with another 28% practicing the Christianreligion. The Han’gul writing system is the official language of Koreawith English being widely taught in many schools. The governmentis made up of the executive and legislative branches. The Headof the State or the Executive President is elected by directpopular vote for a 5 year term. The Legislature is comprised ofa 299-member National Assembly which is elected on a 4 year termby universal adult suffrage. The economy is estimated to produce GDP of US $121,310million with a per capita income of US $4,045/ year. The totalnumber of persons active in the economy was 16,900,000 with a 3%unemployment rate and a literacy rate of over 90% (East 1990). Koreans are...
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...Summary and Personal Response By cause of unforeseen circumstances, Suki and her family are forced to give up their "fairy tale" life in South Korea. In her essay “Facing Poverty with a Rich Girl’s Habits,” Suki Kim (2011, p. 62) shares some of the struggles of fitting in that she endures after moving to America. Due to the financial collapse of her father’s businesses and the option of bankruptcy being out of the question, Suki and her family are forced to abandon their extravagant life in South Korea. After arriving in America, the family takes up residence in Queens, New York (Kim, 2011, p. 62). Suki’s new home is anything but glamorous. She describes it as “a crammed, ugly place” compared to the “hilltop mansion” where she grew up. For the first time in 13 years, she has to make her way through the day-to-day routines without the aid of the hired help. Aside from being stripped of her pampered lifestyle, Suki is now attempting to knock down the language and cultural barriers that separate her from her peers. In her new school, Suki is enrolled in an English as a Second Language class. With this class comes the opportunity for Suki to converse with fellow students in her native language. However, in the midst of these common bonds is also the obvious distinction of social status (Kim, 2011, p. 63). America is most often looked upon as a melting pot where all are welcome with the expectation of being treated equally. It doesn’t take long for Suki to realize that...
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...Cultural Interaction Essay There are many complexities involved in the interaction between two cultures. The article, “A Battle of Cultures”, by K. Connie Kang, discusses the hostile relationship that formed between Korean-Americans and African-Americans due to their differing social customs. Another prominent text that covers the topic of cultural interaction is the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Achebe focuses the story on a protagonist named Okonkwo who lives in Umuofia, one of the nine Nigerian clans; Okonkwo resists the Christian religious practices that are rapidly replacing the original Nigerian traditions. Undesirably, cultural interaction can create hostility between peoples if one culture is deemed superior to the other. Still, cultural interaction can be positive in the sense that it promotes understanding and acceptance between the two cultures and encourages the development of constructive relationships between members of the two cultures. Thus, despite there being both benefits and detriments cultural interaction generally has a favorable effect. Opposition between peoples comes about when one culture is perceived to be better than the other. In Things Fall Apart by Achebe, he writes, “Three [Christian] converts had gone into the village and boasted openly that all the gods were dead and impotent…The [converts] were seized and beaten until they streamed with blood” (154). Previously, the Christians did not have much interaction with the...
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...Whenever a discussion on identity is introduced, the most-cited poem in Korea is “The Flower” by Chunsu Kim. He sings of being himself as becoming a colorful and fragrant flower. To be the flower that will rightly represent his identity, he needs someone to call his name. In this poem, identity is not seen as something that is solid and concrete but as something that is situated and constructed by others, a glimpse of poststructuralist view on identity. Recently, language learning has been seen as participation and negotiation of self (see Higgins, forthcoming; Kinginger, 2004; Lam, 2000; Morita, 2004; Ohara, 2001; Pavlenko & Lantolf, 2000; and Solé, 2007 among others). The trend is resonated in the growing interest in language learner identity and the studies in narratives. In this paper, a case of heritage language learner will be investigated upon the theoretical frame of poststructuralism. Narrative inquiry will be used to analyze how she negotiates her learner identity. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: First, by looking at the struggle a language learner makes to acquire her heritage language, I reclaim the centrality of identity in defining heritage language learners. Second, to widen the horizons of narrative studies to the cyber space as it provides an ample source of easily accessible data and it has become one of the commonplace media of daily communication. Heritage Language Learners and Identity To refer to the Heritage Language Learners (HLLs), various...
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...accented English to collide with the sawedtwenty years. off consonants. I tell him that will be fi ne, that I’m familiar with 3 Barrientos was born in Guatethe conversational setup, and yes, I’ve studied a bit mala and raised of Spanish in the past. He asks for my name and I in El Paso, Texas. Her first novel, Frontera Street, was supply it, rolling the double r in Barrientos like a pro. published in 2002, and her second, That’s when I hear the silent snag, the momentary Family Resemblance, was pubhesitation I’ve come to expect at this part of the exlished in 2003. Her column “Unchange. Should I go into it again? Should I explain, conventional Wisdom” runs every the way I have to half a dozen others, that I am Guaweek in the Inquirer. This essay originally appeared in the collectemalan by birth but pura gringa by circumstance? tion Border-Line Personalities: A Do I add the humble little laugh I usually attach New Generation of Latinas Dish to the end of my sentence to let him know that of on Sex, Sass & Cultural Shifting. course I see the irony in the situation? We selected this reading because This will be the sixth...
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...Assignment 1.2: Summary and Personal Response In “Facing Poverty with a Rich Girl’s Habits,” (Kim, 2004) the author, Suki Kim, writes about the struggles she faced as an impoverished, South Korean, immigrant teen in the 1980’s. Suddenly Kim’s world is turned upside down and she must find a way to survive in a foreign land. She writes emotionally about trying to find a place to fit in with other teens like herself while learning a new language and culture. The writer’s purpose is to tell the story of her difficult transition from rich to poor in a foreign country. She wrote her story in the form of a memoir to reach others like her, immigrants starting over in foreign countries, but also, to anyone who may have ever felt alone and lost in new surroundings. She used a reflective tone as she emotionally described the experiences she went through. Kim starts her story by telling readers about how her life changed in the blink of an eye. Her wealthy family suddenly lost everything when her father lost his businesses and, to avoid prison time, left their beautiful estate in South Korea, fleeing to America with nothing. They settled in Queens, New York in the upstairs of a small house. Things were very different from that to which she was accustomed. She no longer had the luxuries from her rich life; riding the bus instead of being driven, washing her own clothes, and cleaning up her own messes, no governess to help with homework. In school, she joined the English as...
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...Tracey Sherard’s 1998 analysis, “Sonny's Bebop: Baldwin's ‘Blues Text’ as Intracultural Critique,” which covers James Baldwin’s 1957 intuitive short story, “Sonny’s Blues,” she conveys that Baldwin created the title to be questioned for its connection to jazz or more specifically Bebop, so Baldwin’s intent of broadcasting African American struggles throughout history can be conveyed through a pair of brothers connected by this music, which acts as a medium for his ultimate message. The author portrays his story of the two brothers where, through music, they eventually accept their living conditions and overcome the emotional barriers that were placed on them due to not only their African American history, but also the conditions they were...
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