A Chinese American is not born but made

A Chinese American is born as well as made

Name

Course

Tutor

College

Date

Introduction

It can be argued that : a Chinese American is born as well as made because being born of Chinese parents in America does not necessarily mean that one would learn both cultures . There are therefore those who will qualify to be Chinese Americans just because of their being of Chinese descent since they do not know or adhere to the Chinese culture Chinese Americans include those Chinese immigrants in the United States

as well as their descendants . In legal terms all Chinese born in the US qualify as American citizens and upon taking the oath of loyalty to the United States , it is not a formal requirement for one to renounce his former citizenship . The republic of China however does not acknowledge dual citizenship and thus such a person can only remain a Chinese American . Besides being born as a Chinese American however , other aspects such as socialization will also determine ones identity as a Chinese American . In this regard therefore , it can be argued that a Chinese American is made A Chinese American is born as well as made

Jade Wong 's fifth Chinese daughter ' is one of those stories that try to prove this hypothesis . It is a story of how a Chinese daughter who grows up in a traditional Chinese family manages to succeed in the American society . The story focuses on how this daughter manages to choose a career , create good relations with her parents and also integrates a world view based on her ancestry and the current culture she is in . The writer tells the story in the third person though it 's a biography and this reflects the Chinese custom of humility . The use of the third person point of view also reflects the difficulties that the narrator has in expressing their individual identity . Being born of Chinese parents who value their culture and wants to teach this girl their values will at the end determine what kind of a Chinese American this girl will be , as she will need to strike a balance between the Chinese culture and the American culture she is exposed to in the process of searching for her identity and success in life . The various hardships and rewards described in the book helps the reader to understand the conflicting cultures which this girl is faced with and which eventually help to shape her life (Jade , 1989 , pp .10-60

The father was very proud of educating his daughter in both the Chinese and American cultures but valued the success of his sons more than that of his daughter . She had to attend Chinese classes after her American classes and at the same time attend to household chores . This made her try to prove herself as a person just like the males rather than being viewed as a mere female who is lesser than her male counterparts . This discrepancy in treatment for males and females made...