Two Ways to Belong in America - Analysis

“Two Ways to Belong in America” Analysis Do you ever wonder how many people immigrate to the United States each year? In 2016, 1.49 million people immigrated to the United States, as Mira and Bharati did in the 1960s. The two sisters are the main protagonists in “Two Ways to Belong in America”, which was written by Bharati Mukherjee, and published in the New York Times in 1996. The story is about the immigration problems both sisters face and finding their sense of belonging in such a different environment. In “Two Ways to Belong in America” Bharati Mukherkee displays her outlook on immigration while also highlighting her sister’s flipside opinion. She utilizes diction to keep the tone of the passage light while speaking on a heavy subject. Mukherjee also uses comparison and contrast to let the readers see both sides of the debate. In the New York Time’s article, Bharati discusses the unfair rules that she and her sister were submitted to, through her story and personal experience. Mira had been living in the United States for over 30 years and she had been following everything by the law, “I’ve obeyed all the rules, I’ve paid my taxes”, and suddenly, America changed its rules regarding legal immigrants’ laws. The repetitive use of the words “I’ve” shows that she has complied with all the rules that have been imposed on her. The author used this repetition to demonstrate how Mira, who was doing everything the government wanted, did not get what she expected. This is meant to show that not everything turns out the way we want or expect. “I feel used”- Mira said on the phone to Bharati. By the use of phatos, the author makes us, readers, realize how emotionally upset Mira is. She is extremely distressed and she feels betrayed. Mira has the opinion that these “new rules” “should apply only to immigrants who arrive after those rules are already in place”. With this, Mira is implying that America is being too restrictive and harsh to immigrants that have been living in the United States for the past years. One of the biggest insights of this piece is the relationship between Mira and Bharati. “When we left India, we were almost identical in appearance and attitude. We dressed alike, in saris; we expressed identical views on politics, on social issues”, they both came from the same background and culture. This demonstrates that the two sisters had a lot of similarities, they both had the same values, beliefs and they were also identical in terms of the way they saw life, which means they were emotionally invested and that the logical thing was for them to go back home after they finished their education and marry the men their father had chosen. This shows that Mira and Bharati had a strong connection and bond, which implies that they were really close before they came to America. After they crossed the ocean their lives ended up going in different paths, they stopped having the same thoughts, ideas. “We never said what was really on our minds”, “we’d have polite arguments”, by the use of these quotes the author exhibits that both sisters weren’t really honest, not saying everything that was on their minds, which suggests that they weren’t really comfortable when speaking to each other. After their similar experiences and have felt the same sense of betrayal, they became closer and their sisterhood revived, “sisterly close by phone”. With this quote the author wants the readers to see how Mira and Bharati regained their bond. They started to have more honest conversations and became more comfortable when speaking to each other, saying what was truly on their minds, “I feel used”, Mira raged. “I feel manipulated and discarded”. All of this shows that the process can destroy families, tear them apart. Mukherjee wrote this inside message to exhibit how this has a real impact, and it is not only words in a paper. Although both sisters had different experiences regarding immigration, they were similar in terms of their feelings. They both felt betrayed by the government in the country they were in. Bharati in Canada and Mira in America. “If America wants to play the manipulative game, I’ll play it too”, by getting an American identity, Mira shows that she is willing to do whatever it takes to be in America, but this would only be for the time she stayed there because her intentions were to go back to India. On the other side of the story, Bharati got ahead of the game and after having a bad experience in Canada, shot obtained her American identity as soon as she came back. This goes to show that they both faced a self-sacrifice, or a sense of “selftransformation”, in which they both had to give up their nationality, their culture and what they believed in. They lost part of themselves but they also gained choice of freedom because both of them married the men they wanted instead of the men their father wanted. In the end, whether or not the author was persuasive, is subjective. The article was persuasive enough to put the readers in the sisters’ perspectives and see what they felt throughout their immigration journey. Although Mukherjee appealed to the readers’ emotions, she failed to give her final point, being vague, abstract, and not letting the readers know what she really wanted us to do with her message. The author wants us to see both sides of the debate and the truth is that there is not really a right or wrong side.