Bharati Mukherjee’s essay “Two Ways to Belong in America” and Morgan Spurlock’s “30 Days – Outsourcing” highlight some differences and similarities between Indian and American culture by detailing the experiences of real life individuals. In terms of day to day experiences, the lives of Americans and Indians could almost not be more different. Societal, familial, and job-centric norms all vary across the two cultures. However, in the ways that all humans do, the people of both nations can be united behind a cause, at least for a short while.
To begin with, apparent dissimilarities and similarities between the lives of citizens in these two countries are associated with their dress. Men, in general, wear simple clothing consisting of pants …show more content…
In Spurlock’s video, the household dynamics are illustrated through Ravi, and it is seen that extended family makes up more of the dynamic. This is in contrast to the traditional of American households to only include parents and children, while grandparents and other member are visited separately. Also, the joining of families through marriage is a much more structured concept in Indian tradition, as arranged marriage is still alive and well in their culture. Mukherjee says in her essay, “We [her and her sister] would endure our two years in America, secure our degrees, then return to India to marry grooms of our father’s choosing” (Mukherjee 272). The choice of husband would be a decision left to the father as opposed to the bride. In contrast, Americans are typically free to marry for love, as both sisters in the essay presumably did. So, though both cultures have concepts of marriage and family, they are acknowledged and dealt with …show more content…
In India, the death of Raj Kumar, a famous actor and activist for the poor, prompted violent rioting in the streets of Bangalore. Damage, as detailed in the video, included burning of cars and building destruction. Likewise, in the United States there was recent rioting in the streets of Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray, an African American citizen. These rampages also resulted in fire and property damage throughout the city. It is human nature to rally behind a cause or some injustice that is felt amongst a people, and this is true whether those humans are Indian or American in origin.
The people in these two countries may dress differently, contrast in family dynamics, and network uniquely with their respective job markets, but interactions between people of these cultures have exposed to us some harmonies. Chris, Ravi, Bharati, and Mira all had unique experiences with both cultures, and we have been able to experience a little of the disconnected unity between the two through
To begin with, apparent dissimilarities and similarities between the lives of citizens in these two countries are associated with their dress. Men, in general, wear simple clothing consisting of pants …show more content…
In Spurlock’s video, the household dynamics are illustrated through Ravi, and it is seen that extended family makes up more of the dynamic. This is in contrast to the traditional of American households to only include parents and children, while grandparents and other member are visited separately. Also, the joining of families through marriage is a much more structured concept in Indian tradition, as arranged marriage is still alive and well in their culture. Mukherjee says in her essay, “We [her and her sister] would endure our two years in America, secure our degrees, then return to India to marry grooms of our father’s choosing” (Mukherjee 272). The choice of husband would be a decision left to the father as opposed to the bride. In contrast, Americans are typically free to marry for love, as both sisters in the essay presumably did. So, though both cultures have concepts of marriage and family, they are acknowledged and dealt with …show more content…
In India, the death of Raj Kumar, a famous actor and activist for the poor, prompted violent rioting in the streets of Bangalore. Damage, as detailed in the video, included burning of cars and building destruction. Likewise, in the United States there was recent rioting in the streets of Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray, an African American citizen. These rampages also resulted in fire and property damage throughout the city. It is human nature to rally behind a cause or some injustice that is felt amongst a people, and this is true whether those humans are Indian or American in origin.
The people in these two countries may dress differently, contrast in family dynamics, and network uniquely with their respective job markets, but interactions between people of these cultures have exposed to us some harmonies. Chris, Ravi, Bharati, and Mira all had unique experiences with both cultures, and we have been able to experience a little of the disconnected unity between the two through