Cultural Difference

Cultural difference can have a big impact on how a person is raised and act.   In “Who’s Irish?” by Gish Jen, Sophie is a perfect prime example on how cultural difference can cause an innocent child to act differently towards someone with different cultural backgrounds due lack of knowledge and life experience.
Sophie Shea, an American born Chinese/Irish.   Sophia grew up accustom to American culture due to his mother being first generation of Chinese American.   Majority of first generation children grows up having to accustom to American culture other than their own heritage due to American culture being more lenient.   On page 728, line 37, the grandma suggested a resolution of “spanking” to resolve Sophie’s complication, but the daughter being accustom to American culture made an assertion that “In America, parents not supposed to spank the child./It gives them low self-esteem, my daughter say. And that leads to problems later, as I happen to know” (728).  
The grandmother is considered an old school parent.   Chinese culture teaches children to be respectful to their elders, listen to them and never talk back.   Because Sophia is a second generation Chinese/Irish American, she was taught to rebel, speak her mind and be independent.   According to the grandmother, she refers it as “Sophie’s Wild side”.   Sophie’s main reason for her wild side is due to her surroundings and the environment she grows up in.   On page 95, Sinbad, a playmate of Sophie’s taught her to kick her mommy.   The mother explained to the grandmother stating that its part of their imaginative play and that it is not harmful.   Because Sophie was getting away from her actions, and Sophie being in the age where she is still learning, in her own mind, its telling her that her actions were approved.
Sophie’s actions are considered as a norm to the grandmother who was raised differently, held different values and cultures.   Because Sophie was raised in a different environment, she has developed certain...