In the monologue, ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’, written by Mohsin Hamid, the protagonist is Changez, a Pakistani moves to America to pursue his Princeton degree, traces his journey of his adaption to American society, including his college life, his job at Underwood Samson, and his connection to an American girl. The assertion that “I was, in four and a half years, never an American; I was immediately a New Yorker” is not a valid point because he begins with defining himself as an American at the start. Whereas after the devastating effects of 9/11, and in consequence how Muslims were treated, Changez see’s the seeds of resentment on the surface, and becomes more patriotic towards Lahore. Likewise, his egocentricity starts to resonate as …show more content…
Changez starts to show his smug sense of power, and flaunts his new American Identity after securing his job at Underwood Samson, with the credit card that comes with it. His smugness is ironically undercut when the Pak Punjab Deli doesn’t recognize his American Express card. For the first time since he moved to America, Changez finally felt accepted and at home as he had gained his ‘new’ identity.
We start to notice Changez becoming more comfortable with his new Western identity, when exposed to the corporate ideals. As Changez further develops his relationship with Erica, she becomes his guide into the chic heart of New York. “I realised I was being ushered into an insider’s world – the chic heart of the city – to which I would otherwise have no access.” He begins to feel as though he is invincible, consolidated in his belief “my Princeton degree and Underwood Samson business card were invariably sufficient to earn me a respectful nod of approval.” Changez believes he is immune to scrutiny, and this shows a dangerous sense of naivety. He believes he can conquer the suspicions with the armour of his success. A narcissistic trait surfaces as he gets more comfortable with his new American identity, and begins to take no
The book Who Moved My Cheese is about change and how it can affect how you are in life. Some people take changes hard while others just go with the flow. Some are ready for a change when the time comes and others want things to never change.
The character becomes in conflict with himself when he meets and marries a girl by the name of Karen Friedman, which makes him reconsider his life as a gangster. However, he realizes that he is too deep into it and can not walk away. Despite this, for most of the film, he remains his calm, composed and likeable self, as he is shown as the only sane person of the crew. The catalyst to his character change is drugs. Once he starts dealing and using heroine and cocaine, he immediately becomes a jumpy and paranoid man, who is unable to keep his cool. His drug activities and incarceration lose him the respect of Jimmy Conway and made man Paul Cicero, who he becomes in conflict with, which makes him a marked man.
Over the course of history, South Asians have been mistreated and undermined within American society. This is especially evident after the terror attacks of 9/11 in which Americans shunned its South Asian Population, and reduced them to devastating stereotypes. This has created tension and hostility within the South Asian community, thus pressuring them to being more Americanized, and further creating a fixation towards becoming more white. The obsession with American culture has caused many to conform, leaving behind cultural and religious parts of their identities. It is necessary to explore the history behind the mistreatment of South Asians to understand why the change in identity such as those portrayed with Changez in The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Amir in Disgraced have occurred. These main characters of South Asian descent make it is clear that the American dream for immigrants creates a constant struggle between national and transnational identities as racism and hostility are being thrust upon them by American society.
and the way in which he says them. From this, we see that his whole
The Changeable nature of life affects us all somehow. Whether it be moving to a new city, having children, or losing people that we love, it can affect people in many different ways. For example, in the novel, the main character
Change is good. Santiago doesn’t realize this message applies everywhere. As he walks an unfamiliar path to find an unidentified treasure, he doesn’t recognize the fact that many changes are occurring throughout him. He put a lot into faith during his journey as he went from a man of routine and order, to becoming a man of new experiences all because of a dream. This is only one example of a change he went through. There are many more that he underwent, each with a different story.
Growing up as a first generation Pakistani American Muslim not only came with the benefits of being exposed to different cultures, but it also came with a continuing challenge to incorporate the two cultures and my religion into the society we lived in. There was always a need to be more American, more Pakistani, while respecting the boundaries of religion. When we went to school, we weren’t American enough, when visiting Pakistan we were often labeled with the acronym ABCD- American Born Confused Desi. We were neither here, nor there. No matter how hard we tried to assimilate into the two societies, we could feel the absence of understanding and acceptance. This search for an identity not only allowed me to easily interact with people facing similar dilemmas, but it allowed me to embrace culture, religion, and people that were different.
this point, he has lost his friend, his job, his relationship with his spouse, and his house. Despite all of these things, he continues on. He reaches the climax of his change from a brain washed conformist to a justice seeking citizen when he seeks revenge on his fellow
Imagine needing to move to a new country because of violence, limited job opportunities, or an oppressive government. Now imagine finding out it may take up to 20 years to get out of that dangerous environment. This is the reality millions of immigrants trying to come to America face every day. In order to become a US citizen, one must first possess a Green Card for at least 5 years, be at least 18 years of age at the time of filing for citizenship, be able to read, write, and speak basic English, submit an N-400 form, take the US Naturalization Test, and have a personal interview to determine if said immigrant is a person of good moral character. This process takes at least 5 years, and that’s if said immigrant does not run into any troubles with filing. Because of this lengthy process, millions of immigrants, many with
Change can be seen as a form of transformation or conversion. A form of change can be seen in “Victory Lap” by George Saunders, a short story written in such a way that the events that are enrolling throughout the story are being processed and told through the minds of three main characters. Having the perspective of each character allows us, the readers to get a much greater understanding about them and to make a better character analysis. Having said that, this story is simply about a girl, Alison getting kidnapped by an unnamed kidnapper. What were really captivating were the changes spotted on characters as the conflict progresses. One character in particular is very intriguing and his name is Kyle. One of our main character, Alison
People talk about change as if it is a bad thing. Change can often be a good thing, especially when it comes to people. In the book “The Copper Sun” Polly meets Amari and isn’t exactly friendly with her. But through the duration of the book, Polly starts to care for Amari and even admits they’re friends. This is a major transition from when we first meet her. Polly emotionally and psychologically evolved from an emotionally-closed, racist, aloof character to a friendly protagonist who starts to appreciate and care for Amari, by not doubting her, befriending her, and her self-realization of her friendship and of the delicate idea of freedom.
As the novel progresses she starts to realize that it doesn’t matter where you come from, you’re as special as anyone else, she says “I’m an Australian with Italian blood flowing rapidly through my veins. I’ll say that with pride, because it’s pride that I feel”’ (By using repetition of the word ‘pride’ demonstrates her change in self perception and her confidence in her cultural identity, it also re-enforces that she has pride in herself).
Change is something you are probably familiar with. In “Beneath the Smooth Skin of America,” Scott R. Sanders talks about many changes in his life. The author starts the story looking throw the eyes of himself as a child. As a child he remembers that all that was in his sight was all he could see. The author’s best example of this is he says, ”Neighbors often appeared…where they came from I could not imagine” (27). As the author begins to see more by leaving the area he was around so often he starts to see more and more things. He started moving around to different places and started seeing the things that he had not see before. The author points out many things that he began to see like the stores
Today the Society is split into three separately minded groups. In no specific ordering, the first is determined to believe that any one person born in the United States is a citizen and which means their parents should become citizens along with them. These are the ones whom obtain “birthright citizenship” (Raul). The second are firm believers in the only ones that should be citizens are the ones who go through the proper process of becoming a citizen and according to the article in “USA today,” it states that illegal immigrants are “having babies as a way to obtain citizenship,” which too many Americans “cheapens the whole idea of being American”. The last group is the “other” the ones whom are completely neutral or believe in the
This change is a positive and uplifting change of self for the protagonist in this novel.