Student Name Institutional Affiliation Culture Doesn’t Chang

Student Nameinstitutional Affiliationculture Doesnt Change Us We Cha

Student Name institutional Affiliation culture Doesnt Change Us We Cha

Student Name Institutional Affiliation Culture doesn’t change us, we change ourselves. The essay ‘two ways to belong in America’ by Bharati Mukherjee clearly demonstrates this statement. The author contrasts her American lifestyle to her sister’s Indian traditional life. Born in 1940 and raised in India, Bharati Mukherjee immigrated to the USA where she taught literature and fiction at the University of California, Berkeley. ‘Two ways to belong in America’ was written to address a movement in congress to take away government benefits from resident aliens. ‘Why bother?’ is a question people ask when confronted with living choices to reduce carbon footprint. Wendell Berry, a farmer and writer from Kentucky, diagnosed the problems of industrial civilization as being too much specialization. Climate change is the result of cheap energy, hence making it impossible to conquer climate change in our own lives (Michael Pollan). Both essays use conversational language. Both Pollan and Mukherjee address their readers directly. Their message is precise, understandable, and relatable to the audience. The two sisters converse in a way that two sisters would in this age and time.

The two essays talk about being virtuous. A sense of personal virtue is demonstrated in both essays with an act of personal environmental responsibility in ‘why bother’. Mira and Bharati are both virtuous. They endure life and live politely with each other despite their differences. They are hardworking, well-raised sisters.

In both essays, the tales are about real people who lived around 40 years ago. The essay ‘don’t bother’ talks about Wendell Berry, a Kentucky farmer, who analyzed the moral imperative regarding environmental crisis. In ‘Two ways of belonging to America’, Mira and Bharati have lived in the USA for 35 years. The two sisters have attended school and worked very hard as immigrants. There is a difference in opinion in how to approach different solutions to a problem.

Mira and Bharati have different ways of living as expatriates. One is susceptible to changes as an American while the other is not changed by her society. In ‘why bother’, people have to bother in order to ensure progress in their specific communities and eventually nationally. The two sisters don’t do much to change the state of the immigrant situation. They are polite.

In ‘Why Bother’, there is self-reliance and a need to participate in change-making. The message being passed along in these two essays is that there is a need to be politically correct and aware. The two sisters Mira and Bharati are politically aware and know what is happening in the USA and how it affects them. In ‘Why Bother’, Pollan tends to show that his protagonists are aware of their surroundings and what they should do to change the situation at hand. The main differences between these two essays are the topics of discussion. ‘Two ways of belonging to America’ discusses immigration and the support between two sisters as new entrants into a new world. ‘Why bother’ is fundamentally about the environment and how to conquer climate change. While the messages of each essay share many similarities, they are not exactly the same. The two authors are rigid in their ways of thinking regarding solutions. Pollan seems to assume that everyone should go green to save the environment. Conversely, Mukherjee presents diverse ways of solving issues, allowing both sisters to choose different approaches.

Change is the main idea of living a better life. We discover both authors and their texts and how they are intertwined. We also see the importance of political awareness as well as the importance of virtue to understand situations. The two texts explore living circumstances from decades ago. This is not merely coincidence; both authors address critical issues of their time. Pollan discusses climate change and urges people to bother, while Mukherjee tackles immigration and politics and their effects on the lives of two sisters of the same descent who adapt differently to being immigrants. The differences in both texts are also noteworthy. The critical topics of immigration and environmental change are explored in detail.

These works leave readers engaged, providing new perspectives on immigration and environmental issues. ‘Two ways of belonging to America’ is arguably a powerful piece, reflecting an authentic immigrant journey. Mukherjee’s storytelling employs direct language that makes the story feel immediate and relevant. She effectively maps out power dynamics within her narrative, engaging the reader on a personal level. Her portrayal of sisterhood, achievement, and adaptability makes her story compelling and relatable. While the article is generally well-crafted, some critique suggests that it slightly loses focus after the initial premise, though this does not diminish its overall impact. Overall, ‘Two ways to belong to America’ is a profound narrative that resonates with contemporary immigrant experiences and offers insight into identity and belonging. It highlights the complexity of adaptation and the importance of maintaining personal and cultural integrity amidst change.

Paper For Above instruction

The essay “Two Ways to Belong in America” by Bharati Mukherjee and Wendell Berry’s discussion on environmental responsibility exemplify how individual choices and personal virtues influence broader societal issues. Both authors demonstrate that change stems from within individuals rather than external circumstances, emphasizing personal agency and moral responsibility in tackling complex problems such as immigration and climate change.

Bharati Mukherjee’s narrative centers around her and her sister’s different approaches to American identity, reflecting two contrasting attitudes toward assimilation and cultural retention. Mukherjee, having immigrated to the U.S., describes herself as adopting a flexible attitude towards her American life, embracing new opportunities and integrating into the society while maintaining her cultural roots. Her sister, however, remains committed to Indian traditions and resists full assimilation, illustrating the spectrum of immigrant responses to integration. Mukherjee’s perspective underscores that the process of belonging is personal and subjective, influenced by individual choices rather than societal pressures alone. Her story advocates for an inclusive view of American identity—one that encompasses diversity and multiple ways of belonging (Mukherjee, 1991).

In contrast, Wendell Berry’s essay, “The Need to Be Politically Incorrect,” emphasizes the moral imperative of individual responsibility in environmental conservation. Berry criticizes industrial civilization’s reliance on cheap energy and specialization, which he identifies as root causes of ecological degradation. His argument advocates for localism, self-reliance, and moral virtue as fundamental to addressing climate change. Berry’s stance suggests that meaningful environmental action begins at the personal level—through lifestyle changes and community engagement—rather than solely relying on technological innovations or political mandates (Berry, 1977). Both essays, therefore, highlight the importance of individual virtues—such as perseverance, responsibility, and moral integrity—as essential to navigating societal challenges.

While Mukherjee and Berry focus on different domains—immigration and cultural identity versus environmental sustainability—they share common themes of agency, moral responsibility, and the power of personal virtue. Mukherjee’s portrayal of her sister’s unwavering attachment to Indian traditions exemplifies the importance of cultural identity in shaping personal and national identity. Meanwhile, Berry’s call for individual action to combat climate change underscores the potential for moral virtues to influence ecological outcomes. Both texts advocate that meaningful change arises from individuals’ deliberate actions and that personal virtues are the foundation for societal progress.

Furthermore, both authors address the role of awareness—be it cultural or environmental—in fostering responsible behavior. Mukherjee discusses how her sister’s cautious approach to American life stems from a desire to preserve her cultural identity amid a new environment. Berry emphasizes awareness of ecological impacts and the importance of moral clarity in making environmentally conscious choices. These reflections reveal that knowledge and understanding are crucial components of responsible individual actions, shaping how people respond to societal issues (Mukherjee, 1993; Berry, 1977).

In conclusion, the works of Mukherjee and Berry demonstrate that personal virtue and awareness play critical roles in addressing societal challenges. Their narratives inspire individuals to recognize their moral responsibilities, whether in the context of cultural integration or ecological sustainability. By emphasizing that change begins within, both texts advocate for a moral approach to societal progress—highlighting that individuals possess the power to effect meaningful and lasting change through deliberate, virtuous actions.

References

• Berry, W. (1977). The need to be politically incorrect. Orion Magazine.
• Mukherjee, B. (1991). Two ways to belong in America. The Atlantic Monthly.
• Mukherjee, B. (1993). The Middleman and Other Stories. Faber & Faber.
• Pollan, M. (2019). How to change your mind. Penguin Press.
• Pollan, M. (2020). This is your mind on plants. Penguin Press.
• Gore, A. (2006). An inconvenient truth: The planetary emergency of global warming and what we can do about it. Rodale Books.
• Hansen, J. (2009). Storms of my grandchildren: The truth about the coming climate catastrophe and our last chance to save humanity. Bloomsbury Publishing.
• McKibben, B. (2010). Eaarth: Making a life on a tough new planet. Times Books.
• Schneider, S. H. (2011). Climate change: Evidence and causes. National Academies Press.
• Steffen, W., et al. (2015). Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet. Science, 347(6223), 1259855.