Week 3 Assignment 1.1 \\Eng 115
The author of the essay “Facing Poverty with a Rich Girl’s Habits” is Suki Kim. In the essay, Kim wants to explain her struggles. The essay discusses the struggles she had as a child being in the 7th grade and moving from South Korea to Queens, NY. She went from being rich to being poor basically overnight. Her world as she knew it was changed in an instant. Her father went from being a billionaire to having nothing. Her main purpose is to describe what she faced while trying to adapt to different beliefs and cultures. Kim talks about her life going to a new school where everyone spoke English. She noticed that even Korean American kids avoided her. She had not realized there was much diversity within an immigrant group. There was definitely a separation between the groups. Being a teenager, she was “already rooted in Korean ways and language”. Her soul was not quite American although on paper that is what she was considered. She would rather use her Hello Kitty backpack instead of one that had pictures of the Menudo boys who were popular in the 80’s. She was upset that her parents would not allow her to pierce her ears. Most girls her age had their pierced. It sounds like she struggled to fit in and still keep her Korean culture Her lifestyle changed tremendously. She went from having a chauffer to taking public transportation. She had to get used to being called an Asian when she had only heard that term in school in South Korea. She no longer had a maid. She had to take her clothes to a Laundromat to wash them. In South Korea, she had a governess helping her with her homework. She now had to do homework by herself. The purpose is to describe what her journey was like coming to America and how her life transformed. The genre is a personal story of her life. She wanted to explain what she went through relocating to the United States. The essay is a narrative. The audience is other Koreans and people who have been faced with similar situations. The audience is also other people interested in hearing her story. The tone is of a serious nature. There is some confusion and sadness. I find it sad since her life was turned upside down. The way of life she was used to was now gone. It is hard enough being a teenager. I cannot imagine having to relocate and becoming poor instantly when you have been used to living a rich lifestyle. My emotional response to the essay is sadness. It is unimaginable for a father to lose all of his businesses in an instant and have to relocate his family since bankruptcy is considered a crime. I am sure he felt tremendously overwhelmed with having to take his family to another country. Kim went through a lot of struggles adapting to her new way of life. In the end, it does seem that she made it through the struggles.