The history and genealogy of my family on my father's side is difficult to write. Not because it is complicated or shrouded in mystery or intrigue, but because there is no written history of it; no documents, no diaries, no letters. What little exists has been passed down verbally from my Dad's gr...

I am from an ethnicity and culture that is in the forefront of many political topics in this region today. I am Mexican. When this word comes up most people seem to think of illegal immigrants crossing the border. This thought can bring up much resentment and contempt from certain groups, and ...

To what extent does the novel or memoir you have chosen provide useful insights into the topic mentioned?John Marlyn's 'Under the Ribs of Death' is concerned with the life of Sandor Hunyadi, a young Hungarian living in Canada. The novel follows his life as a young boy, and then as a young man in the...

Clashing Values in a Society: Conflicts within Reb Smolinsky in Anzia Yezierska's Bread Givers Values and status are linked together in every society. Status is given to the persons who embody the values of that social construct. The values of the Old Country, Russia, were those of spiritual...

Being the biggest continent in the world, Asia contains about 60% of the world's population and growing each year. Though China, and India are two of the most populated countries in the world, having about 30% of the world's population, there are about two-fifths of the countries that have less tha...

If there was one occurrence that befell every mother in \"The Joy Luck Club,\" it would be the loss of a child and the after effect it had on their relationships with their living children. This lead to a misunderstanding between mother and daughter, and the climax of their separation before the pro...

Child has been taught from the beginning that the family is sacred, and is the most important thing in the life of every person. Family can give what no one else can give: love, protection, and it shapes a person’s identity from the birth. Very often parents are judged by the way...

Compare and contrast 'White Teeth' by Zadie Smith and 'Anita and Me' by Meera Syal Zadie Smith's White Teeth is about three different cultures, and three families spanning three generations. Characters include Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal, best friends who spend the...

Throughout time, in every culture, human beings have erected fences, real or imagined. Fences are the stumbling blocks we face in life. Some of them we tear down. Some of them we climb over. Yet some of them prove impenetrable, or so we think. This is true of people of every race, every social ...

Most everyone experiences feeling lonely at some point in their life. Moving to a new city or country and leaving friends or family behind can lead us to lonely feelings. There are times in our lives when relationships may have to end. Maybe you have ended a dating or maritalSome people it is bett...

Marriage: Then and NowJohn Scanzoni developed a model of marriage that is considered by many to be the preferred norm for American marriages even today. His model was based on specific roles for each partner divided strictly along sexual lines. This model marriage includes a husband who is the wa...

The Pursuit of True HappinessAnne Tyler has said that she uses the family unit to show "how people manage to endure together-how they grate against each other, adjust, intrude, and protect themselves from intrusions, give up, and start all over again in the morning," (Applebee et al. 1007). From th...