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Comparing Maxine Hong Kingston's Silence And E. W.

417 Words2 Pages

Interesting books, articles, and readings always grab my attention, especially the ones which make me think and change the way I think. Both Maxine Hong Kingston’s Silence and E.W’s Why do writers abandon their native language are expressive, meaningful and thought-provoking readings. Although both of the characters left their homeland, in contrast to Jhumpa Lahiri who abandoned her native language and started to only write in Italian, Maxine Hong Kingston never abandoned her native language and even demonstrated herself only in it.
First of all, both characters in the readings had origins of different countries, however, due to circumstances both of them moved to an environment different from their native one. Kingston (1976) mentions that she was of Chinese origin, but she attended both Chinese and American schools (p. 586). Therefore, she came out to be in an …show more content…

Kingston (1976) mentions that in American school she was afraid of talking during the classes and taking part in discussions because she thought she might be laughed at by others. (p. 585). On the other hand, she points out that in Chinese school she wasn’t frightened of expressing herself and participating in debates. Moreover, she reveals that she was even reading and reciting during the classes and screaming with her classmates during recess. E.W (2016) indicates that it wasn’t difficult for Jhumpa Lahiri to abandon English which was her native language. What is more, the author specifies that even surprisingly, Jhumpa felt that Italian is a sole language for her and she could perfectly express herself by writing in Italian. Altogether, I think that while Kingston could express herself only in her native language and she wasn’t feeling safe in a non-native environment, Jhumpa Lahiri easily managed to abandon her native language and discover the new opportunities and openings offered by the Italian

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