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Tara Westover's Educated Essay

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Is growing up in two cultures more challenging than beneficial? Explored in Educated by Tara Westover.
Being raised in two different cultures can be difficult and has both advantages and disadvantages. The excerpt from Tara Westover's book “Educated” provides insight into the difficulties of adapting two cultures. Growing up in two cultures is a challenging experience that can be both stimulating and intimidating. Even though growing up with two different cultures have its benefits, the challenges outweigh them and can potentially bring negative impacts on someone’s quality of life.
Firstly, it can be difficult to adjust the changing society norms. The convention and expectations every culture has, which may be dissimilar from one’s own. To …show more content…

Westover, who was home-schooled by her father, struggled in college classes that assumed a basic knowledge of Western history and philosophy. For example, in her history class, she expected to learn about the Founding Fathers but was surprised to find out that the professor focused on philosophical underpinnings and the writings of Cicero and Hume, names she never had heard of. When the professor gave a quiz on the readings, Westover failed every question, demonstrating how her lack of prior knowledge impacted her academic performance.
Fifthly, it can contribute to conflicts related to beliefs. Beliefs that are in conflict might also result from growing up in two different cultures. The protagonist struggles with balancing her allegiance to her father with her desire to broaden her horizons. Decision-making and opinion formation may be hampered by this conflict's emotional turbulence.
Nevertheless, having grown up in two separate cultures can make it difficult for someone to decide which one they relate with the most. Making this choice could feel like choose between two halves of oneself, which can be challenging. Tara struggles with her desire to learn and her loyalty to her father, illustrating the challenging choices that come with crossing two different

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