Imbalanced Identity: A Letter to Immigrant Parents
Caleb Brown
Ella Glinski
Shauvien Lowe
Dr. Greene
1 February 2025
Imbalanced Identity
In an anonymous author's article titled The Imbalanced Identity: To First-Generation Immigrant Parents (2022), the author addresses the struggles between immigrant parents and their children. The author uses personal experiences of how her and her sister had to learn how to live what felt like a double life as American-Pakistanis because their parents don't understand the culture of the new country they live in. The purpose of this author's article was to give immigrant parents advice on how to raise their children who are living immersed in two cultures in order to help the parents maintain a healthy relationship with their children. The intended audience for this article are immigrant parents.
I have lived in America my whole life. Unlike the anonymous author in The Imbalanced Identity: To First-Generation Immigrant Parents, I cannot relate to the struggle of being an immigrant and the change of life once you have moved to America. However, I do have relationships with people who do know this struggle. One person I know who struggled was my girlfriend. She is half-Mexican and lived in Mexico for a few years before returning to America just before Elementary School. She was born in America but when she was in Mexico, the only language she learned how to speak was Spanish. When she and her family got back to the United States, she had to relearn English and the “American way of life”. Many immigrants have a difficult time learning their way around American traditions. Luckily for my girlfriend, since her family had already lived in America, it was a little easier for her mom and dad to transition but it was more difficult for my girlfriend which is what a lot of immigrants experience today.
The author effectively conveys the emotional weight of cultural conflict through personal storytelling and direct address. The letter format makes the message feel deeply personal, as the author speaks directly to their parents, stating, “I know you want the best for me, but your definition of success feels like a cage” (Anonymous 65). This direct appeal not only highlights the pain of feeling misunderstood but also invites the parents into the author’s perspective. Additionally, the use of contrast between gratitude and frustration strengthens the emotional impact of the piece. The author acknowledges their parent’s sacrifices but also expresses the emotional toll of their high expectations, writing, “I love you for everything you have given up for me, but I wish you could see that my dreams are different from yours” (Anonymous 65). By weaving together personal experience with broader reflections on cultural identity, the author creates a compelling argument for the need for mutual understanding between generations.
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