An Essay on the book Strangers from a Different Shore by Ronald Takaki

Concerning the question:

“In what ways did the experience of Asian immigrant women differ from that of Asian men? Use examples from at least two different Asian ethnic groups in your answer.”

February 8, 2008

CES 302

Book Essay

Strangers from a Different Shore by Ronald Takaki

Since the beginning of time there has been a distinct division between the sexes. Through sheer definition there is a physical difference between the two but as time has passed there has been an indisputable recognition of the differences in personality and cognition. There are also undeniable differences in the life experiences had by the two sexes that
In the agent’s offices, mostly in port cities, there were photographs of grooms seeking a bride. Korean women would choose a photo in which they were interested and apply for the position as that groom’s wife. (Takaki, 56). This was a Korean woman’s way to journey to America but have a sense of stability in having a husband there to greet her but also to have a reason to ensure their family that the passage was valid. Most picture brides were much younger than their husbands. But, upon their arrival if they were unhappy with their match it didn’t matter. These women knew that if they did not marry the men whom they had been sent for then they would be sent back to Korea. It wasn’t uncommon for a fourteen year old bride to arrive to a thirty or forty year old husband who looked nothing like their picture. Takaki’s book gives several examples of young brides arriving in America to husbands who did not resemble their photos and who were old enough to be their fathers. These new husbands would also change their wives immediately into Western clothing, a truly disheartening feeling to someone who just entered the country. It was as though they were forced to leave their old ways behind. In a strange new country with a stranger for a husband fear was rampant for these brides.

BKS Iyengar, author of Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health, once said, “The body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in.”