fix whole essay (change the tone)

Struggling to Live

The book Girl in translation tells of a deeply moving and a heart breaking story of a poor Chinese girl and her mother working hard to create a life from the ground up. The story by Jean Kwok is a semi-autobiography of an immigrant Kimberly Chang who moves to America and struggles to grab every opportunity in an effort to fight poverty (Serena). Only 11 years old, Kimberly finds herself in a difficult situation as neither she nor her mother can speak the new language, English. Currently living in Brooklyn, New York, the she has to work extremely hard, both in her academics and in assisting her mother in looking for money to finance their daily living. Being a bright girl who was well liked by her former teachers back in Hong Kong, she now faces various challenges of cultural and language variation from what she had been used to “…Ice was something I had only known in the form of small pieces in red bean drinks” (Kwok 1).

This essay discusses the various struggles that the main character of the book Girl in Translation goes through after moving in America. Some of the challenges discussed her poverty stricken background, the struggle of working while studying and the harsh working conditions at the factory. Discussed also are the troubles Kimberly underwent at school, the language barriers, the bullying by her classmates and the negative attitude by her teachers. The relationship struggles that Kimberly undergoes are also include. Finally, the writer concludes the paper by giving some of the lessons leant from the analysis.

The theme of struggle is well illustrated in Kwok’s work as the girl’s mother works extremely hard to repay for the transportation and treatment money borrowed from her sister, Kimberly’s aunt. Aunt Paula is currently married to an American man and doing well financially from her sweatshop earnings. Desperate to repay the borrowed cash, Kimberly’s mother gets a job at her sister’s organization. However, she soon realizes that, on herself, she might not be able to meet the set deadline and she is forced to request her daughter for assistance. Compelled by the presenting circumstances, Kimberly agrees to join her mother for work after classes. The two struggle to work strenuous shifts till late night hours, getting barely few hours to rest. In addition, the conditions at their place of work are employee-unfriendly and appalling (Kwok). This coupled with their pest-infested and polluted home environment with neither protection nor comfort makes their life in America nearly unbearable “Ma,' I whispered, 'is it safe?'…'Aunt Paula wouldn't send us anywhere unsafe,' she said, but her low voice was laced with a thread of doubt…” (6). Until they settle their debts, they do not have hopes of securing a better place and so they have to suffer for a while.

Life at school is no better for Kimberly. With her inability to express herself in well in English makes her first several months a struggle. The poor girl almost gives up her dreams of her career due to the discouragement and mockery from her schoolmates. In addition, Kimberly also finds her teachers’ attitude off-putting and intimidating (Serena). Initially, she is forced to miss lessons as she is afraid of her classmates’ persistent bullying and scorn. She prefers to hide out in the cold and filthy apartment that is filled with dampness. “…A sheet of ice lay over the concrete, I watched my rubber boots closely, the way the toes slid on the ice…This ice was wild ice, ice that defied streets and buildings” (7). However, a few days later she realizes that she needs to look for a better solution to her troubles. Inspired by the determination to create a beautiful career and terminate the poverty affecting her family, the little girl resolves to work hard and achieve the future that she yearned for. Tasked with the responsibility of being her family’s future breadwinner, Kimberly decides to focus on her studies and eventually she earns herself a fully sponsored scholarship at an excellent high school. Like other adolescent girls, Kimberly still has a lot of hard decisions to work on. However, unlike others these decisions could either destroy her future into nothing or help her realize her dreams.

Kimberly forms various relationships with different people in her life, some of which are challenging and have heartbreaking terminations. Around the time she is applying for college, Kimberly gets involved in a romantic relationship with a long time friend they have shared similar experiences, Matt. Both Matt and Kimberly had worked together with their parents at same the factory. Following his mother’s death, Matt invites Kimberly to their home and the unexpected happens – they engage in sex and the condom accidentally breaks. After she thinks that she has truly fallen in love and yet another misfortune - Kimberly later discovers that she is pregnant and afraid that Matt will force her to move back to Chinatown with him, she struggles to keep it a secret. She fears that, her child will end up in a similar poverty stricken situation as herself. Eventually, she has to let go of her true love and follow a different path that will offer a better future for her unborn child (Kwok).

Overall, Kwok’s work gives a typical picture of the life of underprivileged immigrants and their families and the fortitude that it requires to acclimatize and mature enough to create their own future.  Chang’s condition gives readers a lot to reflect on and as well as give provide optimism as they make headway against various challenges.  Girl in translation is rich in discussion content for various persons as it depicts cultural differences, the ruthless realities and courage needed to move to another country with high expectations and the end results and regret that from time to time come with the hardest choices we can make in our daily lives.

References

Kwok, Jean. Jean Kwok New York Times Best Selling Author. 24 3 2015. 23 11 2015 <http://www.jeankwok.com/book.shtml>.

Kwok, Jean. Girl in Translation. London: Fig Tree, 2011. Print.

Serena. Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok. 4 5 2011. 23 11 2015 <http://savvyverseandwit.com/2011/05/girl-in-translation-by-jean-kwok.html>.