Who is Irish?

In USA, there is a lot of influx of immigrants from various parts of the world with many nationalities. USA is a country that is said to be very diverse when it comes to ethnicity. There are some schools of thought which term the country as a melting pot considering the fact that there is a mix of nationalities and different cultures that tends to have an influence on the culture of America and the citizens of the country. Another school of thought terms USA as a quilt whereby it is woven by different cloths as well as fabrics that tend to form the entire quilt. Regardless of the gaps that exists amidst the piece of cloths there still is a force that keeps all nationalities together, When it comes to the gaps it can be termed as the gap that exist amidst different cultures specifically when it comes to older immigrants. The life and cultural perspective when it comes to the older generation of Chinese people they are said to be firmly rooted to China and are very concerned about the norms and cultural values since they have lived half of their lives there. When it comes to the second generation that is their offspring's, they have been brought up in a culture that is mixed with Chinese and American values and hence they have a different perspective. They are Americanized yet can be termed as Chinese since their parents belong to china. They have a higher inclination towards the American culture considering that all activities that they have are influenced by American culture and norms. It is this aspect which develops a generational gap amidst the two generations.

When it comes to the novel of Gish Jen called “Who is Irish”, he has highlighted the gap amidst a grandmother, her daughter, American yet Irish son in law along with a granddaughter. The grandmother has been living in USA for quite some time now and is still uncomfortable living in the country because of the culture. She is currently living with her son in law's mother. This story basically highlights the gapes that exist when it comes to the America as a country and the camaraderie with Chinese American family, Irish American family and the Chinese American family along with the raising of the granddaughter (www.litmed.med.nyu.edu).

The gap from the cultural perspective amidst American and China is said to be manifested in the link amidst the wife and the husband as well as a mother and a daughter. The sixty eight year old grandmother who is also the narrator of the story has a daughter called Natalie who is employed at a bank as a vice president. Her husband is unemployed and stays at home but is least bothered about the child. In the Chinese culture it is the father who is responsible for taking care of the family but when it comes to America the instance is not such. Grandmother has a perception that john is an English speaker ...