Both stories “The Paper Mangerie” and “The Loudest Voice” we see the main characters go through the struggles and adversities of assimilating into a new culture. We see how the environment and outside influences of an individual could positively or negatively affect somebody into wanting to embrace different cultures instead of their own. Both stories demonstrate how these factors have the biggest impact on somebody and their assimilation into a new culture.
In “The Paper Mangerie” Kankan is a young boy that lives with his mom and dad. His mom is a heavy influence on him that causes him to be very involved in her culture. He eats the same food, speaks the same language and plays with the magic origami that his mom creates for him. In the story another boy in Kankan’s school makes fun of him for playing with his mother’s origami and for embracing his culture. This causes him to want to move on and forget about the cultures he embraces. After this he takes the steps too completely avoid it. He tells his mom he doesn’t want to be involved in their culture anymore and wants to be more like the other kids at his school.
In “The Loudest Voice” we see Shirley a young Jewish girl and her parents going through their everyday life in a new country. In the story Shirley is offered the biggest role in a Christmas play in school because of her loud voice she is known for throughout school. When she’s home she’s met with criticism from her mother and approval from her father. Her mother’s culture and beliefs won’t allow her to agree with her daughter being a part of the play. She sees it as disgusting and embarrassing whereas her father believes it could help Shirley in multiple ways. Shirley is praised for assimilating into a new culture by being a part of this play. Playing the biggest role makes her feel special and helps her gain confidence in herself. Her assimilation into a new culture holds a lot of opportunity and value for her.
Both stories show us the characters assimilating into a new culture. We see two completely different ways of assimilating and reasons why people assimilate. “In The Paper Mangerie” we see Kankan get bullied for his culture. He gets made fun of for being different, that makes him want to change and be like everybody else. The other kids he is surrounded by every day that bully him are the negative influences that cause him to want to assimilate into a new culture to escape his own. Whereas “The Loudest Voice” Shirley is met with positivity by her teachers and dad. She was praised by her teachers and dad for her voice and opportunity even though her mother highly disagrees. She’s already set on being a part of this play and the positive feedback drives her into wanting to assimilate into a new culture even more. Positive outside feedback and influences from her father and teachers impact her embracing a new culture by being a part of the Christmas play. These two characters’ environments and influences play the biggest role in their assimilation.
Assimilating into a new culture could be one of the most stressful and difficult transitions in someone’s entire life. There could be multiple different reasons why somebody would assimilate into a new culture, but the biggest factors are their outside influences and environments. In “The Paper Mengerie” and “The Loudest Voice” we see examples of this. We see how someone’s environment and influences could negatively or positively impact them, causing them to assimilate into a new culture. These factors play such a big role that it causes the characters to embrace a new culture instead of their own.
