In the Land of the Free

I found Sui Sin Far’s piece to be very interesting.  Not only was her story heart-wrenching and eye opening, but her biography was as well.  The obstacles that immigrants had to overcome in this country are astounding, and to do so with such success is truly amazing.  The success that she and her siblings achieved, despite having to leave school at such a young age is amazing, especially for that time period.  They overcame prejudice and difficult economic conditions to achieve not financial success, but success in their chosen fields.  

One aspect that stood out to me particularly is the fact that she had to leave school to help support her family at a very young age.  Although she writes about the difficulties that Chinese-American immigrants faced, this is not unlike my own grandfather’s story.  When he was around the same age, he too, had to quit school to help his father support their family and was never able to finish his education.  Although the obstacles that she faced were no doubt very different and unique, as demonstrated with this story, there are also similarities.  Despite the fact that she was a different race, lived in a different part of the country, a different gender, and lived during a different time period, there was still this common thread between her story and the story of so many people across this nation.  

I know this is an odd aspect to focus on with this story, but I found it quite interesting and thought provoking.  This is not in any way to diminish the difficulties that she faced, but rather to show the similarities among all people trying to care for their families.