It ain't easy being a foreigner. We have to adapt to new places, learn new languages, and eat new food. One of the main themes of Chin's "How I Got That Name" is this experience of arriving in a new place (in this case, America) and having to adjust. But even though being a foreigner isn't easy, the poem suggests that there are also rewards that we can reap from expanding our horizons.
Questions About Foreignness and 'The Other'
- How does the speaker's name change reflect her father's attempt to overcome his own "foreignness" in America?
- When the speaker says that she's "mesmerized/ by all that was lavished upon her/ and all that was taken away" (94-96), what is she referring to? What does her experience as a foreigner give her and what does it take away?
- How does the speaker's description of herself as a "squatter" (84) reflect her own foreign identity?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
If we're foreigners or immigrants, we're doomed to live as outsiders—doomed we tell you. We're just never going to fit into the countries that we move to.
Actually, being a foreigner is a blessing. It allows us to have many identities and homes, not just one.