In Paul-Helge Haugen’s poem, Home from America, the perspective from the people in the home country on their family members gradually reveals how extreme differences in culture can be. The most powerful line in this poem, “if you went to America/you became/a different person” made me upset. When traveling to other countries, yes, culture shock will most likely occur and the experiences that one has in that country could change you or reshape a way of thinking. However it should not be to the extent that when you return home, you cannot mesh with your family.
In respect to values, I thought of the Amy Tan article when reading the line mentioned above. For the people who were in America, they changed their values to match those of the American society. But much like the events in the article, their change in values could no longer coincide with those of their homeland.
Side note, what does the third stanza mean? Is it that they are trying to speak with an American accent? The “ ‘r’/that was stuck/part-way down their throats” confused me.
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