Laotian Daughters and Kelly loves Tony part 1

 The article Laotian Daughters discusses about the experiences that Mien girls face with their culture in an attempt to refine and create their own identity while escape from the constraints and expectations of both their American and Asian cultures. The Asian culture is strongly patriarchal and forces women to take the supportive role for the man whereas the American culture is racist to a degree and refuses to acknowledge the Asian perspective and their significance and value in society. This is evident when the Mien women were mistakened for Chinese, Korean, or Japanese, and their correspondents continue to make this mistake in an attempt to refuse acknowledging their identity. At the same token, young Mien girls strain their communications with their parents, due to their conservative views with tradition and their unwillingness to listen to and accept their daughter's choices. With the constraints placed on these girls, I believe that it would be best for them to make their own choices and create their own community rather than absorbing the constraints placed on them to please both their Asian identity and their attempts to integrate into American society. This subservient method would strain the girls, as they would feel miserable attempting to please both sides. This problem is reflectional in Kelly loves Tony, when Kelly is forced to uphold Mien traditions by marrying a husband at a young age while attempting to pursue a higher education. Initially, she was happy for graduating high school and having her first son. However, after realizing that she needs to find a way to support herself and her child, she decides to attend college to pursue a higher education. Some of the obstacles placed on her is the responsibility of taking care of her child, obliging to her parents-in-law's traditions and chores, and worry about her boyfriend's commitments and responsibilities. In a more realistic sense, doing chores is a routine task that must be upheld in order to maintain organization and understanding of purpose. Yet, at the same time, it is irresponsible for Kelly's family to force her to live in a home that is completely foreign to her nor is she willing to accept. Had Tony taken the time to reflect on his life and contribute by helping out Kelly and understanding her reasons for pursuing an education, then Kelly wouldn't struggle facing and maintaining her responsibilities. Kelly is a reflection of one of the many women who struggle to accept and cope with her numerous obligations from different societal and cultural pressures.