Picture #1: From the shoulders up, we can see a young mans rested face, with big glasses and a polka dot bow tie. The picture was most likely taken in a Church, due to the religious engraved windows in the background.
The photo itself reminds me of the traditional beliefs and religious commitments described in some parts of the novel (How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez) when it involved the family's native culture.
Oddly enough, I don't think the first picture particularly matches the young man's point of view. The picture suggests that being the child of an immigrant doesn't stop one from openly celebrating their religious beliefs, while Michael Shami's (the young man in the photograph) statement brings up a completely different issue, one related to racial stereotypes.
He argues about how people often assume that just because his parents are immigrants, it automatically suggests that they arrived in the country poor and empty handed. Yet Michael's father, a fluent English speaker, had comfortably entered the United States with an M.D from Italy.
Because Michael seems to be dressed in a rather formal attire, someone else could interpret this picture as a young Christian going to Church on a sunday afternoon.
Picture #2: The picture's setting takes place in a young women's bedroom. Ganesha, the Elephant Headed God poster on the left, suggests that the young girl is from Indian descendants. Avnee is casually laying on her stomach on top of her bed while looking straight at the camera. Her tight-fitting clothes could also indicate that she's comfortable with Western fashion.
The photo suggests that children of immigrants are perfectly able to live and adapt themselves in the present while respectively holding on and embracing their past, or what they've always believed in. "You should not have to let go of your roots to be a part of American society."-Avnee
This photo reminds me of Sofia and her fight towards challenging the sexual double-standered she faced while dealing with both cultures; Particularly when she was trying to fit back into the Dominican environment by changing her general appearance. Instead of finding a balance between both cultures, being apart of one without neglecting the other, she found it necessary to suddenly abandon her "American traits" in order to fit back into her native land. Someone else could interpret this picture as a typical young girl hanging out in her room.
Picture #3: The photo is about a young Italian man looking through the glass window of a small bakery shop. His statement suggests that children of immigrants sometimes learn to shift and balance self-identification, as Giorgio talks about how he feels slightly more Italian in America but slightly more American in Italy.
Although the roles are reversed, this reminds me of Yolonda's observation concerning Mudin's behavior in the Dominican Republic VS his behavior in America. Knowing his limitations and what was seen as socially acceptable, Mudin acted more Dominican back on the island with his sexist remarks, while maintaing a more liberal attitude in America.
Someone else could interpret this picture as a young man relaxing on his coffee break.
Picture#4: This picture seems a lot more dramatic than the previous ones. A young women, gracefully sitting on a chair in the middle of an empty room, with two large glass windows in the back. A painting of the Virgin Mary is placed on the back wall, looking straight down at her. Anna's eyes are sealed shut, as she recalls the stories her parents would talk about when she was a child: "[...] stories describing how my parents had to stand in line for two hours just to receive a loaf of bread during Communist times." -Anna
This suggests that being the child of an immigrant makes you appreciate everything you didn't have to work for or suffer through, in order to live a more comfortable life. This reminds me of Mama Laura and her struggle to accept the fact that her family name no longer received the same kind of respect she thought it deserved. No matter how hard her parents, grand-parents or great-grand-parents had worked to insure a more comfortable life in the Dominican Republic, her family's proud title was taken away from them when they became immigrants.
Due to its dramatic effect and Anna's unnatural placement in the picture, someone else could interpret this image as some kind of photography project.
Picture #5: Because of the room's lighting, we're barely able to make out the young man's facial characteristics. However, we can clearly see him sitting on the side of his bed with his hands over his knees. Taher explains that, from his point of view, growing up was a constant mix of both the Indian and American world.
"It definitely takes mental fortitude to know where you stand and what you want to stand by. I can now stand for more than one thing." -Taher
His statement suggests that children of immigrants are blessed with an opportunity to stand for more than just one element. Because they've learned to live and adapt themselves in two different cultures, they identity themselves through two different groups, therefor representing both cultures.
This reminds me of the general struggle faced by the Garcia daughters throughout their immigrant experience, learning to integrate as well as accept both languages and cultural customs.
Because Taher looks comfortable (yet quite serious) someone else could interpret this as a simple picture that was taken during the course of a friendly interview.
Picture #6: This picture is about an Indian-American young women sitting in a chair by her dinning table. With an open beer can in front of her right hand, along with candles and faded portraits in the back, Sruti is facing the photographer with a dominant look in her eye.
"I was too embarrassed to bring Indian food to school. But if I could go back, I would have changed that." -Sruti
Her statement suggests that because their cultural customs are different, children of immigrants are often left to feel ashamed of where they come from and what they stand for, before realizing later on as adults that one's heritage can be the proudest aspect of a human being. The picture also reflects this kind of message through Sruti's strong, independent look, like nothing or no one is ever going to rob her of her cultural identity.
This picture reminds me a lot of Carlos. The way he refused to let himself get influenced by everyone else in his family, the way he resisted the process of americanization.
Once again, someone else could interpret this as a picture that was taken during a personal interview.
Picture #7: This photo presents the reader with a young Indian man sitting in a diner. He claims that he's never felt as though he's earned his last name. Because he ate meat and didn't fluently speak his parent's native tongue, he always felt like "the black sheep of the family."
Askhai's statement suggests that it isn't always easy for children of immigrant parents to stay in touch with their native cultural, and that missing out on that fundamental part of one's being can have emotional consequences, leaving one with a longing to belong.
Picture #8: This photo is about a young Latina women with glasses and curly dark hair, sitting on the side of her bed. Although she doesn't explain why, she tells the reader that when people ask her where she's from, she tends to respond with "New Jersey." Naturally, because of her complexion and ability to speak perfect Spanish, people are never satisfied with her answer. Alex chose to identify herself with her home town because for some reason, she doesn't feel comfortable talking about her rather obvious cultural back rounds.
This suggests that in some cases, children of immigrants (although they aren't necessarily ashamed) aren't entirely comfortable talking about their native cultures.
This reminds me of a short story that was written by the same author. During a particular scene, a spanish mother was discussing names with a group of American women in a maternity hospital. When it was her turn to talk about her newly born daughter's first name, she lied about it and instead came up with a traditional American name, because she suddenly felt ashamed of the cultural diversity.
Picture #9: Showing no more than her shoulders, this simple picture portrays a young Russian women.
Her story is rather unique compared to the rest of the immigrant experiences. As she claims that she never felt as connected with her russian friends as she did with the Americans, Sasha notes: "I found much more solace being the Russian one among my Puerto Rican, Italian, Polish, Ghanaian and American friends. The amalgamation of cultures and backgrounds made for such a richer experience."
Her statement suggests that children of immigrants can sometimes feel more connected towards other immigrants, rather than with people of their own culture.
Picture #10: This picture shows a teenage Argentinian boy, sitting on the side of his bed.
Although Alex feels comfortable calling himself Argentinian, he's learned that he may never be considered as "one of them" if he continues living outside of his country.
"I am reminded that I have missed huge cultural changes since I was 9, and as perfect as my Spanish may be, there are always tiny indicators to them that I am not one of them." -Alex
His statement suggests that children of immigrants can have a hard time integrating themselves BACK into their native culture. This reminds me of Yolanda during the first (or should I say last) chapters of the novel. When she had tried going back to the Dominican Republic, and couldn't help but feel like a bit of an outsider because of her American/Dominican self-indetification, she wasn't exactly "one of them" either.
