The critical analysis on the immigration laws and policies after September 2001 - Essay Example

The critical analysis on the immigration laws and policies after September 2001 The perception of identity plays an effective role that when it comes to ones own, it appears to have a strong influence resulting in controversial opinions even between the closely related. This is what Bharathi Mukerjee’s essay reflects. She seemed to have made critical analysis on the effects of disagreements persisting on the immigration laws and policies after the incident of September 2001. Though it might be surprising, as she has written this essay on an autobiographical mode at a very old age, it has to be admitted that she has described a wholesome collection of debates, which existed between her and her sister Mira.

Bharathi’s longing for a same kind of earlier life is reflected in this essay. She has particularly analysed the issue of identity, which many outsiders face in an alien nation. She also points out the influence of Governmental pace towards the immigrants who in turn suffer from various aspects of identity issues in addition to struggle for a permanent residence. Her narration of her earlier studential life appears quiet reasonable. In the sense, the sister’s aim to complete their education and their identical way of living seems to be an understandable one when compared with the controversial thinking due to the manipulation of unfavourable changes surrounding the immigrants.

When she writes, “When we left India, we were almost identical in appearance and attitude. We dressed alike, in saris: we expected identical views on politics, social issues, love and marriage in the same Calcutta School accent”. [p-415-416]. This narration, which has a positive notion changes as the essay proceeds with the controversial thoughts of the sisters. For example, when Bharathi writes, that she lacked the “structure” of her native life style because of her involvement in the “superficial pop culture” she means to say that those aspects were the indispensable points, which in turn are not likely to be accepted by her sister Mira.

She is able to underpin the features, which distinguishes the situation of an individual who struggles to precede her life amidst identity crisis and another without paying a least attention towards that. When she refers to her structure an “erasure of Indianness”, it is understood that she too is a victim suffering from the same sort of identity crisis. When she refers to her sister Bharathi observes in terms of her “self-consciousness” as an India. Her evaluation of Mira’s mental make is very clearly mentioned W which also adds flavour to the concept of controversy.

Mira, says Bharathi, even after living through several years in Detroit and who would never prefer to adopt another cultural and authoritative influence that comes in her Indian life style. For example, she observes Mira as “After 36 years as a legal immigrant in this country, she clings passionately to her Indian citizenship and hopes to go home to India when she retires”. [p-416]. However, both seemed to have developed tow different sort of identity with the influence of their interest towards their career life.

This aspect has been brought out in an interesting way when Bharathi observes her sisters’ concept of identity in terms of being “professionally generous and creative, socially courteous and gracious, and that’s as far as her Americanisation can go. She is here to maintain an identity, not to transform it”. [P-417]. Bharathi’s feeling towards lack of identity has also been furnished with specifications such as the denial of Quebec society to accept Bharathi as part of a Canadian society and the Governmental notion of the South Asian immigrants as non-traditional.

Over all, the controversy discussed in this essay appears as if Bharathi had found an expression of the whole immigrants through her essay. In addition to that, she has given a fine autobiographical touch to the common controversial thoughts existing among a number of immigrants. She seems to have a lot of questions inside underpinning the frequently changing rules and regulations of the Government which influences the genuine immigrants as a result of a few illegal immigrants.