Mahatma Gandhi once said, “A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and souls of its people." Chinese culture and American culture are the foundation of the country. Even in today’s busy world the culture these countries were built on is still visible today. The American and Chinese cultures have various differences and similarities such as, language, beliefs, and tradition.
Languages differ very much between the Chinese and American culture. Although both have the alphabet, the characters of these cultures have a significant difference. A single symbol in the Chinese culture can be either a whole word or sentence. A symbol can also mean many different things as well. These cultures also speak very differently. Chinese people have no idea what American people are saying and vice versa. Sometimes the way a word is spoken is different within the culture. In America, a person from Texas and a person from New England speak differently. Also in China and Singapore words are spoken a little differently. In the short story, “ I Answer to Elaine” the mother and daughter have a language barrier. Elaine, the daughter, and her family moved to the United States in 1987. When the family moved her Elaine was young. She knew her native language but she also learned to speak english. After Elaine learned to speak english well, she became the translator for her mother and father. As she got older she wanted to have that image of the all-american girl. Her mother on the other hand wanted the delightful Chinese daughter. As Elaine became more fluent in English, the parent and child role switched and Elaine took on all the adult responsibilities because her parents never learned the English language. Language is an identity of a culture.
China and America have diversified beliefs within the country itself. Although, both cultures have ventured out their beliefs, they still are formed around the founded beliefs. Chinese culture believes in the religion known...