Le/Lowe

In these two pieces, the authors focus on immigrants and their struggles in attaining the American Dream. The first author, C.N. Le, examines the stereotype that Asians do very well economically and socially because of their high education, well-paying jobs, and comfortable lifestyles. To many Americans, Asians represent the American Dream, the idea that success can be attain through hard work. While Lisa Lowe explains how immigrant women are treated and thought of by the US companies they work for.

In order to illustrate his point, Le relies on numbers and physical data. Initially, Le presents the readers with a chart showing that Asians doing to particularly well economically and socially, in fact the numbers are either close or surpass white Americans in many areas. However, the author goes back and shows why these number disproportional to the reality. This technique was especially useful because she reaffirmed the stereotype, then she is able to go back and show us why the reasoning is wrong. For instance, Le points out the Asian families tend to have the highest median income, however he qualifies this point with the fact that most Asian families live in areas where cost of living is high compared to the rest of American. It is these unforeseen details that Le demonstrates to illustrate the idea that the numbers about Asian American success should be taken with a grain of salt.

Lowe and Le both wrote a critique of the modern US ideology. To further her point, Lowe uses personal accounts, which brings the author’s point to an emotional level. This strategy is particular useful in this situation because it puts the reader into the middle of the action letting them experience the life portrayed. Lowe uses these narratives to explain how the use of Asian and Latina women is “neocolonial capitalism, anti-immigrant racism, and patriarchal gender stratification” (36).

Overall did anyone else have trouble reading Lowe’s argument? I personally found it very hard to follow.