Comparative Essay

Comparison in how cultural practice has been applied in Memories of Montreal and richness and Lend Me Your Light.

Introduction

The paper looks to compare the cultural practice between two stories: Memories of Montreal and richness and Lend Me Your Light. It asses the different cultural practices as depicted by the authors of the two books. The authors acquire different opinions and how it affects the people close by. Through analysis of the stories, the paper will be able to the different cultural practices in the locations of the two authors.

Lend Me Your Light is a fictional story by Rohiton Mistry similar to the relocation from India to Canada. The basis of the belief by Parsis’ is the relation of liberalism with western civilizations (Morey, 2004). This shows that Parsis and the white occupants of North America have a common global Aryan custom, the migrants from Bombay are ethnically different and hence not subjected to go to Canada and the US as such. In the essay, Kersi’s parents state that the Canadian government does not want the mass entrance of uncivilized Indians who offer their application for status: “who would want these bloody ghatis to come charging into their fine land?” However, the government body in charge of immigration were persuaded that Kersi, who is a Parsi, is quite competent to make the application and will be accepted (Alt, n.d). Kersi stated that he has do difficulty getting accepted in regard to his knowledge in English and education.

In 1910, people of Indian origin who desire to get citizenship in America claimed that they were ‘white’ by lieu of being an ‘Aryan’ and supported their claim with to strict observation of endogamy by the caste system. Through this they had biological limpidness.

Sikhs, Brahmins and Parsis pursued their Aryan custom, the Zoroastrian maintaining that Parsees arise from the white race. Even though the Indians were subjected to harsh treatment from the westerners, this went on even as they went back to India (Morey, 2004). The Parsis do not see any form of redemption in India, they see financial stability and cultural dominance in the western nations; this is shown when Kersi’s friends brag regarding getting antiques from India at cheaper prices and made fun of the shopkeeper’s ignorance. Percy began a non-profit company that offers loans with no interest to less fortunate families. Jamshed, a friend of his moved to New York expressing his loath with the inopportuneness of the life in Bombay and inability to acquire products in India. He claims there is corruption everywhere.

He claims he will move to the US as he cannot handle the harsh life of India. Additionally, he the negativity that has befallen India arises due to huge size of the low class and social group. He states that the US and Canada lack the ‘ghati mentality’ as there are no ghati living there. Due to this, North America are not as fraudulent and are more stylish in comparison to India (Morey, 2004). According to Jamshed when one is an American or Canadian, they live a much comfortable life. The immigrants inability to fully assimilate means that the US and Canada still has the discrimination of white racism in regard to Mystry assimilation of Indian immigrants which is in most cases stalled by race, ethnicity, religion and color.

Memories of Montreal and richness by Moses Milstein brings out his youthful life as being complicated; plagued with poverty, rag trade, Yiddish newspapers, and Chinese cloths. On other hand, his son lives a much more comfortable and silent life of the tennis courts.

In April, Milstein’s son goes to school filled with cherry blossoms. Below the slopes of the mountain of Vancouver, he is able to see the houses mixed with the huge cedar trees. The sun shone over the yards and placid waters of Howe Sound (Milstein, 1998). He goes by the neighborhood undisturbed by the silent sounds of only the tennis ball in the courts close by. The author is remorseful for his son as he remembers his school days which were much more exciting.

Moses Milstein’s school days in the fifties had the path to school filled with sand from the winter’s ice. With the stormy weather, he could remove his thin soled shoe and walk on the side walk. The streets had four corner stores common in all streets. The Jewish stores was controlled by Mr. Auerbach who had his competitors just across the street of French origin (Milstein, 1998). They had their stores filled with soft drinks, paper rolls and potato chips; here one would purchase a potato chip for a penny. On another corner was a Chinese laundry called Wing Ling and green in colour. Here, Mr. Lee and his family washed and ironed clothes whence wrap them neatly.

Closer to the Mr. Lee laundry is the Jewish tailor who worked and lived in the same building with his family. The work place had a sewing machine and steam iron and environment was uncomfortable (Gravenor, 2007). Close-by was Lawrence Street which was noisy and busy with businesses. Moses’ father, a tailor, worked here which had tall buildings.

The environment was filled with mix smell most of which arose from slavery. The Jewish Peretz School was found at the corner of Duluth Street. The children received their education in Yiddish, interacted in English and stayed in a French neighborhood (Milstein, 1998). The author recounts all of the buildings and businesses found in the two blocks to schools and serenity, safety and happiness received from the streets. The author purchased a house in the Pacific forests and his goes to school with the cherry blossom.

Conclusion

The paper has been able to demonstrate how cultural practice has been applied in the two books: Memories of Montreal and richness and Lend Me Your Light. The paper demonstrates the cultural diversity prevalent in the two stories. The stories show that the cultural practice being quite varied and the author responds differently to the locations he sees or experiences.

References

Alt (n.d). From Fiction to Facts: Rohinton Mistry‘s Lend me your Light as a literary reflection      on emigration from India to Canada. Retrieved on 8th November, 2013, from    http://alt.ulricianum-aurich.de/lk05/ppt/insa.ppt

Gravenor, K. (2007). Retrieved on 8th November, 2013, from    http://coolopolis.blogspot.com/2007_03_04_archive.html

Milstein, M. (1998). ‘Memories of Montreal – and richness,’ Globe and Mail.

Morey, P. (2004). Rohinton Mistry. New York: Manchester University Press.