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24/02/2026 12:13 am
How does your character feel about American culture? What parts of culture/society do they find appealing? What are they currently doing to be part of culture/society?
In my book “The Sun is Also a Star” By Nicola Yoon, two main characters Daniel and Natasha are experiencing America from coming from another country. Natasha is being deported the same day her and Daniel meet. Daniel’s family speaks Korean while at home., This can be related back to the story “Sweet, Difficult Sounds” by I.M Desta because of the way he has to change his voice once he goes outside of his home, which is something extremely similar to the story. Both of these stories have struggles with identity. Natasha views herself as an American, while the government sees her as an undocumented immigrant. Daniel sees himself as a poet while his family sees him as a doctor. In “Sweet, Difficult Sounds” she refers back to having to change her voice often, and every time she does it feels like she loses herself more and more over time. Natasha and Daniel are both Americanized in public but stays true to themselves and their culture in their homes. Desta mentions going back to her “home” in Zimbabwe. This also shows in the book because of how conflicted Natasha is by going back to her “home” county, but she doesn't remember much about it since she's been in America her whole life.
For participants:
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To exceed: Incorporate a quote from a different Ted Talk or a different CommonLit text that has not yet been discussed in your group
02/03/2026 1:03 pm
In my book, The Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo, the main character, X (Short for Xiomara), never really tried to be involved with American culture. Xiomara is the first generation daughter of her parents who immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic. X is a sophomore in high school, in Harlem, New York, she also comes from a very religious family, but X has never liked that. X has always tried her best to avoid God, to avoid church, to avoid her God idolizing mother. Xiomara has never been able to identify with the religion of her family, and she’s never liked how it’s often forced upon her. She wrote referring to her experience in church, “When I look around the church/ And none of the depictions of angels/ Or Jesus or Mary, not one of the disciples/ Look like me: morenita and big and angry.” (Acevedo 59). This shows how she’s never been able to feel comfortable or relate to the religion she’s forced to be a part of. Hence, Xiomara hasn’t really tried to be a part of American culture, she simply doesn’t relate to it because nobody looks or acts like she does. Many of the people around her are rather sour, always cat-calling her, or trying to use her for her body. This obviously doesn’t make things any easier for her to be able to be comfortable with herself, her environment, and with American society.
iadams27 reacted
03/03/2026 2:43 pm
In my book, very similar to yours. The male main character, Daniel is having the pressure of his rest of his family to become a doctor since it's the family legacy. Which is forced on him by the social and religious part of his family. He has to hide the things he really does and wants to be. Such as being a poet.
rbussiere27 reacted
06/03/2026 2:56 pm
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Summary of; The Sun Is Also a Star, Nicola Yoon. This story follows Natasha Kingsley and Daniel Bae over the course of one life-changing day in New York City. Natasha, a practical and science-driven teenager, is desperately trying to stop her family’s deportation to Jamaica, refusing to believe in fate or love because she trusts only facts and evidence. Meanwhile, Daniel, a poetic and romantic Korean-American teen, struggles with his parents’ expectations, and they want him to follow a traditional career instead of following his dream of becoming a poet. When they unexpectedly meet, Daniel becomes convinced their encounter is meant to be, while Natasha insists it is just a coincidence. As they spend the day together debating love, destiny, and their futures. They begin to form a powerful connection that challenges everything Natasha believes and forces both of them to question what really shapes their lives. qustion In the novel The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon, Natasha has mixed feelings about American culture. She feels upset and frustrated because her family is being deported, even though the United States feels like her home. However, she still likes parts of American culture, especially the diversity and opportunities in places like New York City. Natasha enjoys learning and hopes to study science and go to college. She tries to be part of American society by going to school, planning for her future, and fighting to stay in the country with her family.“I’m not leaving without a fight.”(Yoon pg 7-10). This quote shows that Natasha believes the United States is her home and she doesn’t want to be forced to leave. It proves she wants to stay and continue being part of American society, which is why she spends the day trying to stop her family’s deportation. |
krussell27 reacted
06/03/2026 4:13 pm
In “Brighter Than the Sun” by Daniel Aleman, the main character is a young girl named Sol, who has to traverse across the border every day just to get a proper education. She attends school in San Diego, California. She is financially struggling with her family. She has to wake up early, about 5 am, to cross the border to arrive at school on time. Sol is the only person in their family who is a US citizen. This is because her mother was struggling with the pregnancy and could not go through with the pregnancy with the medical care they offer in Mexico. She moves in with her friend, Ari. Their mothers became friends years prior, because Sol and Ari were friends when they were younger, making it inevitable. Sol’s mother died a few years ago, making her take on the responsibilities of the family. She conflicts with herself, needing to get a job to help support her family financially, while needing to support them in their emotional or medical state.
My character, Sol, travels across the border to attend school and work, then moves to America to participate in those activities more easily. She still needs to travel a bit for her job. Her life in Mexico was a struggle because her family always had to divvy up food equally to make it fair, and they worried about going hungry. In America, Sol doesn’t need to worry about food. “It’s only been a week since I left, but I feel like a completely different person.” (Aleman 97)
16/03/2026 9:02 pm
In my book Natasha also takes in some responsibilities for the family, especially for things like trying to help them stay in the U.S and have that stability.
26/03/2026 1:43 pm
Interesting! How do you predict the influence of that, and her trying to help her family for the rest of the story?
