We're always observing, and we're cautious people. We really want attention, but at the same time, we're ashamed of wanting attention. All those bizarre qualities of being outside are necessary for being a writer.
Min Jin LeeRead
People often think of America as a classless society, but, of course, that isn't true. Within immigrant communities, there's an enormous distinction of class, depending on who your parents are, and that kind of thing comes out really quick in things like marriage and interpersonal relationships.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the unnoticed class distinctions within immigrant communities in America, contradicting the notion of it being classless.
Min Jin Lee's quote points out the myth of America as a classless society by illustrating the underlying class distinctions present, especially within immigrant communities. These distinctions often manifest in personal and social aspects, particularly in marriage and relationships, showing that factors like parental background and social status still significantly influence interpersonal dynamics.
Themes
ClassSocietyRelationshipsImmigrantsAmericaDistinction
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on social dynamics in immigrant neighborhoods, this quote can provide insight into the complexities of class and relationships.
More from Min Jin Lee
All quotes →Twenty-five million people who live in North Korea are denied freedom in every respect of their lives. In short, they are hostages. Imagine 25 million hostages.
Min Jin LeeRead
My father was born on Christmas Day in 1934. He grew up in what is now part of North Korea. When the Korean War began, my father was 16, and he found passage on an American refugee ship,thinking he'd be gone for just a few days, but he never saw his mother or his sister again.
Min Jin LeeRead
I think it's not an accident that you don't have that many Asian American women writers who are breaking out. I don't think it's an accident that you don't have that many Asian American writers, either women or men. I don't think that immigrants are encouraged to become artists. That's very gendered and racialized and ethnicized.
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Koreans are worried about the Japanese right-wing people, who tend to be against foreigners. But the Koreans in Japan aren't even foreigners. They are essentially culturally Japanese. If a family has lived in Japan for three generations, it's absurd to see them as foreigners.
Min Jin LeeRead
I've often felt like an outsider, not necessarily because I'm Korean, an immigrant, or female. I think writers are odd people.
Min Jin LeeRead
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