Sample Response:
The main conflict in the story is between the mother’s desire for obedience and the daughter’s desire for independence. It reveals contrasting cultural perspectives between the characters. The daughter’s independence is a reflection of growing up in the United States. As a result of living in America, she desires the freedom to make her own decisions. The mother, however, has values based on her Chinese heritage. She believes that children must obey their parents at all times. These differences lead to arguments between the mother and daughter over many years.
Kathleen Kingsbury won the Pulitzer Prize with her article that showed a full position on the situation of restaurant workers and how customers are the strongest voice that can help them.
Kingsbury establishes his arguments based on the economic difficulty that restaurant workers need to survive in relation to the importance of these professionals in our job market. She states that “Most Americans eat out on an average of seven times a week, and having good restaurants nearby has become an increasing part of what makes a community feel livable,” this shows how today's society, because of the way of life that adopted is increasingly dependent on the service of these employees, however, the low wages that they receive in this country with the high cost of living makes them have many economic problems, which is not expected for such a relevant professional.
Kingsbury also states that "Too many families are struggling to survive, to put food on the table and make sure their family's future is brighter than their own," which reinforces her argument that customers should help them in their search for better wages, in addition to promoting a fair and generous tip.
