Byun UKyoung(Naymo) Differences in Families between Korea and America

In every society, a human belongs to his or her families. They live at home with their family; parents, children, brothers and sisters. However, according to cultures people live in, relations among members of family differ from those in another culture. In a large extent, western countries and eastern countries show the differences. More specifically, each country has its own features and it is distinguished from others. This essay will give examples of South Korea, as a representative country of eastern culture, and America, the United States, as that of western culture, about different styles and atmospheres in families. A same condition is that members in family in both countries belong to each other. And the differences will focus on expression of respect to others and supports between parents and children.

The way that people expressing respects to each other is different. In Korea, ages of people plays a very important role when people decide the orders among people. Young people should consider how to behave to older people. For example, when meeting each other, younger people bow to older people. In morning, when children wake up, they go to their grandparents and parents, and bow to them saying 'good morning'. And the young people use special forms of language to older people, an honorific. When they have meals together, after the oldest person begins to eat, then younger people begin to eat. And the oldest grandparents occupy the biggest room in a house. There is a reason why Korean people consider ages so important. It is because since the old times, Korean people, who were called Cho-sun people in the era, thought the older a person becomes, the wiser the person becomes. And in the effect of Korean bureaucracy which only cares the years of experience in a person's career, people think that the older a person gets the higher status the person is expected to be on. That is why Korean people consider ages so important. On contrary to that, American people do not express the respect to the old people. They do not greet in a special way, which is different from that when greet to friends or younger people. Although American people use 'Mr, Sir, Mrs, and excuse me', they are not for older people, but they use the words generally as a manner between people. The reason why American people do not care age so much is that the notion that all people are equal is a basic concept of American culture. Since the independence, American people do not care how old a person is, and what status the person has in society. American people think that a person is a human who should be treated in an equal way as others are.

Second difference between Korea and America is that Korean sons and daughters live with their parents until they get married. Before a marriage of a son, he depends on his parents for home, eating, and even finances in case of that he does not have a job. Parents think it is their duty to support their son until he can afford himself. When he marries, a couple of the son should live with and support old parents. Though that social convention becomes weaker and weaker these days, people typically think like that. The reason this social convention has spread, the influence of Confucianism from China, affected to Chosen Dynasty. 'Hyo', a good which is doing something good to parents, was one of the best doctrines in Confucianism. And it affected Korean society a lot. On the contrary to this, American people become independent in early ages. In finances, young kids can receive money from their parents after helping house choirs, and teenagers get part-time jobs to earn money. Students in college afford the intuition fee by themselves through part-time jobs or scholarships. Living without parents starts as soon as children go to universities in other regions. There seems to be factors more than one. First, individualism of American people make them consider themselves most rather than other people, and parents know they do not have duty to take care of their children since they are young. Second, importance of privacy also plays a role. American people want to keep their own territory, privacy. That is why they can become independent so early. Third, because American people know that moving alone can save the time, they do not want to be tied with another.

This essay has talked about the families which consist of Korean society and American societies differ from each other in internal behaviors of members. A couple first appears, a baby is born, another baby is born, and they become parents, children, and a sister or a brother to each other. The formation of a family is almost same in all countries. However, there are differences in people's behavior in families. While Korean people express respect especially to old people, American people treat all people equally. And Korean parents and children accept it as their duty to take care each other, while American people tend to be independent from their family in the early age. And the traditional background in old times such as entrance of Confucianism in Korea, and American social convention lead the differences.