Hart has degrees in English literature and creative writing. She is a freelance editor and published writer. In the following essay, Han explores the complexities of acculturation as portrayed in The Teahouse of the August Moon

John Patrick's play The Teahouse of the August Moon, although first published in 1952 and therefore somewhat dated with its stereotypical characters and post World War EL themes, nonetheless remains relevant today with its underlying conception (or misconception) of acculturation. As the topic of globalization seeps into the rhetoric of all contemporary nations and modern issues of multiculturalism affect the lives of many of the world's population, it could be argued that Patrick's play, if read as a kind of social parable, is even more significant today than when it was first written. Using the idea of parable, readers can get beyond the somewhat predictable humor of this play and extract a...