In a PIE paragraph, the Information can come from many different types of sources, including

articles, books, films, poems, interviews, observations, and images/photographs. Below are

models of three PIE paragraphs. Notice how the paragraphs synthesize information from

different sources to illustrate the main point. Notice also how the author integrates the

information, through quotes, summary, paraphrasing, and description.

Note: The paragraphs below are excerpted from the body of an essay (not the introduction).

Some believe that immigrants, to truly assimilate into American society, must sacrifice

their own cultures. In other words, they must choose between America and their country of

origin. Angela Balcita, in “The Americano Dream,” imagines that her immigrant Filipino father

might have asked himself, “Where do my allegiances lie? Do I cheer for the place I’m from or

the place I’m going? Can I be split? (224). And this can be even more intense when the

immigrant’s country of origin is in a political conflict with the United States. In my interview

with Ahmed, an immigrant from Saudi Arabia, he recalls, “Though the Bay Area is diverse, with

many ethnic foods and a tolerance for different cultures, after 9/11, I felt pressured to present

myself as the most ‘American’ I could be” (El-gasseir).

While many, despite this pressure, continue to “straddle two worlds” living “in one

culture but remain[ing] connected to another” (McQuade 228), they hope desperately that their

children will be accepted fully by their new American society. Pat Mora’s poem, “Immigrants,”

describes immigrant parents who “wrap their babies in the American flag / feed them mashed hot

dogs and apple pie / name them Bill and Daisy / buy them blonde dolls that blink blue / eyes or a

football and tiny cleats / before the baby can even walk.” Mora’s poem conveys a sad fear: “Will

they like / our boy, our girl, our fine american / boy, our fine american girl?” In a way, if these

immigrant parents hold on to their original culture, they have to disconnect from their own

children.

But immigrant parents can also be important role models for how to successfully blend

two cultures, to be American, but also be proud of one’s family culture. Amy Tan, in “Fish

Cheeks,” humorously describes an embarrassing memory of when her mother invited the family

of her teenage crush to join them for dinner. When Tan is mortified by her family’s Chinese

behavior at the dinner table, her mother admonishes, “You want be same like American girls on

the outside . . . But inside, you must always be Chinese. You must be proud you different. You

only shame is be ashame” (218). Tan reflects that it wasn’t until many years later that she was

able to “appreciate fully” the lesson, but this role modeling can have a much more immediate

effect. In Monica Almeida’s photograph, we see a mother walking her children home from

school in Dearborn, Michigan. The first thing one might notice about the photograph is the hijab,

but the photo captures an every event in a typical suburban neighborhood.

Almeida might have intended this photo to

combat stereotypes, to show that the people

in the photograph are no different from

everyone else. But observing how happy

this mother and her daughters appear, I

believe she accomplished so much more.

She captured the idea that if we’re proud of

who we are, where we’re from, and what we believe in, we can pass this message of honesty on

to the next generation.