Define or describe THREE of the four following terms or concepts, illustrating with examples from our texts and / or examples from American culture or history. "Develop" your examples.

T1. "Minority," especially in terms of American ethnic groups but also in other categories or relationships. Define in terms of history and power relations. Which ethnic groups does this course treat as "minority groups," and why?

This course specifies two distinct minority groups: African Americans and American Indians. Both of these groups correspond with Course objective 1a., "Involuntary participation". The African American group came to America by the force of slave traders, without their consent. The American Indians were here when Europeans came to America, but instead of working together, the Europeans overpowered the American Indians in order to achieve their own vision. Although many generations have since been brought up in these minority cultures, both struggle to be heard by the dominant culture. This struggle is seen in the lack of educational, financial, and health resources available to minority groups in comparison to the majority.

In Black Girl Lost by Donald Goines, Sandra is living in a situation that is affected by her minority status. She is stuck in the situation with her mom, lacking in control (Obj. 5f) because of the parent/child relationship. She is property in that relationship, someone who is simply an object to be used as her mother wishes. The only time she goes against this relationship during the time before she meets Chink is when she is overtaken by her needs for food, shelter, clothing, etc. On page 8-9, Sandra is recalling instructions by her mother to stay at home. Then we read, "What drove her on was the hunger pains that kept flashing across her stomach"(Pg. 9). Another example on page 24 shows how her mother objectifies Sandra. It says her mother came out of the room… "Ignoring her daughter completely, as if she were just another piece of kitchen furniture".

In Baby of the Family, the minority group influence is defined by what is not available to the McPherson family. Because of the time period it takes place in, we see the segregation issues such as the hospital rooms just for African Americans. This books showcases the minority theme stronger through the interactions the main characters have with the supporting characters. Lena’s interactions with Sarah and Rachel brought minority theme to the reader subtle yet significant manner. [CF 01]

The term minority includes African Americans, Mexican Americans, Native Americans, women and those who have an alternative sexuality. There are several reasons these groups are considered minorities. First of all of these groups at one time or another did not have power over themselves. The most obvious of these is the African Americans. They were kidnapped from their homes, forced to board ships destined for an unknown world, and made slaves. They were not able to choose their destiny, it was determined for them. For many years they were forced to live under the rule of white people. They were "voiceless and choiceless" in determining the life they would lead. They were forced into slavery among people how did not speak their language. All other minority groups faced similar predicaments. They were all forced to obey those in charge at the time. The minority culture does not include the immigrant culture. These individuals came of their own free will. [CK 01]

The United States is a very unique mix of people whose origins reach all over the world. What separates Americans is how they arrived at this nation. An immigrant is one who comes from their native soil to America on their own terms and by their own choice. Minorities on the other hand did not have this choice. African Americans were chained and herded onto boats that sailed them across the Atlantic into the U.S. and involuntarily into a world of slavery. Native Americans as well as Mexican Americans were forced from the soil their ancestors had inhabited many years before Christopher Columbus ever claimed the land as property of Spain. The minorities can be classified as the once "choice less and voiceless" members of our society. Their voice and their decision are to be made by the dominant culture; the ones that arrived in this country by their own will.

The relationship between the dominant and minority culture directly reflects that of the master/slave relationship or the owner/property relationship. African Americans sold into slavery were put on the market along with livestock; they were considered property not humans. This feeling of having extremely limited voice and choice has repeated itself throughout time and continues to be passed to the minorities in America today. Women and homosexuals have also been considered minorities because they have through history also been denied their voice. These two realms in the minority class sometimes overlap causing a "double minority" such as Native American women, or African American homosexuals. [AM 01]

Minority by "Involuntary (forced) participation" includes African Americans, Native Americans and Latin Americans. African Americans were immigrated by force, Native Americans were dominated by force; neither chose to join. From the classic slave narratives, Olaudah Equiano tells, "When I arrived on the coast was the sea, and a slave ship … I was carried on board … handled and tossed up to see if I was sound … (H.O.)." From reading, we are able to learn he did not have choice in the matter, nor did he have voice.

In contrast, Immigrants (European Americans, Asian Americans, and most Latin Americans) chose to come to America. Some Latin Americans were dominated since some territory was taken over by the White Americans. Sammy from Black Girl Lost is an immigrant; he joined America by choice. He had voice in determining his lifestyle. He was able to own a store (his business). Furthermore, he was able to offer Sandra (double minority) a job, and help her open a bank account.

In addition, Minorities include women, lesbians, homosexuals, and women of color (double minorities). For example, as double minorities, Lena’s mother and grandmother had no voice / no choice, their privacy was violated, when the Irish priest entered their home: And if the door had been left unlocked, he would turn the knob and come on in as if he were a welcome neighbor (p.66)." [DR 01]

Assimilation refers to a merging of cultures, ultimately conforming to the dominant society. This means that the minority culture loses previous customs and traditions, and must adopt new ones. Objective 4 points to this process. Minorities face further complications by having to realize the injustice done them and still opt to assimilate. In Black Girl Lost, Sandra attempts to assimilate into the status-quo by getting a job and by putting money in the bank, she further assimilates by encouraging Chink to stay in school. In Baby of the Family, Nellie chooses to assimilate by adopting modern preferences. For example, she defies Nurse Bloom's practice of superstition related to the caul birth. Resistance attributes to oppositional rejection. Resistance for the purpose of this course, means that minorities cling to their past cultures and long for their old traditions, reflective of their overall identities. Oftentimes minorities refuse and fight to not join the chief culture. They don't embrace the opposing culture. Again, this concept is seen in Objective 4. Black Girl Lost is clearly about resistance. Chink and Sandra fully stand alone...outside of the realm of acceptable general public. Sandra and Chink adopt a life of crime, ultimately resisting the laws set by the masses. Another example of resistance is displayed in Amiri Baraka's poem entitled Ka 'Ba. He writes, "...We need majic now we need the spells, to raise up return, destroy, and create. What will be the sacred words?" To me, this speaks of defiance. I feel that the author longs to regain his cultural heritage. Resistance in this context does not solely belong to individuals but rather society as a whole. [JC 01]

Assimilation and Resistance are synonymous with the terms integration and segregation respectively. Other terms that can be substituted are acceptance and rejection. All of these ideas can be directed at the cultural norms of the majority or more appropriately the dominant culture. When Lena meets Rachel on the beach, she learns the story of a slave who resisted the oppressive ways of her time. So strong was her resistance that she opted to die rather than assimilate to the ways of slavery. This example can be rather misleading in that most discussions of assimilation and resistance are held within the context of a free society and concern post-emancipation times. Lena's grandmother decided not to go to the beach because she grew up believing that the beach was a place for white folks. Her rejection of the idea of black folks going to the beach is her way of avoiding assimilation of one of the white folk's cultural activities. The struggle for assimilation is the essence of Black Girl Lost in that Sandra is trying to assimilate into the dominant culture but her method of doing so is sometimes illegal. This is what makes her lost. She is lost in the respect that she is on the wrong route to assimilation. In "Ka-Ba" their is an undeniable resistive tone that was pointed out in class. It is important to realize that someone can be resistive in some respects while being assimilative in others. Lena's family for example, has assimilated in that they are sending their children to college and own a house, but resistive elements such as the grandmother's attitude about the beach are still present. [DC 01]

. . . The term resistance refers to a person rejecting the values and beliefs of the dominant culture while holding onto their heritage. One prominent figure comes to mind when thinking about resistance and that is Malcolm X. Even though he was born in America, he rejected the thought of joining white people in any way. [CK 01]

The American Dream is to come here with nothing and succeed based on what you do. The Dream (Obj. 3a) is referring to the desire of African Americans to overcome the minority challenges to achieve status, unity, and success based on what they do, not who they. It is a reference to Dr. King’s speech which had a vision of the future that encompassed these ideas and more. The Dream is prevalent in both novels. In Baby, Sammy and his wife are one example of the American Dream. They are immigrants who presumably came with nothing more than the desire to achieve something and managed to overcome obstacles to get to that goal. Sandra also has a dream. Although her goals are based on concrete needs like food, shelter, and clothes, she also has a dream to conform to society, although she veers off of this road. She wants to operate in the moral world, although the drugs she sells with Chink conflicts with this. An example of this is when she pays for the liquor Eddie steals. I think her dream also takes a turn when she meets Chink. They then start on the American Dream, although it is a non-traditional representation of it, by selling drugs and providing for themselves. The American dreams for both Sammy and Sandra and Chink are different, because they are in the minority group. They own the liquor store, but Sammy and his wife still live in the lower income area of town. Chink sells drugs; a money making venture that can’t go on forever. There are limits to what they can achieve, based on that classification. Pages 181 and 183 show this from Sandra and Chink’s viewpoints. To quote Dr. King, "It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream", but it is still not the American dream. [CF 01]

"The American Dream" brings a different meaning to different members of the US. The immigrant or dominant culture were attracted to the US by light of the "American Dream". They choose to leave their native lands and their pasts and strive to make a better life in the US. The "American Dream" allows for every man (of the dominant culture) to have his chance to make a claim for himself, to individually seek out his fortune. But through the eyes of a minority in this country, the "American Dream" was not a blessing they came to find, nor was it even offered to them on their forced arrival. The African American dream is a parallel dream or a dream that is side stream of the mainstream. It carries with it some of the concepts of the American Dream but it rejects the concept of sudden success for one person. Instead, it is a dream for the good of the whole. A dream that allows for temporary failure or holds, and uses them as fuel to want to rise again. "The Dream" in the African American culture is a dream that is always is on the horizon, in the near future. It is the dream of an oppressed people, people with very little choice. [AM 01]

Objective 3a. "The dream resembles but is not identical to ‘The American Dream’ emphasizes immediate individual success, but ‘The Dream’ factors in set backs – the need to rise again, and a quest for group dignity." In both cases, the dream is there but the African American culture never truly grasps it, they are limited in actions.

The American Dream in imitated by Sandra and Chink, but they cannot acquire freedom from the system. Chink decides to handle his own justice. Chink, as he was dying, tells Sandra, "I only wish that it hadn’t went like this, Sandra. There was so much we could have did together (p.181)." He had a glimpse of possibility and could not achieve it, but he had the dream of it. Often, we notice the trend in African American Literature that "it could have been different" or "it might have been true" as discussed in class.

In Lost, death was the price for freedom. Sandra stabs Chink and tells him, "You’re free now, honey. They’ll never lock you up again (p.183)." The last words to end the novel are, "He was free at last (p.184)." Those words are in reference to Dr. King’s speech, "I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream, that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of it’s creed (H.O.)." . . . America sets standards, and Dr. King pointed out that "America has defaulted" on the birthright of African American citizens. Thus, it is still a dream. As Dr. White said, one day tends to always be on the horizon, and there is always the hope – that the dream is still in the future. Those thoughts are similar to not only to Chinks last words, but to the last words of the novel: He was free at last.

The main difference seems to be: the American Dream is the dream of becoming successful, of making it big. The Dream, on the other hand, is freedom and equality, and being able to enjoy what is the birth right of Americans. This is something Americans are guaranteed. It is something that should not be denied to Minorities / African Americans. White Americans have denied full access of this right.

Another strong portrayal of the difference in "The American Dream" and "The Dream" can be observed in Lena’s meeting with Rachel. . . . We hear African Americans viewing death as a way to gain freedom. This is comparable to Chink’s decision to die rather than be captured and sent to prison. Slavery was imprisonment. Both Rachel and Chink rather die to be free, than to be enslaved by the white man and the white man’s system. [DR 01]

. . . Another vast difference between the two cultures is the family life.

In traditional cultures we find an extended family, such is the case in Baby of the Family. But in modern cultures we tend to find a nuclear or single parent family, such is the case in Black Girl Lost. Perhaps the biggest difference to me, between modern and traditional culture is the way it is marked. Traditional culture is marked by speech, (oral and proverbs) yet modern culture is strictly written (Books). Also, traditional cultures seem to know and socialize with other families, like in Baby of the Family, while the modern cultures do not (Black Girl Lost). With all the differences listed here, I still think it is safe to say that most of us live in a little bit of both cultures. [JC 01]

Traditional cultures and modern cultures can be discussed as having distinct qualities. These qualities help to form ideas about the differences of traditional and modern cultures. The stress on individual performance and responsibility rather that familial activities can be seen as a movement from traditional to modern culture. Traditional cultures embrace heirarchial structuring of institutions such as the family. It is also signified by its rich content of rituals and or superstitions. Modern cultures focus on individuality and equality in the family. The void of generational continuity is found in modern cultures. Sandra's world is very much a modern world in that she is largely independent from her mom. She does want anything to do with her mom. In fact she gets angry when she is called Sandie because that is what her mom goes by. This can be seen as a form of the exact opposite of a traditional culture in which a father or mother's name would be happily carried on through generations. Lena's world is a traditional one, with the few modern characteristics of the mother, in which the family is very stuctured. This can be seen when the father is seemingly dumbfounded after Lena brings to his attention the fact that her mother does more that he thinks she does. His position at the head of the family obstructed his concept of how much she actually does. The dinner table can be seen as a smble of tradition in Lena's family. One of the passages is directly concerned with the traditions that have survived over the years. To further distinguish the world of Lean from the world of Sandra we can look to their language. Proverb like sayings such as " a whistling woman and a crowing hen never came to no good end" are common enough in Baby. Oral statements like this can be seen as signifiers of tradition passed on from generation to generation. Unsurprisingly, these statements are not found in Lost. [DC 01]

Tradition and modern cultures are seen in both books, based on the ideas in Objective 3. I think the most interesting representations of this are in Baby in the Family. The story takes place in a traditional culture, with small threads of modern culture running through it. The idea of the family structure that this story revolves around is very traditional, with the entire family, including some extended family living together in the same house. You get the feeling that the entire town is a type of extended family, which is very traditional as well. The modern world that Sandra lived in had little use for either of these families. While the mother in Baby had some modern characteristics, I think her traditional role, as an African American woman was what was seen as modern. The character of the grandmother was used to tie in the old ways with the new ways that were shown with Nellie. Baby seems to be a product of both. Gender plays a part in this as well. The women in the story are defined by being women of their generation. But they are still women, and responsible for doing traditional things. With the exception of when they are watching her, her brothers do not seem to have much responsibility except being boys. Same with the father—he is only shown as the moneymaker, except when he is also out "playing". It does not change how the reader feels about the characters; it just reinforces the idea of tradition. Church and school are also important to the story, as well as rituals/habits that occur often. Frank comes over every day. Lena gets her hair done every week at the same beauty parlor. These are examples of this. When things change from what is the norm, it signifies something wrong. On page 201 we see this happen. Frank has not shown up, and "…Lena began to worry." A traditional culture operates on structure and these daily things form the scaffolding of the structure of the traditional world. [CF 01]

Traditional and modern cultures can been seen throughout different ethnic groups and differ in many ways. Family size and attitude differ in modern and traditional cultures. In the traditional culture, family is extended and together and there is more of a focus on the hierarchy within the family. Grandparents and Great-Grandparents are honored because of their rank in the hierarchy of the family. They are revered for the wisdom because they are the oldest member of the family. Different members of the family deserve different amounts of respect in the traditional culture. In the modern culture the emphasis is on equality. Each person should be treated the same and with the same amount of respect. Also in modern culture, the extended family tends to be replaced by single parent or two parent households. The presence of grandparents and extended family is no longer strong. The two cultures also differ on the way they tend to identify themselves. The traditional culture identifies in group categories such as gender, ethnicity, class, and religion. Because religion is one of the ways traditional cultures identify themselves, it becomes part of their social or public life.

Religion is not something to hide but more to wear on your sleeve. In modern culture families still use these group identities, but the emphasis is more on the individual. A person in modern culture is judged more on their own merits rather than their affiliation with a certain group. These attention on the individual rather than the group tends to make religion in the modern culture a private issue. Traditional culture also is a culture of speech, while modern culture is one of writing. Even though the two cultures take from each other they both differ greatly. [AM 01]