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LITR 4332 American
Minority Literature 2013 Student Midterm Samples #1. Short essay (4-6 paragraphs) on 1 of 2 options
option 1a. Highlight and analyze |
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Jillian Norris
Exploring Course Concepts in
the Bread Givers
One of my favorite texts that we
have read so far in the course is one that we actually didn’t spend much time
on, but is one that really helped me understand the difference between minority
and immigrant individuals, as well as the concept of the American Dream. The
excerpt of
the Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska tells the
story of a young man who came to America from an unknown foreign land
(presumably Germany or Poland?) in order to “make [his] own way in the world.”
There were a few specific instances in this short text that I would like to
discuss that helped me to better understand our course objectives.
The immigrant vs. minority concept
is explained in this text when Max tells Sara that he ran away from home so that
he could come to America and make a life for himself. The very fact that Max
migrated to America of his own free will, leaving behind everyone and everything
that he knows in the process, is the very definition of an immigrant. It was
upon reading this opening paragraph that Objective 1 finally clicked for me. I
immediately thought of Olaudah Equiano, whose voyage to America was a terrifying
experience because he was being forcibly taken from his native land by men who
treated him as a lesser being and with no way of communicating. In comparison,
Max’s journey to the new world could be seen as more of an exciting adventure; a
quest to obtain a better life. Max
wanted
to come to America. He had no idea what awaited him there,
or what he would do when he finally arrived, but he knew that he
wanted
to be there because America was a land of opportunity, and
those who had enough drive could prosper.
This leads me
into another concept that this text helped me to understand: the American Dream.
Towards the middle of the excerpt in which Max is telling his story of coming to
America, he explains to Sara that he was almost lost when he first stepped off
the ship. He was unsure what to do or where to go, but only for the briefest
moment. Almost immediately, Max stumbled upon a group of men clearing snow from
the streets and he set off to work alongside them, without promise of pay. In
the end, however, he was paid for his work and he says “at the end of that day,
when I was paid a dollar, I felt the riches of all America in my hand. . . .”
This is the statement that helped me begin to understand the concept of the
American Dream and what it meant to immigrants coming into America. Having only
been in America for a few minutes, Max instantly set off to work so that he
could achieve what he was there to do – succeed. Despite not knowing any English
at all, Max was able to obtain work and begin building his new life without
difficulty or obstacle, first with the men shoveling snow and then, more
permanently, pushing a business cart for an old man. This portion of the text
helped me to realize that to immigrants coming into America, the American Dream
meant earning and creating a successful life for themselves, which was simply
not an option for the African American minority.
Overall,
the Bread Givers
was one of my favorite texts that we have read so far. Despite its length, this
text, in conjunction with class discussion, really helped specific course
concepts “click” in my head.
The
concept of the minority vs. immigrant status and the American Dream can clearly
be seen in this piece, which really helped me be able to understand the other
texts that we read in the following weeks. I realize that we can only read so
much in this course, but I would have loved to read more of this novel. Luckily,
it is still in print and I will be able to pick up a copy soon so that I can
read the rest of Sarah and Max’s story.
