LITR 4333 American Immigrant Literature UHCL 2001 sample midterm answers

LITR 4333: American Immigrant Literature

Sample Student Midterm Answers 2001

Part 2. Short essay
(Assignment first; answers below)
Write a short essay explaining Literary Objective 1b and Cultural Objective 2. (both copied below)

Feel free to include other fields of comparison between the Old and New Worlds besides those mentioned in Cultural Objective 2. Refer to other objectives if useful.
A way of approaching this question may be, What do people gain and lose by immigration to the USA? Why do they want to come here, but what do they miss about the Old World in comparison with the New?
Refer briefly to at least two texts--Garcia Girls may provide many examples.
Spend 20-30 minutes on this part.

Literary Objective 1b. To criticize as well as celebrate the immigrant or American dream narrative.

Cultural Objective 2. To observe and analyze the effects of immigration and assimilation on American cultural units or identities:

2a. family (Old World: extended family; New World: nuclear family)

2b. generations (esp. generational tensions over assimilation, expectations.)

2c. gender (usually traditional in homeland and modern in America)

2d. community (including neighborhood) and laws, especially the change from traditional or family laws to impersonal laws and a regulated state

2e. religion

(It is not necessary to discuss cultural objective 2f & 2g, as we barely mentioned them in class; if, however, you developed some material with them in mind, or if they help the points you're making, go ahead.)

2f. What do immigrants see about America that the native-born cannot?

2g. How do immigrants change America?

Sample Answers to Short Essay

[complete answer to short essay from in-class exam]

Immigrant Literature can be celebrated and criticized at the same time. In other words, it is fair to say that there is potential gain as well as loss in the journey to America.

In the American or Immigrant Dream, you leave the "Old World" in search of the "New World," which will provide you with bountiful opportunities. Of course, the desire for improvement is a positive aspect of the Immigrant Dream. This desire can be seen in almost any immigrant text. For example, in the "English Lesson" many students say that they are taking the class in Basic English in hopes of improving their education, status, or family lives. Other examples can be seen in "Soap and Water," as she is also climbing her way up America’s ladder of success.

Another positive example of the Immigrant Dream is the individualization of the American culture. In America, a person is allowed to figure him/herself out and delve into their true ambitions, hopes, etc. This is because America is a revolutionary culture. Here, there are fewer gender roles to keep women at home, no extended family to avoid, and certainly various opportunities for individuals to pursue. America provides hope for people like Yolanda, who say that they never have time alone. America also provides equality and innovation. There are various paths that people can take in life and various ways to get there. For example, each daughter in the Garcia Girls has a well paying job to keep them on their feet.

However, there are also costs that must be paid when an immigrant journeys to the "New World." The first of these costs is leaving home, a familiar place. For example, the Garcia girls, especially the oldest, are reluctant about moving to America in the beginning. Other disadvantages of the Immigrant Dream are taking chances and discrimination. These are two things that every immigrant must face. In order to succeed in America, chances must be taken and discrimination is usually faced for a short period of time. For instance, the Garcia girls are referred to as "spics" before they become fully assimilated. Then, they rise above the discrimination and are viewed as a part of the dominant culture. Another major disadvantage of the Immigrant Dream is leaving the past behind. If there are language barriers, etc. then assimilation is hindered. However, it is usually hard for immigrants to leave the past totally behind, so they proceed to leave it behind and have it become only a small part of their lives. For example, In the Garcia Girls, the girls leave much of the "Old World" behind, as it is necessary to be successful, but when they visit home there seems to be some sort of strange happiness lurking above them. Hence, there are many costs to be weighed before making the immigrant journey. Yet, sometimes, the benefits outweigh the costs.

Immigrants see things about America that we can not because they have been on both sides of the coin. Only the have the experience to determine if the "Dream" is simply an illusion or if it is a reality. They know the hardships faced in community life that some of us can not possibly understand. Immigrants seem to have experienced every aspect of American life, and only they can truly tell us if the equality, opportunities, for improvement, etc. of America are worth giving up the extended families, traditions, etc. of the "Old World." Perhaps, it is them who has the best of both worlds. Which is better: Coca-Cola or Coco Frio? [MG 2001]

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[complete answer to short essay from in-class exam]

America has been known as "the melting pot" because it was created mainly by immigrants from many different countries and cultures. Why did these people leave their homeland to come to a strange land? Many of them left because of political or religious strife in their homeland. Others left because of famine or poverty. America has always been seen as a land of opportunity and a place where one can improve their class status.

For those who made the journey they left behind their extended family. In Alvarez’s book, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, as the family is readily preparing to leave for America, Chucha, the maid, tells the girls what it is like to leave your home for a new land. "When I was a girl, I left my country too and never went back. Never saw father or mother or sisters or brothers" (p.221). With each successive generation born into the new world, they become less attached to the family and become more independent and more of an individual.

In the old world ethnic purity is understood. Parents often arranged marriages for their children. It is common in the new world for successive generations to intermarry with other cultures. Traditional cultures and languages are brought over by the immigrants to the new world, but are less prominent with each successive generation. By the third generation in America, the children have assimilated to the new culture and are speaking English. They may understand the old world language, but they may not be able to speak it. Most immigrants come seeking a better life. They want a part of the "American Dream" to have a better life, a higher social status, a home of their own, freedom to choose their own religion or to be an individual. Once here though, they may try to hold on to part of the old world, and this can cause strife between the generations. In "El Patron," the father left Mexico because as he stated, "I did not intend to stay in Mexico and starve." The father immigrated from Mexico to obtain a better life, but was struggling with his son’s desire to go to college to immigrate to a higher social status. "I should never have let him go to college" (p. 217). The father didn’t see the need for college, just as his father didn’t see the need to leave Mexico.

The old world also usually represents a male dominated society, and America represents freedom for women in many areas. All of the daughters in "Garcia Girls" were "professional women…with degrees on the wall"(p. 28).

The American dream can provide freedom from poverty, war or religious strife, but it is not without cost, such as loss of family, loss of culture and language. However, for most, what was gained far outweighed what was lost. [anonymous violet 2001]

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[excerpt from email exam]

At the heart of the immigrant narrative is a desire to reach America and improve the quality and happiness of existence. The American Dream becomes for many an emblem of hope while the reality is often different. Upon arrival in America, immigrants are often subject to discrimination and racism. The Garcia girls, for instance, endure taunts and racial slurs that provoke shock and resistance. Similarly, in "Soap and Water" the writer toils in a laundry while trying to keep up with the demands of schoolwork. Her valiant efforts are largely ignored. Instead her unkempt appearance becomes an issue because she fails to reflect the neat coiffed appearance of the dominant culture. Yet, as is common to the immigrant narrative, hope survives in the idea of temporary hardship and a brighter future.

Another aspect of the immigrant experience is the loss of family ties. The Garcias, for example, leave the security of an extended family in the old world for the narrower nuclear family of the new world. In the land of change, generational issues surface as the second generation assimilates into the new surroundings. As a result, conflict arises between parent and child as in "El Patron" when the son avoids the draft because of his duty to moral conscience as opposed to the law of the land, while the father feels outrage and disgrace at the rejection of established rule. Gender issues also arise as the young assimilated women move beyond the traditional female roles of the old world. This is demonstrated in "El Patron" when the daughter asserts her rights to be included in family discussions. The Garcia girls, of course, exhibit rebellion seeing the USA as a "free country" beyond the traditional mores and scope of their father.

As the younger generation assimilates largely through exposure to school, the media, and working environment, they adopt the customs and habits of the dominant culture. In climbing the socioeconomic ladder, they become further removed from the traditional values of the first generation, sharing more in common with their adopted homeland. . . . [YH 2001]

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[excerpts from in-class exam]

As a daughter of immigrant parents of different cultures, and also an immigrant myself, who has both assimilated and mixed the Old World with the New, this topic is very palatable but at the same time hard to digest.

The Promised Land is that, a promise that only the individual can fulfill. The American Dream, is just that a dream. This dream is both full of glory and smiles, yet nightmares, loneliness, and frustration. . . .

Choices have to be made, and America seems like the best answer – Salvation. Once in this country, the real migration begins. The gap between cultures and language falls father apart than crossing an ocean or a borderline.

A short example is the poem "Coca-Cola & Coco Frio" by Martin Espada, what have we lost and what have we gained in this transition?

We have gained the technology and luxury of the New World, traded for the quiet and time-less rest of a do-nothing day. When everything is on schedule and timed in the New World, we begin to miss the carefree days of the Old-World, where watches and agendas are unnecessary. The days when a fat boy remembers and craves his coco-frio, which can only be attained in his native Puerto Rico, he has to settle for a coca-cola, which is found in both worlds. [anonymous green 2001]

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[Excerpt from in-class exam]

Like Papi in " How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents," many immigrants come to America to escape someone, something, or to make money. In the case of Papi he fled with his family for political reasons, and that he and his family were in danger. But why choose America? I think he and his family could have had an easier time in assimilating in another Latin American country. The language would not have been a problem, and the customs and traditions would have been similar to their own beliefs. I think most immigrants see America as an opportunity to escape a kind of caste system which holds them down in their home country, oppresses them in many ways and stifles growth and creativity. America, on the other hand, symbolizes growth and developement, and many immigrants use America for these very reasons; be it creatively, spiritually, or monetarily.

But in assimilating and blending in in America the values of family, community and tradition is eventually lost. It is like the innocence and meaning of love and relationship to Yolanda was diminished or somewhat lost in her experience at college with the WASPy All-American boy in "...The Garcia Girls.." There is a sense of security in the homeland that is not found in the new world or America. America emphasizes individualism, and rewards merit by providing more choices which can confuse and perplex many; perhaps even numb a traditional family’s values and belief system. The old world is like a paradise or Eden in contrast to America. The security of the community and family is present in the old world and almost nonexistent in the new world. [AC 2001]

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[Excerpt from in-class exam]

The gender is also changed. From the Old World there is a definitive role for men and women but in the New World the individual is the one that counts, the gender does not matter anymore. We see as example in "Garcia Girls" with Fifi’s romance with Manuel a macho man. Manuel wants Fifi to act like a woman in the island even though Fifi is being americanized and that Manuel had studied here in America before.

The community changes take place in the New world like social and government law. Normally the law signifies order, safety for the dominant culture but trouble for the minority culture. We see in "Garcia Girls" the law is very corrupted and the connections are important. During the investigation of the two policemen at the house, Mami sends for help and tells Vic "to come to pick up his tennis shoes."

The predominant religion is christianity in the New World, whereas in the Old World, we tend to see the combination of both Christianity and a supertitious mentality. As in the "Garcia Girls" Chucha who is a Haitian practices the woodoo on Mami. After a week of chanting to a picture of Mami hanging over a candle, Chucha is able to change Mami’s mind. Thus Mami cedes to her wishes to have her own room and to build her a coffin as a bed. Actually, Chucha just wanted to have privacy and be ready for when she dies. [HM 2001]

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[excerpt from email exam]

Immigrant narratives can both celebrate and criticize the American dream. Often, they speak of gains made by immigrating, but also mourn the loss of things that existed in the old world. Julia Alvarez’s How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and Paule Marshall’s "To Da-Duh, in Memoriam" are examples of this ambivalence within the immigrant story.

For Alvarez’s Garcia girls, the gains of moving to the United States are immediately apparent. They enjoy more freedom, both as citizens and as women. There are no more soldiers dropping in to take their father into custody. They are also more sexually liberated, having gained access to birth control and Tampax. In addition, the Garcia girls have more privacy in America. Free from the confines of an extended family that was always watching, the girls begin to assume the rights of Americans, including that of assumed privacy of person.

However, later in their lives, the Garcia girls come to see some of these supposed gains as losses. As they suffer discrimination and are subjected to the frantic pace of life in New York, they begin to long for the slower paced life enjoyed by their relatives in the Dominican Republic. The old family compound begins to look more and more like a haven.

Similarly, Paule Marshall raises some of these same issues in "To Da-Duh-in Memoriam." . . . [KK 2001]

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[excerpt from email exam]

The immigrant or American Dream narrative encompasses coming to a Promised Land where any man or woman can accomplish anything. However, this vision is often underscored by harsh realities and is quite complex in nature. At the beginning of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, Yolanda is trying to rediscover her roots and ties to the Old World. She is immediately met by a huge extended family that overwhelms her after living in a nuclear family in the states. She is so detached from this immense family that she has a "note [that] elaborates" how she is related to people in the area (19). Furthermore, she quickly realizes that women are not afforded the same freedoms as she has in America because "A woman just doesn’t travel alone" (9). Yolanda is experiencing a disconnection from her old culture. At the end of this chapter, it becomes fairly clear that the "Palmolive woman" is beckoning her back to the states as she can reconnect with her the Old World, but cannot assimilate into it (23). Therefore, while this reconnection is positive and is made possible within the scope of the New Immigrant narrative, there seems to be a loss of something essential within her old culture. Alternately, she has gained a freedom in America that is simply not afforded to women in the Old World.

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[excerpt from email exam]

What has been so exciting and refreshing about the pieces that we have read so far is the fact that except in a few cases (Chrystos comes to mind right away) that both the good and the bad have been explored for both the immigrant story and the American dream. I feel that we have a tendency to either make things all good or all bad, and heaven help you if you try to get a little of both in the mix.

Upon first reading of the question, I was immediately reminded of Yolanda in the Garcia Girls. On page 12 we find, "Standing here in the quiet, she believes she has never felt at home in the States, never." You ask, what do people gain and lose? If we look at Yolanda, she gains the experience of two countries to claim her and yet she loses by never really feeling at home in the one that has "raised" her. Why do people come to the US? Opportunity, freedom and a real chance all spring to mind. What do they miss by coming? Connection, belonging and "the known" all come to mind. . . . [PK-A 2001]

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[excerpt from email exam]

Julia Alvarez both criticizes and celebrates the immigrant and American dream narratives. When the Garcia family comes to America they leave most of their large extended family behind, which they miss at times. However, once they are more assimilated to America, they tend to find the extended family oppressive when they go back to the island to visit. There are also tensions in the family over gender roles. At one point Carlos thinks the following: "It was bad enough that his daughter was rebelling, but here was his own wife joining forces with her. Soon he would be surrounded by a houseful of independent American women" (145-46). So, as far as the father is concerned, coming to America means that he has lost some of the control over the women in his house that he had back on the island. However, as far as the mother is concerned she is happy with her newfound independence in America. There is one point—when she is thinking about returning to the island—where she thinks: "Better an independent nobody [here in America] than a high-class houseslave" (144). One major celebration of the American dream narrative is the fact that three of the four girls go on the get a college education. Laura was a member of one of the most influential families on the island, but she considered herself to be nothing more than a "high-class houseslave." [DT 2001]

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[excerpt from in-class exam]

The wonderful thing about the immigrant narrative - or the American Dream narrative - is that it is a literary depiction of the journey of life. Life involves growth, change, and journey just as the immigrant narrative does. When we "migrate" from childhood to adolescence for example, we are leaving behind one reality for another. We cannot go back to playing with G.I. Joe action figures; rather we have a new set of experiences. The same situation of change, growth, and loss is a central theme in the immigrant narrative. People from all over the world desire to come to America because it is a land of opportunity. America is not perfect, but it is a place where people can ascend to heights that they couldn't rise to anywhere else in the world. Men like Abraham Lincoln, Rockefeller, Edison, and Carnegie have all proven that "your future is in your hands" in America. This is what we like to believe about America and this is what we like to believe about life itself. That is why the immigrant narrative works well and is a popular genre of literature. We see both the positive and negative aspects of the American Dream in "Soap and Water," by Yezierska. The narrator of this story has a strong belief in the American Dream and the virtues of America, yet she collides with some of America's harsh realities and obstacles in the process of fulfilling her dream. Racism is one such obstacle she encounters. Her attitude about American racism can definitely be viewed as a critique of the American Dream; however, she never completely loses faith in America. Her perseverance pays off when she fulfills her dream in the form of a wonderful friendship.

The American Dream can only be realized in an immigrant's life when some sacrifices are made and some ties are cut. "Old World" realities like extended family systems, traditional gender roles, language, family tradition, and religion are often laid on the sacrificial altar of America in order to experience "New World" realities. This was especially true in years past, but even in today's increasingly multicultural, "ethnicity proud" environment, some sacrifices must be made. The Garcia girls' family in "How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents" is a prime example. They were able to hang on to some of their Old World values, but not all of them. The traditional patriarchal gender roles remained intact for Mr. and Mrs. Garcia, but their daughters' relationships were more egalitarian. The extended family was changing in importance in the Garcias' lives, because the girls lived mostly independent, "nuclear" family-type lives. Yet, the parents were still there as a support system if the girls got into trouble. Yes, the American Dream, like life, demands sacrifice. If you want to achieve great things in life it will cost you something.

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[excerpt from in-class exam]

I think that when immigrants chose to move here they didn't really look very far into the future. I think that they saw what life was like for them in the old world and what life in the new world would be like for them and their children. But, I don't think many of them really looked past their children and into the lives of their grandchildren. Or, if they did, I don't think they could have fully grasped the differences there would be between the generations. It seems the first generation tries to bring the old world with them to the new world and are caught off guard by how strongly the new world takes hold of their children.

By coming to the new world they gain freedom and opportunity and the chance for a whole new life. But I don't think they are fully prepared for the time when their children use those freedoms and opportunities. The first generation comes here with their old world ideas and apply them to the new society but then the new generations grow up without the old restrictions and a generation gap forms.

The first generation brings a desire for an extended family. But this idea doesn't work with the new generations who grow up in a society that stresses leaving home and starting new each generation.

The ideas of gender roles are also different for the new generations. We see in "The Garcia Girls" how the father obviously places importance on boys and less on girls. But the girls don't see things that way. They even get their degrees and lead successful lives.

In the absence of extended families, the first generation seems to improvise an extended family by living in race specific neighborhoods. We see this in "Going Home: Brooklyn Revisited" and in most immigrant literature. In these stories they live in places like Brooklyn and Harlem. This may have been the ideal situation for the first generation but, as we see, the stories are about how the next generations either have left them or are going to leave them. In America, being a member of a community is less important than being an individual.

I think that had they looked further into the future many immigrants would have had to think hard about the American Dream. By coming over here they have gained freedoms and opportunities. But, in many ways, they paid for these with their values, culture, and identity. [CS 2001]