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LITR 4333: American
Immigrant Literature Poetry presentation:
Pat Mora, “Immigrants,” UA 119 Immigrants wrap their babies in the American
flag,
Pat Mora Background
information on Pat Mora: Pat
Mora’s maternal and paternal grandparents migrated to America early in the 20th
century to escape the revolution (one may wish to visit http://www.mexonline.com/revolution.htm
for an overview of that era in this neighboring country’s history) in Mexico,
yet her father was born in Chihuahua, which indicates that at least her
grandmother, if not both paternal grandparents, returned to Mexico for an
indeterminate period of time. Since her grandparents were the first of her
immediate family to have migrated to America, they may have returned to their
extended families in Mexico during that time when her grandmother was expecting,
which illustrates other cultures’ dependence on that type of support
structure, as opposed to the American “nuclear” family unit, which might be
described as independent and isolated. Like her mother, however, Pat Mora was
born in El Paso, Texas, which makes the author third generation, or assimilated,
with concerns to American culture. Mora
is bilingual, yet claims to feel more comfortable writing in English, the
language of her formal education, having taken bachelor’s and master’s
degrees from the University of Texas at El Paso.
She
writes fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books, as well as poetry, and is
the recipient of several awards in recognition of her efforts. She was
instrumental in developing “El día de los niños: El día de los libros,” a
nationwide program that promotes bilingual literacy and language skills for
children. However, she states that her own three children do not speak Spanish,
which is interesting, since it seems that although Mora seeks to reaffirm her
ethnic identity, her children are content, at least for the time being, to
embrace “American” culture, here meaning “United States of America,”
since Mexico is itself part of the Americas, a fact that “Americans” often
overlook when referring to or identifying themselves. Literary
Objectives: 2a.
narrator or viewpoint: Who writes the immigrant narrative? ·
The
“voice” in this poem is that of an observer, therefore it is written in
third person. 2b.
setting(s) ·
The
geographical setting for the poem’s characters is in America, and since the
poem makes no reference to past events, one may infer that the temporal setting
is the present. 2c.
character by generation ·
The subjects
of the poem are themselves first generation immigrants, the “heroic”
characters of the immigrant narrative, while the poet, Pat Mora, is third
generation, or assimilated. ·
One will note
from the biographical information on Pat Mora that she is actively involved in
efforts to preserve the fundamental elements of various cultures, particularly
traditions and languages. ·
This desire
(with regards to the poet) to rediscover or reassert ethnic identity is
representative of Stage 5 of The Immigrant
Narrative, while the subjects of the poem illustrate the characteristics of Stage
4, assimilation to dominant American culture and loss of ethnic identity,
which differs from the minority experience. Cultural
Objectives: 1a.
American Dream versus American Nightmare: ·
Immigrants
sometimes suffer discrimination and marginalization by the dominant culture. ·
Pat Mora is
identified as being Mexican American, , which is sometimes referred to as “the
ambivalent minority.” The members of this group of society come from a country
that originally held much of the land that the United States now “owns,”
which leaves Mexican Americans struggling for an identity that reconciles their
two worlds, old and new. Interpretation: The
parents in this poem, first generation immigrants, are willing to sacrifice not
only money to provide their children with the trappings of American culture such
as blond dolls, footballs, and cleats (probably Nike), but also to sacrifice
their ethnic identity by adopting American customs and food, as well as
“All-American” names for their children, such as “Bill” or “Daisy.”
Despite making these sacrifices, the parents still fear that their children will
not be accepted by society, whispering and wondering if “they” [meaning
those members of the dominant American culture] will like their “fine American
boy” or their “fine American girl.” Vickie,
a student in Dr. White’s class two years ago, also states that “The poem
poignantly captures the insecurity of first generation immigrants striving to
build a better future for their children. The cost of achieving the American
Dream involves the inevitable suppression of ethnic pride and identity.” One
is inclined to agree with Vickie’s observation, and in doing so, it also gives
one pause to reflect on American values as well. This poem is a touching
reminder that those who sacrifice most are often the forgotten heroes whose
names are never whispered. Literary
terms: Connotation:
“The association(s) evoked by a word beyond its denotation, or literal
meaning. A connotation may be perceived and understood by almost everyone if it
is a product of or reflects broad cultural associations…” (Bedford 73-4). Discussion: 1)
What images or ideals does this poem evoke? ·
Associate
certain words with the sort of sacrifices that are being made. ·
Is there a
loss of identity in this poem? 2)
Discuss Mora’s own “ambivalence.” ·
How does one
explain Mora’s attempt to reaffirm her ethnic identity through developing
programs that celebrate bilingual culture when her own children do not speak
Spanish? Is there a conflict here? ·
If Mora is at
Stage 5 (rediscovery of ethnic identity) of “The Immigrant Narrative,” are
her children at Stage 4 (assimilation to dominant American culture and loss of
ethnic identity) of the narrative? ·
If her
children are at Stage 4, what “loss of ethnic identity” did they suffer, if
they had never had a “Mexican identity” to lose? For
more information on Pat Mora, you may wish to visit the following links: http://web.nmsu.edu/~tomlynch/swlit.mora.html Biographical
/ anecdotal information about Pat Mora http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?prmID=297 The
Academy of American Poets website http://www.mesalibrary.org/espanol/cafe/mora.asp Una
página de información de la vida suya en español
Pat
Mora’s personal website (highly recommended, and it also gives information on
how to contact Pat Mora to have her speak at your campus) |