Tuesday, 28 February: Other Hispanic Americans: Immigrant / American Dream story, or Minority?

·        Web highlight (midterms): Heather Garcia-Miranda

Intro: Trying to relate to the environment around you, while trying to remain, who you really are when you are by yourself. How do you balance the two? Which one is actually more important when trying to achieve something? 

1. The title of “How to date a Brown girl…” represents the Immigrant narrative stage 3 and 4 as several cultures are noted.  The literary objectives found in the story include 2b, setting, with the economically disadvantaged area of “The Terrace”.  No one who is an “outsider” will want to come in. Socioeconomic issue arises when the government cheese is moved; a clear marker of the economic disadvantage the narrator is experiencing.  There is connection with the culture, as the “boys” in the neighborhood are out on the corner and speak a specific language.  Assimilation comes as the narrator runs his hand through his hair “like the white boys do”, even though he personally connects his hair with Africa.  The narrator’s Spanish heritage is mentioned but it is never clear which minority group is more fully represented in the narrator.  He is judged by his appearance, which is African and links him to the minority experience.  The involuntary participation of African Americans is subtly referenced with “the United States invaded your island”. Assimilation comes with the foods of America, when the narrator is eating hamburgers at Wendy’s and trying to act like he doesn’t belong to the neighborhood.  Unless she is local girl, at which time he is a part of the culture.  He can change according to his purposes, at least in this situation.  He is able to cross over as needed.

2. The backbone of the struggle is the conflict between resistance and assimilation. For those choosing to migrate, the choice might seem obvious. Presumably they have entered the culture because there is something about it that they want that they could not get in their native land. In “The English Lesson,” by Nicholas Mohr, the polar opposites of the immigrant narrative are introduced. One student is learning English to enhance his life in the United States. Another is resentful of U.S. dominance and is merely learning the language to provide a better living outside the country.

3. Afro-Caribbean Americans.   In “Silent Dancing” Cofer describes the harsh realities associated with skin color.  Her father joins the Navy, makes good money, buys Christmas trees, and dresses the children like “models from the Sears catalogue,” (183) but despite his efforts, he still encounters prejudice and resistance from landlords who panic at the influx of Latinos.  Cofer also discusses Puerto Rican resistance to assimilation due to contrasting cultural expectations for women.   In America, women do what they want, are more promiscuous, marry later, and leave their children with babysitters.  In the Old Country, women marry early, stay at home, and never leave their children with strangers.  These differences in behaviors reflect the connection between the values of extended families over individual independence.

Conclusion:

Each example that I have provided clearly shows how people from other cultures are so determined to fit in with their surrounding environment that they are willing to keep their true identity at a silence in order to receive their achievements.