Tuesday, 18 April: The Pilgrims and the Hebrew model . . .

·        Web highlight: Julie O’Gea

Introduction

"Supersize Question" on the dominant culture, Jewish American immigration, and the Exodus story.

Fall 2003 Final Exam

  “I felt the shadow still there, over me. It wasn’t just my father, but the generations who made my father whose weight was still on upon me.” (297). These are the last words that Sara Smolinsky speaks in Anzia Yezierska’s novel The Bread Givers. She speaks for all of America’s immigrants, for they all must live in the shadow of the previous generations – the shadow of the Old World. Both the narratives of America’s dominant culture and the narratives of Jewish Americans reflect how strongly the culture of previous generations has influenced them. History has shown that these two cultures have felt the “shadow” of their ancestors over them. For America’s dominant culture immigrants, the Pilgrims, and Jewish Americans, their “shadow” was the “Book”. For the Pilgrims, the “book” was the Bible, especially the book of Exodus. For Jewish Americans, it was the teachings contained in the Torah and the Old World teachings handing down for many generations.      …[Jeanette]

"Large Question" (45 mns-1hr) on Asian American and Middle Eastern Immigrants.

Assignment / Question: Asian American and Middle Eastern immigrants may face two especially acute problems in assimilating to American culture.

• The first potential problem is that Asia and the Middle East are home to highly traditional and hierarchical cultures, while American culture is committed to rapid change and equality (at least ideologically).
• The second problem is that a number of conflicts have marked the history of these regions--a history that is shared by either the United States or its allies.

Sample Student Final Exam Answers 2002

As Asian American and Middle Eastern Immigrants venture into a new world, the markers of the immigrant model are most noted in the effects of immigration and assimilation on American cultural units or identities.  Most changes are observable in family, generation, gender, community, and religion.  There is a constant fluctuation in reflection upon the old world and the awareness of the new world.  Immigrants dangle on one extreme or the other, sometimes keeping a foot balanced in the present and in the past, as they make analytical decisions on their chosen path.  Changes in the way immigrants assimilate are also affected by intermarrying as a means of becoming the dominant culture and committing to the change.  Gender changes are noticeable as the tradition loses validity in a modern American culture.  The traditions no longer serve purpose in a culture with different expectations.  The trend of equality in America is with the goal of achieving balance in gender roles.  As assimilation takes on, generational tensions develop because the older generation resists and hold on to old expectations.  The family unit in the new world becomes more nuclear, while in the old world it included the extended family.  The different pace of life creates a society of strangers.  The community arena changes as family laws lose to the overriding autocratic and democratic laws regulated by state.  Probably most profound to the immigrants are the changes in religion as the old world religion has ties to political and cultural, while the new world promotes a more private secular practices.       [DR]

Conclusion

I attempted to find examples that directly link to the texts read in this class, because there are a lot of examples that speak about works we have not read.  I was really impressed by the first example.  I like the way she began with the quote, but both responses were fine examples.