LITR 5731 Seminar American Multicultural Literature: Immigrant UHCL summer 2006 sample student midterm answers: web review

American Immigrant Literature has expanded my perception of American history and culture. Previous idealistic theories of a John Wayne type philosophy (i.e., America is perfect, justice always prevails, and the good guy always rises to the top) have been replaced with more realistic ideals…

Stories of oppression and bigotry explained that “America the beautiful” is not without sin as to its treatment and intolerance towards cultures that differ from the dominant white foundation. This is evidenced with the blanketing of American Indian culture by Puritans who were declared the founders of America, and African American pre-civil war forced immigration. Puritan culture sets the tone for expected behavior and attitudes for successful immigrant assimilation. But, America is also the place where dreams can come true and freedom can be realized, such as Cuban and model Chinese immigrants who migrated to America to escape poverty and despair in their native lands.

The history and foundation of American culture was originally assembled by the immigration of European immigrants to this land of dreams and opportunity. The forced immigration of African Americans found in the minority narrative reflect despair and disappointment, and the migration of Hispanics to America reflects a new “in-between” society where cultural identity has been re-defined, but not forgotten. The common thread of minority, immigrant and those in-between narratives is that all parties are searching for the strength and fortitude to fulfill their dreams and expectations in America, to express themselves freely in America, and to make some sense of this melting pot we call America a home…

It is the spirit of human survival that these narratives have in common, that fragile yet unbreakable spirit with blood pumping heart that provides the necessary light to see all of the beautiful colors of the "kaleidoscope” that is America. [PJ]

Parts of this essay echo my own realizations during this course. I, too, had the image of the American Dream seared into my mind, but after reading numerous accounts of immigrants struggling to survive each day and accounts of the fears and oppression minorities encounter, my ideal was shaken and a more realistic view emerged. The opening of my eyes, however, did not cause me to love America less, but perhaps to appreciate her people more and desire to see continued growth and acceptance of all her citizens, regardless of ethnicity or race. Along with PJ, I have believed that America is a place where dreams can be realized, but now I also understand that sometimes these dreams are almost a complete impossibility for the immigrant or minority who is held back by finances, prejudice, or a myriad of other factors. This essay reminded me of the opportunities America affords and the struggle some must face to realize them; it also offered me a frame of reference around which to wrap my own thoughts. And I am still reminded that despite the adversities, every year millions of immigrants and minorities call America home, making the nation better through their influence and their stories of real-life courage and perseverance.

Kristen Bird

…There are others who were either already here or were forced to be here who share many of the same issues as the traditional immigrants imagined in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty. This second group has been in the dominant culture for hundreds of years and is still in search of a recognized identity…

The common thread throughout both the immigrant narrative and minority narrative is that time does not seem to play a role in the stage of the narrative development. Baldwin and his friend are presumably the same age, yet are affected by different influences. They are both many generations removed from the forced immigration of their ancestors, so their social contracts have been dictated by current trends…

For those in the dominant culture who, for the most part, believe that everyone who comes to the United States is doing so in search of the dream, it would seem to be a given that they would all want to assimilate. The study of Immigrant Literature completely debunks that myth. One cannot read Joseph Papaleo’s “American Dream: First Report” without feeling somewhat ashamed of what the dominant culture has become. If the American Dream is to be “devoted to the disinfection of our carpets,” (UA 88) perhaps the dominant culture should consider some resistance of its own. As for minority literature, Chrystos’s “I Have not Signed a Treaty with the United States Government” is a venom-filled rejection of what the dominant culture has to offer – an offer he neither asked for nor wants…

The study of all these different works brings to light the struggle of those wishing to enter the dominant culture and those opposed to it. People in the United States are free to make those choices; express those choices; and even change their minds. Those are rights given to all citizens by law. The dominant culture gets to hold those laws up as an example of equality. However, what is frequently overlooked is the enormous power of societal norms on an individual.

RH summarized the plight of the Hispanic and African American minorities well, and I felt that I better understood their “search of a recognized identity” as I read his/her words. However, I did not agree with his/her statement that time does not act as a factor in immigrant and minority literature. Time is an essential element in assimilation, and as each successive generation is born, typically they are pushed farther into the dominant culture through intermarriage and the mixing of cultures that happens naturally over time. But once again, I do concur with RH’s statement that most Americans in the dominant culture assume that immigrants and minorities would want to assimilate. This course has taught me that this is not always true; sometimes minorities in particular choose to stay within their cultural community and resist assimilation. Finally, the conclusion of this essay offered a new perspective on immigrants and minorities who may not wish to assimilate. It reminded me the influence that “societal norms” may have over an individual who is resistant to assimilation but is pressured to do just that in order to survive and succeed in America.

Kristen Bird

Stage 1: Author has been forged into the dominant culture's way of thinking of beauty.

Stage 3: Author realizes that she has been seeking acceptance and love from outsiders, instead of her own family and more importantly herself.

Stage 4: Her assimilation was not voluntary; she was not an immigrant because her placement here was not by choice.

Stage 5: During the poem the author realizes her own beauty and clings to her ethnicity.

This poem is Patricia's reality growing up as a minority in America . During her childhood years everything depicted as beautiful was dominated by Caucasians, the dominant culture. In her mind to be white was to beautiful and she longed to be beautiful; she was just the wrong skin color. She finally realizes during her early years that she too, is beautiful and she is black.

I chose this poetry presentation because I was interested in the insight offered concerning the stages of the immigrant narrative. I read this poem and then compared it with the analysis Grogan presented. I thought his interpretation was interesting, but that perhaps he should’ve taken an approach between the minority and immigrant models (rather than focusing primarily on the immigrant story) since the author is African American, a minority. Regardless, Grogan’s model was beneficial in better identifying these stages in immigrant and minority narratives. Smith’s movement from being “forged into the dominant culture’s way of thinking of beauty” to a new world of her personal beauty was a type of metaphor for leaving the Old (traditional) World behind and journeying to the new. Her moment of realization was accurately placed in Stage 3, but I would argue that Stage 4 – assimilation and loss of ethnic identity - is skipped entirely because she is a minority. However, Grogan is correct in stating that in Stage 5, she rediscovers herself and clings to a new identity. One aspect of this process that is most fascinating to me is that it is almost a reversal of assimilation as she rediscovers her heritage and casts off some aspects of the dominant culture in which she was raised.