Donny Leveston

Part I:  Past midterm reviews

This review will focus on a midterm taken 2002 that covers the immigrant texts and apply those texts to our course objectives.  “In purely immigrant texts, such as “Soap and Water” by Anzia Yezierska, the immigrant concept of the American Dream is displayed through the narrator’s longing to attend college and become one of the dominant culture.”  This text relates our course objectives in an easy-to-follow format that allows the reader to picture immigrant narratives.  The student’s next excerpt applies specific sections from Objective two that deals with the issue of immigrants assimilating to the dominant culture:  “The English Lesson” by Nicholasa Mohr, also encompasses the American Dream aspect of immigration to the United States with Lali’s husband owning his own business and working hard to become part of the dominant culture, beginning Stage 4 emotions.”  Sometimes the immigrant narrative may be ambiguous, that is, it may contain elements of both, the immigrant and minority narratives as described by this student.   “Dual elements of immigrant and minority emotions can be seen in ‘Like Mexicans’ by Gary Soto, in which Gary’s grandmother embodies the unsure immigrant by pressuring Gary to marry a Mexican girl, Gary’s mother is undecided, and Gary embodies the new world immigrant by deciding to marry outside his race,” (CG).  This essay is very strong because it applies specific course ideas that strengthen it as a whole.        

For this next review, I used a midterm from 2004.  This student focused on Objective three that includes minorities and the American Nightmare. This student writes, “While some people come to the United States in order to secure a better life for themselves and their families, some come involuntarily, or were here in this land before our society began, and were forced to live here as visitors.”  A prime example of minorities in America is the African Americans and the Native Americans.  Unlike immigrants, these groups are not bound by the “social contract,” that requires them to assimilate, but they are bound by other factors such as: skin color, social status, and their economic conditions.  The student responds as follows:  “The difference between an immigrant group that eventually assimilates to become part of the dominant culture and a minority group that maintains their cultural framework through several generations is the continual reassertion of the cultural differences that cause them to stand out from the dominant culture.”  Groups of Mexican and/or Spanish descent seem to be the most difficult of all the groups to be classified as either immigrant or minority, although American society often classifies them as immigrants.  “Mexican-Americans are a group that typically defies classification.  They are the ‘ambivalent minority’ because they share characteristics of both immigrants and minorities.  What also places them in a separate category is the fact that they, as a group, have not assimilated as much as other immigrant groups, even though they have been present in American society for quite a long time,”(EI).  The classification for Mexican Americans is very tough, and there seems to be no guarantee on how to classify them. 

My last review comes from the midterms of spring 2006 graduate seminar. This person’s paper shows a correlation between the immigrant, minority, and “new immigrant” narratives.  The student argues, “These all follow a general pattern of interaction with America, with both good and bad concepts.”  The idea that these groups have “good and bad concepts” is very true.  It is true for several reasons: one may come to America to try to escape oppression in their home country; another may come for economic advancement; yet another may come for family, and so on.  But, whatever their reasons for coming to America, nothing is promised to them.  This student tries to answer a question you asked:  “‘Is it possible for Americans to talk systematically and constructively about race and ethnicity?’  With all the different races and culture we have represented in this country, I fully believe that it is.  However, for a discussion like this, the right people have to be present.  You need people who represent each different ethnicity with an open mind, constructive hostility, a good background in their own culture, and the confidence to defend themselves,” [DG].  I think this student’s response is right on the money.  However, I think it is wishful thinking because of the complex nature of “race.”  It could probably be feasible if the “race card” was not an “Ace” and it could become a “Joker.”  If the “race card” was a “Joker” people could be anyone they wanted to be without having the color of their skin as the basis for their acceptance or not.  Nonetheless, America must start somewhere, where?  Well, tolerance would be a good place to start.