Amy Noblitt
Web Review

Writing Time: 1h 30m

Sample Student Midterms 2006
Example of long essay on immigrant / minority

http://coursesite.uhcl.edu/hsh/whitec/litr/4333/models/2006/
midterm/mt06esssamptc.htm

TC has some really great insights in his/her paper.  American Immigrant and Minority Literature is a great way to learn about other cultures, and I agree we should not stop there.  I always felt that to get a good glimpse into a time or place you should read their stories.  Stories are one of the things that the entire human race has in common.  Cultures need their stories to pass on their knowledge and values down to younger generations.  I myself have learned so much about other people by reading their literature, and I am always in search for more cultures.   But the idea of assimilation to make it in the new world, whether you are an immigrant, minority or a new immigrant you should not feel the need to assimilate. 

They call America the “Melting Pot” but that is nothing anyone should wish for.  When you melt everyone together, sure we all become united, but we also lose ourselves in the mix.  I believe that America is drifting away from the idea of the melting pot and moving towards a more modern idea of a “Garden Salad.”  In a salad everyone is together in the bowl but each one still retains their own taste and texture.  Not everyone can be a crouton, and who would want to be?  TC didn’t seem to ask his/herself whether why the woman in “Soap and Water” would want to assimilate to the clean culture?  She seems forced to but out of all of the people she came in contact with only one was able to see her for the wonderful person she was.  That is not an optimistic view of the world, and unfortunately it seems to be true. 

Student Midterm Samples 2004

Complete sample essay 2 

http://coursesite.uhcl.edu/hsh/whitec/litr/4333/
models/20045733/midterm/mt045733samp2.htm

YH brings to light my point in the previous web review, that story telling is an essential part of the human condition.  YH writes, “The Immigrant Narrative, synonymous with the American Dream Narrative, is, by its very nature, an extension of the time-honored tradition of storytelling, a blend of the literary and the cultural as a means of defining who we were, who we are, and who we become.”  But I don’t think that just the Immigrant Narrative alone belongs to the storytelling tradition, the minority and new immigrant narratives also belong.  They also want to know who they were, who they are and who they will become.  The image of hope may not be present as much in the minority narrative as the immigrant narrative, but it is still there. 

YH defines the immigrant narrative well, which is, “that the search for a better life, whether it be in terms of economics, religious or political freedom, forms a fundamental part of the narrative, and America becomes the symbol of opportunity, the “promised land,” so to speak…Yet the path to success is not without hardship and disappointment.”  This is true in all of the immigrant narratives that we have read for this class.  They are searching for fundamental freedoms that are lacking in their mother land but they must all experience hardship to get there.  For some the hardship is worse.  In “Visitors, 1965” there are two Cuban families.  One which has been in the U.S. for over 20 years and has barely anything and the other which comes out of Cuba during some of the worst treatment by the Communist regime and they make it in the U.S. in no time. 

YH puts makes a great point when he/she writes, “For Native Americans and African Americans the cost of someone else’s dream results in cultural, economic, and social deprivation.”  It is true that they were the stepping stones, the scapegoats and the labor with which out country was founded on.  America, especially southern America, was not founded on the backs of European Americans, but instead it was founded by the rape and pillaging of two kinds of people, the Africans and the Native Americans. 

Another poignant comment that YH makes is, “What becomes apparent is that the story of America is one of voluntary and involuntary participation in a dream that instills wonder and hope along with anger and despair.”  It is true that the American dream is not the same for everyone, but it is no wonder that when our forefathers wrote, “All men are created equal” they only meant white land owning males were created equal.  The American dream does not come true for every immigrant and it is not a nightmare for every minority but both are true for the majority of immigrants and minorities. 

Sample Student Midterms 2006
Example of long essay on immigrant / minority

http://coursesite.uhcl.edu/hsh/whitec/litr/4333/models/
2006/midterm/mt06esssampca.htm

CA writes, “The immigrant and minority narrative can be compared and contrasted in many ways,” but unfortunately CA only gives two contrasts for minority and immigrant narratives.  CA’s description of an immigrant is one who comes to America looking for something better and they also come to America because of an interest in the culture.  CA uses the “The English Lesson” as an example of this desire in American culture.  But it is not American culture that Lali and William are looking for; they did not say that they wanted to give up their own culture.  Lali and William are looking for opportunity and the only way to achieve success in America is to know the English language.  In CA’s description of the protagonist in “Soap in Water” she is describing the hardships that also are experienced by minorities as well as immigrants.  “The girl feels that if she can get through school, she will be that much closer to achieving her American Dream.  She never imagined that by finishing college, her dream would be turned into a nightmare.  She attempted to assimilate only to find out she was not American enough to completely fit in.”  The immigrant in this story is experiencing more of an American nightmare than an American dream, just like the minorities’ experiences.  YA hits on the main difference between immigrants and minorities when he/she writes, “Whatever the reason, minorities do not assimilate.  They remain distinct or maintain distinct communities.”  This in my opinion seems to be the big difference between the two groups.  They both suffer and they are both are treated badly by the dominant culture, it is just easier for one to assimilate than the other, but this always means giving up their own culture in return.