Phil Thrash

June 19, 2006

Part 1.  “Web Review.”   “In the Pursuit of Life, Liberty, and Happiness.”     Log: 10:45 a.m.

     It is exhilarating to be able to be free to read works of other students who have studied Immigrant: Multicultural Literature and then comment on what their thoughts have taught me.  This literature course is a “work in progress” of the most unselfish nature which perpetuates high level learning.  To me, one in his 60’s, it seems essential to have such a course to be prepared to teach literature in America’s multi-cultural society.  The immigrant narrative engages the fundamental historical origins of American and its culture, primarily the comparison/contrasts of the “Old and New Worlds.”  The course adopts the minority situation narrative of the Afro-American, Native American and other Trans-African, Caribbean-African minorities and many others.  The different points of view are seen in the “texts,” both prose and poetry, from these groups to show dynamics, stages, comparisons and contrasts of the immigrant narratives and the minority narratives.  This review examines previous “Web Highlights,” and Mid-Term exams to view some of the course’s early objectives. 

      Objectives 1. and 2. were captured in (AB) Spring ’06 work.  She indicates “that American Ideals are captured in the immigrant narrative to better understand the dominant and minority cultures.  The immigrant narrative reflects the “American Dream” through separation from the “Old World” and assimilation into the “New World.”  She specifically focuses on “Soap and Water” to bring out Stage 4, assimilation or at least the attempt to assimilate, of the Immigrant Narrative by referencing the author’s words, “Visions of America rose over me…like songs of freedom of an oppressed people.”  My own research into the author’s works took me to word Russian Pogrom, which Yezierska states in text as the direct cause for her character’s immigration from Russia in the early 20^th century. Yezierska also shows stage 3 of the immigrant narrative in the discrimination Ms. Whitehouse exhibits toward the narrator.  Whitehouse is a vital benchmark of the Dominant Culture, as she is the “gatekeeper” of apparent capricious, officious rules the immigrant faces from the Dominant Culture.  The protagonist in “Soap and Water” never gave up the faith and hope that she would find America, and with the kindness of one person she concludes that she has found America. 

     Objective 3. was illustrated by (JS) Spring ’02 work.  She indicates that a successful study of Immigrant and Minority Literature must show distinctions between the American Immigrant, American Indian, Afro-Americans and other minority cultures to get a valid foundation of the subject.  She brings out the vital issues of understanding points-of-view, socio-historical attitudes, racial, ethnic identity as some of the variables to understand multicultural literature.   I totally agree, and was taken back to an undergrad sociology course I took at The University of Texas at Austin, my freshman year, 1963.  The text was, “Understanding Other Cultures,” and it served one male “WASP” from “Deep East Texas,” well, in an otherwise never explored world of different cultures, diversities and sensibilities.  This course presents opportunities to explore these texts in context with these otherwise “esoteric” objectives. 

  Objective 3, became clearer to me upon review (IN) work on Chrystos’s Poem, “I Have Never Signed a Treaty with the United States,” and Baldwin’s “No Name in the Street.”  Both of these writers are minorities in America, and reveal anger, rage, resentment and resistance to assimilation in their works. (IN)  I concur with (IN) take on this matter. 

      Chrystos’s poem is a scathing criticism of the dominant culture, “Everything the United States does to everybody is bad…Take these words back with you” I feel she has a legitimate platform and captures the concept of necessity to know the minority history to grasp the minority narrative.  The poem’s structure is a rebellion against conventional syntax.

      Baldwin’s work is Black American minority literature, also of an angry, disappointed nature regarding his old friend who has said the “Hot Word We,” to Baldwin to accept and defend the United States War with Vietnam.  Baldwin, the intellectual successful writer, cannot conceive how his “Black brother” can think he is part of the “We” or dominant culture who started the United States involvement in Vietnam. 

     The color code of Immigrant assimilation and minority resistance to the dominant culture’s social contract is seen in theses works.   The minority can be very vocal and not accept the social contract which was imposed by the dominant culture.

      These Minorities were enslaved, and/or killed off, (U.S. Pogroms of Genocide), and probably never will totally assimilate, as their lives have been one of the “American Nightmare.” The immigrants left the “Old World” with hope of the “American Dream” and “In the Pursuit of Life, Liberty, and Happiness.”   This course provides insight into the two distinct socio-economic-historic-psychological aspects of the Immigrants and Minorities to better understand the associated literature.