Thursday, 13 September: African American Minority vs. the immigrant narrative.

·        Poetry reader: Ashley Fonteno

Poem: Patricia Smith, “Blonde White Women,” UA 77

              Patricia Smith (Author)

 Patricia Smith born in 1955, is a poet, spoken word performer, playwright, author, writing teacher, and former journalist.

She was born in Chicago and lives in Westchester County, New York. Honored for her work both on the stage and on the page, she is a four time individual champion of the National Poetry Slam and winner of the Carl Sandburg Literary Award.

Patricia’s Smith’s latest poetry book, Teahouse of the Almighty, was chosen by Edward Sanders as a 2005 National Poetry Series winner and was also awarded the 2007 Paterson Poetry Prize. An accomplished and sought after instructor of poetry, performance and creative writing, Patricia Smith’s poetry has been a testament of the power of words to change lives.http://www.wordwoman.ws/index.html

Ashley Fonteno

Am. Immigrant Literature                        

·Read Poem

BLONDE WHITE WOMEN           Pages 77-79 Unsettling America

The poem expresses Patricia Smith’s anger and frustration as she is forced to live in a world where beauty is defined by the dominant culture, whites.  Forced to deal with the issue of whiteness as the “standard” for beauty, she rejects her own beauty. After growing up she realizes that black is beautiful too and rediscovers her ethnic identity.

Objective 4 Dominant Culture

 Objective 4  To identify the dominant culture (sometimes refered to as the core culture) to which not only immigrants assimilate but Americans as well. Especially in terms of class, ethnicity, gender, family life and religion.

· “For realms of Straightened hair” pg 77

White women for the most part have straight hair

In the Black magazine(Ebony) they tell of how to get straight hair

· “And bleaches for the skin” pg 77

White woman’s skin is already bleached

 The Black magazine gives prices, to black readers for bleaching the skin

· “I remember striving for that breathlessness… with a dull gray mophead wishing myself golden” pg 77

· “ My teeth were perfect I was always out of breath” pg 78

What is the significance of being breathless that the author made two references to?

The author points out the physical features of the dominant culture to which minorities and immigrants assimilate.

It also reflects inadvertenly class because poor people would be less likely to have the money to go the dentist and get braces to have straight teeth.

The dominant culture is one of straight hair, bleached or white skin and straight teeth.

 This objective 4 overlaps with Objective 3 “The Color Code” which refers to the subject of skin color with association or consequences for identity and destiny.

Objective 3 The Color Code

· “Pressing down hard with my carnation pink Crayola, I filled faces …” pg 77

As a child connecting with White society ideals

· “ I rubbed the waxy stick across the back of my hand until the skin broke.” pg 77

To want something so bad as to inflict pain on yourself to that degree.

· “ I saw how much she wanted to wash.”

· “ I wanted her to swallow me to be my mother.”

The child is connecting with her teacher's physical identity and how it was making her feel.

In what ways are the views of wanting to be white, still affecting society? What are the benefits of being white versus an immigrant or minority?

The author in this poem feels constrained by the socially dominant culture. The white woman is seen by minority women and immigrants to be the ideal.

Social, Economical and Physical stereotypes are placed by Americans and they hold all of these must be present to succeed or to be happy.

As a child, which reinforces how young this ideal begins, she thought to be beautiful was to be white as she colored and she longed to hold on tighter to her white teacher.

The social constructs of society has made minorities and immigrants limited and controlled by the dominant culture. Although faced with some of the same discriminations as far as race the nature in which they present themselves could be very different.

 The author portrays how she has been affected since childhood on the definition of beauty being white. As she grows older she recognizes that beauty is more than skin deep, literally. She begins to accept and appreciate the differences in her culture and ethnicity and ultimately grows to acceptance and love of herself.

“Even crayons fail me now I can find no color darker, more beautiful than I am.”

 Is it better for one to hold on firmly to one’s culture or assimilate in order to become a cohesive unit, with the potential of completely losing your identity ?

Patricia Smith’s latest poetry book, Teahouse of the Almighty, was chosen by Edward Sanders as a 2005 National Poetry Series winner (Coffee House Press), and was also awarded the 2007 Paterson Poetry Prize. She is also the author of three previous books of