Tuesday, 10 June 2008: Examples of the Immigrant Narrative.

Poetry reader: Lindsay Groth

Poem: Joseph Papaleo, “American Dream: First Report”

Joseph Papaleo ~ American Dream: First Report

Poetry Reading by Lindsay Groth

Biographical Information:

§  Born in 1925 and grew up in the Bronx, New York

§  Received his Masters from Columbia University and his Ph. D. from the University of Florence in Italy

§  He has been a professor of literature and writing at Sarah Lawrence for over 30 years

§  He is regarded by younger Italian-American writers as the father of serious Italian-American writing

In 2003 the American Book Awards stated that, “With stories that are both melancholy and comic, Papaleo explores the contradictory desires of assimilation: his characters want to live the life of the average American while maintaining a strong link to their rich heritage.

** Read Poem

My interpretation of the Poem:

“American Dream: First Report” discusses how immigrants who felt they had reached their all time low point in life, came to be on top and in control. There is sarcasm and even a little resistance to change in the speakers’ voice.

Stanza 1 tells how the American Dream was chased even though they felt like outsiders. Opportunity and hope is what kept them driven to succeed.

Stanza 2 shows the rise from nothing to something unexpected. There is also some disbelief in the voice which shows they did not see what their lives had in store for them. The grandfather is the center of the irony at the end of the play.

Class Objectives in relation to the Poem:

Objective 2 – To chart the dynamics, variations, and stages of the immigrant narrative. The poem begins with the immigrant having nothing at all to having what they had never expected.

Objective 4 – To identify the United States’ “dominate culture” to which immigrants assimilate.

The immigrant in the poem ends up blending in with those around him, becoming similar to Americans in various ways.

Questions for Discussion:

1.  Does this poem resemble an Immigrant Narrative? Why or why not?

2.  How is this poem similar to “Soap and Water”?

3.  Is this poem a celebration of the American Dream? Why or why not?