Introduction:

In the words of our esteemed instructor, “The purpose of this presentation is to provide another angle by reviewing previous articulations of our course’s subject matter, and to familiarize students with assignments and standards of student work.”

To prepare for this presentation, I looked over the assignment instructions in order to help me determine both the relevance and effectiveness of the research postings. According to Dr. White, “These exercises must be relevant to our subject matter, but they may reflect your personal and professional interests. Try to relate your research to Literature, but not absolutely required; these postings may move into history, sociology, anthropology, etc.”

In addition, I looked over the content requirements in which a minimum of four paragraphs are required, with a maximum of 6-7 paragraphs. Four citations are suggested, using web, text, or personal interview as resources (MLA format).  For this presentation, research postings from the Summer 2006 class are being examined.

First Posting Examined:

One posting I looked at was from Gordon Lewis entitled “Black American Minority Group: An Examination of the Viewpoints of John McWhorter.” In terms of this week’s readings and also in terms of the recent Jeremiah Wright controversy, I found this interesting.  In terms of class objectives, this would connect more closely with Objectives 3 and 4.  

Lewis begins by pointing out that that both minority groups and immigrant groups are in a constant state of evolution. "Groups of people change and it follows that as a group changes the descriptions of that group need also to evolve to reflect those changes."  He then discusses three key assertions made by African-American writer John McWhorter in his book, Winning the Race. One is the concept of “the Cult of Victimology” in which the black minority focuses on “the remnants of racism, both perceived and real.”  He follows this with more specific examples of this in modern American culture. "These examples included the belief that most black people are poor, blacks are paid less than whites for the same job, there is an epidemic of arson aimed at black churches, the CIA funneled crack into South Central Los Angeles, the Justice system is racist, and that police brutality against blacks is proof of ongoing racism." When I read this, I immediately thought of all the stories in the news recently about Reverend Wright and black liberation theology.

The second concept discussed was termed “Separatism” in which the dominant culture is and has been historically white, thereby excluding and denying all that is black culture. According to this, it is almost as if African-Americans are not to be encouraged or expected to be knowledgeable about what those in the dominant culture are learning, and it goes as far as suggesting a revisionist history be offered to African-Americans that might prove more engaging. Lewis mentions that McWhorter identifies this as ““Black People Can Do No Wrong.”

Lastly, Lewis mentions McWhorter’s third concept of “Anti-intellectualism” in which “Academic success is equated with ‘acting white’.” This section made me think of Toni Cade Bambara’s feisty young narrator in “The Lesson.”  I also connected with this concept in that I see everyday in my classroom. Unfortunately, it is not just an attitude prevalent in African-American culture.

In the end though, Lewis explains that after discussing all three concepts and explaining their histories, McWhorter ends by saying these concepts are losing their relevance and their reality. "What McWhorter does in his writings is point by point demonstrate that the thinking of the past about the black minority group is no longer valid.  His point is that after forty years of affirmative action, college educations of two generations of blacks, and the improvement of visibility of blacks throughout the society where now major government positions and major corporate positions are held by blacks, it is time to redefine the black minority group."

Concluding Thoughts:

This posting depends also most entirely on the McWhorter’s book(s).  I found it interesting, but this posting seemed a little different that most of the others in that there are no personal interviews.  It did not truly meet the directive of Objective Three “to compare and contrast the immigrant narrative with the minority narrative.”  It does in some ways deal with Objective 4 in suggesting a history of exclusion from the dominant culture, which is identified as “white.” However, I did find connections with our literature which all in all help me understand better the view of how the American Dream might be more of an American nightmare to the African-American versus a first-generation immigrant.

Second Posting Examined:

As a contrast to the first, I chose Pauline Chapman’s “Immigrants from South Korea, Mexico, and Iran Tell Their Stories.” This posting was similar to many I read in that it included interviews with recent immigrants to the U.S.  I really enjoyed reading her posting which seemed like a series of short narratives, each coming from a different person. Chapman interviews Kim, who came to the U.S. from South Korea as a war bride; Hector, who entered the U.S. illegally many years ago and hopes for a chance at amnesty one day so that he can be a legitimate U.S. citizen; and Azar, an educated woman from Iran who came to the U.S. partly due to the oppressive political conditions in Iran. All three are very different people from very different cultures, but with one thing in common it seems- their steadfast belief in the “American Dream”.

Chapman begins by forming some questions for her research query. "How would informal interviews compare with the immigrant narratives from class lectures and readings?  Some of the main questions I asked were, why they came, why they chose to stay, what was it like adjusting to America, and finally, who are they now?" She then interviews the three immigrants. 

Of the three, she found that as the wife of a GI, Kim’s U.S. citizenship was technically the easiest to obtain. But she faced other obstacles, such as learning to speak English and other cultural differences. For example, “They lived in Louisiana with his parents to save money, but the mother-in-law was jealous because Kim catered to her father-in-law and he liked it.  Kim explained she was just treating him with respect because he was an elder.”  Today, Kim has overcome many obstacles and has established herself as a successful businesswoman.  Her children do not speak Korean and appear to identify themselves with the “dominant culture.” Chapman points out that “when asked if she thought of herself as American, she said ‘half half’ at first, at which I suggested "Korean American," which she liked.   (‘Half half’ is how one of the characters in Gish Jen's The Love Wife describes herself.)”

Her second interview with Hector, I found intriguing.  Hector came here mainly for a better life economically.  He found it and stayed. He started a family here and now rarely goes back to Mexico. What surprised me the most was his lack of obstacles. According to Hector, “his education was limited, maybe 5 or 6 years, but he managed to get a valid Social Security Card, a Texas Driver's License, a car and insurance, and recently bought a house--all without a green card.” He felt no real problem with prejudice and apparently did not have trouble finding work.  His kids are bilingual and now in his fifties, he is “starting to get information about receiving Social Security.” He considers himself “Mexican-American” and hopes to one day become a legal citizen.

Lastly was the interview with Azar, a college-educated woman who came here from Iran with her husband and young daughter, initially for the daughter’s eye-operation. Because of the extreme political changes going on in Iran, they chose to stay in the U.S. Like the Polish music professor in Mohr’s “The English Lesson,” she and her college-educated husband started in jobs not normally held by someone with their educational background.  But they have been successful and have raised two bilingual children who appear mostly n the dominant culture, with heavy influence from their Iranian culture. Chapman reports that “Azar hesitated on the question of where she considers her home, because even though this is her home, she still very much cares about the Iranian people.  It is obvious that she is divided, so she preferred 'Iranian-American' to 'American.'”

Chapman concludes:

"It is interesting how much the "model minority" and the "ambivalent minority" can have in common.  Azar and Kim have interesting similarities and differences.  They are both women from traditionally male dominated cultures, both had to work while their husbands shared childrearing duties, both worked for themselves and have been successful, both have daughters pursuing advanced degrees.  But there seems to be a single-mindedness to Kim and a balance to Azar.  I want to believe it's from Azar's education and exposure to literature.  In the written narratives we've studied, the authors initiated their stories. The strong feelings we see in the written word motivated the authors to express themselves.  In the interviews I was somewhat surprised there wasn't more drama associated with leaving their countries and assimilating to America, but they were asked to participate in an interview, they did not initiate the process.  They appear to focus on the positive and not dwell on the negative, which is a useful skill in making such a challenging change.  Time and success could also be factors in softening the memories.  What they lacked in drama they more than made up in graciousness and inspiration.  In the end, I know my question was too broad.  I need to focus on a single issue, and ask more follow-up questions on the single issue."

Overall, Chapman’s research through the use of the personal interview I thought to be both engaging to me as the reader and enlightening in terms of gaining a better understanding of the immigrant narrative. My only criticism might be her last sentence, which I am not sure I agree with.

Conclusion:

Essentially, the researcher is on a quest, first to form a question pertaining to the immigrant experience, then to find answers through valid research, and finally to reflect on what has been discovered through this process.

As this is my first literature class since 1981, I personally appreciate that these models have been provided to help me to understand what is expected in terms of the research assignments. I found it extremely interesting to see how each student approached the assignment.  I would encourage each class member to read a few postings before you complete the assignment, not only to help provide a framework for the your work, but also to obtain a true learning experience from the many different voices within the research postings, especially those from personal interviews with recent immigrants.