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Sample Student final exam answers 2016 (2016 final exam assignment) Part 1: Essays: dominant culture overview |
LITR 4340
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Madison Coates
7
December 2016
The WASPs are the Boss: Dominant Culture in America
At the very beginning of this semester I was really hesitant of the
subject of American immigration. I recall scrolling through the course reading
list and feeling defeated at seeing that there was no inclusion of a
Japanese-American immigrant stories. While I began the semester thinking I was
not going to necessarily be reflected in our reading assignments or discussion I
was still able to voice my thoughts and create a basis for understanding the
immigrant and minority narratives. I’ve always had a rough idea of these larger
ideas, but getting to place an actual term and name to it has provided more
clarity when I discuss the topic of immigration in academic and social settings.
I feel like I now know how to have a discussion with my students in the future
about immigration literature.
One
of the most interesting parts of the semester was discussing the dominant
culture in America more heavily toward the end. The obvious choice might have
been to start with the dominant culture and then move onto the immigrant and
minority narrative. Flipping the script actually set the tone for the class
nicely and felt more like a timeline working back. Looking at the root of the
dominant culture it comes from the White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs) who
emigrated from the old European world to America. In our reading “Of Plymouth
Plantation” by William Bradford we see a truer telling of the first European
settlers and their struggles to survive in a foreign land. One of the defining
impressions the dominant culture has had on America is the establishment of
capitalism. In chapter fourteen, Bradford shows the pilgrims who brought
communities “into a commonwealth [that] would make them happy” (14.3). A
commonwealth, where everyone shares the wealth in the community does not align
with capitalistic America we know today, but instead looks at a more socialist
form of governing. This form of commonwealth is reiterated with scripture from
the bible that shows the pilgrims trying to follow the path of their Christian
God. I found this fascinating to see the early pilgrims working together in a
commonwealth since this is not later the case for America.
The
roots of the dominant culture might lie within Bradford’s account, but the
rhetoric of the culture today is very different. Instead of a commonwealth like
the pilgrims first had, most established WASPs later supported a capitalistic
society. While drastically different than what the first pilgrims first sought
out there was definitely a shift in the dominant culture’s narrative.
Going back to the liberation of the colonies from England, a sense of
ownership was very important when establishing the government. Alexander
Hamilton, who helped to write a majority of the Federalist papers and later
became the first Treasury of State, is known for advocating for capitalism in
America that protected and secured individuals of their property. Capitalism has
definitely taken on a very different form today in 2016 than it did in 1776, but
it is still deeply rooted in our countries short history. This can be reflected
most heavily in the dominant culture of WASPs who are still part of the majority
that still sit in most of the governing seats in the congress and the house of
representatives.
While
Bradford’s story of the first pilgrims in America opened my eyes to how they
truly lived at the beginning and how they tried to govern themselves, I was also
interested in J.D. Vance’s’ “Hillbilly Elegy”. What I would like to focus on
though is “The Rhetoric of Hard Work Conflicts with the Reality on the Ground”
excerpt that we read in class. I at first found the idea of reading about the
dominant culture to be boring given the plainness and demonizing it had taken on
over the course of the semester. Reading further into Vance’s work I realized
that part of the reason I was uninterested was because I was reading the wrong
narratives.
Vance’s’ rhetoric of hard work made me see how there was a gap between the two
types of people who are defined in the dominant cultures. “There was, and still
is, a sense that those who make it are of two varieties. The first are lucky:
They come from wealthy families with connections, and their lives were set from
the moment they were born. The second are the meritocratic: They were born with
brains and couldn’t fail if they tried” (para. 2). What falls between these two
are those of the dominant culture who are part of the middle or lower class who
don’t have either. Those who fall between have to work hard for their living
just like the immigrant or minority narrative we have studied so much throughout
the semester. Vance notes that the definition of hard work is skewed, though,
for the dominant culture because “many folks talk about working more than they
actually work” (para. 4). I think I have fallen into the mindset before this
class that white privilege can get any woman or man with a fair complexion
farther in life. Seeing the perspective of those white Americans who still
struggle with working hard and making ends meet is reflective of part of the
immigrant narrative. The assumption I have had that their ethnicity is the
driving factor in their success just isn’t true from readings like Vance’s’
work.
The
dominant culture is hard to write about because it is considered the norm. Their
narrative is of the conquerors that drove out the Native Americans through false
treaties and war, and used the slaves from Africa to work the land and build
their wealth. This is not a glamorous or new story for most Americans who grow
up reading about the victories of the dominant cultures. Looking back at the
Declaration of Independence the famous line “We hold these truths to be
self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
creator with certain unalienable Right, that among these are life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness” does not always ring true to history of America. Part
of that comes from the fact that no nation is perfect and while our dominant
culture has had a trend of oppressing immigrant and minorities these narratives
still exists today. America was founded by immigrants and is constantly
changing, whether it wants to or not, to the unique stream of immigrants each
decade and century.
My
goal at the end of my degree is to become a teacher. While I don’t necessarily
plan to teach immigration literature, I do hope that I can incorporate it into
my reading or lessons somehow because it reflects the history of America in such
a unique way. Including a diverse range of voices that define their home in
America very differently can help anyone appreciate and better understand the
American narrative. I am still constantly trying to understand the dominant
culture in America today and while I still have difficulty understanding it I
feel that I have learned some of the terminology and language to better talk and
start discussion to continue learning and developing my thoughts. As a teacher I
hope I can instill the same want of continued growth in my future students
through their academic careers.
