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2016 Midterm1
(assignment) |
LITR 4340
American Immigrant Literature Model Assignments |
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Katie
Morin
10/1/2016
Our Nation’s Narratives: Comparing and Contrasting the Stories of
Immigrants and Minorities
While
America is often called the great “melting pot,” many might be under the false
impression that all of its inhabitants have immigrated here with similar
motivations, and have therefore shared comparable experiences once having
arrived in America. This is not necessarily the case. There is also a
distinction between immigrants and minorities, something that is not always
clearly defined when discussing America’s historical makeup. While similar in
some aspects, the narratives of American immigrants and minorities are two
unique entities, and should be regarded as such. The differences between
immigrants and minorities not only reflect a particular group’s culture and
heritage, but also affects the likelihood they are to either accept or reject
traditional American customs and values.
One
of the key differences distinguishing minorities from immigrants is the means by
which they were both introduced to American society. For immigrants, the
possibility of achieving the “American Dream” proved to be the greatest
motivation of all. Many immigrants fled their home countries in order to escape
violence, oppression, adversity, poverty, etc., so the prospect of obtaining
success through America’s opportunity structure was a chance at a new life. They
willingly came to America in hopes of improving their situations. Over time,
many of these immigrant groups underwent various levels of assimilation where
they gradually adopted bits and pieces of American culture and values. Many
immigrants were faced with prejudice upon their arrival, so their willingness to
accept this “dominant culture” allowed them to become better accepted by other
Americans. In some instances there was great resistance to this assimilation,
but more often than not, immigrant groups infiltrated and then became a part of
traditional American society.
A key
distinguishing characteristic of the immigrant narrative is the prospect of the
American Dream. Many immigrants came from little to nothing, and fled to the New
World in hopes of a better future. A prime example of this rags-to-riches
mentality is shown in a brief excerpt from Anzia Yezierska’s book,
Bread Givers. In the novel, the
story’s narrator is visited by an immigrant named Max Goldstein. His tells of
his life story, which embodies the immigrant’s quest of the American Dream. He
was poor, hungry, and homeless, yet still had hope and was thankful to be in
America, regardless of his current situation. He worked hard doing manual labor
in order to provide for himself, but over time managed to escape poverty and
overcome the odds stacked against him. Max Goldstein came from nothing, and then
later it is revealed that he went on to become a successful businessman. His
story exemplifies the typical immigrant’s motivation to travel to the New World.
To those like Max, America was seen as the land of opportunity.
In
contrast, true minorities, such as African Americans and Native Americans, did
not willingly travel to the New World in hopes of a better future, and therefore
cannot be considered as true immigrants. African Americans were pulled from
their homeland and taken to America against their free will where they would
later be sold into slavery, whereas Native Americans were already here to begin
with, and according to our course’s website, were forced to endure an “American
Nightmare” as opposed to the “American Dream.” Due to the fact that both groups
were faced with such extreme exploitation, neither had the same optimism as
exhibited by immigrant groups. Instead of assimilating much like members of
immigrant groups, both African Americans and Native Americans were more likely
to reject the dominant culture in order to keep their heritage and traditions
alive.
While
immigrants appear to be eager to become a part of American society, minorities
tend to resist assimilation. Not having actively chased the American Dream like
most immigrants, many minorities instead had these American values imposed onto
them, leaving them with little willingness to assimilate to traditional American
culture. An example of this is seen in “American Horse” by Louise Erdrich. The
story depicts a small Native American family whose youngest member, Buddy, lives
in fear of being taken away. According to page 211 of the text, the family is
constantly hiding from the authorities. Ultimately, the family’s location is
discovered, and a white social worker states, “I want to find that boy and
salvage him” (215) and tells Buddy’s mother, “It’s better this way, Albertine.
We’re going to help you” (219) shortly before she is knocked unconscious. This
story reflects the Native American resistance to assimilation because the family
lives in fear of the dominant culture, one that has the potential to strip them
from everything they know in order to live by American standards – standards
claiming that they need to be “fixed” or “salvaged.” They have grown to be
afraid of white Americans and authoritarians because they’ve seen firsthand the
damage and destruction that they have caused to their ancestors’ way of life.
Due to this, minorities such as Native Americans are often resistant to
assimilation.
Another example of a “true minority” are African Americans. As previously
stated, because they were brought to America against their will and had no
desire to chase the American Dream, African Americans are not considered
immigrants. Much like Native Americans, African Americans also resisted
assimilation, and tended to think cynically of white members of society. The
racism and prejudice they were forced to endure played a strong contributing
role to this distrust. “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara describes the plight of
a group of African American youth and their realization that their world is not
quite as “equal” as it may appear to some. While the children appear to be very
confident and lacking in feelings of inferiority, their demeanors change once
arriving at a luxury toy store, FAO Schwarz. Sylvia, one of the young girls, is
noted as feeling hesitant to enter the store. Page 149 of the text states: “…but
when we get there, I kinda hang back. Not that I’m scared, what’s there to be
afraid of, just a toy store. But I feel funny, shame.” It is then that the young
girl realizes just how far apart she is set from other members of American
society. Miss Moore, the children’s caregiver for the day, implores the group to
imagine a society where people are able to spend as much money on a single toy
sailboat the amount that “it would cost to feed a family of six or seven” (151).
In this moment, the division between the group and the dominant culture becomes
more apparent. These differences could be attributed to economic standing, but
also to the fact that those belonging to minorities were not allowed the same
opportunities as members of immigrant groups, model minorities, or those of
America’s dominant culture.
In
contrast, many immigrants appear to desperately long for acceptance by American
society. Evidence of this is revealed in “Soap and Water” by Anzia Yezierska. In
“Soap and Water,” the story’s protagonist, a Russian immigrant, struggles to
become accepted by the dean of her college, Miss Whiteside. The young Russian
woman is overworked and unable to put a great deal of time or effort into her
appearance –something her mentor looks down on her for. Miss Whiteside tells her
that “’Soap and water are cheap. Any one can be clean’” (para. 6), and this
strikes a nerve with the young woman. Cleanliness is something that is
associated with the dominant culture, and for her to be told that she is
unclean, the woman feels like an outsider to American culture. In paragraph
five, the narrator further explains that Miss Whiteside “never perceived that I
had a soul. She did not see how I longed for beauty and cleanliness.” She
genuinely longs to be able to live up to the standards that have been paved by
the dominant American culture, but repeatedly comes up short. This outlook
stands in stark contrast to that of the minority narrative, who, although still
judged by American society, typically
does not care to assimilate nor conform to the standards set by the dominant
culture.
In
certain instances, however, assimilation appears to be at least somewhat
considered by minority groups. Beauty, as defined by the dominant culture, in
addition to its emphasis on cleanliness, has also contributed to feelings of
inferiority among minority groups. In her poem, “Blonde White Women,” Patricia
Smith conveys the insecurities she felt as an African American girl living in a
white-dominated society. She describes how she went so far as to color her skin
with a carnation-pink crayon in order to simulate being white (lines 22-26).
Additionally, after a blonde teacher embraces her as a child, Smith writes:
“But
when she pried
me
away, her cool blue eyes shining with
righteousness and too much touch
I saw
how much she wanted to wash” (lines 42-45).
She
talks lovingly of her teacher, and the desire she has to be accepted by her. She
puts the woman on a pedestal. However, feelings of insecurity and shame have
become so deeply rooted within the young girl that she feels a sense of
inferiority solely because she is African American.
In
addition to immigrants and minorities, yet another group to consider are those
described as being “model minorities” or “ideal immigrants.” According to our
course’s website, those belonging to this group exhibit qualities that set them
apart from other “problem” minorities and/or immigrants. Model minorities are
known to have a very strong work ethic, tend to excel in academics, and strive
for the very best for themselves and their families. Model minorities invest a
great deal into future generations, and expect their children to succeed in
their academic and professional careers. Many often own family businesses where
each family member is expected to contribute to the success of the business.
Model minorities have the tendency to focus on the overall wellbeing of the
family unit, and younger generations are often expected to succeed in life so
they can better provide for their elders.
J.
Christine Moon’s story, "What Color Would You Like, Ma’am?" exemplifies many of
the qualities exhibited by model minorities. The story depicts an Asian-American
family who collectively works at the family’s nail salon. According to paragraph
eleven of the text:
“Without knowing and understanding English, they would find it difficult to work
even down the street at a restaurant or fast food chain. Without college
education or even completing high school, they couldn’t be considered for
corporate or professional positions.”
As
first-generation immigrants, Thien’s parents truly strive for the American
Dream. They work hard in order to provide for themselves, but also expect more
from future generations so that their children will have better lives. This is
typical of model minorities, and the family push Thien to do well in school in
order for him to obtain a lucrative career as a physician. In doing so, Thien
would not only guarantee his family’s financial security, but would also be able
to provide his family with medical care, as they “had gone without medical
insurance for nearly twenty years” (par. 12). Thien excels in school, but still
works at his family’s nail salon, not merely due to obligation, but also because
he recognizes the sacrifices his family has made for him. This “family-first”
mentality is something that is also prevalent within the model minority’s
narrative.
While
their motivations and perspectives might be different, the narratives of both
immigrants and minorities also have many similarities. Both groups faced extreme
adversity as inhabitants of a young America, which resulted in various levels of
resistance and/or assimilation. Both groups also maintained aspects of their
customs and heritage, which in turn aided in the cultivation of the culturally
diverse America that we know today.
