|
2016 Midterm1
(assignment) |
LITR 4340
American Immigrant Literature Model Assignments |
|
Katie
Morin
10/1/2016
Web Highlights: Identifying the Division of Minorities and Immigrants
Personally, one of the most interesting things I’ve taken away from this
course is learning the variances of the immigrant narrative and its minority
counterpart. Honestly, before having taken this class, I did not know that there
was such a significant difference between the two terms. It is difficult to
fully grasp the motivations and experiences of one group without having first
compared its similarities and differences to another. Additionally, a similarity
that both groups share is their struggle to find their place in a society where
the “dominant culture” reigns supreme. Being able to fully comprehend these
differences, similarities, and overall meanings makes the complexities of the
immigrant narrative as a whole more easily understood. Three pieces that I
believe nicely summarize the similarities and differences of the immigrant and
minority narratives are those by Adam Glasgow (2013), Cassandra Rea (2013), and
Dorothy Noyes (2013).
Adam Glasgow’s paper, “Immigrant and Minority Literature: What's the
Difference and Why Does it Matter?” details some of the less obvious
differentiations between the immigrant and minority narrative, namely the
optimism of the American immigrant. He writes, “The difference of motivation for
both types of literature has a large influence on the general tone of the works.
While immigrant literature obviously does often tell of the troubles of
assimilation, it generally does remain upbeat and hopeful.” This is something
that I certainly picked up on throughout many of the readings thus far. While
minority groups tend to be proud of their heritage and ways of living, their
narratives tend to be more somber when being compared to those of American
immigrants.
I found Cassandra Rea’s paper, “Crossing the Invisible Boundary Between
Immigrant and Minority Literature” to be interesting based on her definition of
immigrants, particularly that of model minorities. According to her paper, she
considers model minorities to be separate from the immigrant narrative, which
caught my attention. This concept is one I struggle with as I find it hard to
think of the two groups as distinct entities. I feel that immigrants have the
same motivation and drive as do model minorities, but it is only society’s
perception of what makes a good immigrant stand out when compared to one
generally seen as a great immigrant. I personally don’t care for the term “model
minority” because I feel as if it lessens the importance/worth of other
immigrant groups.
I felt drawn to Dorothy Noyes’ paper, “What is ‘White’ and Why?” because
I shared some of her feelings on race. Like Noyes, I also struggle to identify
with a single homeland distinct from the one in which I was raised. I find this
to be particularly intriguing especially when considering just how diverse my
cultural background is, but it’s not something that I often think about because
none of that is relevant to my day-to-day life. Because of this, I’ve always
just identified as being white. Noyes uses the term “white wash,” which is one I
hadn’t ever heard of before when examining the dominant culture. It’s
interesting to think that society has taken all of these different backgrounds
from all over the globe and blended them to form a single race: white.
All three essays deepened my
understanding of the immigrant and minority narratives. I found Noyes’ paper to
be the most effective, though, because the concept of a “whitewashed” society is
not one that I really considered before reading her essay. It’s interesting to
me that the term “white” has become such an umbrella word that encompasses
multiple races and backgrounds.
