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2016 Midterm2
(assignment) Sample Student Midterm2 Answers Part 1: Essays on New World Immigrants |
LITR 4340
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Katie
Morin
11/4/2016
The New World Narrative: An Immigrant-Minority Hybrid
Over the course of the semester, the differences between immigrants and
minorities have been made quite clear. But what happens when the two groups
begin to overlap? New World immigrants came to America willingly, yet their
narratives still begin to share a great deal of similarities with those held by
minority groups. Those classified as being New World immigrants are unique when
in comparison to more “traditional” Old World immigrants because New World
immigrants (as defined by the course website as: “Hispanic or Afro-Caribbean
immigrants from Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean”) did not have to
travel as far to come to America. Because of this, a large part of their
difficulty to assimilate to the dominant culture can be attributed to the New
World immigrant’s close proximity to their native homeland as well as possible
misconceptions held against America as a whole. Although the New World immigrant
is still technically an immigrant by definition, their experiences once arriving
in America often reflect those of minority groups, creating a unique subgroup of
immigrants.
Immigrants willingly make the choice to leave their homeland in hopes of
securing better futures for themselves and their families: “The American Dream.”
Because of this, immigrants are more likely to embrace (and subsequently adopt)
American customs and values, a process otherwise known as “assimilation.”
Minorities, on the other hand did not freely choose to be exposed to American
culture. Among the two primary groups of minorities, Native Americans and
African Americans, resistance to assimilation is common because of the means by
which they were introduced to American culture. In the case of New World
Immigrants, it seems as if they are immigrants given the fact that they came to
America willingly, but they also exhibit qualities shown by minorities because
they are resistant to fully assimilate as they still maintain their loyalty to
their respective homelands.
A prime example of the New World immigrant’s struggle as an
immigrant-minority hybrid can be seen in Junot Diaz’s short story, “How to Date
a Brown Girl…” As discussed in class, the narrator straddles the line dividing
immigrants and minorities. At times he seems ashamed of his heritage, as he
states that before inviting a girl over, one must first “Take down any
embarrassing photos of your family in the campo, especially the one with the
half-naked kids dragging a goat on a rope leash” (IA 276). He goes on to state
that the kids in the pictures are his cousins and “by now they’re old enough to
understand why” he must take down their picture. He also hides his family’s
government cheese and old photographs of him with an Afro. He spends a great
deal of effort in trying to conceal his family’s heritage, all so he can try and
impress girls in general, but seems to long after white girls in particular.
“Tell her that you love her hair, that you love her skin, her lips, because, in
truth, you love them more than you love your own” (278). Personally, because it
is not made clear whether or not the narrator is more or less of a minority than
an immigrant, I believe that his struggles reflect the experiences of the New
World immigrant. He believes the government cheese and embarrassing family
photos are things to be shameful of and must therefore be hidden, but he also
alludes to the fact that white girls are “easy” and seems to mock them at some
points of the story while glorifying them at others. He seems as though he wants
to be accepted by the dominant culture, but still wants to maintain his
Dominican heritage – and this dilemma causes him a great deal of inner conflict.
Another narrative that I felt combined certain aspects of the
immigrant-minority persona retained by the New World immigrant is the short
story, “Barbie-Q,” by Sandra Cisneros (IA 252-53). In it, two young girls
residing in Chicago obsess over Barbie dolls. As discussed in class, Barbie
dolls serve as a symbolic representation of the commercialism exhibited by
America’s dominant culture. Based on that logic, it would appear that by pining
over Barbies, the two young girls are more immigrant than minority due to their
willingness to accept the dominant culture. However, the means by which they
procure their Barbies could prove otherwise. For instance, the girls discover
their Barbies while walking through a flea market (as opposed to a more
“mainstream” Americanized shopping locale, much like a mall or toy store).
Furthermore, page 253 states that the dolls are being sold at a discounted rate
due to the fact that they have all been damaged in a warehouse fire. The dolls
are badly damaged, but the young girls are overjoyed that they can now afford to
buy them. The narrator states that “On the outside you and me skipping and
humming but inside we are doing loopity-loops and pirouetting” (253). Although
Barbie dolls represent the values held by the dominant culture, those that have
been this badly damaged would have been thrown out by those belonging to the
upper or middle classes. The two young girls do not care about the condition of
the Barbies, though, just so long as they are able to take them home.
Personally, I believe this is very telling of the New World immigrant’s struggle
as both a minority and an immigrant. The dominant culture has penetrated certain
aspects of their lives and they have not only accepted that, but seemingly
welcomed it as well. However, the means by which they have gone about doing so
would not quite be considered assimilation, because they are not fully
integrating themselves into the dominant culture, much like the young man
depicted in “How to Date a Brown Girl...” Rather than assimilation, it seems
that New World immigrants are more so associated with acculturation – a merging
of multiple cultures. In this way, the characters from both narratives exhibit
traits and characteristics often seen in both minorities and immigrants.
Symbols of the dominant culture are prevalent throughout narratives of New World
immigrants, and depending on the context, have the potential to indicate whether
a New World immigrant is more of an immigrant than a minority. According to 3d
of our course’s objectives, “Immigrants may suffer discrimination and
marginalization by the dominant culture on account of racial and cultural
differences as long as those differences are visible or audible.” This is
glaringly obvious in Gary Soto’s poem, “Mexicans Begin Jogging,” where the
narrator is presumed to be Mexican because of his complexion. Because of the
fact that he simply looks Mexican, he is told to jump a fence with the Mexicans
working alongside him. The narrator, himself, though, talks of the symbols of
the dominant culture (in lines 17-18, he writes “What could I do but yell vivas
/ To baseball, milkshakes, and those sociologists”), and even goes so far as to
outright state that he is an American, but is ultimately called a liar. I found
this to be interesting because, although his character exhibits some of the
characteristics shown by immigrants, he is still treated like a minority. He
seems to have accepted the dominant culture, yet he is treated like an outcast
based on a form of “color coding” (In this case, this definition from our
course’s site would apply to the term “color coding”: “skin color as persistent
indicator of class, immigrant, or minority status”). It is here where the
overlap of immigrant and minority characteristics
occurs, even though the New World immigrant in question seems to identify as an
immigrant themselves. In this instance, the dominant culture exercises its
ability to define what makes someone an immigrant or a minority based on a
person’s physical appearance alone.
Other times, though, New World immigrants successfully assimilate, but
still manage to retain some of their previous customs – another example of
acculturation. An instance of this is seen in Paule Marshall’s “The Making of a
Writer: From the Poets in the Kitchen.” Marshall, an immigrant from Barbados,
goes on to teach at Columbia University, and becomes well read in the literature
of the dominant culture (Jane Austen, Zane Grey, etc.). However, although she
manages to successfully assimilate, and in certain ways succumbs to the dominant
culture, she is still lured by the appeal of black writers, because she feels as
if can better relate to them. On page 89 of the narrative, she also attributes
her success not to the influential writers of her time, but instead to the
Barbadian women who raised her. In this instance, Marshall is an example of a
New World immigrant who is more immigrant than minority. She still acknowledges
her heritage and identity as a Barbadian woman, but she is more accepting of the
dominant culture, and subsequent assimilation.
It would appear that the main distinguishing factor of New World
immigrants is that there is so much gray area when determining whether or not
one exhibits more immigrant or minority characteristics. From the readings, I
have noticed that even after assimilating, New World immigrants still tend to
resist the dominant culture, if only just a little—much like the case of Paule
Marshall who assimilated, yet still sought to depart from the dominant culture
in order to explore her black heritage. However, one piece that truly stood out
to me is “Immigrants” by Pat Mora. In his poem, there is no gray area at all;
the New World immigrants whom he depicts are willing to abandon their previous
languages and cultures in order to assimilate. He writes of people wrapping
“their babies in the American flag,” speaking to their children “in thick
English,” and whispering in their native tongues only when the babies are
sleeping (lines 1, 7-10). Their goal is to become completely “Americanized” and
shed any trace of their former heritage and culture. This is interesting because
the struggle of determining whether to assimilate or resist seems fairly common
when researching the plight of the New World immigrant. This balancing act is
not seen in Mora’s piece, though.
Although playing a small role in a lengthy narrative, the character Diego
Torres in Nicholasa Mohr’s “The English Lesson,” serves as the prime example of
a New World immigrant who does not fit the description of the typical immigrant.
He is very resistant to assimilation, and according to page 25 of the text,
refuses to become an American citizen. He holds a great deal of contempt for
America and considers the Dominican Republic his home, exclaiming “I no be
American citizen, no way. I’m Dominican and proud!” These feelings of animosity
toward America exemplify 3e of the course’s objectives, which states: “In
contrast to ideal immigrants’ commitment to American national identity and
opportunity, New World immigrants may stay loyal to their nearby home countries
and remember historical resentments or mixed feelings toward the USA.” Rather
than accept American ideals and customs, these feelings of ill will towards
America absolutely hinder New World immigrants from fully assimilating to the
nation’s dominant culture.
New World immigrants are a unique subgroup of immigrants because they
exhibit certain traits and characteristics of both immigrant and minority
groups. This can be attributed to New World immigrants’ close proximity to their
native homelands, in comparison to Old World immigrants who often leave their
home countries permanently. Additionally, a possible contributing factor to the
New World immigrant’s resistance to assimilation could be misconceptions held
against America and its citizens. New World immigrants are also unique in that
they are more likely to experience acculturation, as opposed to assimilation.
This process allows new forms and combinations of customs and values to be
introduced into American society. This merging of cultures aids in the
betterment of the America we know today, as it creates a more culturally
diverse, tolerant nation.
