2016 Midterm2 (assignment) Sample Student Midterm2 Answers 2016 Part 2. Web Highlights

LITR 4340     American Immigrant Literature  Model Assignments

Katie Morin

11/4/2016

Mexican Americans: Immigrants, Minority, or Both?

          In trying to better understand the differences and similarities of New World immigrants when in comparison to minorities, I found reading about the narratives of Mexican Americans to be most helpful. Although I do not identify as a Mexican American, I believe this topic is interesting given our close proximity to the Mexican-American border, and also the sheer amount of Mexican Americans whom I have had the pleasure of knowing over the years. I found the essays written by Cassandra Rea (2013), Alexandra Alvarado (2013), and Adam Glasgow (2013) to adequately describe the struggles faced by Mexican Americans, and their overlap of immigrant and minority characteristics.

          In her essay, “America’s Neighbor: New World Immigrants,” Cassandra Rea equates Mexican Americans to being a minority because of their close proximity to their home country. She writes that because the only thing that separates Mexico from America is an “imaginary line,” “this makes it difficult for this culture as well as the others to commit to the American nationality of the dominant culture and the struggle of wanting to stay loyal to their home country.” She goes on to state that because America neighbors Mexico, Mexican Americans’ loyalties might be tested, therefore contributing to their resistance to assimilation. This reluctance to accept America’s dominant culture is a characteristic typically seen in minority groups.

          In contrast, Alexandra Alvarado identifies the similarities between the narratives of Mexican Americans and those belonging to the traditional Old World immigrant. In her research report’s start, entitled “Betrayal or Opportunity?” Alvarado depicts the ways in which Mexican American immigrants are more likely to accept the dominant culture in better hopes of achieving the “American Dream.” She primarily discusses education, and as discussed in class, the desire to pursue higher education is something generally seen among immigrants. She also states that returning to Mexico is no longer “an option” among second-generation Mexican Americans, as their quality of life would surely decrease upon arriving in their parents’ home country. This stands in stark contrast to Rea’s essay which states that Mexican American immigrants are less likely to assimilate because of their close proximity to their homeland, which allows them to travel back and forth freely and encourages Mexican Americans to remain true to their heritage.

          Finally, Adam Glasgow’s essay, “Are New World Immigrants Minority Groups, too?” combines the two previous essays, explaining the ways in which Mexican Americans are both a minority group as well as immigrants. Like Rea, Glasgow claims that Mexico’s nearness to the American border helps to keep Mexican Americans more in touch with their heritage as Mexicans. They are able to travel across the border easily, therefore allowing them the opportunity to actively engage in certain aspects of their culture on a frequent basis. However, he also states that the examples of Mexican Americans he provides have accepted parts of the dominant culture, and have no problem recognizing their appreciation for America. Glasgow writes: “In this way, they are both immigrants in that they've come to the US for opportunity and have in many ways assimilated, and minorities, in that they desire to hold onto their native culture.” I liked that he combined aspects of both the immigrant and minority narratives in order to describe the experiences faced by Mexican Americans as New World immigrants. Although he does not mention the term explicitly, I believe he is describing the New World immigrant’s likelihood to experience acculturation rather than full assimilation.

          I truly enjoyed all three essays, because each one offered a different perspective of the Mexican American narrative. I believe there is such debate over whether or not New World immigrants are more or less minority than immigrant because these narratives are truly relative to not only the person experiencing these situations firsthand, but also to the readers who are free to interpret them as they choose. Because of this, I believe Adam Glasgow’s essay is the most effective of the three because it does not try to fit the Mexican American’s narrative into a box, but rather recognizes the fact that it is a combination of both immigrant and minority narratives.