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Sample Student final exam answers 2016
(2018 final exam assignment) Part 1: Essays: dominant culture overview |
LITR 4340
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Jojo Hunter
3 May 2018
Assimilation and Acceptance
Assimilation has been a big part of whether or not
immigrants and minorities are viewed in the eyes of the dominant culture (those
of European descent, “white” people). One can assimilate in several ways:
intermarriage into the dominant culture, learning the native language, or a
shared ideology. Because “immigrant” implies a voluntary status, the connotation
is much different than that of the “minority” label, which is one that tends to
come with a history of being taken from one’s own country without consent.
Beyond assimilation, most immigrants strive to achieve the American Dream-that
is, leaving their own country (Old World), to make a journey to America (New
World). Culture shock and discrimination from the dominant culture is sure to
happen as well, but this leads immigrants to work harder and assimilate
according to the standards that the dominant culture abides by. By the second
generation there is some inherent assimilation, and by the third generation,
most of the home culture has been lost, or at the very least, goes unobserved.
Model minorities have changed as years passed, but are considered to be
“good”—educated and assimilated, taking advantage of the things that the New
World has to offer.
Minorities tend to refuse to submit to assimilating to
the dominant culture, instead holding on the ideologies of their own people.
Because of this, some minority groups are considered “problem minorities,” often
associated with taking jobs from the dominant culture, being unskilled,
uneducated, and refusing to assimilate. This includes both the Native American
and African-American identities, which are considered true minorities. The
minority history is usually one of being dominated, exploited, and used for the
personal gain of the dominant culture.
For example, in Anchee Min’s
Cooked Seed, Anchee tries very hard
to understand and accept American culture, but she in confused by the fact that
Takisha, a minority, tells her to stop hanging out with Kate because of the
troubled history between black people (minorities) and the dominant (settler)
culture that (white) Kate is a part of. However, when Takisha tries to explain
the plight of African-Americans to Anchee, she tells her that she not only knows
about their plight, but China is a country where they sympathize with the views
of African-Americans. This does not hold much weight with Takisha, and Anchee
notes that “Takisha was too provoked to come out of her own world” (IV2, 212).
In this case, there is a difference of ideals based on time and place. Here, the
immigrant wants to assimilate by learning the language of the dominant culture-
“…I want to learn…Talk to me, and educate me” (IV 2, 212)- yet the minority
insists that there is a worse life for her.
Like Anchee Min, Le Ly Hayslip’s excerpt from
Child of War, Woman of Peace
chronicles how she does everything she is “supposed” to do in order to
assimilate, but the people of the dominant culture all around her reject her
nonetheless. She has intermarried and is learning the language, but she has a
hard time seeing why it is good to have the American ideology that is being
forced upon her. Her husband does not pay much attention to her and even makes
fun of her for doing simple things, such as choosing the “wrong” type of rice.
She admits that in losing her own culture, “I was becoming a stranger to myself.
I didn’t like the feeling one bit” (IV2, 111), however, she admits later on in
the story that “In America, I was as big as my voice and I liked that feeling a
lot” (IV2 117). Assimilation does not necessarily come easy for Le Ly, but as
she realizes that the oppression she felt from Vietnam is gone, she finds that
maybe there are good reasons to being American, and she was “starving and ready
for anything from the great American banquet” (IV2 125).
In J. Christine Moon’s “What Color Would You Like,
Ma’am,” Thien is the son of a model minority immigrant family. He is second
generation, so he is essentially stuck between the worlds of the dominant
culture and his family’s Old World values. Though he likes to play video games
and basketball with his friends, he also realizes that the family business is
important to the household. This is a commentary on second generation immigrant
ideology where the old values are not quite lost, but they do intertwine with
the values that have been learned. In fact, he is loyal to the duties, and only
after he does them will he think about himself: “Maybe when Tanya comes back to
work, he’ll be able to catch up with his friends and hang out with them. As
Thien drifted off to sleep, images from his AP study book swarmed through his
head, and he joyfully thought about fun ahead with basketball and video games.”
This loyalty to the family suggest that he has not let go of his family values
form their Old World, but he has assimilated just fine with the dominant
culture, although the lives of the children seem to be very different.
In contrast, “Elethia” by Alice Walker is a rebellion of
minorities against the dominant culture. Elethia realizes that the idea of Uncle
Albert is one that exploits minorities by using their image for capital gain. He
was neither an uncle nor happy in life, yet the posing and display of Uncle
Albert in a place where minorities were not even allowed was blatantly
disrespectful to not only Albert, but to the minority narrative of a life of
servitude. Albert tried to assimilate in his time, but was answered with hate,
disrespect, and commercialization of his remains after his death for white man’s
profit. Elethia herself became educated, therefore partially assimilating, yet
she feels the need to preserve the truth of her people. She and her friends kept
Uncle Albert’s ashes to honor the truth of his past, and therefore the truth of
minority oppression: “…For each of them what they knew and their reaction to
what they knew was profound” (IA, 308).
She was not the only person who did not want to
assimilate to the dominant culture. Chrystos poem, “I Have Not Signed a Treaty
with the United States Government” is a story of stripped identity and forced
assimilation for Native American people. Native American ideology states that
nature, family, and tradition are to be honored, and the United States only
strips these things from those that are resistant to assimilation. In this poem,
Chrystos equates American culture to materialism, stating that paper does not
equal ownership, status, or legalities. Everything has a purpose or meaning in
the Native American culture, yet production is limited to “garbage…lies,” the
inability to produce “dance…cook…children…elders…or relatives,” things that are
held dear to these people. This poem is a complete rejection of any type of
assimilation of the true minority culture to the dominant culture.
In contrast to this is “The Man to Send Rain Clouds” by
Leslie Marmon Silko. In this story, there is a mix of both assimilation and the
ability to hold on to traditional values that the Native American hold dear. The
preacher represents the dominant culture, and although he is not forceful in his
will for the family to submit to his values (Christianity), he is hesitant to
bring holy water to Teofilo’s grave because “For a Christian burial it was
necessary [to be given Last Rites]” (IA 207). Both men in this conversation are
enforcing the values that they believe, yet they are both respectful to one
another, and in the end, the priest submitted to the values of the Native’s
culture.
Before reading the narratives of immigrants and
minorities, I would not have been able to distinguish one designation from the
other accurately. However, after reading both fiction and non-fiction stories
about the experiences of individuals who have immigrated to the Unites States
and those who are marginalized for their minority status, I can begin to see
things more clearly. The dominant culture seems to affect how people’s view of
the American Dream is brought to fruition. While some of these groups have
chosen to assimilate, and therefore been coined “model minorities,” others
choose to hold on to their cultures/ideologies and are therefore ostracized for
rejecting the dominant culture’s ideas. This has led some immigrants and
minorities to be accepted, while others are rejected and marginalized.
New World Immigrants are somewhat different in that they
are a combination of both immigrant and minority. This means that they are
almost doubly oppressed because, while they have voluntarily immigrated, their
home country may have been affected by America at some point in their lives
while living in their home country.
The first type of New World immigrant I will cover is
Mexican Immigrants. Mexican immigrants are very prominent in the United States
because of Mexico’s proximity to the United States. Because of this, some of the
immigrants take on the American culture but can freely blend it with the culture
of their home country. However, not all immigrants find the American Dream in
addition to finding their rich culture slipping away, and the blandness of
America sinks in. In Pat Mora’s poem “Immigrants,” she uses images of “mashed
hot dogs and apple pie” to symbolize the loss of their culture and it’s replaced
with processed foods that are overly salty or sweet. Sandra Cisneros uses the
symbol of Mattel’s Barbie Doll to represent perfection of the female figure in
the United States, and to compare the richness of diversity of Mexican culture
to that of Barbie Dolls that were charred, mangled, and smelling of smoke which
made them unique and diverse.
Other Hispanic immigrants, such as those from Puerto
Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, are also considered to be New World
immigrants. Unfortunately, much of their knowledge and experience with America
deals with the exploitation of their country and its natural resources. In Junto
Diaz’s short story, “How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie,”
the narrator gives instruction on dating an “outsider:” “Supply the story about
the loco who’d been storing canisters of teargas in the basement for years, how
one day the canisters cracked and the whole neighborhood got a dose of the
military-strength stuff. Don’t tell her that your moms knew right away what it
was, that she recognized its smell from the year the United States invaded your
island” (Diaz, IA 277). America’s history of imperialism is not understood by
many people, so he decides to leave it out for the girls in the dominant culture
who would not understand.
Many of these cultures have very diverse foods and
recipes as opposed to what is considered American foods. The Puerto Rican poem
“Coca-Cola and Coco-Frio” symbolizes the blandness of culture in America with
its food just as “Immigrants” does. The narrator talks about himself as a “fat
boy” in his family’s native country of Puerto Rico only to find them giving him
treats from New York rather than offering him the richness of the island. When
he finally does try the native coco-frio, he wonders for years why the people
would give up the flavor of its island for something so plain and unrefined.
Puerto Ricans are technically American citizens, yet they do not have the right
to vote. So, although they are part of a Democracy, they do not have the same
rights as those in the fifty states represented on the flag.
Another group of these New World Immigrants hail from
Haiti, Barbados, and Jamaica, and are called Afro-Caribbean Immigrants. They are
a combination of immigrant and minority because they often share a genetic
history with both African and Europeans. They often have darker skin and are
associated with the black American minority. These groups can easily move in and
out of their home country, so they can stay associated with the culture. Paule
Marshall’s short story “To Da-Duh, In Memoriam,” a grandmother from Barbados
introduces the young narrator to the family’s home country and the culture by
spending time with her. While she does this, she also learns of New York’s
grandness and is enthralled, yet scared. In the end, “She died during the famous
’37 strike which began shortly after we left” because England sent planes to
threaten Barbados. When these people immigrate to the United States, they know
the native language, so they are considered to be a part of America’s large
black population and treated as such.
Of the Afro-Caribbean immigrants, Haitians are the most
under-tolerated group. They are considered to be the most African. This may be
due to the fact that they were the only successful nation to overthrow their
oppressor as a slave nation in the 1800s. This only leads to them being further
rejected. In Edwidge Danticat’s “Children of the Sea,” the narrator say that
“They treat Haitians like dogs in the Bahamas” …”To them, we are not human”
(104). She then notes that the
music, people, and culture of the tow countries are alike, yet they are so much
different.
Jamaican born Claude McKay uses the very same symbolism
of food to describe the rejection he feels from America, even though he loves
her. In the poem “America,” he says that “she feeds me bread of bitterness” and
calls it a “cultured hell” (line 4), yet he does not hate it as much as she
hates him. I believe that he does start to feel the sag of inequality in “The
White City” when he describes his being as “a skeleton, a shell” (line 5).
The culture that these immigrants either assimilate to or
reject is called the dominant or settler culture. Although one of the major
theme about America in immigrant literature is the lack of seasoning, or
blandness of the culture. Unfortunately, even many Americans do not know how
this came to be the dominant culture of the United States.
The first wave of immigrants to populate America were the
Puritans who came in the 1620s-1630s. They were educated, Eastern British people
who sought spiritual equality and did not openly display their wealth. William
Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation
describes the Pilgrims journey from England to Holland where they decided to
settle for twelve years before realizing that, because there was already an
established culture, they were assimilating to it rather than creating their
own, independent culture as planned. They then went to America to set this plan
in motion. John Winthrop’s A Model of
Christian Charity outlines the beliefs of the Pilgrims to stick to the
covenant, and honor God, so long as He would allow it. These people put their
faith in God to ensure that they were able to start over and live by the laws of
the Bible. The second wave of immigrants was in the 1640s to 1650s when the
“Cavaliers” came. Since they were the aristocrats, they had large plantations
and were business owners. Instead of having European peasants to work for them,
they had African slaves. The third wave,
which came in the 1700s, was the Scots-Irish. They came mostly from Scotland and
Ireland and settled near the Appalachian Mountains. There was a bit of mixing of
these cultures in the later years, and Hector St. John de Crevecoeur questions
what an American is, because he cannot distinguish anyone from anyone else
because of how mixed-race (European) the people are. “He is an American, who
leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones
from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the
new rank he holds.”
These three groups did not necessarily get along either.
Since the Scots-Irish came later and the coast was already populated, they were
pushed into the foothills of the mountains where they served as Indian Fighters.
The Puritans and the Cavaliers were already in contention with one another about
establishing the dominant culture. Eventually, this division of ideas led to the
Civil War. Even today, the Scots-Irish generally live by the same cultural ideas
as their ancestors. Joining the military, working in the free-market, and want
little government interference in their business. In J.D. Vance’s book,
Hillbilly Elegy, he talks about his
Mamaw’s distrust of the government stating that “she didn’t want to use the
legal system unless you had to” (Vance, 136). On page 144, he goes on to say
that the people living in the towns around him felt as if they were trapped when
the factories closed and there was no work for the uneducated.
Today’s version of the dominant culture may be
categorized as bland, white, and sterile. Bradford also talks about the “plain
style” of these people, which can be translated into today as “whiteness.”
People who have blonde hair and blue eyes, work in professional settings, and
live lavish lifestyles are the stereotypical “Jones,’” and that can lead some to
believe that this is everything that it stands for. There are aspects that most
immigrants hope to achieve that also signify the dominant culture. Literacy,
professional careers, and education are some of the values of the dominant
culture that immigrants strive to achieve. This is not to say that the minority
cultures of America do not also have these values, but immigrants see these
opportunities as the quintessential American Dream.
Today, there are many cultures in the United States, and
our country would not be the same without these diverse and colorful additions
to the dominant culture. While we have come a very long way in creating a more
tolerant country, we have more to achieve. Fortunately, we do have one of the
richest countries where anyone who works hard can potentially achieve the
American Dream of becoming educated, successful, and wealthy! Without this hope,
there would not be such a rich mix of American people.
