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2018 Midterm2
(assignment) Sample Student Midterm2 Answers Part 1: Essays on Immigrants, Minorities, and New World Immigrants |
LITR 4340
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Ruth
Brown
Narratives: Piecing the Puzzle Together
Before enrolling in this course, I was completely unaware of the difference
between immigrants and minorities, rarely even thinking of them at all. Since
then, I have realized that I am part of the dominant culture and I want to make
sure that I keep learning and growing, instead of accepting what I’ve always
known or been told. Although the terms immigrant and minority are sometimes used
interchangeably in our society, there is a distinct difference. Immigrants are
people who willingly and voluntarily come to a new country, often searching for
opportunity and education, whereas minorities are not willing, but rather
forcefully, made to travel and often meet with oppression, discrimination, and
hostility. There is a distinction between immigrants and minorities, but there
is also an area where the two groups blend to form a third identity, New World
immigrants. By examining the narratives of these groups, one can better
understand the uniqueness each group possesses.
The
narratives of these three identities possess distinct traits and often have
symbols that assist in uncovering new thoughts and ideas within the story. The
literary term narrative refers to a story or plot and is connected with the idea
of mimesis, or imitation. Mimesis is art imitating life, and that can be seen
through these narratives. The lives of immigrants and minorities are being
represented and reflected through the use of narratives. Analyzing these
narratives is almost like putting a puzzle together; one must examine the
individual pieces and decide how to put them together to make a whole. The
pieces can be symbols, themes, and characters and they all work together to
complete the narrative. Often in the narratives of immigrants or minorities, the
three key pieces to the puzzle are cleanliness, relationship with the law, and
education.
The
first narrative I read in this course, “Soap and Water,” introduced one of the
most important and recurring themes of the dominant culture, cleanliness and
sterility. A young immigrant student is trying to assimilate and earn a college
degree along with a teaching position. She is denied her diploma based on her
appearance and lack of hygiene. She notices an almost absurd contradiction that
“While they condemned
me as unfit to be a teacher, because of my appearance,
I was slaving to
keep them clean.” She worked hard, long hours in a laundry so that she could
keep her dream of education and a better life alive, but was continually
slighted by the dean of the college, Miss Whiteside. Miss Whiteside’s name even
evokes thoughts of cleanliness and sterility as well as her tight personality.
When the student finally finds a friend in Miss Van Ness, she is able to break
through the barrier of a white and black world and find America.
While
the minority narrative differs from the immigrant narrative, one can again view
the theme of cleanliness displayed in the poem “Blonde White Women.” The
narrator describes her mother as someone “who always seemed to be mopping.” This
is a reference to the minority trying to assimilate and measure up to the
dominant culture’s standards, but never being able to fully reach it. Whereas
immigrants are able to mostly assimilate after a time, minorities tend to stay
separated. As the narrator continues, she describes a time her blond teacher
hugged her, but when the teacher pulled away, the narrator could tell “how much
she wanted to wash.” This again shows how the dominant culture is associated
with cleanliness and sterility, while the minority is looked upon as being
unclean or dirty. The immigrant can overcome these standards, but the minority
is often trapped and unable to overcome them.
The puzzle piece of cleanliness is found in the narratives of New World
immigrants as well. New World immigrants are a group distinct from minorities or
immigrants, but they also share similar traits. They voluntarily travel to the
United States, but often have a history of previous forced contact with the US,
and are frequently judged by the color code. When putting together the pieces of
cleanliness, New World immigrants also find it difficult to assimilate through
cleanliness. In “Like Mexicans,” the narrator, of Mexican descent, visits his
fiancée’s family, of Japanese descent, and is put at ease because of the
uncleanliness of the estate. He describes their home by saying, “I saw
newspapers piled in corners, dusty cereal boxes and vinegar bottles in
corners….Dust. Dust lay on lamp shades and window sills. These people are just
like Mexicans, I thought.”
The
theme of cleanliness is also prominent in the New World immigrant narrative “How
to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie.” The story opens with the
act of rearranging and cleaning in order to produce the best results with
certain girls. The physical act of cleaning and hiding specific items reflects
the inward hiding of pieces of his own identity.
The
second key puzzle piece of immigrant narratives is compliance with the law of
the land. There is an urge to assimilate in the immigrant narrative, “In the
Land of the Free,” this time by following the law of the land. Even when Hom
Hing’s son is taken away by the government, he says, “’Tis the law…and ‘twill be
but for a little while-until tomorrow’s sun arises.” He has trust and faith in
the law and government, and he has hope that it will not be for long. Even
though it pains the mother and father to give up their son, they do not resist,
but quietly comply with the law. In this narrative, the symbol of the dominant
culture is the lawyer who exploits the immigrant by demanding almost everything
they have to try to release their son quicker. The wife realizes that the lawyer
is “not one hundred man good,” but still gives in to his demands, as many
immigrants give in to the dominant culture by assimilating.
Whereas immigrant narratives display trust in authority, minority narratives
show distrust for authority, such as in “American Horse.” The government is
taking away Albertine’s son, but she has no trust and no hope that it is for the
better or will change soon. Buddy compares being taking away from his mother as
a “thing coming out of the sky with barbs and chains.” The law and authority
that is trusted in “In the Land of the Free,” is now being resisted and fought
against by minorities. Buddy does not see the officers as helping him, instead
he states, “the cops suck the worst, though…because they’re after us.” Instead
of feeling safer, the officers make him feel hunted and threatened. The
government is not seen as helpful, but rather as disruptive and cruel. These
pieces reveal that minorities are more prone to resisting to the dominant
culture, rather than assimilating.
In
“Children of the Sea,” there exists a combination of trust and distrust in the
law that mirrors the combination of traits in a New World immigrant’s narrative.
The people in the boat are fleeing their native country and placing trust in the
Coast Guard to find them and allow them to enter the United States. They possess
a forced trust, as they have no other option to save them. On the other hand,
some doubt the Coast Guard will offer protection if they do not pass as Cubans.
One man had tried previously to enter the United States, but the Coast Guard
sent him back to Haiti. The pieces in the puzzle of this narrative put together
a picture of New World immigrants believing more in the power of the color code,
using skin color and preconceived ideas to judge others, than in the power of
the law.
The
final key puzzle piece in immigrant narratives is education. In the immigrant
narrative, “What Color Would You Like, Ma’am?” the theme of education also
represents a puzzle piece in the idea of the “model minority.” The term “model
minority” actually refers to immigrants who are seen to possess desirable
traits, such as a high success in education, strong work ethic, or respect for
authority. In this narrative, the “model minority” characteristics are seen in
Thien, who studies hard in school, respects his parents and other family
members, and also helps work in the family business. His education is in essence
the “American Dream.” Thien understands the sacrifices his parents have made for
him and he wants to be able to succeed so he can take care of them later in
life. Thien fully realizes the expectations of his family when he states, “after
all, he would be a college student soon, and every single member of family
counted on his future successes.” The pieces of this puzzle show that immigrants
are not just working for themselves, but usually for their families as well.
In
the minority narrative “The Lesson,” there is a hesitation and skepticism
towards education. The children of the neighborhood hate Miss Moore and the
lessons she teaches. They do not see how education has benefited Miss Moore and
they don’t see the potential for it in their own lives. The puzzle pieces show
that as a minority, the children experience more oppression than immigrants do
and there is doubt that education will ever help break the cycle they seemed
trapped within.
In
the New World immigrant narrative “The Making of a Writer: From the Poets in the
Kitchen,” there is again an idea of mixing, where the puzzle piece of education
is a blend of old and new language and ideas. Paule Marshall describes some of
the first education she ever received, listening to her mother and friends talk
in the kitchen. She heard the women discuss politics and current affairs, and
listened to the women create their own language by mixing sounds and words from
many cultures. She also learned about the women’s heritage and native homes
before America. Marshall writes that when people ask about her formative years
and who has influenced her, she must “always acknowledge before all others: the
group of women around the table long ago….the best of my work must be attributed
to them; it stands as testimony to the rich legacy of language and culture they
so freely passed on to me in the wordshop of the kitchen.” The education
Marshall received in her own kitchen make up some of the most influential and
vibrant pieces in the puzzle of her narrative.
Cleanliness, relationship with the law, and education are three key pieces to
the puzzles of immigrant, minority, or New World immigrant narratives. Immigrant
narratives find more assimilation through cleanliness, trust in the law, and the
idea that hard work and education will benefit them and ease their transition
into the dominant culture. Minority narratives explore the failure to measure up
to cleanliness standards, distrust of the law, and a doubt that education will
benefit their situations. New World immigrants find connections to others
through different standards of cleanliness, and possess a blend of trust and
distrust for the law, as well as unique learning and educational experiences.
