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2018 Midterm2
(assignment) |
LITR 4340
 American Immigrant Literature Model Assignments |
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Anne Ngo
New World Immigrants: The Encompassing of Immigrant and Minority
Narratives
The narratives of New World immigrants contain aspects of both immigrant
and minority narratives. This bridge indicates that immigrant and minority
narratives are not so different. By reading the essays of former students, I
learned that the experiences of immigrants and minorities in living in America
may be different, but they can also relate to each other. And the narratives of
New World immigrants demonstrates just that: it ties in both aspects of
assimilation and cultural preservation of immigrant and minority narratives
respectively. Thus, through these essays, I have a better understanding how the
narratives of New World immigrants blur the lines of immigrant and minority
narratives.
Kimberly Loza’s “The Mixture of the New World Immigrant and the Minority”
provides a clear understanding that the narratives of New World immigrants
represent both immigrant and minority narratives. For example, she delineates
clearly how New World immigrants encompass both immigrant and minority
identities, stating that they “come to America voluntarily,” like Old World
immigrants, but also “had to deal with past exploitation,” such as minorities. I
found this explanation to be clear for those learning about immigrant and
minority narratives. But, an aspect of Loza’s paper that would have been found
helpful for readers is incorporating a literary element that ties the narratives
together. For example, Loza writes: “Within the readings of New World immigrants
such as Mexican Americans, other Hispanic Americans, and Afro-Caribbeans we can
see both how these stories possess immigrant and minority characteristics.”
However, she does not state the detail that makes the narratives of New World
immigrants “possess immigrant and minority characteristics.” Using a recurring
symbol, motif, or any other literary element could have helped her argument be
clearer. Nevertheless, Loza provides examples that supports her argument. For
example, in her analysis of Reyna Grande’s
The Distance Between Us, she argues
that the author holds aspects of immigrant narratives: “[Grande] came to this
country for the American Dream and she wants to be a part of the dominant
culture.” Here, she cites Grande’s text, that “one day” she could “get to do
everything people said you could do in El Otro Lado, like speak English.”
Overall, Loza uses the texts of New World immigrants to show that they encompass
both immigrant and minority narratives.
Like Loza’s essay, Dorothy Noyes’s “New Waves for a New World” also
demonstrates the combination of characteristics of immigrant and minority
narratives in the stories from New World immigrants. She explains this bridge of
the two narratives by examining Pat Mora’s “Immigrants.” The narrator speaks in
English to their child, yet also speaks the language of “their homelands into
their babies’ ears as they sleep.” Here, Noyes successfully supports her
argument that the narratives of New World immigrants possess characteristics of
both immigrant and minority narratives, such as assimilation and the
preservation of their home language respectively. Loza thus demonstrates the
appropriate evidence to her argument. To improve the literary analysis of her
paper, like Loza’s essay, I would suggest adding a literary element that
connects the selected narratives together. Overall, Noyes’s essay provides an
insightful look on the narratives of New World immigrants in relation to
immigrant and minority narratives.
As Loza and Noyes’s essays explain how the narratives of New World
immigrants identify with both immigrant and minority narratives, Caesar Cano’s
“Language: Unifying and Divisive Tool” focuses on language as a mode of
assimilation or unification of Mexican-Americans and Mexican immigrants. Here,
Cano illuminates the implications of assimilation and unification through
language, as they lean towards the immigrant or minority identity respectively.
For example, Cano reveals that second generation Mexican-Americans “find
themselves caught” between “the reality at home [that] speaks Spanish and sings
about tradition” and “the reality at school” where English is supported by
“higher education, independence, modernity, and assimilation.” Speaking the
Spanish language at home reflects the minority narratives and the emphasis on
tradition and cultural roots. On the other hand, schools primarily speak the
English language, influencing many second generation Mexican-Americans into
assimilation. This dual realities relate to Loza and Noyes’s essays: the
narratives of New World immigrants identify with both immigrant and minority
narratives. Cano’s research report caught my interest, as my own research
focuses on a similar topic about the dual identities and degrees of assimilation
of second generation Vietnamese-Americans. I find similarities in my research
and experiences to what Cano also describes in his research report. This shows
that people from different cultural backgrounds can relate to each other and
share similar experiences.
Reading the essays and research from Loza, Noyes, and Cano provided me a
deeper understanding of the narratives of New World immigrants and how they
encompass both aspects of immigrant and minority narratives. Most importantly,
their essays highlight how our experiences can relate, despite the differences.
