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Sample Student final exam answers 2019
(2019 final exam assignment) Part 1: Essays: dominant culture overview |
LITR 4340
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Heidi Kreeger
American Immigrants and
Minorities: On Their Backs We Rise
Immigrants and minorities in
America are often ostracized despite the fact that this nation was founded by
immigrant settlers and on the backs of minorities. While both groups endure many
of the same hardships, their stories differ greatly as well, mainly in relation
to how they or their ancestors came to be in this country and their relationship
to the dominant culture. Immigrants made a personal choice to come to America,
whereas minorities had America forced upon them. As such, assimilation or the
resistance to it takes on many forms and is a unique personal experience. But
assimilated or not both immigrants and minorities offer amazing benefits to this
country.
It is necessary to speak about the dominant culture in any conversation about
immigrants and minorities in America because both groups are considered to be
outside the dominant culture and are somehow marked as being “others”. It is
somewhat ironic that the current dominant culture views immigrants as outsiders
because the originators of our culture were immigrants themselves. After a long
journey fleeing religious persecution “they fell upon
their knees and blessed the God of heaven who had brought them over the vast and
furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof,
again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth” (Plymouth ch. 9).
A majority of people in the United States can trace their
family history back to an immigrant who came to this country looking for a
better life. Despite this, there has always also been a parallel history of
racism and fear mongering against one group or another attempting to immigrate
whether they be Irish, Italian, Japanese or Middle Eastern. And being an
immigrant outside the group of ‘current most hated’ does not mean that your
immigrant experience will be easy.
Stage three of the immigrant narrative after arrival is
shock, resistance, exploitation and discrimination. Most immigrants will
experience this stage and Anzia Yezierska described the experience in a story
entitled "Soap and Water". In it the main character has her diploma withheld
because the head instructor does not approve of her appearance, but her
appearance is shabby because she has to work such long hours to pay for school.
It is a classic example of a catch-22 that immigrants run into when in pursuit
of the American dream.
The “typical” immigrant wants to achieve the American
dream but the dream itself is also strongly associated with the dominant
culture. There are more layers of situational irony when it comes to the
dominant culture and minorities because while our founders are responsible for
the pervasive American belief that “all men are created equal” they also
essentially created minorities in this country because of perceived superiority.
In William Bradford’s memoir “Of Plymouth Plantation” his first description of
the American Indians the settlers encounter is “these
savage barbarians” (Plymouth ch 9). It is also made quite clear in their actions
that the word “men” meant only white male protestant land owners. Native
Americans were not considered men and neither were the slaves they held captive.
Minorities experience many of
the same struggles as immigrants and their narrative can travel a similar path.
What defines a minority is the absence of choice in their migration. The most
notable of these groups are African Americans who were forcibly brought here in
the slave trade, and American Indians who were displaced from their land as well
as killed from disease and violence. The most jarring and devastating case I
have read is from "The Narrative of Olaudah Equiano" in which he writes "my
sister and I were then separated, while we lay clasped in each other's arms. It
was in vain that we besought them not to part us; she was torn from me, and
immediately carried away, while I was left in a state of distraction not to be
described." This sorrow that Equiano describes is a multi-generational trauma
which many African Americans still feel the effects of today, particularly when
inquiries into genealogy are limited to just a few generation.
Mixed in with sadness at the experience is anger, and
American Indian Chrystos wrote a poem entitled "I Have Not Signed a Treaty With
the United States Government" in which she says "Everything the United States
does to everybody is bad / No this US is not a good idea We declare
you terminated / You’ve had your fun now go home we’re tired We
signed / no treaty WHAT are you still doing here". This perfectly
exemplifies the heartbreak and horror embedded in the history of these
minorities. For them the American dream was more of a nightmare thrust upon
them, and the oppression they deal with in modern times an extension thereof.
Again it is made clear that the American dream was made
for white males, in fact,
written under the immortal words “all men are created equal” in our Declaration
of Independence is the accusation that the king of England “has endeavored to bring
on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose
known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and
conditions”. It seems obvious then why Native Americans would feel ignored by
the dominant culture.
Less obvious perhaps is the fact
that many white males in our country feel disenfranchised as well. J.D. Vance
wrote a memoir entitled “Hillbilly Elegy” which does a great job of exploring
some of the nuances of life as an impoverished Midwestern white man. He
describes how his first job at a grocery store “taught [him] a little more about
America’s class divide, it also imbued [him] with a bit of resentment, directed
toward both the wealthy and my own kind”. Also how reading a black man’s account
of life in the inner cities moved him so much he “wanted to write him a letter
and tell him that he had described [Vance’s] home perfectly”. His account offers
a perspective often overlooked but one that I think is equally important in
understanding all of America’s cultures: dominant, immigrant, and minority.
A group which straddles the line between immigrant and
minority are new world immigrants. These are individuals from the Americas and
while they do voluntarily make the choice to immigrate, like minorities they
often have a history of “involuntary contact and exploitation by the USA and
other First-World nations.” (White) Mexican Americans often fall into this
category because a large part of what is the United States today used to be part
of Mexico and many families did not cross a border but rather had our border
jump them. Reyna Grande’s story “The Distance Between Us” does a great job of
describing just how much Mexican and American cultures are intertwined,
especially in places like California which used to be Mexico. There are many
examples of American culture being viewed as superior, specifically because of
the father’s new Americanized wife and the money available there but all the
characters are still very much connected to Mexico. In contrast “Like Mexicans”
by Gary Soto emphasizes the similarities between Mexicans and other immigrants
like Asians because the Mexican main character’s insecurities about marrying
into an Asian family are diminished when he sees they are not rich.
A large number of new world immigrants come from
Afro-Caribbean nations, and Paule Marshall’s “To Da-Duh” is a heartbreaking
picture of what immigration can look like to those left behind. It is
gut-wrenching to read Marshall describe her grandmother losing the will to live
after she loses her sense of pride and patriotism. The immigration theme is
apparent in every scene as Da-Duh compares her home to America and just how
different the culture is there than in the U.S. What makes her story a minority
narrative as well is the destruction inflicted on the island in the end which
takes Da-Duh’s life.
A commonality between immigrants and minorities of all
varieties is their stories. The definition of an immigrant or even reading
through the stages of immigration does not come close to the impact of
Yezierska’s story. Knowing that minorities came to America against their will
does not penetrate your memory like Equiano’s narrative. Knowing people board
small boats to float to the U.S. in desperation does not affect you the same as
the young mother who throws her dead baby and herself into the ocean as in
“Children of the Sea”. Reading their stories humanizes them in a way that cannot
be done by any other means. Even to hear the author orate it herself would not
compare because it would take away the ability to truly don her internal
thoughts as your own and unfortunately people are generally unconcerned with
that which does not affect themselves.
After the shock and discrimination as described in these
stories passes (mostly), the fourth stage of the immigrant narrative is
assimilation to the dominant culture. Sometimes this occurs in part during the
second generation after immigration has occurred, but generally by the third
there is complete assimilation. The multiple generations involved can be seen in
the story "What Colour Would Your Like, Ma'am?" By J. Christine Moon. The main
character is a second generation immigrant who seems to be mostly assimilated
into the dominant culture but his parents are clearly not as assimilated. There
is an emphasis throughout the story that his parents and even extended family
work long hours every day so that he is free to focus on becoming a doctor, and
the assumption is that he will succeed and his children in turn will grow up
more affluent and will be completely assimilated. This is likely the most common
path to assimilation but of course is not the only path.
Although most immigrants
encourage it, assimilation can often be more difficult for minority Americans.
Patricia Smith describes her anger at seeing white women in the train that
"choke cities like snowstorms" in her poem "Blonde White Women". Within the
lines she conveys that growing up in a culture that has marginalized her and
encouraged her to seek the white ideal of beauty has led her to be both
suspicious of white people and confident in her own black beauty. Rather than
accept the idea that she must conform, Smith rebels with righteous anger.
"Gussuk" by Mei Mei Evans offers a window into the life
of an Inuit man named Robert who feels stifled in his remote and traditional
ancestral community but also feels isolated in the dominant culture and thus
returns home and starts a family only to ultimately die alone in a boat
"accident". This account is so powerful because it allows you connect to the
nuances of emotion involved with assimilation. There can be a great sense of
loss or anger at being made to feel dissatisfied with your identity.
An example of new world immigrants assimilating can be
seen in Junot Diaz’s short story “How to Date a Brown Girl”. The story is
comprised of a seemingly simple list of rules and expectations to follow in
America, as a new world immigrant, in order to succeed with different types of
girls. Though on its surface his narrator is a simple creature driven by sexual
needs, it is also an example of how immigrants assimilate by trial and error and
how little resistance there is to changing your entire personality in order to
fit in.
Some groups are typically quick
to assimilate and examples include immigrants which confusingly enough are
called "model minorities”. They are characterized by strong work ethic, solid
family bonds, a low profile and an emphasis on STEM careers, all of which lend
to their speedy assimilation. Examples include but are not limited to many Asian
groups as well as Greeks and Nigerians. However, just because these groups enjoy
some aspects of positive stereotypes does not mean they don't also experience
the negative aspects described in stage three of the immigrant narrative. They
may even be more at risk for exploitation because of their willingness to work
and fear of “rocking the boat”.
Additionally, there can be extremely negative
consequences to positive stereotyping. The expectation of over achievement can
(and has) lead to repercussions such as limited career options and availability
of those highly desired jobs. Far more serious are the increased rates of
suicide, particularly among Asian cultures, due to the constant and overwhelming
pressure to achieve at a high level. No group is free from struggle and it seems
all the more important than to continue sharing these stories.
What all immigrants and minorities have in common is the
fact that they/we have thrust this country into the greatness it enjoys today.
Our founding fathers and their settler culture provided a foundation of ideals.
Slave/minority labor built our economy and our infrastructure. Immigrant
ancestors from every family toiled so their children could stand on their
shoulders, whose children in turn stood on theirs to destroy glass ceilings,
whose children pushed and innovated until they changed the world and we were
lucky enough to claim them as our own. Their stories must be shared so we never
forget where our greatness comes from. Our course website cites the Roman poet
Horace as saying "He gains everyone's approval who mixes the pleasant with the
useful". I find this particularly true of immigrant and minority literature
because it offers a way into someone else's mind, and the ability to humanize
hardship. Beyond that, a collection of American immigrant and minority stories
IS the story of our country and nothing is more sublime than this, our America.
