Sample Student final exam answers 2019

(2019 final exam assignment
)

Part 1: Essays: dominant culture overview

LITR 4340    
American Immigrant Literature
(Model Assignments)
 

 

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.