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2019 Midterm2
(assignment) Sample Midterm2 Answers Part 1: Essays on Immigrants, Minorities, and New World Immigrants |
LITR 4340
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Lauren Kruse
13th April 13, 2019
Immigrant and Minority Narratives: The Stories of a Lifetime
My initial understanding of the immigrant and minority narratives were rather
elementary, and I will admit to having previously conflated the two.
Immigrants, however, as noted for the purposes of this course, are individuals
who come to America from other countries by their own choice, among other
characteristics. Minorities, on the other hand, are individuals who have
come to America not of their own will, such as the African slaves; or as
in the case of American Indian and Inuit peoples, they were already inhabiting
the land before it became America, thus having no choice in the matter.
Immigrants and minorities resemble each other, however, in that they both
experience discrimination and rejection at some point, on behalf of the dominant
culture. At a later phase in these
narratives, immigrants and minorities will again differ as they approach the
issue of assimilation. While the immigrant will assimilate to the dominant
culture and embody the values and ideals of the “American Dream,” the minority
will tend to reject assimilation and any influence of the dominant culture.
As is often the case when dealing with the variables of human kind,
however, the narrative of the New World immigrant demonstrates that there are
rarely any absolutes when classifying people groups.
In the narratives of those who have emigrated from their New World
homelands, there is often a blurring between the lines of immigrant and
minority. The struggle between
assimilation and acculturation, compounded with the racial bias of darker
skin-tones and language barriers, these immigrants often find themselves in a
new land, only to be grouped into the existing labels of many minority groups –
thus facing a potentially greater struggle from the beginning.
The immigrant narrative, as mentioned above, begins with choice. The initial
choice to leave the homeland (whether for adventure, career, or safety) is the
first phase of the narrative, intertwining with the following phase - the voyage
to America. Though a potentially difficult time of leaving behind family and
familiarity, for the immigrant, this is also an exciting time of promised hopes
and dreams. In the opening lines of
In the Land of the Free, Hom Hing’s words of promise to her son as they
arrive in San Francisco, tell of the immigrant’s hope upon entering American
borders - “See, Little One - the hills in the morning sun. There is thy happy
home for years to come. It is very
beautiful and thou wilt be very happy there,” (IV, p. 3).
A sharp contrast to Hom Hing’s hope and excitement upon arrival, is the story of
Olaudah Equiano. Equiano, a young boy captured and taken from his home in
Benin, and thrown into the slave trade, exemplifies the minority narrative in
that he does not choose to go to America. In fact, he is terrified and appalled
as he encounters the abuse and atrocities of slavery.
In The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano...The
African, Equiano’s tellings of his arrival to Virginia are that he, “...had
no person to speak to that [he] could understand.” Far from the hopeful dreams
of the immigrant, Equiano spent his time in Virginia, “...constantly grieving
and pining, and wishing for death rather than anything else,” (Ch. 3, par. 2).
Once immigrants arrive in America, and begin to settle in, their narratives
begin to show similarities to that of the minority narrative. During the third
stage, immigrants will typically experience forms of discrimination and
resistance from the dominant culture.
This resistance may be driven by racial and ethnic tensions or is perhaps
due to cultural differences. Le Ly Hayslip writes of the discrimination she
experienced after imigrating from Vietnam during the Vietnam war in her memoir
Child of War, Woman of Peace. During a trip to the grocery store,
Hayslip encounters a young clerk who looked at her with a look of “hate and fear
and sorrow all mixed,” (IV, p. 110,111) Trying to think of why he might look at
her with eyes like “glowing embers,” Hayslip wrestles with her past in Vietnam
and the tensions of war and grief. Later, Hayslip struggles to gain the
acceptance of her husband’s family, only to face resistance at every turn.
“I redoubled my efforts to impress Leatha and Erma in the only way I
knew—by working harder and longer than anyone, but this tactic only widened the
gap between us,” (IV, p. 114). From
matters of house-cleaning and child-rearing, to preparing meals, no matter how
hard she tried to assimilate it did not seem to be recognized or accepted.
Similarly, minorities often face discrimination/resistance from the dominant
culture, such as in the case of Equiano. As an African slave, Equiano is bought
and sold as if he were horse-flesh, only ever intended to serve his purpose as a
slave; to work for others, for free, with little more than the basic necessities
for living. Patricia Smith, an African American, writes in her poem Blonde
White Women, of an encounter with a school teacher as a young girl.
After embracing her teacher in a hug, Smith recalls, “But when she pried
/ Me away, her cool blue eyes shining with / righteousness and too much to touch
/ I saw how much she wanted to wash,” (Lines 42-45). This simple encounter
impacts the young Smith profoundly, as she feels the rejection from this symbol
of the dominant culture, her teacher and idol.
After a time of rejection, the immigrant will then turn to assimilation, as a
means of procuring the “American Dream,”- success. Buying into a social
contract of sorts, immigrants conclude that to succeed as an American, one must
act like an American. Simply put, follow their rules and you too can win the
game. One recurring point of
assimilation is that of the American standards for cleanliness and smell (or
lack thereof). In Sandals in the Snow, Onyii Ihedigbo recalls, “When I
was seven or eight years old, kids used to whisper and say that I and my
brothers smelled.” The Ihedigbos go on to incorporate the use of deodorant and
shampoo (instead of just bar soap) as a means of assimilation.
As a long-term result of that encounter, Onyii reveals her current
sensitivity to smell, “I instantly want odors eliminated as soon as I smell
them,” (IV, p. 167). Furthermore, the journey of assimilation witnessed through
Gish Jen’s In the American Society, invites readers to watch as the Chang
family, having immigrated from China, navigate the ups and downs of
assimilation. Ralph Chang, the patriarch of the family, proudly proclaims,
“Those Americans always saying it. . . . Smart guys thinking in advance,” as he
takes over the pancake house as a way to afford sending his daughters to college
(IA, p. 159). The rest of the family also embrace elements of American society,
as the daughters dress and talk like Americans and Mrs. Chang develops opinions
and ideas about “herself and about America, and about what was what in general,”
(IA, p. 159).
In contrast to the immigrant’s tendency to assimilate, minorities will typically
resist assimilation as a means of protesting the dominant culture. The most
forceful example of this resistance can be found in Chrystos’s poem, I Have
Not Signed a Treaty With the United States Government. The opening line,
the poem’s title, offers clear resistance to the dominant culture. Through the
statement, “Therefore, we declare the United States a crazy person / nightmare
lousy food ugly clothes bad meat / nobody we know…” the reader can feel the
disdain and resentment towards the dominant culture’s influence from this
American Indian’s perspective (Lines 5-7). In the final lines of Blonde
White Women, Patricia Smith comes to the realization that she no longer
wants to look like the “blonde white women” that she sees, embracing her image
as an African American, “I pulse, steady my eyes, / shake the snow from my short
black hair, / and suddenly I am surrounded by snarling madonnas / demanding that
I explain / my treachery,” (Lines 57-61).
The final phase of the immigrant story can be evidenced several generations
later, as there is typically a rediscovery of one’s ethnic identity. This may
come through mere curiosity or a desire to maintain a connection to cultural
roots; either through learning the native language, observing cultural holidays,
or even food. This final stage of
their narrative demonstrates the luxury of the immigrant narrative, as having
the option and ability to return to their roots.
In contrast to the immigrant’s rediscovery of their ancestral culture/roots,
minorities often retain elements of their ethnic identity and culture as a means
of resisting the dominant culture and assimilation.
However, the option of
assimilation was also a luxury often afforded more often to the immigrant over
the minority. In the story
Elethia, the dominant culture’s
resistance to the assimilation of the Black minorities in evidenced in the fact
that Blacks were not allowed to dine in the restaurant; though they were
permitted to work there, (IA, p. 307)
While the distinct differences between the immigrant and minority narratives are
present and identifiable, there are no concretes when dealing with the variables
of humankind. When presented with
the narratives of New World immigrants, I discovered that there is yet another
layer of complexity and blurred lines between the immigrant and minority
narratives. With the New World
immigrants coming from Central and South America, as well as Cuba, and the many
islands of the Caribbean, the mere proximity of their homeland and history of US
involvement alone, complicates the matter.
Unlike the European and Asian immigrants of the 1800s, immigrants from Barbados
(for example) come to America having experienced life as a minority in the eyes
of the dominant culture before they even set foot on American soil. The
grandmother in To Da-Duh, In Memoriam,
though she lives in Barbados and has never traveled to America exhibits evidence
of the discrimination from the dominant culture as she “like[s] her
grandchildren to be “white,” that is, fair-skinned,” (IA, p. 369). Later, the
writer tells her Da-Duh that, “The white people have even better,” better
appliances, homes, and the like (IA, p. 374).
Her Da-Duh is further shocked at hearing that her young, black
granddaughter has been “Beating up white people,” an unimaginable act in her
younger years (IA, p. 374).
The discrimination faced by New World immigrants also extends to those from
Latin American countries, as discussed in
Silent Dancing, causing some to seek assimilation at all possible
opportunities. Judith Ortiz Cofer
writes of immigrating to New York as a Puerto Rican and the resistance faced in
the midst of an influx of Latino immigrants.
While her father’s fair skin would have allowed him to pass as European,
she notes that she, her mother and siblings had dark hair and olive complexion –
making it harder for them to assimilate.
This story also illustrates the immigrant’s desire to assimilate, and the
minorities’ rejection of the dominant culture through the differing actions of
Cofer’s father and mother. While
her father made every effort to assimilate his family, so as to ease their
transition into American life, her mother seems to try at every moment to remain
immersed in the Puerto Rican culture. Similarly, in Pat Mora’s poem
Immigrants, she begins with the
immigrant parent’s desire to immerse their children in the dominant culture,
“wrap their babies in the American flag, / feed them mashed hot dogs and apple
pie…” (Lines 1,2). Yet once the child is asleep the parents return to speaking
in their native tongue, uncertain of what the future holds for their children.
This internal tension and uncertainty of identity is witnessed through the many
stories of the New World immigrants.
The ability to embrace the ancestral culture, much like that of the final stage
of the immigrant narrative, combined with the tendency to feel pressured to
assimilate is beautifully approached in Martin Espada’s poem
Coca-Cola and Coco Frio.
Telling of a little “fat boy,” who thirsts for a taste of his Puerto
Rican culture, wandering “from table to table / with his mouth open,” as he
seeks a taste of Coco Frio (Lines 4,5).
Yet each time he approaches a taste of the old world he is steered back
to the dominant culture, Coca-Cola.
Once he manages to drink from the chilled coconut, filling his belly with the
culture he so desires, he is forever changed by the experience, now torn between
the familiarity of the dominant culture and the richness of Puerto Rico and her
culture. This poem exemplifies the
balance between assimilation and acculturation found within the New World
immigrant narratives.
Learning to recognize and appreciate the differences between the immigrant and
minority narratives has been an intriguing opportunity for me, and one which I
am looking forward to continuing. I am learning to recognize that there are no
absolutes in either journey and much like the narrative of grief, there is not a
concrete timeline or sequence of events for either narrative.
I have found the additional complexities of the New World Immigrant’s
narrative to not only further complicate the classification of immigrant and
minority, but also to demonstrate the richness of each individuals story. Many
of the stories encountered thus far in this course, have demonstrated that
immigrants might face rejection at one moment, yet in the next they are
assimilating, only to experience rejection at the following turn. Likewise,
minorities struggle with the experience of discrimination, assimilation and
rejecting assimilation throughout their life.
After all, they are living out the immigrant and minority narratives,
and their stories never end.
