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2019 Midterm2
(assignment) |
LITR 4340
 American Immigrant Literature Model Assignments |
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Kaytlynn Smith
8 April 2019
Uniting Narratives via Cultural Experiences and Language
Many may quickly group immigrant and
minority narratives together as one in the same, but some interesting
differences emerge after digging into the cultural shifts that signal totally
different cultural histories. While similar in a sense that an individual’s
culture may appear foreign in comparison to the dominant culture within American
society, the immigrant and minority narratives diverge in terms of choice;
however, in several cases, overlap in these narratives occurs that showcase the
cultural clashes that can hinder an individual who does not completely align to
the dominant culture, as seen in many New World Immigrant narratives. Examining
several model assignments from 2018, this overlap becomes more apparent,
specifically concerning aspects like assimilation, language, and rejection
versus acceptance.
In her research report, “Stuck
Somewhere in Between,” Jojo Hunter describes her constant battle between
acceptance and rejection growing up, stemming from what she terms “American
color-coding”. Ethnically mixed between white and Hispanic lineage, Hunter
explains that her “brown skin” clashed with her culturally white upbringing,
specifically in terms of language. Citing reports from CNN, and
The Waterhole, Hunter notices an
increasingly prevalent trend arising in America where racially mixed Americans
struggle to find acceptance by the cultures that they remain ethnically tied to.
One specific instance that Hunter relates, is when complete strangers mistake
her identity in public settings, much like what happens in Mei Mei Evans’s
Gussuk, assuming that she simply
refutes what they presume to be her native language. This rejection from a
minority culture helps shape Hunter’s unique perspective as an ethnically mixed
American, struggling to fit into American society because of presumed
obligations to multiple cultures.
Similarly, in her 2018 Web Highlights
essay, Anne Ngo, drawing much from her own cultural experiences, observed
correlations between New World Immigrants and the use of language as a form of
unification among cultures. Looking at Caesar Cano’s essay, Ngo relates to his
interpretation of language as a form of cultural overlap between
Mexican-Americans and Mexican-Immigrants, noting that she found similar
instances within her own experiences. While Hunter’s essay related her personal
negative experiences of language used against her as a form of exclusion growing
up, Ngo’s essay looks at language as more of an overlapping or unifying factor
between minorities, immigrants, and New World Immigrants, suggestive that
language can go both ways in terms of acceptance and rejection from both the
dominant and immigrant/minority cultures.
In her essay, Breanna Runnels
establishes a deep analysis that compares and contrasts immigrant, minority, and
New World Immigrant narratives, focusing on aspects concerning assimilation
versus resistance to the dominant culture. First, Runnels establishes the
context of her essay, defining key terms such as “dominant culture,” and
“choice” to help bridge the gap between the differences among each narrative.
After determining the key identifier between minority and immigrant narrative as
“choice,” Runnels examines the overlap that occurs between these two narratives
found within the New World Immigrant narrative. Runnels explains that while
immigrant narratives seek to attain the “American dream,” as seen in Anchee’
Min’s aptitude to learn English in The
Cooked Seed, and minority narratives typically resist most forms of apparent
assimilation, New World Immigrants often experience something in between:
craving acceptance by both America, and their home-land. In Runnel’s essay, the
reader notices this apparent overlap, or gray area, where New World Immigrant
narratives, regardless of proximity to the homeland or native culture, are
marked by a distinct struggle between different cultures.
These pieces of literature provide an
in-depth analysis of the immigrant, minority, and New World immigrant
narratives, noting several similarities and differences that unite these
different cultures, particularly by way of language. Along with using literary
evidence to support their claims, these authors also manage to incorporate
visions of their personal cultural experiences that add insight towards the
narratives against the dominant culture of American society. In doing so, the
reader gets a sense of cultural overlap between the typical immigrant and
minority narratives that define many aspects that characterize New World
immigrant narratives.
