(This webpage is the assignment for our course's second midterm, to be updated and refined up to 28 October.)

Two parts to Midterm 2:

• Essay describing "New World Immigrants" as combination of immigrant and minority narratives and cultures. (At least 7 paragraphs.)

• At least 3-4 substantial paragraphs with two sources toward completion of your Research Report (to be completed on Final Exam)

Format: in-class or email

• No regular class meeting on 4 November but classroom available for students who want to write exam in-class; instructor keeps office hours 7-10.

• Email exams due to whitec@uhcl.edu by 9pm Tuesday, 5 November. "Submission window" is 29 October-5 November.

Confer with instructor or Writing Center any time regarding either part of your midterm: Office: Bayou 2529-7; Phone: 281 283 3380; Email: whitec@uhcl.edu

Also confer with Humanities Research Librarian Casey Roberson: Office: Neumann Library, UHCL (2nd floor Bayou); Phone: 281 283 3913; Email: roberson@uhcl.edu

Part 1. Long essay (90-120 minutes, 7+ paragraphs) describing "New World Immigrants" as combination of immigrant and minority narratives and cultures.

• As background for this essay's key terms, use terms and examples from your Midterm1 essay or our Midterm1 readings, presentations, and discussions, to review the differences and similarities between immigrant and minority cultural narratives. (Welcome to quote or correct yourself, or even more impressive, quote another student Midterm1 Model Assignment.)

• Describe how both Immigrant and Minority identities appear in our writings by "New World Immigrants" to the USA—Hispanic or Afro-Caribbean immigrants from Mexico, Meso-America, and the Caribbean.

  • Immigrants from the Western Hemisphere or "New World" have different historical relationships to the United States than immigrants from the Eastern Hemisphere or "Old World" of Europe and Asia. How do these histories differ, and how do New World Immigrants stories remember or demonstrate these different histories or relations?

  • How does the USA's long history as the Western Hemisphere's dominant power affect New World Immigrants' perceptions of the USA, especially compared to "Old-World Immigrants" like European-Americans and Asian Americans? (Refer to New World Immigrants page.)

  • How does the USA's history of racial discrimination or exclusion affect New World Immigrants?

  • As usual, no single text tells the whole or every story. What  variations in these combinations of immigrant and minority narratives appear among Mexican Americans, other Hispanic Americans (or Latin@s), and Afro-Caribbeans?

  • As cultural narratives for our varying identities, pay attention to origins, assimilation or resistance, and possible futures—e.g., how may the group shape or be shaped by USA culture?

• The following prompts are less essential, but potential material:

  • Do New World Immigrants' immigrant vs. minority attitudes and experiences become a split identity, or do they combine to form a new identity unfamiliar to previous generations of immigrants but the new normal for new immigrants?

  • Compare immigrant and minority narratives also as stories that interest, confirm, or challenge readers and their assumptions about American identity. What different aesthetic appeals do the two kinds of narratives make? What different purposes do readers find in them? How do readers—regardless of their particular ethnic identity—identify with these stories or not?

Refer to relevant parts of Objective 1, especially . . .

The New World immigrant (Hispanic/Latino/a and Afro-Caribbean) constitutes the largest wave of contemporary immigration and combines immigrant and minority narratives: voluntary immigration from the Caribbean / West Indies or MesoAmerica but also often experience of involuntary contact and exploitation by the USA in their countries or origin, or discrimination through color code identification with minorities (Blacks and American Indians).

Refer also to relevant parts of Objective 3, especially . . .

3e. “New World Immigrants,” including Mexican Americans, other Latinos, and Afro-Caribbeans, may create an identity somewhere between or combining immigrant and minority patterns.

o “New World” or “Western Hemisphere” immigrants have dominated recent immigration to the U.S., altering the model implicit in the “model minorities / immigrants” developed by Jewish Americans and Asian Americans.

o In contrast to ideal immigrants’ commitment to American national identity and opportunity, New World immigrants may stay loyal to their nearby home countries and remember historical resentments or mixed feelings toward the USA.

o Mexican American immigrant experiences and identities relative to the USA are unique in ways that may make them more ambivalent regarding assimilation to the dominant American culture. Mexican immigration is unique in scale, so there's more of an alternative community. Assimilation proceeds, but maybe at a slower pace.

o Other Hispanic immigrant groups like Puerto Ricans, Colombians, or Dominicans may have similarly ambivalent attitudes toward assimilation and difference.

o For Afro-Caribbeans, immigrant experience may be compromised by association with the African American minority through the "Color Code." On the flip-side, Afro-Caribbeans' experiences as the majority on the islands may cultivate more assertive public identities and attitudes.

o See also Objective 6 regarding the “New Immigrant Identity”

Essential terms (some from midterm1) to explain and apply in midterm2: immigrant; minority, assimilation, New World immigrants, narrative, cultural narrative, Hispanic / Latino, mestizo, Afro-Caribbean; tradition / modernity.

Special requirements:

Both your essay and your research report must have titles.

Syllabus references: Refer to course objectives and links to terms.

Personal references: Not required, but you may refer to your own backgrounds, previous knowledge, and interpretations of the materials. Relate all such materials to the assignment or objectives.

Textual requirements for essay: Refer to 6+ texts from course readings—either daily assigned readings, poems presented, or texts on course webpage.

• Of the 6 texts, at least four should be stories from Imagining America, handouts, or webpage texts since Midterm1. Two texts may be from before Midterm1 (as examples of immigrant and minority).
   
• Welcome to refer to quotes or ideas from earlier midterms on the Model Assignments, but the Web Review part of our midterm makes this optiona

New World Immigrants: Mexican-American, Hispanic, and Afro-Caribbean narratives combining immigrant and minority identities (select 2)

Fiction and nonfiction: Gary Soto, “Like Mexicans” [handout/PDF]; Nash Candelaria, "El Patron" (IA 221-228); Sandra Cisneros, "Barbie-Q" (IA 252-253); Junot Diaz, "How to Date a Browngirl . . . “ (IA 276-279); Oscar Hijuelos, “Visitors, 1965” (IA 310-325) Judith Ortiz Cofer, "Silent Dancing" [handout/PDF]; Edwidge Danticat, “Children of the Sea” (IA 98-112); Paule Marshall, “The Making of a Writer: From the Poets in the Kitchen” [handout/PDF]; Paule Marshall, “To Da-Duh, in Memoriam” (IA 368-377)

Poetry: Pat Mora, “Immigrants"; Martin Espada, “Coca-Cola and Coco Frio”; Claude McKay, "America" & "The White City"

Historical / cultural websites used in class: Personal Memoirs of John N. Seguin; The US-Mexican War, 1846-48;  Some History of Mexican Immigration: "100 Years in the Back Door, Out the Front"; Gloria Anzaldua; San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site; ; "Edwidge Danticat: By the Book"

Part 2. Begin research report

for Midterm 2: Write 3-4 paragraphs introducing your topic, describing your research and what you've learned so far as it relates to American Immigrant Literature or immigrant culture.

Final Exam: 8-10 paragraph report summarizing your research and learning on your topic and how it relates to our course.

For more instructions on Research Report, go to LITR 4333 Final Exam. (Notes below are from final exam)

 . . .  [notes below from final exam description of research report] . . .

Assignment description: Write a complete report describing your research and learning concerning your chosen subject.

• Student is responsible for having researched at least four sources on the subject before the exam.

• Organize the information you found and review how you may use it, either in your college career, teaching, or personal development.

• The emphasis is on information, not opinion and analysis, though some summary and evaluation is welcome and expected. It's a report foremost.

• You are encouraged to connect your findings to course objectives or texts.

Default organization: You're writing on the spot and finals are read quickly. The path of least resistance is to describe and unify your report as a "quest" or "journey of learning."

Works Cited / Bibliography: Include a list of your major research sources (at least four).

• MLA style is preferred, but other standard forms are acceptable. Don't spend too much time fussing over forms when you should be feeling impassioned over your subject.

• Here's my test for a listing: Would I be able to track it down using the information provided?

• You may use previous research reports for 1 or 2 of your sources, or use those reports themselves as sources. (LITR 4333 Model Assignments) (LITR 5731im Model Assignments)

Evaluation standards: Readability, competence levels, and interest.

• Readability & surface competence: Your reader must be able to process what you're reporting. Given the pressures of a timed writing exercise, some rough edges are acceptable, but chronic errors or elementary style can hurt.

• Content quality: Comprehension of subject, demonstration of learning, + interest & significance: Make your reader *want* to process your report. Make the information meaningful; make it matter to our study of literature and culture. Reproduce course materials accurately but also refresh with your own insights and experiences.

• Thematic Unity and Organization: Unify materials along a line of thought that a reader can follow from start to finish. (Consider "path of learning": what you started with, what you encountered, where you arrived.)

 . . .  [end of notes from final exam description of research report] . . .

Fall 2013 is the first semester that students write their Research Reports in two stages. For samples of openings from successful Research Reports from past semesters, see below or go to .LITR 4333 Model Assignments

Opening paragraphs of past research reports from Model Assignments

Tory Cyr

History of Italian Immigration

For my research report I decided to write and investigate the history of Italian Immigration to the United States. Within my paper I will look at the hardships the Italians had to undergo and what essentially cause them to want to migrate to the United States. I will also discuss in further detail what the Italians did when they arrived at their New World, what jobs were available for them and if everyone who migrated decided to stay in their New World of opportunity.

            Poverty, national disasters, and over population are some of the measures that ignited Italian Immigration at the beginning of the 1870’s. Population for the Italian community was out of control. Birthrates rose while death rates fell causing a pressure on others as well as the economy. This was particularly the case for the southern and poorest provinces of Italy.  Italians were hit by high taxes due to the northerners taken over the government and all felt the harsh pressure from the economy. Many suffered from lack of cultivation due to soil erosion and also the lack of coal and iron need for industry work. Both the farmers and industry workers found themselves out of a job, leaving more than half of the Italian community suffering from poverty and the economies downfall. Due to these problems, Italians also drifted away from the dominant culture. Some started to be exploited by people of the same nationality and religion. As a result, Italians started focusing on their family rules and responsibilities. It was literally an all for one when it came to families and even their communities.

            Along with this, Italians were also hit with many natural disasters. In 1944 Mount Vesuvius erupted causing them to have to bury a whole town near Naples, shortly after Mount Etna erupted as well. Still trying to cope with these events a earthquake struck and a tidal wave swept through the strait of Messina. This disaster itself killed 100,000 people in Messina alone. After all the economic hardships, their country being over populated, and the loss of their loved ones and the horrible natural disasters the rate of Italian migration rose dramatically. Many Italians believed that migrating as the most responsible and logical answer in order for happiness and a better life, an essential aspect of the Immigrant narrative.

            Although Italians have a long history of migrating to foreign countries as an outlet from poverty, during the 19^th century more started to migrate towards South America than North America in fact, the earliest Italian Immigrants to the United States were the northern Italians. Most of the northern Italians became fruit merchants in New York or were wine growers in California. As time went on, more started to migrated to the United States and formed their own communities within the United States. . . .

Works Cited

Chao, Adam. "Immigrants; The Journey to America." Immigration; The living mosaic of people, culture & Hope. Web. 9 Dec 2009. <http://library.thinkquest.org/20619/Italian.html>.

Ciongoli, Kenneth, and Jay Parini. Passage to Liberty: The Story of Italian Immigration and the  Rebirth of America. 1st. New York: Harper Collins Publishing, 2002. Print.

Cordasco, Francesco. Italian Americans: a guide to information sources. Detroit: Gale Research and Company, 1978. Print.

Mintz, S. "Italian Immigration." Digital History: Using new technologies to enhance teaching and research. 2007. Web. 9 Dec 2009.

<http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/italian_immigration.cfm>.

Lanh Thi Le

Asian Immigrants: Beneficial or a Threat to the United States?

            I am an immigrant from Vietnam; I qualify as being as Asian immigrant.  I came to the United States to escape a communistic society, and seek freedom, independence, and new opportunities.  One of the advantages, so far that I have experienced, is the opportunity to have an education.  Although it took me a long time to figure out my major and find the path that is right for me, I decided on being an educator.  I feel this opportunity and career choice will let me have the chance to give back to the community.  There have been many numerous amounts of Asian immigrants that have entered the United States.  They have made an impact on the United States socially and economically.  One of the biggest controversies that has been risen before are the many questions of how and why some Asian immigrants have become so successful and wealthy.  For this reason, I chose to research about the success and impact of Asian immigrants on the United States.  I will explain how I will use this topic in my college career, in my teaching, and in my personal development.

            Firstly, I will use this topic in my college career, because I see it as a goal for me to reach and achieve my goals, like other Asians have.  Many Asian immigrants see the United States as an opportunity to enhance their education, and go further in their lives and their futures.  As acknowledged by Srilata Bhattacharyya (2001),

“In this diverse climate, the emergence of Asian Americans as an ethnic minority group in the U.S., especially in education, has been a phenomenal one.  Researchers have been perplexed at the academic and professional success of the Asian Americans as compared to other ethnic minority groups.  The term ‘model minority’ has been affixed to the group, mainly on the basis of their educational attainments, which are resulting in the overwhelming perception that they are educationally and vocationally successful” (p. 3).

Many people perceive that Asian immigrants are naturally intellectual and successful, and many have different views, and I felt this quote to be a positive influence on me.  I see this quote as another goal for me to reach and overcome.  At the same time, it also puts a lot of pressure on me.  I have already graduated from a Junior College and have received an Associate’s Degree, but am just half way on the path to success.  I have come so far now, and five years later, I plan on finishing my college career and moving on to a hopeful and successful career.

            Secondly, I could use this topic in my future teaching.  I am an immigrant that has semi-assimilated towards the dominant culture of America, without losing my ethnic background and culture.  I could easily relate to this topic during my future teaching approach towards certain subjects in school.  There are endless ideas for teaching this topic to the students of tomorrow.  For instance, if I had the opportunity to teach a Literature or English course, I would have students research an immigrant from any Asian background and write a research paper about that one person.  For example, as acknowledged by Lydia Lum (2007), “Rapper apl.de.ap. of the Grammy Award winning hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas is one of the highest –profile Asian-American recording artists today.  Born and raised in the Philippines, he has incorporated his native Tagalog dialect into some of the group’s song lyrics.  Other rap artists popular among college students, Kiang says, include Cambodian-American Prach Ly and Vietnamese-Canadian Chuckie Akenz” (p. 18).  I think this future assignment would be fascinating and rewarding, because it will open the music world and the minds of the students to something new and unpredictable.  For a history course, I would give them a whole month on the history of immigrants, and then narrow it down to just Asian immigrants.  An interesting fact, also stated by Lum (2007), “since Asian immigrants didn’t begin to arrive in the United States in large numbers until after immigration laws eased in the mid-1960’s” (p. 18).  There are endless possibilities when it comes to teaching the future students of tomorrow, with any subject, the subject of immigration could be integrated into any school curriculum. . . .

Works Cited

Bhattacharyya, S. (2001). From “yellow peril” to “model minority”: the transition of asian American. From “Yellow Peril” to “Model Minority,” 1-12.

Brydolf, C. (2009). Getting real about the model minority. Education Digest. www.eddigest.com. 37-44.

Krashen, S. (2005). The hard work hypothesis: is doing homework enough to overcome the effects of poverty? Multicultural Education: 12. 4. 16-19.

Lum, L. (2007). Carving out their own niche: african american cultural expression is one of the many influences fueling asian-american artistry. 24. 8. 18-20.

Faron Samford

Japanese Immigrants as a Model Minority

            Japanese and other Asian immigrants are often referred to as a model minority. I was curious about the reasons this is the case as we have explored many cultures in our class and I have always been interested in Japanese culture without having done any extended research.  Researching into the experience of the Japanese immigrants to the Americas has shown me some of the similar difficulties faced by other immigrant groups, but their willingness to assimilate and adapt to the dominant culture has helped them become a model minority.

            Traditional Japanese family values with regard to gender and family relationships do not differ greatly from conservative American values, which helps with the ability to assimilate. “Fathers often assume responsibility to provide the financial resources for their families, whereas mothers are expected to maintain domestic chores in their role as a housewife” (Seto 168).  This similarity between family values of Japanese culture and the dominant American culture help ease Japanese immigrants into a similar structural norm. In the Japanese culture, “men’s identity and status were greatly weighted on their career achievement,” thus fitting in quaintly with the American dream of improving yourself and station in life through working your way up through a corporation to be able to better provide for your family (Seto 169).  Having similar assessments of one’s place in the culture helps to make the transition less of a culture shock to immigrants hoping to make a start in America.

            The willingness of Japanese immigrants to assimilate to American culture so as to better fit in and improve their chances of realizing the American dream is evidenced by the example that “the popular observance of Christmas has come to be a Japanese commonplace” (Plath 309). Accepting the traditional holidays and cultural practices of the American dominant culture enable them to assimilate more smoothly into life in America. Whereas other cultures reject the practices of American culture, the willingness of the Japanese immigrant to accept these traditions and partake of them is a way to accept the dominant culture as their own and become part of it idealistically, if not ever completely equal due to discrimination.  The acceptance and celebration of the traditional popular Christmas celebration in Japan gives immigrants a feeling of a connection with their home, while sharing the tradition with a new culture, in a new land. . . .

Works Cited

            Plath, David, W. "The Japanese Popular Christmas: Coping with Modernity." Journal of American Folklore 76.302 (1963): 309-317. Web. 07 Dec 2009. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/537927>.

Rayson, Ann. "Beneath the Mask: Autobiographies of Japanese-American Women." MELUS 14.1 (1987): 43-57. Web. 08 Dec 2009. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/467472>.

Seto, Atsuko, and Mark S. Woodford "Helping a Japanese Immigrant Family Cope With Acculturation Issues: A Case Study." Family Journal 15.2 (2007): 167-173. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 08 Dec. 2009.

St. Andrews, B.A. "Co-Wanderers Kogawa and Mukherjee: New Immigrant Writers." World Literature Today 66.1 (1992): 56-58. Web. 09 Dec 2009. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/40147857>.

Melissa Sandifer

An America Defined By Metaphors

            If asked to define America in one word, I would say diversity.  America is made up of so many different races, religions, and cultures that it does not seem fair not to honor the diversity that makes America great.  Due to the immigration of people into America, there are many ways that people have chosen to describe America throughout the years.  Most of these descriptions of America are done in metaphors.  Some metaphors that are used to describe America are: the quilt, the pot of stew, the ethnic rainbow, a mosaic, the salad bowl, and the famous melting pot.  The most popular and well known metaphors in this list are the melting pot and the salad bowl. There are many differences between these two metaphors and many people argue as to which one describes America today. 

“My grandmother came from Russia

A satchel on her knee,

My grandfather had his father's cap

He brought from Italy.

They'd heard about a country

Where life might let them win,

They paid the fare to America

And there they melted in.”

These are just a few lines from the School House Rock song entitled “The Great American Melting Pot.”  This is a great description of the melting pot, because that is exactly what it was; immigrants came from many places because they heard of a country that would help them succeed, and they melted into the dominant culture once they arrived.  The concept of the melting pot was originally an idea that J. Hector Crevecoeur, a French immigrant developed in 1782.  Crevecoeur did not have a name for his theory, but he explained that he saw America transforming into a nation consisting of an entirely new race, which would do great things for the world (Gloor).  It was not until 1908 that the metaphor of the melting pot was popularized by Israel Zangwill with his play entitled “The Melting Pot.”  The play was about two people who fell in love one being a Russian Jew, and the other being a Russian Christian.  They overcame their religious differences among a few others and stayed together (Booth).  The title comes from a line the protagonist said in the play.

“It is the fires of God round His Crucible. There she lies, the great Melting Pot-listen! Can't you hear the roaring and the bubbling…Yes, East and West, and North and South, the palm and the pine, the pole and the equator, the crescent and the cross--how the great Alchemist melts and fuses them with his purging flame! Here shall they all unite to build the Republic of Man and the Kingdom of God” (Zangwill) . . .

Works Cited

Ahrens, Lynn. "The Great American Melting Pot." School House Rock. 1977.

Booth, William. "One Nation Indivisible: Is it History?" Washington Post 22 February 1998: 9.

Branigin, William. "Immigrants Shunning Idea of Assimilation." Washington Post 25 May 1998: 8.

Gloor, LeAna B. "From the Melting Pot to the Tossed Salad Metaphor: Why Coerc." Hohonu A Journal of Academic Writing (2006): 3.

Sullivan, Danny. Daggle. 3 May 2006. <http://daggle.com/the-melting-pot-versus-the-salad-bowl-111>.

The Melting Pot. By Israel Zangwill. New York. 1908.

Ryan Smith

Research Report: Sandra Cisneros

What I wanted to research for the report, originally, was a group of immigrants to America who were mostly trying to assimilate, but were facing oppression and various difficulties. I decided on Mexican-Americans because I have some personal experience with the group (extended family) and wanted to learn more. Sandra Cisneros was chosen as the primary subject for several reasons. For one, she is highly popular and well-respected among Mexican-American authors. We also read her story “Barbie-Q” for class. Finally, for another class this semester, I read her most famous work The House on Mango Street. Without any research I could tell this woman was a powerful writer, and was in some way influential on modern Mexican-American writing and culture issues. While gathering information on Cisneros, I decided to offer a basic biography, cover two of her works which are both important and valuable to the purposes of this course, as well as describe her general impact on the Mexican-American community and that of writers.

I discovered, as I did my research, which was primarily online, that Cisneros is as important to Mexican-American writing and culture as I had guessed, if not more so. She was born in Chicago to a large family – six boys - and was educated there as well, receiving from the University of Chicago a B.A. in English, and from the University Of Iowa, M.F.A. in Creative Writing (they have such a degree?). While writing, she has held a variety of teaching positions and worked as a visiting artist (writer) for various schools and colleges. Her works include two poetry collections, a collection of stories, two novels,  and a children’s book. She has won a number of prestigious awards, including a Doctor of Letters from the State University of New York, and has set up several focusing on different types of community outreach. Sandra Cisneros currently lives in San Antonio, Texas, and is still working on various projects. (Summarized from http://www.sandracisneros.com/bio.php )

Her most famous work is entitled The House on Mango Street, published in 1984, and is a series of vignettes, collected into a novel, about a young woman, much like Cisneros herself, named Esperanza Cordero. Esperanza, who is growing up in Chicago, in a Latino-heavy, poor neighborhood, has her experiences and important moments “recorded” by Cisneros. The book is read widely in schools of all levels, from grade school to college courses, and is revered for its honest and poetic descriptions of growing up as a young woman in complex and sometimes contradictory cultures. In the books introduction, which has been recently added, Cisneros describes, referring to herself in third person, her early job of teaching high school drop-outs who have decided to try again for their diploma; she wonders if art can help her troubled students: “How can art make a difference in the world? This was never asked at Iowa. Should she be teaching these students to write poetry when they need to know how to defend themselves from someone beating the up. Can a memoir by Malcolm X or a novel by Garcia Marquez save them from the daily blows?” (xviii). Her desire to mix art, literature and beauty with practical advice and inspiration would eventually result in the highly acclaimed novel. . . .  

Works Cited

"About." Sandra Cisneros. Web. 11 Dec. 2009. <http://www.sandracisneros.com/bio.php>.

Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. 2nd ed. New York: Vintage, 2009. Print.

"The Macondo Foundation." Sandra Cisneros. Web. 11 Dec. 2009. <http://www.sandracisneros.com/macondo.php>.

"Sandra Cisneros | Identity Theory Interview." Online literature | fiction, poetry, interviews | identity theory. Web. 11 Dec. 2009. <http://www.identitytheory.com/people/birnbaum76.html>.

"Sandra Cisneros Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories Criticism." ENotes - Literature Study Guides, Lesson Plans, and More. Web. 11 Dec. 2009. <http://www.enotes.com/short-story-criticism/woman-hollering-creek-and-other-stories-sandra>.

Ashley Strange

Hillbillies: A People that Helped Form America

The gentle terms of republican race, mixed rabble of Scotch, Irish, and foreign vagabonds, descendants of convicts [and] ungrateful rebels are some of the sweet flowers of English rhetoric with which our colonists have of late been regarded. –Benjamin Franklin, 1765

            As England once thought of the colonists, mainstream America thinks of the Scotch-Irish immigrant today.  Also, known as “hillbillies” or “rednecks”, these people inhabit the Appalachian Mountain region, also the lower Midwest, the South, Oklahoma and Texas, and even parts of California and the Mountain West.  Many people view hillbillies as backward, quick to violence, and inbred in their isolation.  However, there is much more complexity and value to the culture of the Scotch-Irish immigrant than many Americans today care to see.  Because this culture is being surpassed by Corporate America and the rapidly increasing levels of smog that keep our highways running, the term “Hillbilly” is used in a derogatory sense to describe uneducated white people of lower socio-economic class.  If one could stop for a minute and enjoy a drink of this culture, many redeemable qualities could be found.  Of the many that are present, three such values of Hillbilly culture stand out:  these people are loyal – they fight for what they believe in (and have made up much of our military and Presidential seats because of it), this culture has contributed much to what is now known as Country-Western music, and (all of modern America could learn from this) Hillbillies know how to live simply.

            The Scotch-Irish immigrated to America in the 1700’s from the lowlands of Scotland and Northern Ireland (Hillbilly 1).  Because their native country had been stained by centuries of war, these immigrants brought with them to America unparalleled skills as frontiersman and fighters.  When one thinks of a redneck, it is often thought that they have “hot blood”, that they are narrow-minded and quick to fight.  But if our country is going to war, the hillbilly or redneck is definitely the type to choose to fight for America.  These people know what they stand for, and they will not back down from their principles or change their views because a majority opinion differs.  Everyone should learn from this: do not take to an idea and follow it blindly because the popular vote is to do so.  Because of this value, the Scotch-Irish are considered to be a fighting people.  This should be looked at in a positive light.  They fought the Indians and then they fought the British, comprising 40 percent of the Revolutionary War army (Webb 10).  As America’s history continues, they provided many of the greatest generals and soldiers our nation has ever seen.  This value of the Hillbilly is a great characteristic of a leader.  More than one-third of all U.S. Presidents have Scotch-Irish lineage (Scotch-Irish 12).  Some of the more notable names are Andrew Jackson, Theodore Roosevelt, John Adams, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush (Scotch-Irish 13).  It is clear that America would not be the world power that it is today without the fighting influence of our nation’s hillbillies and rednecks.

            Country-Western music is a genre that helps identify what is “American” to our nation and the rest of the world.  To trace back this music’s roots would mean to travel to the hills of Appalachia.  Country music is at the heart of the Scotch-Irish culture (Webb 11).  Back in the days of prohibition, the moonshiners would make their runs then enjoy relaxing to the fiddles and slap basses.  What a sight to see!  In its beginnings, this music was known as “Hillbilly music.”  It has also been referred to as “Mountain Music,” moving to “Hillbilly Boogie” in the 1940’s and “Rockabilly” in the 1950’s (Hillbilly 3).  It is not possible to name all the Legends of this hillbilly music, but some that are notable are Hank Williams, Sr., Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, the Delmore Brothers, and even Elvis Presley.  Once this music was discovered and taken from the mountains to be loved nationwide through the help of the Grand Ole Opry, the music industry merged hillbilly music with Western Swing and Cowboy music – which brings us to the truly American musical form of Country-Western music as it is known today. . . .

Works Cited

Hillbilly.  8 Dec. 2009. Wikipedia Foundation, Inc.  9 Dec. 2009 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/hillbilly.

Scotch-Irish American.  8 Dec. 2009.  Wikipedia Foundation, Inc. 9 Dec. 2009 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch-Irish_American.

Webb, James.  Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America.  New York: Broadway Books, 2004.

Wilgus, D. K.  “Country-Western Music and the Urban Hillbilly.” The Journal of American Folklore 83.328 (1970) 157-79.  JSTOR. U of Houston-Clear Lake, Houston, Alfred R. Neumann Lib.  5 Dec. 2009 http://www.jstor.org/stable/539105.

Yezierska, Anzia.  Bread Givers.  New York: Persea Books, 2003. 

Guides for anticipating grading and comments:

• Surface competence / readability: An occasional careless error won't kill your grade, given time pressures, but repeated or chronic errors are remarked and factored. If you have trouble with spelling, word endings, punctuation, etc., get help from a mentor or tutor (ask them to explain help).

• Content: Use, explain, and apply course terms; refer frequently to objectives and texts.

• Thematic organization: emphasize central themes of your essay. Connect parts of essay to form a unified whole. Use transitions. Organize paragraphs with topic sentences. (Helpful websites: unity, continuity, and transition; Thesis, topic sentences, transition.)

The best exams use terms, themes, and objectives recognizable from class meetings, demonstrate understanding of terms and objectives with quick working definitions and application to examples from texts, while also extending and refreshing common materials with the student's own language, examples, and analyses of shared texts.

Lesser exams talk about the texts but ignore terms and objectives. Students write what they would have said before starting the course. Instructor replies, "You could have written this without taking the course." Don't make me write this!