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LITR
5831 World / Multicultural Literature: |
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Jessica Myers
06/22/2016
The Struggle is Real
My parents raised me to not see “color,” but to see human beings when
interacting with people. They taught me to evaluate a person’s qualities based
on their actions, beliefs, and choices. I was not forced to take a person’s
color into account until I worked at a public high school where my students and
colleagues forced me to see “color” and give weight to ethnic stereotypes. While
reading the short stories, poems, and memoirs, I have noticed a pattern of
“white” culture dominating other cultures. Americans have a history of being
insensitive and callous towards others who look, sound, or smell different from
them. Some of these stories horrify me and others simply sadden my heart. I
appreciate the courage and boldness it took for these authors to share a piece
of their lives with the public and point out the injustices they faced in
attempting to acculturate to American life. In their stories, both minorities
and immigrants have suggested the hypocrisy of the American Dream. Although each
group has come into contact with the dominant culture in different ways, both
have encountered prejudice and injustice from American culture.
Immigrants face discrimination from dominant society because they do not yet
know the acceptable ways to behave. Trina Silva, in her article “To Assimilate
or Not Assimilate? …,” notes that immigrants arrive in America knowing “that
there would be life adjustments and sacrifices in order to assimilate to the
dominant culture.” But do these immigrants really have the opportunity to weigh
the benefits and costs of assimilation? In America, “[s]ometimes change would
mean having to give up parts of their culture to fit into their new world
society” (Silva). However, have they ever questioned which parts of their
original culture the dominant culture will require them to strip away, or the
price they will pay for doing so? The desire to achieve the American Dream
drives these decisions to abandon their previous culture, yet there is not a
guarantee that they will actually achieve the American Dream.
American minorities have also faced the frustration of not being able to attain
the American Dream. Therefore, they have become disillusioned with the American
Dream because they feel that they must overcome more obstacles than those from
the dominant culture before the Dream will ever apply to them. Lori Wheeler in
her article, “Don’t Speak for Me: Defining the Minority Narrative,” describes
the minority culture as “not interested in assimilating with the dominant
culture … [because] they do not want to encourage a culture that must denigrate
others to make itself more powerful.” Minority
culture associates the American Dream with the oppression of people who were
deemed lower by others. Their writers speak for the underdog and the mistreated
underlings that dominant culture has built its foundation upon. She argues that
the minority culture “wants a voice on its own terms, not in terms of the
whites” (Wheeler). They want to establish a separate voice that is distinct from
dominant culture in an effort to call attention to the oppression that they have
suffered, survived, and risen above. Despite their resistance to dominant
culture, minority literature is still a story of survival and creating a space
for themselves. Trina Silva argues that “[w]hile the African-Americans and
Native Americans are the least-assimilated immigrant group, they are still
making obvious attempts to assimilate.” Are they making “obvious attempts to
assimilate” or are they trying to survive in the country where they were born?
They seem to be picking and choosing elements of dominant culture that
complement their own beliefs or purposes. They are not utilizing them in an
attempt to align themselves with the dominant culture, but they use these
elements in spite of dominant culture. In doing so, they create their own
American Dream to which they aspire.
The color of one’s skin can also play a role in how easy or difficult it may be
in trying to acculturate. It is more challenging for some immigrants to blend in
because “[t]he ‘color code’ plays an important role in how easy it can be for an
immigrant to assimilate to the dominant culture. The lighter a person’s skin is
the easier it is to blend in and be accepted by the dominant culture” (Silva).
In general, people are more comfortable with others who look and act like them.
Therefore, if the dominant culture is primarily white, it will be more
challenging for others of varying skin colors to blend in. Carol Fountain
explains in her article “Having the Courage to Face their Fears – and the
Dominant Culture” that “[b]ecause of their distinctive facial features and/or
skin color, they find it more difficult to assimilate.” Both immigrants and
minorities must force the dominant culture to look past their physical
differences and see the value they bring to the culture. Immigrants have been
more successful with this since they are willing to sacrifice their old culture
for the new American culture. It is disheartening when they are cast aside and
not given a fair chance to strive to achieve the American Dream. Yet, “[c]ourage
displayed in the latter immigrant narratives … is the courage to remain in this
country to which they have come despite language difficulties, harassment, by
those already here, and, in some cases, pleas from their own family to return
home” (Fountain). Immigrants persevere despite the odds against them.
Minorities have dealt with the dominant culture’s rejection differently. Rather
than assimilate, minorities have created their own culture and chosen aspects of
dominant culture that are convenient for them. Some from the minority groups
have gone so far as to completely reject American culture. Chrystos in her poem,
“I Have Not Signed a Treaty…” demands that the dominant culture leave. However,
“[Chrystos] forgets that the insistence to leave America must apply to all. If
she tells whites that they should return to Europe, then she must tell blacks
they must return to Africa, Asians to return to Asia,” etc. (Fountain). This
form of rejection is not practical because she has oversimplified the complex
dynamics of America. Too many people have arrived in “the land of the free” to
send them packing, especially since most don’t even know where they would return
to due to intermarriage. But, her anger is understandable because “[t]he
dominant culture has mistreated and abused the minority culture in so many
different ways throughout American history that they have lost hope of being
treated fairly or of attaining their own success as a people” (Wheeler). In a
land that promises freedom to all, minorities feel that “there is nowhere in the
world they can simply be who they are, but instead they spend a lifetime trying
to find a way to fit in the world into which they have been thrust” (Wheeler).
The American Dream is the ultimate lie in a place where minorities have not
received the same opportunities as others around them. Hence, they work to
create their own separate culture within the dominant culture where they
determine what is acceptable.
Immigrating or being considered a minority group in America is challenging. As a
member of the dominant culture, I have more respect and appreciation for members
of these two groups. I have not had to sacrifice elements of my culture because
I was raised in an affluent, white, Protestant family. I have not been boxed in
because of the color of my skin. I have been given every opportunity to pursue
the American Dream. Upon reflection, I see that my path has been made fairly
easy in the effort to achieve my goals. Consequently, as a teacher, I hope that
I can make the way easier for immigrants, minorities, and their children. My
goal is to give them stepping stones rather than creating road blocks. My desire
is to give them keys to be successful rather than restrictions to hold them
back. I am determined to nurture and appreciate the gifts and experiences these
various cultures can bring to my classroom.
Jessica Myers
06/22/2016
American Melting Pot
America is considered the “Great Melting Pot,” but by melting together, people
lose their original cultures in an effort to meld with the rest of American
culture. America is a place of hope for a better future which can be realized in
the fulfillment of the ever-elusive American Dream. However, it is also a place
of pain and oppression for minority groups whose ancestors’ blood, sweat, and
tears were used to make America the nation it is today. How can there be such a
gap in some people’s experience of America? Some answers can be found in the
immigrant and minority narratives. On the one hand, the immigrant narrative
reveals the potential promise and excitement of America; in contrast, the
minority narrative displays the hypocrisy of the American Dream, and the
resentment towards and rejection of the dominant culture.
When immigrants first arrive, they view America with rose colored glasses.
America is a “magical” place where there is an abundance of resources and a
multitude of opportunities to better a person’s circumstances. Anchee Min in
The Cooked Seed describes her first
college dorm room as a paradise. She is astonished “[t]hat hot water was
available twenty-four hours a day” (195). She “felt like a princess, because for
the first time in [her] life [she] would get to sleep on a mattress” (195). Most
Americans would view a dorm room as sparse and confining, yet Min perceives the
accommodations as spacious and luxurious. The immigrant narrative notices things
that native Americans take for granted and perceives the American lifestyle from
a stance of awe and wonder. Another example can be found in Le Ly Hayslip’s
memoir, Child of War, Woman of Peace.
While at the supermarket, her husband takes out his checkbook to pay for their
groceries. She recalls thinking, “No
money for food! I was astonished,
Just a paper check! No wonder Americans eat so much! … That’s how the rich
got rich—because the banks paid all their bills! It also explained why Ed
guarded the checkbook the way I guarded my kids. Checks were better than money!”
(112). Immigrants have a unique way of viewing the way America functions. They
draw conclusions about the new world by looking through the lens of their old
world traditions and values. Because of this lens, immigrants sometimes
misinterpret American society and its standards which can at first be a
hindrance to their assimilation. America creates opportunities for people that
might not have been accessible in their home countries. In her memoir,
Monsoon Diary: A Memoir with Recipes,
Shoba Narayan recounts, “I signed up for all those subjects that I had been
interested in but never had the opportunity to pursue: piano lessons, theater,
modern dance, music composition, and journalism” (220). America was a place
where she could pursue new experiences without any stigma or pressure to conform
to the status quo. At Mount Holyoke, she was treated like any other student who
is eager to learn; there were no restrictions placed on her pursuits because of
her gender, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or socio-economic status. Narayan also
notes the abundance of food available at the food court, Rockefeller Hall. She
recollects, “There was a dizzying array of food: softly folded omelettes that I
spiced up with Tabasco sauce; breads, round and square; pastries sprinkled with
sugar, called doughnuts, even though they didn’t have nuts. Waffles, French
toast, pancakes, a bounty of sauces, cereal boxes with cartoon characters on the
side, fruits that I didn’t recognize, creams and cheeses, milk of various fat
percentages” (220). The immigrant’s initial response to the American lifestyle
is one of awe and wonder. They are enchanted by the abundance available and the
freedom given to them. Yet, there is a cost to have free access to American
abundance and opportunities.
The price of assimilation must be paid in order to access all America has to
offer. Jean de Crevecoeur defines an American as one “who leaving behind him all
his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life
he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds” (3.6).
The American expectation is for immigrants to leave the “Old World” behind and
embrace the culture of the “New World” completely and without question. In the
act of shedding the “Old World,” immigrants are transformed into a new creation:
the American. True assimilation requires the immigrant to adjust their
appearance, such as their clothing or even their speech patterns. Andrew
Carnegie became a successful American citizen because he was able to alter his
attire, accent, and values to match the dominant culture surrounding him. Early
in his autobiography he recalls that “in speech and address the broad Scotch had
been worn off to a slight extent, and I imagined that I could make a smarter
showing if alone with Mr. Brooks than if my good old Scotch father were present,
perhaps to smile at my airs” (3.11). He worked hard to speak with an American
accent rather than a Scottish one in an effort to elevate his value to a
potential employer. For those who do not come to America already knowing
English, the sooner they are able to learn the language, the faster they will be
able to more easily maneuver in society. In “The English Lesson,” Lali must
persuade her husband Rudi that she “should learn better English. … But once
William had put the idea to Lali and explained how much easier things would be
for her, she kept insisting until Rudi finally agreed” (Mohr 21). The ability to
communicate with others enables immigrants to acquire better paying jobs and
connect with others around them. This is another step towards leaving the Old
World behind and assimilating into the New World. Another important aspect of
assimilation is appearance. American culture has created a distinction between
the personal and the professional. In doing so, a type of uniform is established
and enforced in the job force. In the short story, “Soap and Water,” the
narrator is made painfully aware that she “was utterly unmindful of the little
niceties of the well-groomed lady” (Yezierska 2). When she would interview for
positions which her higher education qualified her for, her employers would
“glance at [her] shabby clothes, the desperate anguish that glazed and dulled my
eyes and [she] felt [herself] condemned by them” (Yezierska 22). Her poverty and
inability to acquire the appropriate “uniform” traps her in a vicious cycle that
does not allow her to be eligible for the jobs her education qualifies her for.
Yet, education and literacy are characteristics of assimilation. In this short
story the narrator is inspired to go to college where she can “learn to express
[herself], to voice [her] thoughts” (Yezierska 14). She is self-motivated to
become educated. This is one of the qualities of the “model minority.” The
“model minority” tend to be hard workers, come from family businesses, place
emphasis on high education, and pursue the American Dream by moving themselves
up the social ladder. One example of the “model minority” can be seen in the
short story, “What Color Would You Like, Ma’am?” Thien’s family owns a nail
salon where the entire family works. He is appreciative of their hard work
because “[e]very penny his parents made meant so much to them. Even though they
didn’t have much, Thien had always felt that his parents did their best to give
him the things he needed without hesitation” (Moon 9). More specifically, they
work hard so that Thien can focus on his education. Instead of working full time
in the nail salon, “[i]t was Thien’s job to successfully finish high school in
the top ten and get into his dream university. Afterwards, he would go to
medical school and become a doctor. He knew that he would have his family’s full
support … As a doctor, he could medically help his family as well” (Moon 13).
There is pressure for him to be successful, and through Thien’s success, he will
raise his family’s status in American society. His hard work and education will
bring about the fulfillment of the American Dream. But, does the American Dream
really come true for all immigrants?
Although normally the immigrant narrative is hopeful for a brighter future
rather than resentful of dominant society, sometimes immigrants are unable to
fulfill the elusive American Dream. Some immigrants are not successful in
America because they fail to fully assimilate, and their experiences are similar
to the minority groups. One example of the struggle to assimilate is related in
"In the American Society." The father in this short story struggles to shed the
ways of the Old World and accept the ways of the New. The mother complains to
her daughters, “‘Your father thinks this is China,’" and “‘Your father doesn’t
believe in joining the American society,’ said my mother. ‘He wants to have his
own society’” (Jen 158, 159). He struggles to let go of the structure he was
familiar with in China. Now that America has allowed him to achieve a more
comfortable lifestyle, he tries to recreate a society he is familiar with
through his relationship with the employees of his pancake restaurant. He treats
the restaurant like a small Chinese village where he is the benevolent and
generous overseer. Therefore,
“[h]e demanded a similar sort of loyalty of his workers, whom he treated more
like servants than employees" which caused him to begin having "trouble keeping
help” (Jen 160). His treatment of his employees as servants exemplifies the
father's struggle to adopt the expectations of the separation between the
professional and personal. His incapacity to treat his employees in a
professional way could eventually ruin his business at the pancake restaurant,
which would lead to his being unable to pay for his daughters' college tuition.
The rare story of unsuccessful assimilation is related in the background of
"Silver Pavements, Gold Roofs."
Jayanti’s aunt and uncle arrived in America years ago, but they
have not been able to assimilate because of racial prejudices and isolation.
When she first views their apartment, it “is another disappointment, not at all
what an American home should be like” (Divakaruni 73). Here uncle and aunt are
relatively poor and have not been able to climb the social ladder. Despite their
original ambition to achieve the American Dream, it continues to elude them.
Jayanti describes the
apartment as smelling “of stale curry. It is crowded with faded, over-stuffed
sofas and rickety end tables that look like they’ve come from a larger place”
(Divakaruni 73). The apartment smells like India, but the smell has become old
and stale which signifies the family's stagnation and inability to conform to
the society around them. However, there has also been rejection from American
society. In the past, the family has been treated with prejudice and harassed by
others in the neighborhood. After
another encounter with racial prejudice, “Bikram-uncle yells, ‘Haven’t I told
you not to walk around this trashy neighborhood? Haven’t I told you
it wasn’t safe? Don’t you remember what happened to my shop last year, how they
smashed everything? And still you had to go out, had to give them the chance to
do this to you?' He draws in a ragged breath, like a sob. ‘My God, look
at you.’” (Divakaruni 81). Because of the oppression and harassment the family
has endured, their tale reflects the bitterness and resentment of the minority
narrative. They have isolated themselves to avoid further abuse which has caused
their pursuit of the American Dream to fail.
Unlike the immigrant narrative, the minority narrative rejects the idea of the
American Dream and resents the oppression received from the dominant culture.
Therefore, the minority narrative seeks to create or maintain their own separate
culture which does not seek the approval of the dominant culture. Rather than
seeking to raise themselves in society by pursuing higher education, the
minority culture views education as a threat to the family unit. Hostility
towards education is described in "The Lesson." The narrator depicts the
children “lean[ing] all over each other so [they] can hold up under the
draggy-ass lecture she always finishes us off with at the end before [they]
thank her for borin [them] to tears” (Bambara 151). The negative connotations of
the words "lean," "draggy-ass," and "borin us to tears" imply the drudgery
education is associated with. Education is not viewed as an opportunity to
improve oneself or escape from squalid circumstances but as something that is
oppressive and a waste of time. Minority literature reflects an unwillingness to
move beyond past abuses and prejudice because there is a fear that their
suffering may be overlooked or forgotten. Alice Walker reveals some of the
horrors African Americans faced in her short story "Elethia." Walker describes
the perverse abuse of bodies when she relates how what was believed to be a
dummy of an African American man was actually “stuffed. Like a bird, like a
moose’s head, like a giant bass. He was stuffed” (308). The association of a
human's body with an animal's displays the utter disregard dominant culture had
for those they viewed beneath them. One
old-timer “recalls the time they hung a boy’s privates on a post at
the end of the street where all the black folks shopped, just to scare
[them] all, you understand, and Albert Porter was the one took ‘em down and
buried ‘em” (Walker 308). Stuffing Albert might have been the white men's
way of putting Albert back in his place for daring to remove a warning sign that
was reminding African Americans of their place in dominant society. The fear of
forgetting such atrocities as Uncle Albert or the Trail of Tears creates a
barrier for minorities to assimilate to dominant culture. Who would want to
align themselves with a group that would treat another human being like an
animal? Instead of attempting to assimilate minority culture rejects dominant
culture in an effort to create their own distinct culture. Minority culture has
historically been set apart due to differences in physical appearance such as
skin color and facial features. Rather than lamenting these differences as
defects, minority culture celebrates them. In her poem, "Blonde White Women,"
Patricia Smith admires her dark coloring by stating, “I can find no color
darker, / more beautiful than I am” (54, 55). She finally accepts her darkness
and does not attempt to change that aspect of her person. She views her dark
skin as a blessing that makes her unique rather than a quality that forces her
to blend in with the crowd. Yet, she still feels the hostility and pressure from
the dominant culture to assimilate. Once she accepts her "uncommon" coloring,
“suddenly [she is] surrounded by snarling madonnas / demanding that [she]
explain / [her] treachery” (Smith 59-61). The dominant culture views her as
treacherous for abandoning the commonly accepted view of her darkness as a
negative feature. Therefore, the minority culture chooses to resist and
challenge the dominant culture that has attempted to restrict their access to
the American Dream. They choose to create their own culture where they determine
which aspects of dominant culture are helpful and which pieces are unnecessary.
The minority narrative calls for a movement towards acculturation rather than
assimilation. Pieces of dominant
culture are observed throughout minority literature, particularly Native
American literature. In the short story, "The Man to Send Rain Clouds," Native
American culture is displayed through the burial of a tribal member. The scene
shows both traditional and more modern clothing items: “The red plaid shawl had
been shaken and spread carefully over the bed, and a new brown flannel shirt and
pair of stiff new Levi’s were arranged neatly beside the pillow” (Silko 206).
The Native Americans are not wearing the same clothing they wore hundreds of
years ago. They have incorporated blue jeans into their attire because they are
practical and durable. They have had time to pick this piece of dominant culture
because it is something that melds with their own culture, not because they are
attempting to assimilate with the dominant culture. Another example is the
blending of Catholic rituals with Native American burial customs. Leon
asks the priest to pour holy water on the deceased's body. When the ceremony was
completed, Leon “felt
good because it was finished, and he was happy about the sprinkling of the holy
water; now the old man could send them big thunderclouds for sure” (Silko 209).
Again, the freedom to combine positive and helpful qualities from the dominant
culture removes the oppression of assimilating to look and act like mainstream
America. In a land founded on the belief that life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness are basic human rights, the pressure to mimic the dominant culture and
suppress individuality seems counterintuitive. The move towards acculturation
can also be seen in more current immigrant narratives. The Ihedigbos, who moved
to America from Nigeria, made a conscience effort to
“keep their children connected to their roots, especially since their offspring
lived most of their lives in a school context that silently demanded their
conformity in order to be accepted. Hence, Nigerian gatherings were a must, as
they provided a sense of culture and connection that is was impossible for the
children to otherwise receive in the suburbs” (Ihedigbo 159). These immigrants
do not feel pressured to sacrifice their traditions or culture from the “Old
World.” They nurture their home culture to the best of their ability alongside
the dominant culture their children are exposed to on a daily basis. However,
there are instances where they choose to follow American expectations. For
example, Onyii realizes “the impact that she and her brothers’ malodorous state
was having on their social standing among the other kids in school, this made
some … want to wear deodorant. However, the request to wear deodorant could
easily be mistaken as one’s desire to be less Nigerian and more American”
(Ihedigbo 167). There is clearly a delicate balance between making changes to
traditions for the benefit of mimicking society and betraying fundamental
beliefs and traditions in an effort to be accepted. Acculturation respects ties
to the “Old World,” yet allows changes to be made in an effort to create a place
in the “New World.”
Acculturation allows for “true” multiculturalism by allowing immigrants and
minorities to choose which elements of the dominant culture to incorporate into
their lifestyle rather than being forced to sacrifice all of their beliefs,
traditions, and values. Instead of being a "melting pot" where everyone is
forced to blend together into one cohesive, uniform group, America should be
viewed as a multi-colored quilt. It is one complete piece where each individual
patch adds to the beauty and uniqueness of the whole. In a country that
celebrates individuality and originality, the model of a quilt more accurately
portrays the array of ethnicities, religions, and cultures living and pursuing
their perception of the American Dream.
