The Promised Land by Mary Antin, published in 1912, began as an “extensive letter that [Antin] wrote in Yiddish to her maternal uncle… [which was] then translated into English and published, as From Plotzk to Boston [in] 1899" (149 Kellman). Written as an autobiography, The Promised Land recounts Antin’s emigration to the United States from Russia, as well as chronicles the process and reasoning, to her assimilation into the American culture. In chapter 9, Antin unravels the first four months of her arrival in the United States, attempting to establish a compelling argument as to why she believes that complete assimilation is the proper course to becoming a successful immigrant. By focusing on the first steps she took to assimilate, changing …show more content…
If without even knowing the name of the immigrant, the American shows nothing but disgust towards them. The perception Americans have of the immigrant, will not change because the immigrant changes his/her name. Advocating this simply promotes ethnic self-hatred, and justifies American cultures discrimination against the immigrant. As a result, “Jewish accounts of The Promised Land were often marked by embarrassment and apology, if not by outright contempt. Despite its considerable literary and historical credentials… the questionable Jewishness of The Promised Land made the autobiography's claims less than compelling” (Kramer 122). In addition to changing her name, Antin states that her next step to assimilation is changing her attire. Glorifying this step, Antin recalls when “a fairy godmother… led [her] to a wonderful… dazzling beautiful palace called a “department store”, [where she] exchanged [her] hateful homemade European costumes… for real American machine-made garments” (Antin 184). Per Antin, by changing her clothing, she will avoid being called a greenhorn, which is a derogatory term used to refer to recently arrived …show more content…
Having found a friend in one of Mr. Wilner's children, her father's business partner, she delightfully enjoyed her days playing with the boy at the beach. On one occasion, Antin, despite not knowing how to swim, and the boy ventured out into the Ocean waters. Only daring to walk along the shallow parts, sudden waves possibly announcing the turn of the tide, caused both children to return to dry land with alarming haste. Reaching the safety of the beach, Antin recalls their exchange: "You was scared, war n't you?" he taunts. The girl understands so much, and is able to reply:– "You can schwimmen, I not." "Betcher life I can schwimmen," the other mocks. And the girl walks off, angry and hurt. "An' I can walk on my hands," the tormentor calls after her. "Say, you greenhorn, why don'tcher look?" (Antin
Marilyn Frye, a feminist philosopher, discusses the idea of oppression and how it conforms people into gender roles. She claims that it is based upon membership in a group which leads to shaping, pressing, and molding individuals, both women and men.
“Your evening deep in labyrinthine blood; Of those who resist, fail and resist; and God, reduced to a hostage among hostages”. – “To be a Jew in the twentieth century” by Muriel Rukeyser was published in 1944 in a sequence which contained ten poems in “Letter to the Front”. It is said Rukeyser covers the Spanish Civil War and WWII on its pages. A reason to choose this passage and group with the other two is that they all either symbolize, verbalize and share the sense of being bound together. To be grouped as one and to be united, as a family, a race, a society and to be viewed as such. This sense of belonging and togetherness goes beyond being father, mother, brother and sister. It is their Heritage, part of their culture, their history and
The Europeans changed the land of the home of the Indians, which they renamed New England. In Changes in the Land, Cronon explains all the different aspects in how the Europeans changed the land. Changing by the culture and organization of the Indians lives, the land itself, including the region’s plants and animals. Cronon states, “The shift from Indian to European dominance in New England entailed important changes well known to historians in the ways these peoples organized their lives, but it also involved fundamental reorganizations less well known to historians in the region’s plant and animal communities,” (Cronon, xv). New England went through human development, environmental and ecological change from the Europeans.
Now, in modern times, affairs seem to be a natural phenomenon of daily life. They are popularly seen in movies, novelas—soap operas and also expressed through literature. Although they are conventionally characterized as passionate and exciting, they can also catalyze a lot of thought and uncertainty for the individuals involved. “Migration” written by Rosa Alcala is a poem that takes a different approach in describing what an affair is. In her poem she rather focuses on describing the stressful cognitive affects that occur as a result of being involved in an affair. Through figures of speech, persona and images the author is able to establishes the feeling of the poem as cautious uncertainty.
Lennie appeared out of the brush by the deep, green pool of the Salinas River. He had been running. He knelt down quietly by the pool’s edge and drank barely touching his lips to the water. He finished drinking and sat down embracing his knees on the bank, facing the trail entrance. He became very skittish and jumpy. Every little noise prodded for his attention. He knew he had made a huge mistake and George would be mad at him. He had remembered though, that George told him to hide here and wait for him.
Thesis: The Roanoke colony proved to be an unsuccessful venture in the New World for England, since leaders of the expedition held the viewpoint that privateering would prove to be the most profitable aspect of founding the new settlements in the West. However future, still unsuccessful attempts to make a permanent colony at Roanoke, helped England understand how to build a prosperous one; and it became a building block for establishing future colonies for England and helped shape the ideas that would help launch their empire.
As Elie Wiesel once stated, “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented” (“Elie Wiesel Quote”). Michelle Alexander’s book The New Jim Crow, which discusses criminal justice and its role in mass incarceration, promotes a similar idea regarding silence when America’s racial caste system needs to be ended; however, Alexander promotes times when silence would actually be better for “the tormented.” The role of silence and lack of silence in the criminal justice system both contribute to wrongly accused individuals and growing populations behind bars.
Flannery O'Conner has again provided her audience a carefully woven tale with fascinating and intricate characters. "The Displaced Person" introduces the reader to some interesting characters who experience major life changes in front of the reader's eyes. The reader ventures into the minds of two of the more complex characters in "The Displaced Person," Mrs. McIntyre and Mrs. Shortley, and discovers an unwillingness to adapt to change. Furthermore, the intricate details of their characters are revealed throughout the story. Through these details, the reader can see that both Mrs. McIntyre and Mrs. Shortley suffer from a lack of spiritual dimension that hinders them as they face some of life's harsher realities. Mrs. McIntyre struggles throughout the story, most notably during the tragic conclusion. Her lack of spiritual dimension is revealed slowly until we ultimately see how her life is devastated because of it. Mrs. Shortley, on the other hand, seems to have it all figured out spiritually -- or at least she believes that she does. It is only in the last few minutes of her life that she realizes all she has convinced herself of is wrong.
Reading my first book for this class, I was really looking forward to it. The book, The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, is an interesting book because it touches base on mass incarceration and the caste system. Figuring out that society is on a war on drugs and racism in the justice system is upsetting, and yet interesting. Michelle does a really nice job in organizing the book and presenting the plot. The fact that this book informs and explains arguments, what is happening with the justices system is complete true. Our lives would look complete different; and some of her points are happening. People do not realize getting incarcerated will take some of rights away. This essay will reflect on the book its self, answer questions,
In Hannah Arendt’s work, The Human Condition, Arendt addresses the active life or Vita Activa and how the three major human activities are incorporated into the public and private realms. The private realm, in which finances and basic needs are met, exists within the household. The Public Realm involves politics and interaction between individuals. All interaction within the public realm requires the individual to have attained freedom. As society continues to develop, however, and the Modern Age takes over the rise of the Social Realm disrupts the hierarchy of these three human activities. Arendt writes about how this disruption damages the natural order. Each of the three human activities has it’s own place in society and by disrupting the natural order this shift towards the Social Realm causes issues for mankind.
In The Promised Land, Nicholas Lehmann follows the stories of black migrants, politicians, and bureaucrats through the Great Migration, and attempts to explain the decline of northern cities, the constant liberty struggle of blacks across America, and government response to the issues surrounding the Great Migration. This work signalled a drastic change from the structured approach of Thomas Sugrue’s, The Origins Of The Urban Crisis, which observes the effects of institutions and human agency on postwar Detroit and its marginalized peoples. Both Sugrue and Lemann had (albeit slightly different) holistic views of the political climate of postwar cities, which helped provide context for prejudices towards blacks and the poor, and subsequently
Boston, MA: St. Martin’s, 1998. Print. The. Bentz, Thomas, “New Immigrants: Portraits of Passage.” Kiniry and Rose 333-336.
While it is impossible to completely ascertain any author’s direct purpose without a direct statement, Claude Brown likely chose to use the word ‘manchild’ because of the tough nature of his childhood. From the age of five, he had been spending his time with children who were not just older than he, but rougher too. Additionally, as with Itzok Isaac Granich, who wrote Jews Without Money, the environment where Claude Brown was raised was incredibly volatile and unmistakably adult. “Although none of my sidekicks was over twelve years of age, we didn’t think of ourselves as kids. The other kids my age were thought of as kids by me. I felt that since I knew
Throughout his villanelle, “Saturday at the Border,” Hayden Carruth continuously mentions the “death-knell” (Carruth 3) to reveal his aged narrator’s anticipation of his upcoming death. The poem written in conversation with Carruth’s villanelle, “Monday at the River,” assures the narrator that despite his age, he still possesses the expertise to write a well structured poem. Additionally, the poem offers Carruth’s narrator a different attitude with which to approach his writing, as well as his death, to alleviate his feelings of distress and encourage him to write with confidence.
God and the Indian is a two person play written by Drew Hayden Taylor. In this play we have a man named George that was a former priest at a residential school. We also have a lady named Johnny Indian that was a former student at said residential school. In the play Johnny accuses George of having molested her as a child. George tells Johnny that she is delusional and will not admit to his wrongdoings. The author tells the story from both George and Johnny’s sides. I think what the author is really trying to portray here is the denial of the people that worked in the name of the church at residential schools years after they had left and/or been shut down.