Aunty Uju Analysis

Cristina Henriquez’, The Book of Unknown Americans, folows the story of a family of immigants adjusting to their new life in the United States of America. The Rivera family finds themselves living within a comunity of other immigrants from all over South America also hoping to find a better life in a new country. This book explores the hardships and injustices each character faces while in their home country as well as withina foreign one, the United States. Themes of community, identity, globalization, and migration are prevalent throughout the book, but one that stood out most was belonging. In each chacters viewpoint, Henriquez explores their feelings of the yearning they have to belong in a community so different than the one that they are used to.

The term immigrant is defined as “a person who comes to a country to take up permanent residence” (“Immigrant”). In her autobiography, Barefoot Heart, Elva Trevino Hart speaks of her immigrant ways and how she fought to become the Mexican-American writer she is today. She speaks about the working of land, the migrant camps, plus the existence she had to deal with in both the Mexican and American worlds. Hart tells the story of her family and the trials they went through along with her physical detachment and sense of alienation at home and in the American (Anglo) society. The loneliness and deprivation was the desire that drove Hart to defy the odds and acquire the unattainable sense of belonging into American

Since the dawn of American colonization in the early 1600s, the notion of immigrating to America has long been instilled upon various people as a stimulating opportunity to begin a fresh chapter in their lives. Even now, this possibility has brought many variations of people to America, culminating a society that brims with dreams and aspirations to form the diversified nation of today. When speaking of the current state of immigration, it is easy to conclude that immigration is heavily discussed from political standpoints. Though this current condition is composed of highly controversial perspectives, many of the early-century viewpoints found in literature genuinely embrace reality, for these writers were indeed immigrants themselves, thus adding an authoritative standpoint over immigration. The Americanization of Edward Bok (1921) by Edward Bok and The America I Believe In by Colin Powell, display the perspectives of two authors, who have lived as immigrants, through their own personal anecdotes. Both Edward Bok and Colin Powell convey a sincerely grateful tone and develop the idea of Americanization and the quest for opportunity through the use of connotative diction in contrast to the Immigration Chart and Political Cartoon which have a downright concrete and pessimistic tone and supports the idea that immigration exposes various challenges to incoming immigrants.

Since the establishment of the colonies, America has been viewed as the “land of opportunity.” It is thought to be a safe haven for immigrants, and a chance at a new beginning for others. “The Clemency of the Court” by Willa Cather published in 1893, tells the story of Serge, a Russian immigrant, who overcame the struggles of a tough childhood and fled to America to receive protection from the state. “Clothes” by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni published in 1995, tells the story of Sumita, a Indian immigrant, who is moving to America so that she can marry her husband that her family has arranged for her. Both “The Clemency of the Court” and “Clothes” show the evolution of the American immigrant experience.

In the United States, the cliché of a nation of immigrants is often invoked. Indeed, very few Americans can trace their ancestry to what is now the United States, and the origins of its immigrants have changed many times in American history. Despite the identity of an immigrant nation, changes in the origins of immigrants have often been met with resistance. What began with white, western European settlers fleeing religious persecution morphed into a multicultural nation as immigrants from countries across the globe came to the U.S. in increasing numbers. Like the colonial immigrants before them, these new immigrants sailed to the Americas to gain freedom, flee poverty and

Americans can never experiences the hardships and struggles that an immigrant experiences, at least not in the same type of context. Many authors describe the way American born citizens alienate immigrants: lowering their standards, taking away opportunities, and downright judging them for any reason that can be found. In Firoozeh Dumas’ memoir Funny in Farsi, and Pat Mora’s poem “Legal Alien” many descriptions of the struggles to live to what they are worth in America are shown. Being viewed as unworthy, and not amounting to what they truly should be—these are just small examples of what Dumas and Mora describe life as an immigrant in America. From the other sided view of things, in Richard Crowson’s political cartoon “Great American Melting

“Two Ways to Belong in America” is an essay written by Bharati Mukherjee and is about two sisters who have very different experiences living in America as immigrants. According to the author, to two ways immigrants can belong in America is to become a legal immigrant like her sister Mira, or to become a US citizen. Mukherjee states that she “celebrates” the word “mongrelization” when people apply it to her books in order to emphasize the cultural fusion between her book and the people who read them. The speaker states that her sister Mira feels “used” from America because for 30 years she spent her life being a productive member of american society by being a preschool teacher, obeying our laws, and paying her taxes for her employer to ultimately

This was reflected through Hilda Polacheck’s novel, I Came a Stranger, which tells a story like no other about the crushing reality immigrants faced when settling in to American society. The struggle to become Americanized springs to life through her challenges as a woman immigrant and her fluctuations of income. Through Polacheck’s social experiences, she truly represents that obtaining American citizenship only goes so far, however for a new American to get further acclimated with

For over thirty years, White America believed that all people who immigrated to the United States of America whether by force or will wanted to assimilate into America’s culture and become a member of a homogenous group. During this time, many immigrants decided to assimilate fearing the consequences if they did not submit to White America’s way of life. However, White American millenniums believe this antiquated way of thinking is out of touch, especially with the constant changing globalized world. In fact, many immigrants prefer acculturation instead of assimilation to retain their primary identity and culture (Chronicle 1). Furthermore, White America is accepting of the cultural differences in our country, often participating in many

Even though Fahm’s family did assimilate into the American lifestyle, her parents suffered from losing almost everything they had in their Mien lifestyle. As an American, I thought that because we are the land of opportunity and are mostly accepting of all cultures that it would be difficult to suffer so much after immigrating here, but Fahm’s father's story exemplified the reality that not all people thrive after coming

As Ogbu states “Voluntary immigrant group, especially first generation immigrants, are more likely to accept the dominant achievement ideological view that hard work and motivation pay off” (Ogbu, 1990). Although the author is highly accomplished, the struggle to define herself never finished similarly as of English Language Learners. Near the end of the book, there is a greater excitement about new opportunities yet there is also remorse over the loss of the “old world” and the inability to marry the two existences. This comes with fear and rage regarding immigrant status. Eva fights against the system to achieve her American Dream as many immigrants do. Overall, there is a sense of loss for the old, a feeling of acceptance for what is, and most importantly, a feeling of hope for the

This analytical paper highlights the social collision of immigration, identity and race to society. Similarly, this paper focuses on the impact of struggling with life changes. This paper will link the book called Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie to the theme identity. I will also use this book to describe these three conflicts encountered by Ifemelu, the main character. The way I will approach this paper is by conducting a thorough analysis between each conflict and its collision with society. I will use examples and quotes from the book to convey the information. Thus, this will create a sense of logic, order, and understanding in this paper.

1.) There were two stories I found interesting in the essays, Sadie Brown and Dumpna Ugwa-Oju. In Sadie’s story, it was the way a young woman on her own took care of herself and even saved money. The way she budgeted the low income she made was interesting to me, as well as, the way she broke down the cost of how much she spent on food. Then, in Dumpna Ugwa-Oju’s story was more of a mother’s concern of raising her child. The worries that all parents face when they set out to raise their children, even the ones who are not immigrants. The constant conflicts of how she would eventually affect her daughter’s outlook on the world around her, to the struggle of fighting the past advice and traditions with the present circumstances and values that

From youth, people are told to “be themselves” or “love themselves for who they are.” Not everyone can do so, though, otherwise they will be seen as outsiders and improper, and have difficulty finding success. In Americanah, Adichie reveals immigrants, such as the main character’s aunt, Aunty Uju, must change their habits and conform to American values in order to prosper.

Exploring the themes of identity and immigration, this essay will focus on one short story and two case studies. Caterina Edwards’ Island of the Nightingales, follows Teresa Pomoronzola, a second-generation Italian immigrant living in Edmonton, who is sent to her mother’s homeland, the island of Lussino, in order to think clearly and gain perspective. Primarily, Teresa faces the internal conflict of choosing between her two lovers, yet she is also conflicted about her identity. Through the juxtaposition of divergent lifestyles and cultural values, Edwards’ Island of the Nightingales, suggests that a second-generation immigrant’s return to their family’s homeland is the ideal method for reconciling a conflicted identity and effectively understanding one’s background.