Narrative Essay On Italian Immigration

As an Italian-American, I was and am still told by my mother, grandparents, and great-grandparents how proud I should be of my heritage. I was taught to respect my great-grandmother who, after arriving in America along side her husband, fully committed herself to raising her four sons and eight nieces and nephews in a two-bedroom house in Pennsylvania. She was motivated by the drive of a better life in a new, strong country for the young-ones she loved. I was taught to treasure both food and family, praying each night through the Blessed Mother. I was handed Pizzelles and Almond cookies as snacks throughout the day, and listened to Dean Martin through the stereo almost every night. My grandmother’s family came from Mezzogiorno, while my grandfather’s family hailed from the North Country. Though I had never been to Italy, as a child, I still knew the significance of being Italian and was thankful. It was not until I entered public school that I began to understand the teasing that my own ethnic group was subject to on a near daily basis.

For me, being an Italian American means that I have come from a long line of hardworking immigrants who came to the United States to make a better life for their children while still maintaining their Italian cultural pride and heritage. From the time that I was a small child, I was taught to be proud of my Italian heritage. From the young age of four or five, I can remember sitting in the kitchen while my grandmother and great-grandmother would be cooking and they would tell me how my great-great grandparents immigrated to the United States from Calabria. They told me how my great-great -grandfather came with little money and could not speak English. He worked in the mines and sold wood on the side in order to make a living. A few

What I am most proud of, is the fact that I am a hardworking immigrant. In today’s divided society, immigrants are stereotyped as “non-contributing to society” or “largely uneducated”. This ignorant stereotype is a constant reminder of how hard I should work.

Italian immigrants were not welcomed with open arms into the land of opportunity. They had to adapt to the new lifestyle without forgetting theirs. Throughout the years, American citizens would be accustomed to having foreigners living in their neighborhoods. The Italian immigrants established communities where they managed to keep la via vecchia alive.

There are Indians, Mexicans, Asians and many others diverse businesses established in Little Italy. Chicago is known for its diversity. In Chicago all sorts of food, clothing, and music reflect numerous cultures. There are numerous ethnic enclaves that have put Chicago on the map for its diversity. However, not every ethnic enclave is what it seems. Compared to most ethnic enclaves in Chicago, Little Italy is no longer what it was 115 years ago. You will not find a Chinatown or a Paseo Boricua atmosphere - you will not see Italians – you will not hear the language – and you will not have much access to authentic Italian foods. Little Italy is Italian in name only as it no longer fits the definition of an ethnic enclave. Italians, like other immigrants living in enclaves, feel the need to celebrate their culture and history. Although they no longer live in the area, many return in August to celebrate their roots. Even though Little Italy is a mix of ethnic diversity, Italian-Americans still share the sense of cultural pride shared by other ethnic

Between the years of 1870 and 1930, there was an influx of about 5 million Italian immigrants seeking a new life in the US, out of the 5 million immigrants who arrived there, 4/5 were from the South of Italy. Most Italians left their native land in pursuit of a more economically stable, prosperous and happy life didn’t come without prejudice, racism, animosity and questions. For, the Italian Immigrants that were seeking this fruitful life across in America, the main and concerning question was of their own culture, ethnicity, and race. Going to the US meant leaving behind all that was familiar and accepting, and become “white”. To hold truthfully to this custom one must obey and sacrifice not only their way of life, but essentially who and

Italian Americans have been crucial in founding and developing American educational institutions. Mother Frances Cabrini, the first American saint, who founded fourteen American colleges, ninety-eight schools, twenty-eight orphanages, eight hospitals, three training schools and a score of other institutions with the help of over 4,000 sisters she recruited for the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart.

     It started like any other day up on the hills of Rhein, but that day had the scent of freedom floating in the air. The journey ahead of me had been teasing me for weeks, I was just so anxious to get away and start all over again. I had made certain arrangements before I left, our family dog was not allowed on the ship that we were going to be arriving in America, so I had my parents take care of the dog for us. It was a hard thing to do seeing that the dog had become more than just a pet to the children and I, for we almost would recognize him as a family member. Most of our possessions we were able to keep with us, but we had to keep the load light since it was going to be a tight stay in the steerage. I

        Ever since the United States was founded, immigrants have been arriving on its soil.  The first white inhabitants of the U.S. were immigrants from Europe.  They came for many reasons, such as religion and opportunity.  As the country grew and became more prosperous, it became more enticing to foreigners looking for opportunity.  This continued into the 20th century and finally during the 1920’s, the United States began to restrict immigrants from coming to their country, mostly for cultural and economic reasons.  Even the immigrants that were allowed in during the 20’s faced many hardships such as religious persecution, racism, and xenia phobia.  One of the major groups of immigrants during that

When people are stuck to one certain lifestyle and one idea, there is not change. Sometimes there needs to be risks taken. The earth consists of a variety of different experiences, and when people are limited to one, there will be no growth. Exploration is reaching out to discover unfamiliar and foreign concepts and ideas which can either be disregarded or learned through encounter. True exchange with these alien subjects is difficult since there has to be something that is given up, but there cannot be growth or wisdom gained without something lost. That growth or wisdom can thus influence the future generations to strive to become better.

Italy is very different then America. I didn’t picture Italy anything like that in my mind before I went. There wasn’t very many grocery stores, I didn’t find one until the third day that I was there. The buildings are very close together and I thought that everything looked the same from the outside and were very difficult to tell apart from one another. But when I happened to find the store, inside wasn’t big at all, the stores were called “mini marts.” It wasn’t really for kids but there isn’t many kids in Italy to begin with. Mostly it was an in and out kind of store. I wasn’t sure what kind of things were their popular items, so it was difficult to tell how they organized the stuff. One store that I went into, had lights around the selves

I’m an immigrant. I was born in Mexico and it was only until my parents decided to come to the United States that I am where I am. My mother tried to cross the border to come to the United States for the first time when I was still in her womb all by herself as my father was already in the Unites States working in order to provide for her in the way that he wasn’t able to do so by staying in Mexico. My mother was caught by immigration and was sent back. My mother was very disappointed because she knew that if she didn’t get me to the United States some way or another I wouldn’t get very far in life by staying in Mexico. My father returned back to Mexico when I was born and it wasn’t until I was 4 years old that they decided to try to cross the border once again. Although I was only 4 years old I remember the whole experience as if it was yesterday. The amount of fear of getting caught by immigration and having done everything for nothing was always in the back of my mind while going through the whole experience. Up to this day nothing has ever been as terrifying and nerve-wrecking as having to go through that whole experience especially for a 4 year old child but I will forever be grateful for the bravery and strength that my parents had to gather in

Today we live in a world of which some have come to understand where it all came from. So many different little contributions have accumulated over the years to create “today” in the United States of America. Not one factor is more important than the next, however, some have had a larger, lasting impact today. Immigration and racial discrimination have played the most important role as to why American society has altered. In 1917 America entered World War one. By doing this America played a grave role in conquering Germany and ushering peace to Europe. However, the Great War also meant that the US would change dramatically through historical issues and changes which resulted in

Moving away from your native country is never an easy task. Italian immigrants that emigrated to America felt a wide range of emotional turmoil, and nostalgia for their home country. These quotes and stories all relate to me personally, and made me either feel nostalgia for my own home, or made a lasting mark on me for how much the custom at home meant to them. Some of these concepts I personally related to when I moved out of my household into the dorms, while others, made me feel their pain and nostalgia from the storytelling. A lot of the concepts explained in the tales and documentaries were forms of nostalgia over similar ideas, like family, or what they miss about home. On the opposite side, there were views that contrasted each

The heritage from both my father and my mother are incredibly important to me, along with the values the values that come along with them. My father is an English immigrant who was brought to America by his father, who was looking for a better life for his family. On my mother’s side is a proud lineage of Italians going back two generations, but their Italian pride is still strong. It’s from my Italian heritage that I have developed my strong sense of loyalty towards my family. It’s also from my mother’s side of the family where it was instilled in me that it’s important to say what you mean, and that its ok to show your emotions. While my mother’s Italian side