Thursday, January 29, 2009

Sui Sin Far (Edith Maud Eaton)



Melanie Freeman
English 48B
January 29, 2009
Sui Sin Far: In the Land of the Free

Although she was not a direct immigrant from Asia to the United States, Sui Sin Far's writing is seen as a portrayal of the harsh treatment Asian immigrants faced upon entering this country in the late 1800s.  Her experiences as a journalist for Fly Leaf while living on the west coast of the United States exposed her to the extreme injustice Asian Americans experience.  Far's use of irony throughout The Land of the Free reveals the truth about what immigrants found behind America's "golden door" (Lazarus).  

"The Little One protested lustily against the transfer; but his mother covered her face with her sleeve and his father silently lead her away.  Thus was the law of the land complied with" (881).

Summary:
This moment describes the heart wrenching scene of Hom Hing handing his newborn baby over to the immigration officers.  The unbelievable idea that a young baby would actually be separated from his parents shows the complete absence of compassion in the American government.  This moment is particularly significant in that it teaches the couple the reality of life in America.  The heart breaking feeling these parents share is far from the bliss they expected to find in America.  While there may have been economic opportunity in America, the racial oppression Asia immigrants faced made life phenomenally challenging.

Response:
The experience Hom Hing and Lae Choo have upon entering the America clearly effects the emotional side of the reader.  A forceful separation of a child from its parents is inhuman and cruel.  The reader immediately feels sympathetic towards the poor family and becomes infuriated with the actions of the government.  Sui Sin Far is able to portray the American government very harshly in this context because this story revolves around dehumanization.  The anti-immigration laws are so severe that families can be ripped apart if they do not comply.  

Although I do agree with Far that Asian immigrants were severely mistreated, I feel this story only represents a very extreme case.  What we must remember as readers is that the Asians immigrated to America for a reason.  Although they did not find the paradise they may have imagined, many did find economic improvements.  I do not doubt that some families suffered the same nightmare as Hom Hing and Lae Choo, but I can't help but think about the other side of the argument.  

Vast numbers of immigrants poured into the U.S. at this time for a reason; to escape the harsh conditions they had faced in their home countries.  If immigrant treatment in America was universally awful, why did so many make the journey?  I am in no way defending how the government treated immigrants in this country but could their lives here be much worse than at home?  Perhaps America wasn't "the land of the free" but can we really say the American Dream never existed for immigrants?  

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Abraham Cahan


Melanie Freeman
English 48B
January 27, 2009
Abraham Cahan: The Imported Bridegroom

Abraham Cahan was an Orthodox Jews who immigrated to the United States from the Russian Empire in 1882.  Cahan's education in Europe was specialized in literature and social theory, which allowed him to become one of the most prominent Jewish American writers of his time.  The "Americanization" struggles immigrants faced upon arriving in the United States was at the heart of much of Cahan's writing.  He felt that his writing could help the immigrants rise out of their poor, urban ghettos and become a part of the industrializing nation.  The Imported Bridegroom and Other Stories of the New York Ghetto was published in 1898.  This story describes many of conflicts between traditional, Jewish religious practices and the newly adopted American ways of life.  The irony used throughout the text reveals the harsh reality of this "paradise on earth" (789) , known as New York City.  

"When supper was over and Asriel and Tamara were about to say grace, Flora resumed the reading of her novel.
'Off with that lump of Gentile nastiness while holy words are being said!' the old man growled" (766).

Summary:
At this point in the text, the reader has been introduced to Flora as a beautiful, Americanized Jewish girl who wants nothing more but to become a part of upper class society.  She has spent the afternoon reading English literature alone until her father, Asriel returns home for supper.  We have also learned that Asriel has recently become consumed with reestablishing himself as a religious man in hopes that he will be forgiven for his many sins.  Asriel has become very extreme in his attempt to bring himself and his family back to traditional Jewish values.  

This moment is one of the first interactions Asriel has with his daughter and the situation and tone is reflective of one of the main conflicts throughout the story.  Flora represents the Americanized Jew who wants to leave the old ways behind and Asriel represents the old, traditional Jewish practices.  These two ideas continue to conflict throughout the story just as Asriel and his daughter do in this instance.  

Reflection:
I think that this brief instance provides foreshadowing and encapsulates the main problem many immigrants faced upon arriving in America.  For many immigrants, America symbolized a fresh start and freedom from the oppression they had faced in their home countries.  These people hoped to go to America and be free to live how they would like and also for the economic opportunities rumored to be had.  However, what they did not expect was for America itself to have such a distinct culture of its own.  The focus on economics shaped the American people distinctly that immigrants were forced to conform.  

Success and economic growth were the main ideas in the Industrial Revolution and traditional religious practices were left behind.  Flora, a Jewish girl born in America, the new ideas seemed logical while the old traditions seemed distant and even ridiculous.  She does not understand her father's insistence on the importance of prayer and worship and would much rather spend her time reading.  Asriel takes great offense to this because to him, "the holy words" should come before all else.

The slow detachment many Jewish immigrants faced from their old ways was not an easy process.  Many tried to hold on to their traditions but the strong influence of American culture often proved too strong.  

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Zitkala Sa (Gertrude Simmons Bonnin)



Melanie Freeman
Enlgish 48B
January 22. 2009
Zitkala Sa

Zitkala Sa or Gertrude Simmons Bonin is a member of the Sioux Indians, born in South Dakota in 1876. She is a well known Native American rights activist who gained public attention through her literary, debate and musical skills. Several of her short stories describing her experiences with Sioux culture were published in Atlantic Monthly, a popular magazine along the East coast. In these stories, Bonin describes her struggles while becoming "civilized" by the white population and reveals the misconceptions many people when labeling Native Americans as "savages". Bonin, like Sarah Winnemucca,viewed her childhood as the purest and happiest time of her life and believe that the white influence on Indian culture has forever damaged its beauty.

"Having gone many paces ahead I stopped, panting for breath, and laughing with glee as my mother watched my every movement. I was not wholly conscious of myself, but was more keenly alive to the fire within. It was as if I were the activity, and my hands and feet were only experiments for my spirit to work upon" (1107).

Summary:
This moment is representative of how Bonin remembers her childhood as a young, native girl. She refers to her youth on the reservation as the happiest, most carefree time in her life. The physical vitality and overall good health Bonin feels at this age will soon leave her upon to moving into the white world. Bonin associates the pure happiness she experiences as a child to her identity as a Sioux and her appreciation for the nature around her. By creating such a positive image, Bonin illustrates just how immoral it was for the whites to feel they were compelled to take away a culture that was extremely peaceful and invigorating.

Response:
After reading Sarah Winnemucca and Zitkala Sa's accounts of Native American culture, it is clear that both women had a similar message to present to their audiences. Both women wanted to prove that their society's were far from "savage" by explaining their customs and morals taught by their people. Both writers also felt that their people were forced to suffer and change their ways for unnecessary reasons. Winnemucca and Zitkala Sa begin their autobiographies by describing communities that functioned peacefully and produced healthy, happy individuals and then contrast this happiness with feelings of fear and disorientation created by the white influence. The message these writers share is that the white influence stole the precious culture belonging to the Native Americans and replaced it with suffering and a form of education that left the Natives feeling disconnected from both their own society and white society.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Sarah Winnemucca



Melanie Freeman
English 48B
January 20, 2009
Sarah Winnemucca

Sarah Winnemucca, a member of the Paiute tribe from western Nevada produced one of the first written documentations regarding Native American life in her autobiography, Among the Piutes: Their Wrongs and Claims.  Winnemucca is remembered as an activist for her people, through a lecture tour she gave along the east coast of the United States.  Sarah was passionate in her plead for political assistance from the powerful easterners, in hopes that the land that was taken from her tribe would be returned to them.  Her autobiography serves as the first glimpse into Native American culture and the struggles they faced upon being ordered to move to specific reservations.  

"Ah, then you rise from your bended knees and seizing the welcoming hands of those who are the owners of this land, which you are not, your carbines rise upon the bleak shore, and your so-called civilization sweeps inland from the ocean wave; but, oh, my God! leaving its pathway marked by crimson blood and strewed by the bones of two races, the inheritor and the invader; and I am crying out to you for justice..." (511)

Summary:
The final chapter of her autobiography entitled, "The Yakima Affair" serves as Sarah's ultimate indictment of the American government in regards to their Indian Removal Act.  The other chapters of the novel do not contain the same passion and fear that has been brought out of Sarah upon hearing that her people must leave their home.  Her fear of the white people has been building throughout her life, which turns into intense hatred in the in final chapter of her autobiography. This quotation appears to be at the height of Sarah's frustration and reveals her true anger towards how her people have been treated.  

Response:
In this emotional outburst, Sarah uses irony to reveal just who are the true "savages" and who is the true "civilization" in the context of the Indian Removal Act.  In the earlier chapters of her autobiography, Winnemecca describes the Paiute culture as civilized, orderly and moral, all traits that are admired by the European countries.  She paints an image of a thriving community who is in constant harmony with the land until the intrusion from white settlers.  Winnemecca also describes her people as loving, giving and optimistic when meeting their "white brothers", but becomes horrified by how the white people behave.  

Sarah's description of her people portrays them as civilized, while her interpretation of white people is very brutal, dishonest and savage.  This flipping of the roles, or labels shows just how self centered the white settlers were.  They felt America was theirs for the taking and anyone who happened to land in the way was worth eliminating.  Sarah uses the image of a giant wave to portray the white settlers.  Strong, devastating and completely emotionless in regards to the Indian way of life.  Winnemucca leaves her readers struggling with identifying the true savages in this context.  Those who existed or those who invaded? 

Thursday, January 15, 2009

W.E.B. Du Bois



Melanie Freeman
English 48B
January 15, 2009
W.E.B. Du Bois

W.E.B Du Bois is historically remembered as a radical, African American activist, a well educated scholar, writer and founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Du Bois is responsible for the creating the idea of "double consciousness" to explain the struggle the black race feels when attempting to partake in white society. In his book, Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois explains this idea and how it has shaped his identity.

"It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul by a tape of a world that looks on in with comtempt and pity." (896)

Summary:
W.E.B. Du Bois explains this concept of double-consciousness both as a gift and as a burden. To Du Bois, understanding how he is percieved by white society has allowed him to understand himself and the world he lives in better. He has developed this exaggerated level of insight as a byproduct of discrimmination and is thankful for it. He explains how he has used this double-consciouness as a tool to understand the American world almost as an observer rather than a participant. However, in developing this ability to see himself through the eyes of others he has become more aware of the injustice he exists in. Du Bois uses his deep insight to argue that blacks should not be black people living in America, but true Americans themselves.

Response:
Upon reading Du Bois' thoughts on the gift of double-consciousness, I clearly see similarities to Booker T. Washington's opinions reguarding how blacks benefitted from their struggles. In his book, Up From Slavery, Booker T. Washington states that it is "out of the hard and unusual struggle through which he is compelled to pass, he gets stregnth, a confidence, that one misses whose pathway is comparitively smooth by reason of birth and race" (679). Athough both writers claim different benefits are gained through struggle, they both agree that they would not have liked to have lived life without it. Both Washington and Du Bois directly contribute their reaction to opression to have given them the motivation and qualities that have brought them success.
The main difference between the ideas of these two scholars is the goals each wish to achieve by utilizing their gains. Du Bois wishes to advance the black race through equal rights, higher education for blacks and the notion that a black man will be percieved as a white man's equal. Alternatively, Washington wishes to advance the black race in a moderate manner, focusing on role of the black race in the economy. He doesn't strive for the same rights as Du Bois and content with the idea that change has to occur slowly.
Du Bois and Washington are often portrayed in constant oppostion; two polar sides of an issue who share no common ideals. However, this assumption is not completely true. One must not overlook the clear connection these men share. Both are active in the advancement of black race and neither look for pity for their situation. Both are proud to be who they are and are grateful for the years of struggling that created two passionate leaders.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Booker T. Washington


Melanie Freeman
English 48B
January 13, 2009
Booker T. Washington: Up From Slavery

Booker T. Washington will always be regarded as a leader of the African American race who used his talents in writing and public speaking to help incorporate blacks into a racist, white society in the most humble and peaceful manner as possible.  Although he has been criticized for being too submissive, one can not deny his remarkable influence in education and helping newly emancipated blacks in finding a way into American society.  Booker T. Washington's views may appear to be somewhat modest by today's standards, but one must remember the influence of the time period he was in.  The South during the post Civil War era was incredibly racist, plagued with minstral shows, lynchings and constant references to slavery being "the good ol' days".  In order for Booker T. Washington to be received at all by the white population, he could not present them with views that were too extreme.  In his most famous speech, the "Atlanta Compromise", Booker T. Washington uses a very significant metaphor to portrays his views.  

"To those of my race who depend on bettering their condition in a foreign land or who underestimate the importance of cultivating friendly relations with the Southern white man, who is their next door neighbor, I would say: 'Cast down your bucket where you are'" (681).

Response:
The meaning behind Washington's metaphor is for the African American race to realize that they must adjust to freedom slowly and take advantage of their skills and opportunities they are available to them now.  Instead of taking freedom to its extreme and expecting to hold the highest positions, the African Americans should utilize the knowledge they have in manual labor and start to work their way from the bottom up.  Washington uses his metaphor to encourage the African Americans to proceed with humility and modesty and to realize that they need to begin as members of the labor force. 
Although I think it may have crushed the dreams of a few newly freed slaves, overall Washington's speech was very uplifting and inspirational.  It drove many African Americans to find jobs and enter American society in the most effective way possible.  This speech was also extremely significant in the openness it created between the white and black races.  It was a compromise between what the whites at the time were willing to allow and what the blacks had been hoping to achieve.  
Booker T. Washington's role in the advancement of the African American race is undoubtedly clear.  By today's standards he may appear submissive but one has to acknowledge that for his time he made significant advancement in the motivation of the blacks and the open mindedness of the whites.  

 
 

Thursday, January 8, 2009

"The Yellow Wall-paper"



Melanie Freeman
English 48B
January 8, 2009
Journal #2 Charlotte Perkins Gilman

"The Yellow Wall-paper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a short story that describes the unraveling of a woman's mind due to being treated with the "rest cure".  "Hysteria" now more commonly viewed as anxiety or depression was a condition that was thought to be much more prominent in women.  This mental break down was severely mistreated and the "rest cure" often caused more harm then help.  "The Yellow Wall-paper" was based on Gilman's own personal experience with the "rest cure" and provides a strong argument against the treatment.  In "Why I Wrote 'The Yellow Wall-paper'?" Gilman answers that "it was not intended to drive people crazy, but to save people from being driven crazy...(820)."

"On a pattern like this, by daylight, there is a lack of sequence, a defiance of law, that is a constant irritant to a normal mind. (815)"

Summary:
This moment in the story occurs during the time when the speaker's condition truly starts to decline.  Her obsession with the wall-paper becomes more intense and her description of it begins to dominate her entire journal entries.  She has studied that pattern so thoroughly that images begin to emerge from the design that do not exist at all.  The separation between what is reality and what is fantasy begin to blur and the narrative of the story becomes more disjointed.  As the speaker's mind unravels so does the sequence of the text.  The wall-paper itself if described to be taking on human abilities and the speaker is no longer able to establish it as an inanimate object.  The speaker is no longer concerned with healing, her only concern from this moment on is to understand the wall-paper.  

Response:
I believe that this quotation is most significant due to the irony it presents.  The "lack of sequence" and "defiance of law" are becoming more and more characteristic of the speaker's sanity yet she admits that these things irritate her.  The pattern that fascinates and consumes her also completely aggravates her.  The combination of these contradicting emotions is clearly mentally damaging this woman.  The description of her "normal mind" also reveals that she is on the brink of insanity.  The ability to view oneself objectively is not easy and is clearly impossible for an insane person.  The speaker's detachment from reality and herself identity portrays just how damaged this woman has become from following the "rest cure".  
The irony of this statement is that her goal is to be cured and achieve a "normal mind" yet the method of obtaining it is what is causing her to go mad.  If a person is treated as unstable and confined due to their instability then the problem will only be perpetuated by their limiting surroundings.  Gilman's use of irony lays blame on the "rest cure" and indicts the doctor who stood do strongly behind it.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Online Journal #1



Melanie Freeman
English 48B
January 6, 2009
"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Bierce has been characterized as a cynic, a nihilist and an extreme critic regarding human nature.  Wickipedia states that his nickname is "Bitter Bierce" which is clearly fitting in response to his morbidly sarcastic "Devils Dictionary" and his most famous short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge".  In this short story, Bierce plays with the idea of death and pulls the reader into a moment that blurs the line between was is real and what it not.  Through his sarcastic tone and plot twisting ending, Bierce portrays his nihilistic view of human nature.  In describing the execution of Peyton Farquhar, Bierce implies that humans do not appreciate life until it is gone.  

"The sudden arrest of his motion, the abrasion of one of his hands on the gravel, restored him and he wept with delight.  He dug his fingers into the sand, threw it over himself in handfuls and audibly blessed it.  It looked like diamonds, rubies, emeralds; he could think of nothing beautiful which it did not resemble" (365).  

Summary: 
In this moment, Farquhar has managed to escape the incoming fire from the soldiers on the bridge and has been thrown ashore by the impact of the "grapeshot" (365) or small cannons being aimed at his position in the stream.  This is Farquhar's first interaction with land since his intended execution and is overwhelmed with the joy of being reconnected with life.  He lovingly covers himself with sand as if it were diamonds to portray his appreciation for his survival.  Peyton has realized how precious life is now the he has experienced what it is like to have lost it if only for an instant.  

Response: 
Bierce's intended significance of Farquhar covering himself with sand does not become clear until the story has been finished.  While the scene may appear to signify hope and a second chance at life, in reality this scene is bitter and sarcastic.  
Bierce illustrates a man who appears so grateful to have survived death when in reality his appreciation is in vain.  By comparing the gravel to precious stones, Farquhar creates a metaphor for the life he has lead up until now.  He realizes that each moment in life is significant and even the most ordinary objects have great, natural beauty.  His perceived brush with death has given him new knowledge and a new perspective on world in which he lives.  Bierce describes Farquhat with a new childlike innocence as he "wept with delight" to emphasize this rebirth.  This positive  image of youth is also used to show how one can become jaded with age.  Age and experience can be seen as a blindfold to what life truly has to offer. 
By revealing that in fact Farquhar's "escape" was a mere, last vision before death, Bierce implies how pointless life truly is.  If one cannot appreciate the true beauty of life until it is gone then why live at all?  This concise yet deeply rich story creates questions in the reader.  Are we truly unaware of the value of life? Is there meaning beyond what we are capable of perceiving while living?  Does death bring on a heightened awareness that reveals new insight? 
"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is an emotional journey for the reader.  Bierce takes us through several scenes in which we are disheartened, instilled with false hope and then finally somewhat embarrassed.  My thought when reading the final paragraph was "I should have known..."  Although I would like to think of my self as an optimist who does appreciate life, this story creates a solid argument for the contrary.