Barbara Kingsolver: Immigrants To America
In 1924 US congress passed the Johnson-Reed act. This act reduced the amount of immigrants coming to the US from any other country to a mere 2%. Many thought this act was unjust and consequently, “un-american”. One man, Robert H. Clancy, a Republican congressman from Detroit, stood up for those being oppressed by this act. Mr. Clancy states his points in the 1924 speech “An “Un-American Bill” through the use of diction, a myriad of anecdotes, and a motley of pathos.
Anna Maria Klinger arrived to America in the 1800’s from Germany. On her vogue to America Anna Maria would have safe travels across the sea and find companionship among a couple women. Anna Maria found the women to be annoying at times due to their “loose behavior”. Arriving to America Germans are accepted and given work. Anna Maria would be employed as a servant for a German family.
Have you ever wondered what all immigrants have in common? In the Bean Trees by Barbra Kingsolver it tells about some immigrants from Guatemala. The immigrant experience is classified by not giving up, escaping a past worse life, and making sacrifices. In the bean trees it follows Esparanza, and Estevan two immigrants from Guatemala.
Another example of how immigrants are mistreated is usually when they come to America. Although America is usually advertised as a “safe heaven” or “land of opportunity”, it could also be a very cruel and difficult place for foreigners to try and fit in. There was a part in the infamous book Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck where Crooks was not allowed to play cards or even sit at the same table as the other men because he was black (not originally from America). This example depicts how poorly immigrants can be treated in a so-called “land of opportunity”. The novel The Bean Trees written by Barbara Kingsolver contains yet another great example.
Barbara Kingsolver is a world renowned American novelist, poet, and essayist. She has written many literary works including, but not limited to, controversial subjects such as politics, nature, and social issues. Kingsolver’s many unique experiences in life have made her the author she is today and ultimately inspired her to write The Poisonwood Bible; one of the most complex and controversial novel out of all of her works. Kingsolver was born in Annapolis, Maryland on April 8, 1955. Shortly after her birth, Kingsolver’s family moved to an alfalfa farm in Carlisle, Kentucky, where she spent the majority of her early youth.
In Chapter Three of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck explores the migrant workers’ journey, revealing that although foes and adversaries rail into them, both those with purpose to injure and those blind to their presence, shattering and flinging them off course, abrupt changes in their course cause no true harm; migrant workers come face to face with success at the close of their journey and ultimately they plant a seed, an idea, a revolution that will blossom along their voyage. Steinbeck establishes a metaphorical journey in Chapter Three, shaping the migrants as turtles, to hail them as the jewels of American society, and to reveal their true characteristics, which are usually muddled with dirty connotations and stereotypes.
Firoozeh writes about her life as an Iranian immigrant to America. Her family is treated with kindness by neighbors when they come to live in America and get lost on their way home from school: “…the woman and her daughter walked us all the way to our front porch and even helped my mother unlock the unfamiliar door,” (Dumas, 7). Firoozeh and her mother are not discriminated against because they are immigrants who don’t speak English, the Americans help them despite their differences. Had the neighbors not been helpful and patient, Firoozeh’s journey home would have been somewhat traumatic and daunting. While this a rather specific isolated example, it can serve as an analogy for all immigrants’ experience.
The United States experienced an influx of immigrants between the 1890’s to the 1920’s. Immigrants entered the United States from Eastern Europe and Southern Europe. From these demographic shifts we can also see that there were changed in the United States attitudes towards recent immigrants. These attitudes are grounded in racialized notions of foreign peoples and African Americans. Nativist notions are set in ideas of whiteness and different factors make Eastern Europe and Southern Europe immigrants not quite white.
Immigration is deeply rooted in the American culture, yet it is still an issue that has the country divided. Marcelo and Carola Suarez-Orozco, in their essay, “How Immigrants Became ‘Other’” explore the topic of immigration. They argue that Americans view many immigrants as criminals entering America with the hopes of stealing jobs and taking over, but that this viewpoint is not true. They claim that immigrants give up a lot to even have a chance to come into America and will take whatever they can get when they come. The Suarez-Orozco’s support their argument using authority figures to gain credibility as well as exemplification through immigrant stories.
Jason J. Park Mr. Zak Zerby English 319 12 March 2023 The Plight of Immigrant Workers The plight of immigrants in the United States accumulates to decades of struggle and oppression; racism and unfair practices have degraded the quality of immigrant lives throughout US history. In the public sphere, these immigrants are most impacted by the workplace, since the majority of immigrants come to the United States to find jobs. Known for his meticulous research, Upton Sinclair was widely praised for his work that exposed social injustice.
Americans had rarely accepted outsiders as equals, and that was the case with immigrants coming to the U.S in the 1840s to the 1920s. A time in America where immigrants were not considered inferior to native white Americans did not exist. The hatred of anything non-American, especially with the coming of World War I in 1914, would only cause more Americans to despise immigrants. Part of this was rooted simply in racism, which existed towards groups other than African Americans, but much of it was simply that Americans considered themselves the chosen people while everyone else was below them. Thus, despite immigrants being accepted into America, those immigrants were still treated far worse than white citizens between the 1840s and 1920s, for the prejudice against them was obvious even in the laws created.
Immediately following the end of World War I and the United States’ “return to normalcy” under President Warren G. Harding, the 1920s marked the beginning of an exciting new era in American history. Rapid economic growth fueled by easy credit and a booming stock market brought prosperity and leisure to large swaths of the citizenry. Sales of consumer goods such as automobiles, telephones, and radios spiked as the average household suddenly possessed both the disposable income and spare time in which to broaden their intellectual, political, and cultural horizons. However, these expansions of liberty were not uniform for historically minority and marginalized groups. Women, African Americans, and immigrants all achieved various degrees of success
Numerous stories are heart retching and devastating. Trying to imagine being in the shoes of those immigrants is almost impossible, as I have been blessed with a wonderful problem-free life. Unfortunately, I am unable to even relate to any of the several issues immigrants encountered daily, as I have never experienced anything they have suffered through. Although, I personally cannot attest to such horrible experiences, I can promote acceptance and equality among immigrants in America. Similarly, a quote by Carlos Ramirez suggests the same.
During the 1920’s the feeling towards immigration and immigrants changed in the United States. Immigration became restricted, with lots of rules for immigrants to follow. Perhaps one of the biggest changes was that borders were shut down to mass migration in the 1920’s. Americans were concerned about immigrants taking their jobs for less pay. There was an overwhelming feeling of Nativism, opposing immigration in favor of natives to the country, across the land.
Of Mice and Men was written by John Steinbeck. It depicts the reality of the American society in the 1930s during the Great Depression. To begin with, we should recognise that the Great Depression is the worst economic recession of all times in modern human history. Therefore, it is sensible to imagine the impoverished lives of the Americans after enjoying such a long period of prosperity and harmony in the 1920s. Minor characters should be defined as characters such as but not limited to Slim, Crooks, Carlson and Curley’s wife.
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