...Living Story of being an American My story is about growing up in Mexico as a young child and immigrating to the United States. Overcoming great odd and living the true American dream, despite many obstacles to become a productive citizen in the United States. Other immigrants share the same story that I have experience. I grew up in a small town called Ensenada, Baja California, is proximally eighty miles south of the San Diego California border. We were nine children, four boys and six girls. My father worked two jobs. He worked one job as a maintenance men for our local grocery store. He also worked as a security guard for a new car lot. My mother is an Indigenes. She is a full-blooded Indian from South America. She provided traditional...
Words: 916 - Pages: 4
...Ronald Takaki’s, A Different Mirror, sets off a voyage of retelling American history, however, the difference is that he includes the many minorities that took part of it. He does so by including pictures, songs, and firsthand account stories of people that lived in that era. Takaki talks about the great importance these races have in American history and how they, in fact, are part of it. He mentions that most Americans see America as a white country and view people who are not white through the “Master Narrative” filter. He defines the Master Narrative to be the teaching of American history from a white perspective, therefore enforcing the idea that Americans are only white people. Takaki challenges this idea by telling the history of a multicultural America in his book; he does so by telling a history that is inclusive of minorities, such as Mexican Americans. Therefore, teaching a more inclusive history vanishes the social distinction that separates white people and people of color. According to Takaki it is easy to misunderstand why many immigrants are not considered American; it is why he states that the master narrative is at fault. Many Americans see Mexican Americans as “aliens” and very foreign to this country. However, one...
Words: 597 - Pages: 3
...African American Women Under Slavery This paper discusses the experiences of African American Women under slavery during the Slave Trade, their exploitation, the secrecy, the variety of tasks and positions of slave women, slave and ex-slave narratives, and significant contributions to history. Also, this paper presents the hardships African American women faced and the challenges they overcame to become equal with men in today’s society. Slavery was a destructive experience for African Americans especially women. Black women suffered doubly during the slave era. Slave Trade For most women who endured it, the experience of the Slave Trade was one of being outnumbered by men. Roughly one African woman was carried across the Atlantic for every two men. The captains of slave ships were usually instructed to buy as high a proportion of men as they could, because men could be sold for more in the Americas. Women thus arrived in the American colonies as a minority. For some reason, women did not stay a minority. Slave records found that most plantations, even during the period of the slave trade, there were relatively equal numbers of men and women. Slaveholders showed little interest in women as mothers. Their willingness to pay more for men than women, despite the fact than children born to enslaved women would also be the slaveowners’ property and would thus increase their wealth. Women who did have children, therefore, always struggled with the impossible conflict...
Words: 2409 - Pages: 10
...Through narrative therapy a counselor can help clients gain access to preferred story lines about their lives and identities taking the place of previous negative and self-defeating narratives that destroy the self. Presented in this paper, is an overview of the Narrative therapy and the Social Construction Model and several facets of this approach including poststrucuralism, deconstructionism, self-narratives, cultural narratives, therapeutic conversations, ceremonies, letters and leagues. A personal integration of faith in this family counseling approach is presented and discussed also in this paper. NARUMI AMADOR’S FAMILY CONSELING APPROACH Introduction Narrative therapy is found under the Social Construction Model. Using the Narrative approach, the therapist will not be the central figure in the therapeutic process, instead he will be influential to the client, helping him/her internalize and create new stories within themselves to draw new and healthier assumptions about who they are. This process enables clients to distract from focusing on the negative narratives which defined their past, redefining their lives into future positive stories. Narrative therapists define the problem as the problem instead of defining the client as the problem. The therapy process begins redefining the problem, externalizing it and getting it out in the open. The narrative therapist uses the questioning technique and creates alternative narratives to connect...
Words: 3218 - Pages: 13
...April 2014 The Contribution of Slave Narratives to American Identity Literature as a whole has contributed to the totality that constitutes American identity. It is a powerful tool because of its ability to create conceptions that shape the thoughts and ideas of its readers. It gives glimpses into history by the experiences of its characters; the power of suggestion and information implants ideas into the minds of those who care to explore its pages. From the literature of Native Americans to that of modern day authors, each category has developed a different facet of the definition of an American, and each is needed in its own unique way. The same is true of the writings of those who were forced into slavery in America, who came against their will and suffered under horrific circumstances. Their stories expand the definition of an American into broader territories and reveal the difficult journey that many faced as they endeavored to find their place in a country that championed liberty yet enslaved them. Writers like Harriet Jacobs helped jump-start a new genre in American literature that came to be known as the North American slave narrative which greatly contributed to the defining of American identity. The North American slave narrative was unique in that its authors went to great lengths to present their own personal narrative of their experiences while remaining in the confines of the genre expectations. The goal of these narratives was of course to end slavery; ironically...
Words: 633 - Pages: 3
...Quiet by Susan Cain delves into the idea of introversion and the role of introverts in society. The most apparent divide between people psychologically is whether they are extroverts, which focus on the exterior world, or introverts, which focus on their inner worlds. Over the years, American society has begun to promote an Extrovert Ideal, valuing charisma over discipline. However, introverts are still important in all aspects of our world's function. False ideas of extrovert superiority are evident in many roles. Introverts can be just as successful as leaders, due to their attentiveness. Individual thinking promotes creativity, as groups can stifle ideas through peer pressure and distraction. To truly understand introverts, there have been studies on the origin of temperament, the most promising theory being that introverts are born highly reactive and greatly influenced by stimuli while extroverts were born the opposite. Being high-reactive means introverts respond more dramatically to physical sensations as well as emotions like embarrassment and guilt. On the other hand, extroverts' low-reactivity cause them to be reward...
Words: 2141 - Pages: 9
...a major topic of interest in recent studies. In the United States, statistics have proven that there have been increased incidences of patients who are diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and researchers have linked this disorder to the younger population as well as the rest of the world where people often go around undiagnosed. Objective: How can one understand Bipolar Mood more thoroughly and how can one have more insight of this disorder as it derives from different people in different social classes, different counties as well as different work environment. Methods of Study A research published in the Journal of Creativity in Mental Health entitled, “ The Use of Narrative Therapy with Clients diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder” elaborated on the importance of using narrative...
Words: 1244 - Pages: 5
...leader who faced many struggles of prejudices because she was a colored woman. Because she had lived a difficult life in the capital of the US, she decided it was time the world knew of her the many trajectories she continued to face along with many other African Americans. On October 10, 1906, Terrell gave a speech titled, “ What it Mean to be Colored in the Capitol of the U.S.,” to the members of the United Woman’s club in Washington, D.C. This speech was very influential and significant speech that served as a voice for other African Americans who had no voice. This speech also was a time for Terrell to explain the unnecessary hassles she and other blacks had to take on when trying to live as a citizen in the capital. Through this speech we can see an abundance of prejudice that taint the lives of African Americans in the U.S.. In the following paragraphs, I will establish the notability of this speech, analyze the historical context that sparked the discourse into existence and explore other rhetorical features that will establish my analysis’s significance. Mary Church Terrell embodies feminine style rhetoric in her argument to address the social, economic and political struggles placed against African Americans with the undertone of constitutive rhetoric, topical structure, pathos and logos to validate her point. History: Mary Church Terrell was born during the civil war on September 23,1863 to her former slave parents, who later her parents became wealthy...
Words: 2386 - Pages: 10
...involving being African American in a time where slaves did not have any rights, and when they were treated like property instead of a humans. Each of the slaves had different experiences with slavery, but one thing in common: share their accounts through autobiography on how slavery greatly changed their lives. The experiences, memories and treatment in any situation are viewed upon differently between a man and a woman. Obvious in the case of slavery, the two sexes were treated differently and so therefore their recollections of such events were-different Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs and the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, were both written during the same time period. Both authors go into many aspects regarding the cruelty of slavery, but they still had their differences. During each of the author’s childhood they explain how it was for them. When Harriet was growing up in her, she was shielded from slavery. Her Father was accomplished carpenter, whose wish was to someday buy his children. “I was so fondly shielded that I never dreamed I was a piece of merchandise…” On the other hand Fredrick childhood was the opposite. Fredrick was born to a slave mother and an undisclosed white man. He did not know his age growing up he had to make educational guesses. ”I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it.” Another way that Jacobs and Douglass narrative works were...
Words: 577 - Pages: 3
...I know Why the Caged Bird Sings is an autobiographical account of Maya Angelou that demonstrates how love for literature and having a strong character can play a significant role in overcoming racism and distress. In the course of the story, it is evident that Maya changes from being a casualty of racism to become a young woman with self-dignity and identity that helps her to overcome prejudice. The context of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings focuses on the problems associated with racism that was prevalent in the southern states. Racist oppression is a common theme in the book that is portrayed by all the major characters; in fact, all the other themes in the book are closely related to racism, identity and segregation. In addition, the style and genre, and the structure of this literary work make significant contributions towards its thematic development, which focus on resistance to racism, the significance of the family, self-identity and definition and independence. Walker (95) argues that I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings is characterized by thematic unity, which is achieved using the structure adopted in the text that takes more of a thematic form rather than a chronological form. In addition, Angelou managed to emphasize on the universal ideas in her literary work irrespective of its periodic quality. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou used the major characters of the book to facilitate its thematic development identity, racism and literacy throughout the text...
Words: 2539 - Pages: 11
...Post-9/11, around 2003 and 2004, the Iranian transgender community suddenly experienced a spike in Western press media coverage. The nature of such press often focused on the juxtaposition between Iran’s policies on Iranian trans individuals and their rampantly homophobic sodomy laws. Oftentimes the narrative presented on mainstream television is laced with shock in recognizing the Iranian government’s financial support of sex-reassignment surgery for trans individuals, a right given “after years of petitioning and repeated inquiries [from] Iranian trans woman and advocate, Ms. Maryam Khatoon Molkara.” What typically follows this recognition is some form of anti-Islamic rhetoric stemming from the possibility that gay and lesbian Iranians...
Words: 1572 - Pages: 7
...Maninder Singh Prof. Cushner AMS-1A S21 02/05/2015 Journey of Mrs. Rowlandson in captivity by Indians (1675) In the narrative “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson,” Mary Rowlandson discusses how her personal life was like in captivity in 1682. Rowlandson wrote this after the attack in Lancaster, Massachusetts when she was held prisoner by Native Americans during King Philip War for 11 weeks in early 1675. Her narrative consists of repeating words such as “food” and “remove” to indicate how it all lead to Rowlandson’s depression and anger. Throughout Rowlandson’s journey with Native Americans, she observes her understanding regarding God and the bible. She also connects her capture to religious purposes that...
Words: 489 - Pages: 2
...“Between the World and Me” is a book by Ta-Nehisi Coates about the history of Americans taking advantage of the fact that they have created a system of oppression and discrimination against black people. The narrative is expressed in the form of a letter addressed to his son, through a collection of stories and experiences, from the author’s perspective as someone who lives under the repressive system. Coates’ principal message to the audience is that despite the fact that American society is set up in opposition to the success of black people, black people must not stop struggling to continue to fight for equality. The first takeaway I got from this book is that it has a largely negative focus on the relationship between “Americans who believe that they are white,” and black people. From my personal perspective, while it is important to understand the negative, Coates failed to provide the audience with a balance. There are some positive instances in the relationship between white and black people, in...
Words: 537 - Pages: 3
...Whenever a discussion on identity is introduced, the most-cited poem in Korea is “The Flower” by Chunsu Kim. He sings of being himself as becoming a colorful and fragrant flower. To be the flower that will rightly represent his identity, he needs someone to call his name. In this poem, identity is not seen as something that is solid and concrete but as something that is situated and constructed by others, a glimpse of poststructuralist view on identity. Recently, language learning has been seen as participation and negotiation of self (see Higgins, forthcoming; Kinginger, 2004; Lam, 2000; Morita, 2004; Ohara, 2001; Pavlenko & Lantolf, 2000; and Solé, 2007 among others). The trend is resonated in the growing interest in language learner identity and the studies in narratives. In this paper, a case of heritage language learner will be investigated upon the theoretical frame of poststructuralism. Narrative inquiry will be used to analyze how she negotiates her learner identity. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: First, by looking at the struggle a language learner makes to acquire her heritage language, I reclaim the centrality of identity in defining heritage language learners. Second, to widen the horizons of narrative studies to the cyber space as it provides an ample source of easily accessible data and it has become one of the commonplace media of daily communication. Heritage Language Learners and Identity To refer to the Heritage Language Learners (HLLs), various...
Words: 4079 - Pages: 17
...weeks of intense but fun time learning about American Literature. There were some awesome topics, essays and readings that were my favorites. However, there were also some few topics that even though were interesting to read were my least favorite. The body of this essay is going to be talking about my three favorite as well as my three least topic, essays, forums and reading throughout the course. My first is Anti-Slavery and Slave Narratives in week seven forum, some of the challenges Linda Brent faced while she lived under Flint. While reading, “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” it actually made me feel very sad for this...
Words: 820 - Pages: 4
