...America’s Problems: Immigration and Education As a young college students, living in the United States of America, my country’s problems are really important to me. America is facing many issues nowadays, many of which we don’t think about right away. Immigration is one of the problems, both sides probably agree that how to deal with them is a major question in politics at the moment, although some see this as a bigger problem than others do. United States education is facing many issues also, one of which is decline in cultural literacy. United States of America are one of the most diversified countries in the world, this is caused by immigration. Immigration has been both a boon and a curse for the United States. The country has seen its rich culture and civilization being shaped out by talented, ambitious, and hard-working people from around the world, which great example are Bharati Mukherjee and her sister Mira. In Mukherjee’s essay “Two Ways to Belong in America”, she describes “I need to put roots down, to vote and make the difference that I can”. Bharati Mukherjee is one of many immigrants that canto this country to develop and to give it back to society. She also faced many struggles because she was an immigrant, like proposal in Congress to deny government benefits for non-citizens. Although she wrote her essay more than 15 years ago the problems are still the same. Legislation have problem with illegal immigrants and they are mixing them with those that are in this...
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...“ A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people”- Mahatma Gandhi. No matter where you are, you always should know where you came from. There were two stories that were read about cultural heritage. One was a short story titled “ Everyday Use” by Alice Walker that was about how there were two girls, sisters who wanted a quilt because it reflected on their heritage, but one wanted the quilt to symbolize as a trophy; while the other sister wanted the quilt just to use for everyday use. The second text that was read was a personal essay named “ Two Ways to Belong in America” by Bharati Mukherjee that was about two Indian girls who moved to America, and one became an American citizen, while the other was just a legal immigrant, so they both had different perspectives of America. Life experiences can easily change a person’s customs in life. Even though Dee and Mari embraced their heritage or assimilated to a new culture; they both still overall care for their culture....
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...CSM 104 Research Essay Why you should learn Spanish before you learn French? Speaking a new language helps you to get to know another people and culture, as language and culture go hand in hand. Because language simultaneously is defined by the world around us, learning another language opens one's mind to new ideas and new ways of looking at the world. While most of us can't hope to learn the languages of more than one or two cultures other than that of our own, those that we can learn help us to learn how other people learn and think. In North American, most people choose French and Spanish as their second or third language. Many people believe that Spanish is actually more useful than French, and obviously the foreign language most spoken and studied--by far--in the North America is Spanish. Compare with French, Spanish can offer a wealth of literature of Latin language, both modern and traditional. For example, when you are reading a Latin American websites, you may find that you could gain a sense of how other people think and fee if you know Spanish. As a matter of fact, both of the languages belong to the Latin group of languages. Hence, they show some similarities too. On the one hand, French is spoken by the country of France in the continent of Europe. On the other hand, Spanish is spoken in the country of Spain in the continent of Europe. However, French and Spanish are two languages that show enormous differences between them when it comes to the pronunciation...
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...Bharati Mukherjee’s essay “Two Ways to Belong in America” is a short essay about two sisters. Both of the sisters have been in America for somewhere around thirty-five years. They have each found their own niche in life, but continue to keep in touch with each other over the course of the 35 years. One sister Mira, came to America in 1960 to study child psychology and pre-school education. Mira would in 1962 marry an Indian student from another university. Mira goes on to be a legal immigrant for thirty-six years, but still manages to cling to her Indian citizenship. She wants to return back to India after she retires someday. The other, Bharati, came to America in 1961 to study creative writing. Bharati would later end up marrying a man...
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...In the essay, “The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria”, Cofer describes what it is like to grow up in America being a Puerto Rican girl. She explains how the people at her school who judge her and other Puerto Rican girls by the way she dressed. Students would notice that they would dress mature and cover themselves with jewellery for even simply events. Men would flirt with her because of her “exotic” background. She and other Hispanics are portrayed negatively by society, however if people would learn to understand their culture it will better our relationship. In the essay, “Two Ways to Belong in America”, Mukherjee compares her American experience to her twin sister. She explains how she became involved with the United States and accepted the culture; while her sister, Mira, refused to give up her Indian citizenship. Even though Mira spent many years as an educator at the United States and made...
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...underlie much of the thinking about language, communication, and culture that gets done in academy (507). - Mary Louise Pratt Arts of the Contact Zone In her lecture turned essay, Arts of the Contact Zone, Mary Louise Pratt introduces many new terms to her readers, including contact zone and community. The term imagined community can also be applied to her essay, and many communities in general. On one hand, it is true that these former two terms can be considered complete opposites. Pratt herself states that “the idea of the contact zone is intended in part to contrast with ideas of community” (507). They are, nonetheless, also indubitably related. Insiders, for example, often times view their group as a community, homogenous in its views and goals. Conversely, many outsiders may view the group as a heterogeneous contact zone. This discussion also leads to a truly intriguing question: Can you, simultaneously, consider a group you belong to as both a community and a contact zone? Although there are surely many examples of groups that could be described as communities and/or contact zones, one very relatable instance to me, along with many others, is the high school experience as a whole. My father, who recently retired, was active duty in the United States Air Force for twenty-two years, including nearly my entire childhood. Due to this fact, my family and I moved around quite frequently both around the country, and around the world. Throughout his many assignments...
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...days many people want to feel like they belong to a community but many are pressured to accept their roles in society. The informative and narrative essay “Can You Tell the Truth in a Small Town” by Kathleen Norris focuses on a small town community in the Dakotas in order to explain a bigger picture on how American society does not want to highlight failures and mistakes from the past. Norris conveys many individuals apart of this community have been trying to remember things the way they want to than how things actually are in reality, and therefore the community masks the truth and hides their history. On the other side of the spectrum, the informative and revealing essay “A Secret Society of the Starving” by Mim Udovitch validates the way individuals, especially young girls, engage themselves in dangerous activities and behaviors because of the familiar environment they have with others who can relate to them. Specifically in Udovitch’s essay, she targets a population of young girls who have an eating disorder and seek an emotional understanding within others on websites that promote an eating disorder community by sharing their experiences. Norris and Udovitch present different issues regarding communities in their essays, but they both explain that acceptance in American society affects how people cope with their problems, how they tell the truth, and what crucial details of their stories they leave out for others to hear. In both essays, females are pushed to follow their...
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...Cultural Differences: A Lesson in Tolerance Approximately Two - Three Weeks of Instruction Stage 1 – Desired Results Quarter 4 Rhetorical Approach Standards – Grade 7: V1.1 (identify figurative language), RC 2.4 (compare original text to summary), RC 2.6 (relate author’s evidence to claim), LRA 3.5 (identify recurring themes), WA 2.2 (response to literature) Big Ideas & Understanding(s): Essential Question(s): We are authors of own identity. 1. How would I describe the people in my community? Students will understand that… Stereotypes change over time; individuals must resist stereotyping. Individuals should consider themselves members of fluid or changeable groups. An extended metaphor can be a powerful way to structure an argument. 2. What are some different ways that I define my own identity? 3. How can a metaphor be extended to tell an entire narrative? 4. How can cultural differences within the United States strengthen us as a country? Student will know… Students will be able to… Comparisons (extended metaphors) are powerful ways to structure an argument 1.Trace the author’s argument in an article How different figures of speech can function in an argument or narrative: alliteration, onomatopoeia, simile, metaphor, personification, and imagery Background information on Ellis Island, and/or immigration, depending on visual texts chosen How to write a different type of Response to Literature…one modeled after the...
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...Double Faces A compare/Contrast Essay Ayman Mohammad Writing Studies 101 Ms. Sana Sayed March 12 2014 Double Faces “There is a deep inside each one of us, one ‘belonging’ that matters, our profound truth, in a way, our essence’ (Amin Maalouf, 2012, p. 66). These were some few words explaining what every ones true identities are and how Maalouf strongly believes that each and every one of us must scout deep down inside of ourselves to seek for our true uniqueness and for our pure individualities. This is not an easy task for anyone. Firoozeh Dumas, another author had to face the consequences of her actions when she impersonated dual identities. Although Amin Maalouf and Firoozeh Dumas are similar in having dual identities, they differ becuase Firoozeh moved to America while Amin flew off to France, and because Firoozeh changed her name while Amin kept his. Amin and Firoozeh had to impersonate dual identities in order to fit into their new society. Dumas had to embody another identity for her to be able to meet the requirements of the American society. Trouble was around the corner waiting for her to show up and neither she, nor her family expected that they would ever face problems concerning their names, raise, and origin. For instance, Dumas had to deal with the consisting mockery regarding her awkward name, as the kids in her fifth grade used to call her “Ferocious” instead of Firoozeh. Furthermore, Dumas’s brothers Farshid and...
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...and manhood. Life, for a man, is like the woods.... [tags: Ah Wilderness Essays] | 1052 words (3 pages) | $24.95 | [preview] | Civilize The Wilderness - Civilize the Wilderness Wilderness, why civilize it. This is an interesting question, and one that is hard to answer. Why not just leave the wilderness alone, and let it grow and decide it's own beginnings and ends. Does civilizing the wilderness make it better or worse. In what ways is it better or worse if we leave it alone or it we civilize it. These are all excellent questions and are all worthwhile to think about. Western culture has tried to civilize the wilderness for quite sometime now, but is it really something we should be doing.... [tags: essays research papers] | 514 words (1.5 pages) | FREE Essays | [view] | Wilderness Empire - In Wilderness Empire, Allen W. Eckert has given a sweeping and thorough look into the lives of key decision makers and the pivotal events leading up to and including the French and Indian War. Through Eckert’s educated insight, the reader is able to enjoy a look into a distant way of life made edifying through his portrayal of historical figures. Following the lives of William Johnson and his friend Tiyanoga, a powerful leader of The Six Nations, the reader is able to better understand a way of life that has long since been eradicated.... [tags: essays research papers] | 904 words (2.6 pages) | FREE Essays | [view] | The Alaskan wilderness - ... According to the Alaska Department...
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...In her essay, “The Plastic Flamingo: A Natural History,” Jennifer Price asserts that the United States culture is driven by the materialistic wants of society and the aspirations of the bourgeois family to surpass others, she uses Americans and their obsession over the pink flamingo to support her argument. Price uses diction, irony, and symbolism to additionally express her views of the culture of the United States. The generation that had been raised in the depression began to focus their attention on how to accumulate prosperity, and they began to find new and flashy ways to show off their wealth and success. Thus, creating their mania for the pink flamingos and other materialistic possessions. Her use of a sarcastic and sardonic tone...
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...for writing about race and the black experience in America. 2. The fire next time was published in 1963 which was right in the middle of the civil rights movements. The way he writes this book relates to how black people were still truly suffering from oppression and were finally striving for true freedom....
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...“Ritual and Rationalization: Black Folklore in the Works of Ralph Ellison.” Modern Language Association of America (PMLA) 94.1 (1979): 121-136. Print. Summary: One of the main themes in the work of Ralph Ellison is the search for cultural identity. Ellison bridges the gap between the uniqueness and the universality of black experience by his use of black folklore. Blake reviews his work and discovers that it is packed full of folktales and tellers, trinkets, toasts, songs, sermons, jazz, jive, and jokes. She delves into Invisible Man explicitly, but also analyses his most important short stories. Additionally, Blake evaluates other critics’ comments on his dependency on Western mythology, as well as explains Ellison’s final result of rationalization in tackling racial issues by his use of rituals in his writing. Relevance: This article is important when researching the symbolism in Ellison’s work. Especially Blake’s extensive reading and explanation of the presence of rituals in his novel are significant (p. 134) and could be useful when researching ritual as a recurring theme in (black) literature. Booth, W. J. “The Color of Memory: Reading Race with Ralph Ellison.” Political Theory 36.5 (2008): 683-707. Print. Summary: In this article, Booth investigates which multiple aspects enumerate to one ‘cultural identity’. Color, memory, and identity together belong to the struggle over racial justice in the U.S., a battle in part to recognize the past, of which color is...
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...Two Ways to Belong in America - The textwas written in New York Times, so this information is reliable, serious and reslistic. - The author of the txt is Bharati MUKHERJEE. She was born on july 27, 1940 is an Indian- born American writer who is currently a professor in department of english at the university of California. Her Ph.D in 1969 from the department of Comperative literatüre. She wrote numerous fiction and non- fiction. She considers herself as an American writer. She was born into a wealthy family which assisted her in dream of becoming a writer. She lived in India, Europe, USA, Canada. Migrating to these countries that are so different from her place of birth enabled her to write very powerful novels on immigrant experience. She lived many part of the World, sos he knows affects of living as a immigrant. - The title suggests about the text is that there is two ways to be an American citizenship. - The intended audience is immigrants who has similiar issues. - The thesis statement is that this is a tale of two sisters from calculate,Mira and Bharati, who have lived in the USA for some 35 years, but who find themselves on different sides in the current debate over the status of immigrants. - The author begins the essay by giving some informations about herself and her sister. The argument is examined by the author how they feel about being immigrants. - Key idea: I am her only blood relative on this continent. The price that the immigrant willingly pays, and that...
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...the essay "It’s Hard Enough Being Me," Anna Lisa Raya relates her experiences as a multicultural American at Columbia University in New York and the confusion she felt about her identity. She grew up in L.A. and mostly identified with her Mexican background, but occasionally with her Puerto Rican background as well. Upon arriving to New York however, she discovered that to everyone else, she was considered "Latina." She points out that a typical "Latina" must salsa dance, know Mexican history, and most importantly, speak Spanish. Raya argues that she doesn’t know any of these things, so how could this label apply to her? She’s caught between being a "sell-out" to her heritage, and at the same time a "spic" to Americans. She adds that trying to cope with college life and the confusion of searching for an identity is a burden. Anna Raya closes her essay by presenting a piece of advice she was given on how to deal with her identity. She was told that she should try to satisfy herself and not worry about other people’s opinions. Anna Lisa Raya’s essay is an informative account of life for a multicultural American as well as an important insight into how people of multicultural backgrounds handle the labels that are placed upon them, and the confusion it leads to in the attempt to find an identity. Searching for an identity in a society that seeks to place a label on each individual is a difficult task, especially for people of multicultural ancestry. Raya’s essay is an...
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