Tan Jiayi (20) 414: ASSIGNMENT 1 (30m)
Discuss how effective the two poems are in showing a sense of cultural understanding and/or assimilation.
Both poems show the unfamiliarity and uneasiness of the persona in their new and different cultural environments, but ‘Returning’ by Wender deals more with cultural understanding in a short period of time while 'Assimilation' by Gloria is more focused on assimilation with permanence shown through imagery and language.
For 'Returning', the persona finds herself in the unfamiliar environment of Sri Lanka, the place where her husband grew up in, when she visited Sri Lanka with her husband. The persona's unease and discomfort is shown when she has to don the traditional cultural clothes of her husband's Sri Lankan culture. It is seen from 'a sari halves my stride, I'm hobbled', where the awkward way she walks when she has to wear her sari reveals how she is not used to wearing one so her movement is impeded by this unfamiliar piece of clothing she does not usually wear.
Similarly in 'Assimilation' by Gloria, the Filipino boy felt uneasy and nervous on his first day of school, and was so ashamed by his food for lunch that he hid it from everyone and threw his food away, as shown in 'Ashamed to be more different than what my face had already betrayed, the rice, I hid it from my schoolmates.', even though he was hungry. If he was familiar with the cultural environment, he would have been able to eat his food comfortably without fear of being judged by his schoolmates. From then on he was scared to eat whatever he had always eaten at lunch before and chose to follow what his fellow school mates ate so as to bridge the cultural gap between his American school mates and him, so he could belon...
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...ht across, there is no powerful and clear imagery to cement the sense of cultural assimilation as well so I am not able to feel the poem clearly enough, and thus 'Returning' is less impactful for me as a reader.
Furthermore, what I found interesting was the specific highlight of the color red in 'Assimilation'. For example, the benches that the white kids lined on in the playground were painted red, and so were the food in the boy's lunch, such as 'sliced red peppers, and a redder sauce with beef'. These things being of the same color seems to symbolize the Filipino boy's desires to assimilate from his own Filipino culture and fit in with his American schoolmates, since they have the same color (red), meaning that they would also be of the same culture once the Filipino boy is able to assimilate, thus the Filipino boy would be able to feel a sense of belonging.
Both poems are set in the past, and both fathers are manual labourers, which the poets admired as a child. Both poems indicate intense change in their fathers lives, that affected the poet in a drastic way. Role reversal between father and son is evident, and a change of emotion is present. These are some of the re-occurring themes in both poems. Both poems in effect deal with the loss of a loved one; whether it be physically or mentally.
Both authors use figurative language to help develop sensory details. In the poem It states, “And I sunned it with my smiles, And with soft deceitful wiles.” As the author explains how the character is feeling, the reader can create a specific image in there head based on the details that is given throughout the poem. Specifically this piece of evidence shows the narrator growing more angry and having more rage. In the short story ” it states, “We are below the river's bed. The drops of moisture trickle among bones.” From this piece of text evidence the reader can sense the cold dark emotion that is trying to be formed. Also this excerpt shows the conflict that is about to become and the revenge that is about to take place. By the story and the poem using sensory details, they both share many comparisons.
This poem captures the immigrant experience between the two worlds, leaving the homeland and towards the new world. The poet has deliberately structured the poem in five sections each with a number of stanzas to divide the different stages of the physical voyage. Section one describes the refugees, two briefly deals with their reason for the exodus, three emphasises their former oppression, fourth section is about the healing effect of the voyage and the concluding section deals with the awakening of hope. This restructuring allows the poet to focus on the emotional and physical impact of the journey.
The poem is a combination of beauty and poignancy. It is a discovery in a trajectory path of rise and fall of human values and modernity. She is a sole traveler, a traveler apart in a literary romp afresh, tracing the thinning line of time and action.
Although this section is the easiest to read, it sets up the action and requires the most "reading between the lines" to follow along with the quick and meaningful happenings. Millay begins her poem by describing, in first person, the limitations of her world as a child. She links herself to these nature images and wonders about what the world is like beyond the islands and mountains. The initial language and writing style hint at a child-like theme used in this section. This device invites the reader to sit back and enjoy the poem without the pressure to understand complex words and structure.
...he principal moral of this culture, because they choose to achieve success and they are interested only in the result. Second, the real understanding of “cultural assimilation” is What Rodriguez true believes about the effort and the sacrifice that the minority try to do and lead to be blended or be assimilated into the surrounding culture. There is no doubt that when you adopt a culture as part of our own we become a part of it. Add to the previous line, people need to start understanding that being assimilated should have the dignity and forget about inequality and differences between people, which include skin color, religion, race, and nationality. For this reason, , we have to be aware in teaching our children the value of our culture and the equality between people. In addition, now more than before, I am fearless to say where I am from or what my religion is.
... overall themes, and the use of flashbacks. Both of the boys in these two poems reminisce on a past experience that they remember with their fathers. With both poems possessing strong sentimental tones, readers are shown how much of an impact a father can have on a child’s life. Clearly the two main characters experience very different past relationships with their fathers, but in the end they both come to realize the importance of having a father figure in their lives and how their experiences have impacted their futures.
Finding your overall identity in this hectic world is challenging, but even more so when you are still unsure of your racial identity as well. Discovering who you are in respect to your race, while taking on an antiracist worldview, is the ultimate goal.
Immigrants leave their countries in search for a better life and improvement of their situation. There is no singular reason for immigration; motivations range from better economic prospects to political safety. As of late, the number of immigrants living in the United States is an estimated 11 million. Those who immigrate are expected to contribute to the United States culturally, politically, and economically. Yet, full assimilation becomes difficult to achieve when the immigrant is made into “the other” by the country of reception.
Many people in America want to assimilate to the U.S. because they think that being American is a better option. People such as the Italians in the 1870s tried to assimilate in order to become an American to not become an enemy in the U.S. Also, the Mexicans today are constantly coming to the U.S. to have a better life because they know being American is the best solution for their problems at home. What assimilation mean is when a person leaves one’s own culture to join a different culture the person wants to be. For the purpose of this essay, an American is a person who has commitment to succeed in what one wants, able to speak english, to love the pop culture in the U.S. at the time one is living such as the hit songs, games, T.V. shows, etc. but not to other cultures, and be a citizen in America. People throughout history must assimilate to become a true American
Acculturation and assimilation are treated as complex, multifaceted phenomena. The acceptance of new cultural traits or social associations and retention of traditional cultural traits and social associations are viewe...
Both poems inspire their reader to look at their own life. In addition, they treat the reader to a full serving of historic literature that not only entertains, but also teaches valuable lesson in the form of morals and principles.
Multiculturalism vs Assimilation America is a place where many cultures and races co-exist, so there are many different opinions and beliefs. Of course there is bound to be tension and misunderstandings, which unfortunately escalates (in some cases) into violence that we hear about in the media. So what is the solution? Should we all assimilate to one standard or should we recognize our individual cultures and consider ourselves multicultural? The answer is not an easy one to define.
Teske, Raymond H.C., Jr., and Bardin H. Nelson. Acculturation and Assimilation: A Clarification 1.2 (1974): 351-67. Jstor.org. Jstor.org/journals, Feb. 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
This lack of action continuously emphasizes the lack of empathy and care of the narrators and highlights to the reader the importance of acting differently from them. Through both of these poems the reader is shown that everyone faces struggles and how important it is to help others in their times of need because they too will face them at some