Kayleigh Koskan This was a very well written story. The author had a lot of detail and explained it enough into a short story that you could still imagine what she was talking about. I really liked that within the first paragraph she had already pulled you into the story. I really enjoyed the timeline of the story. Anzia went from living in a poor town in Russia to thinking she was moving to this great, free country and then realizing it was not so great after all but gave it time and never gave up hope that one day it would be as beautiful as she had imagined. I found it very interesting, the views that the Czar held in the Russian town. The people were not allowed to hold Hebrew school in the same rooms used for cooking or sleeping. The fact that only one person in the entire town knew how to read because getting an education in such a poor area was basically impossible was also weird to me because now-a-days almost everyone has some type of education. These people all believed that America was this big melting pot where everyone got along because they did not view you on your religious views but rather that you were all American. They believed that it was a place of freedom and peace where one can live without fear. Though it is sad to think at one point America was as awful as Anzia made it out to be, having children working in sweat shops and making very low pay, she gave us all a good perspective on that time. In the story she said “Must my youth too die – unlived?” That was a dramatic point I think. This little girl spends years slaving away in a sweat shop under conditions that remind her of being back in Russia. She has not done anything in America that her family set out to obtain in the first place. The whole time this young girl is trying to make sense of her life, of what her purpose is and in the one place in this world that is supposed to help her do just that, the one place that ensures it is the “Land of the Free. Home of the Brave” she is told “I think you will have to go elsewhere if you want to set the world on fire.” The hardships faced, the belongings lost, all to find a better life in America seemed to become a lost cause; a failed attempt. Her story ended on a bright note though. She was able to change my mood about her situation multiple times throughout the story and that’s why it was easy and interesting to read.
Stephanie Smith What Kayleigh has said is what stuck out to me the most. The author really put voice in this story and that is what made it so interesting to read. For each paragraph I read and each quote it was in a certain voice that you could just feel a handful of emotions coming at you. The first sentence of the story "Every breath I drew was a breath of fear..." had me hooked instantly. It was a good starter and really got me into the story. To me, it was insane how things have changed to this day. Today, school is such an important factor to become successful and live the "American Dream" going to school is a must. Seeing that back then there was only one person who was educated enough to read and write was astonishing.And to think that you were not aloud to teach children hebrew in the same rooms where people eat or sleep is troubling. There were not big luxury rooms like there are today so having a place were you were aloud to teach seems impossible. Coming to America was the girls hope in become successful and free, and once she got the chance it really hit the readers when life was not easy in america like she had hoped. Doing dirty work and getting low pay and being treated unfairly would have crushed anyones hope, but she kept that hope and later lived a good life. The story was overall were intriguing and I enjoyed it a lot!
Ginny Renas I wanted to address a point in your post that stood out most in comparison with my experience of this reading. “Anzia went from living in a poor town in Russia to thinking she was moving to this great, free country and then realizing it was not so great after all but gave it time and never gave up hope that one day it would be as beautiful as she had imagined.” The main reason, and there are many, that I was so invested in the text was simply her drive to hope. Her hope was directly tied to her passion of learning. In multiple instances, when she ran into trouble, the text read with a hint of sarcasm. When she realizes America isn’t the heavenly land she had anticipated she thinks, “I had only one wish left-to die.” This was crucial in my personal evaluation of her character because instead of exposing a self-pitying persona the language in the text suggested her troubles would be able to be overcome. The protagonists’ personal qualities are what make her so loveable. She is hopeful, self-driven, determined, and honest; the list goes on and on. The more I read the more I questioned if a ten-year-old girl could actually be this complex. I guess that is what makes it so remarkable, yet questionable at the same time.
Vanessa Previl I also do agree that this short story was an easy and interesting read. I loved how she told her experience in such a simple way but was still able to capture my attention leaving me to want to know more. What had me the most was her fight and will not to stop searching for the America she dreamed and long for after discovering the truth of how ”great” America is. It probably did take get a few years but at the end she discovered herself and she didn't let no one bring her down. Like it is said, nothing you truly want will be handed to you on a silver plate but you have to go out far or near, up and down to search and reach your goal. At the end, if you have not giving up, you'll find your reward. This is what I saw in her and I appreciate her for that. This here can teach others to never give up. Even working long hours with low wages, seeing that the letter they read was not as glamorous as it said America was, and being treated badly she stood in there. Over all this story was great.
I did a little background research and found out that Yezierska changed her name upon coming to America to Hattie Mayer, a far more Americanized and secular name (although she later in life changed it back, which also says something interesting). The name change suggests, as much as her decision to write in English instead of her native Yiddish, suggests a radical rejection of the old world culture. I see the same issue at work in the struggles of our young narrator. She radically rejects the old world in favor of education, particularly literary or poetic education. “I need school more than a starving man needs bread," the narrator says (29). This already sets her apart from vast scores of immigrant. This is NOT the typical attitude of an immigrant at the time. This makes her a rebel. A bold one at that. She is not only willing to stand up to her boss at the garment factory, but she also defies the immigrant expectations when she says resolutely, “I didn't come to America to turn into a machine” (23).
It is very radical and inspiring I think--even moving--the way she wants to speak her heart and not reflexively submit to the patriarchal norms established in the old country and brought over to America. While America represents a chance to earn four rubles a day for Gedalyeh Mindel, our narrator is not satisfied with that. America permits you to use your brain instead of your hands, she would say. That is what makes it special. Not the chance to make money. The Old World holds little value for her and she rejects it along with the dehumanizing factory life and American materialism. So I’m thinking that her break is both familial and personal. The mother, on the other hand, is wed to the past and religious custom, as we see captured marvelously in the scene where she is lights the Sabbath candles right out on the street after being evicted. So I’d argue that we are in the presence of a real rebel here, one who breaks out of the old frozen culture. In fact, when her father is reading to the family from the Book of Isaiah, she is standing off alone by the window keeping watch.
But my reading is also complicated by a number of factors. For one, the author’s native Yiddish tongue is blended with American English to create this sort of hybridic language, much like Jewish-American literature is a hybridic literature. Not exclusively Jewish or American. I’ll end with this quote from the story, which really encapsulates her inner conflict: “A thousand voices within me and about me answered: ‘My faith is dead, but in my blood their faith still clamors and aches for fulfillment’” (26). So, in this passage does the narrator mean her faith in America is dead or her faith in Judaism as a religion? And how does the blood of their (her ancestors) still clamor in her blood? What are your thoughts? Does the narrator make a clean break from the old frozen culture. Yes? No? What’s holding her back? How does she try to construct an identity in the New World.
Aside: Okay, so that is an example of how you can tackle these journals. I could have written about a dozen different posts about this story. There’s a lot to talk about. Be specific, ask relevant questions, interrogate, make connections, etc. But write in your own voice and have some fun with it. It’s okay if you are wrestling with your thoughts in these posts or even contradicting yourself. Just start engaging with the story. --Spencer
In response to the question pertaining to her loss in faith of America or her faith in Judaism, I believe honestly that she loses her faith in both. I think that in Russia her faith in the glorious prospects of what America could be take president over the old world Jewish practices of her parents. Her parents see it as a place to worship freely, but on the other hand our narrator sees it as a place to learn and learn and learn some more. Then when she finally makes it to America or the "Golden Country" and she comes to realize it is not a place for immigrants to express themselves, but rather a place to become a cog in the working machine, she cannot help but to become a broken human being. As she is fired from the factory and looking at her co-workers she cannot help but think “Had their faith in America wholly died in them? Could my faith be killed as theirs had been?” (27). If her faith in America has been broken what can she have faith in now, she has nothing left, since she seems to have left her faith in Judaism in the old world.
Overall, this was one of the easier reads I have had in college. The words seemed to flow together nicely and it made the reading seem to pass by more quickly. The thing that intrigued me the most in this story was the perception of America by the author. The first glimpse we get at her view of America is when they read the letter from Masheh Mindel’s husband, Gedalyeh Mindel, who lives in America. In this letter home, Gendalyeh tells of how great America is, from its great pay to the fact that it has no Czar. Immediately you see by the reactions of the author as well as the people in her village that they dream of America almost as a fairyland, even going so far as to calling it the “golden country.” After the reading of the letter, people in the town start selling everything they own in order to get a ticket to America, people even began selling all of their winter things because they believed there was no winter in America.
In my opinion, this is where the author went wrong, she let her imagination take over and, as we all know, very rarely do things actually live up to what our imaginations tell us they will be. This being said, I could immediately tell that the author was setting herself up for a letdown once she got to America because unless she landed directly in Disney World, there was no was the images in her head would be met. Once the author got to America, I was not surprised that she was disappointed in the lack of sunshine in the Tenement house or that the sweatshops decided to cut their pay.
This got me thinking about all the other types of people that have also come to this country seeking a new beginning in our “golden country.” From the Pilgrims in 1620 to today where almost 1.5 million people immigrate to the U.S. annually and everyone in between, every single person had/has a vision of what life in America is like, and while a lot of immigrants may get to experience the “American Dream” there a many more who don’t. I feel like that is what stood out to me the most about this story, the fact that it was about a real person who immigrated to this country and didn’t, at first, have all of her hopes and dreams met.
I agree with what Fellerman said, the author expressed herself in such a way that made us understand quite well what she was trying to say about her experience when coming to America as an immigrant. She made sure that she was putting her voice on the story to make us feel how she was feeling through all the years of suffering in America. I believe that people need dreams and to have something in their mind to make their keep living and continue their lives to try to reach for this dream they have. People in Russia were living terrible lives and they need something to dream to, so they created this imaginary place in America and called it a the “golden land”. Off course when they got to America they realize this dream they had was not even near of what they picture it would be and this crush the author heart; but what I liked the most about her character is that she never stop believing and even though she was having rough times she continue fighting and dreaming of a better place. She was willing to continue fighting and doing everything she could to reach to what she wanted, share her thoughts and feelings and live the American Dream.
The mindset and experiences Fellerman described can be seen in multiple genres of literature, and are a key concept when trying to understand the massive influx of immigrants to countries like America and London. In postcolonial British literature, the city of London is often seen as a place of prosperity and hope; that is until you actually moved there. For immigrants it was a place of ungodly work, judgment, and atrocious living conditions, very similar to how New York is described by Yezierska. For both London and New York, immigrants had wild fantasies based off of letters from friends or stories they had heard from a neighbor, that of course were extremely embellished and anything but accurate. This constant build of hope for such a miraculous place made the depressing reality of the real thing that much more crushing, leading to a disoriented state of mind. I found it interesting in the story when she talks about how in Russia they at least had the hope of America, but in America what do they have to hope for? This is an extremely important concept, that the immigrants realized how important the notion of hope is in surviving, clearly a huge struggle when it comes to the Holocaust years later.
Erika Halburian I personally really liked the passage. I felt a true connection to the protagonist and her feelings almost became my own. She was so desperate to find the dreamland known as America. Her vivid hopes of what she imagined America to be were crushed. She refused to adapt to the conditions given to immigrants like the other immigrants already had. The mental image of America that was painted in her mind was nothing like the reality of it. I like how she stayed strong in her pursuits and refused to give up. An example was when she spoke up to the sweatshop boss and was courageous by showing her true stances. The protagonist wasn’t afraid to speak her mind no matter what the consequences were, even though they were great indeed. “ How the fear for bread had dehumanized their last shred of humanity”(25). The desperateness of the works in the sweatshops didn’t surprise me. Even though their wages were cut they needed a job and any wages were a necessity for them to get by.
I was confused why she was so unhappy because to me even though the conditions were poor in America and weren’t what she imagined, they still were superior to those in Russia. She went from a mud hut to a flat, sounds like an improvement to me. In America she didn’t have to worry about Russian troops storming into their house threatening her family with fines and prison time for reading where they ate. She had a lot more freedom that she didn’t give America credit for. I sympathized when she mentioned her fear of getting her potatoes stolen was greater than that of the Cossacks. When they moved to America those kinds of fears were abolished. I noticed in the passage that the family’s beliefs were portrayed more when they were living in Russia. When they moved to America the story focused more on the imagination of the girl and how her dreams were not a reality. I felt like the author should have made it a point that they were free to practice their faith whenever and wherever they’d liked.
What I took away from this story was how far America has come. Today conditions for immigrants still may not be favorable but to consider how they used to be, we have come a long way. Even in the passage she mentioned how over time the sweatshop’s conditions began to improve. With time comes change and usually the changes are for the better. Today there are still places ruled by communism and people who live in harsh settings but many still continue to come to America to be free. I liked how the author gave us hope at the end of the passage, for the girl and hopefully her new friend will help her mentally be able to accept her new life in America.
I really agree with you in that the family's faith wasn't really mentioned once they arrived in America. The author may have had a purpose in this, however, to show how immigrants lost their identities and became just a cog in the mechanization of an industrial age. They no longer lived under the oppression of the Czar and the Cossack, but instead lived in the oppression created by stifling poverty in a land that cared only for their labor output and not their worth as people. The American dream is that anybody can make it if only they're willing to work hard and not give up. These immigrants didn't really get to see the American dream, at least not at first. The only things they saw were the terrible working and living conditions, poverty, and the loss of their former identities. The narrator was trying to regain her sense of self and go beyond that, to gain what she deemed her American dream which was to get an education. Yes, this story shows how far America has come, but it also illustrates how much America has stayed the same. We are still a nation of immigrants trying to work our way up, to achieve our own versions of the American dream.
I was also confused as to why the narrator was so completely unhappy once she arrived in America. I too thought the living and working conditions were still better than what they were in Russia. They didn't even have a room to themselves there and the Cossack was allowed to enter whenever he pleased. I also thought it was interesting, like you mentioned, that their faith was somewhat on the back burner when they arrived in America. The narrator was almost blaming God for the lack of improvement; she was repeatedly chanting a "woes me" mentality. The dreams and aspirations of the narrator over took her faith in Judaism. She only used it against the "boss" when trying to tell him she deserved more money and that back fired.
I took away from this short story that the American dream is not an easy ticket. You cannot just arrive and expect everything to be handed to you, and that is the way life works! America doesn't give handouts, and one shouldn't expect them. The narrator gave an interesting perspective on the factory and work conditions from when she began to how it improved over time. However, I wish she had focused on this a bit more. I would have liked to know what kinds of laws and union protesting made these changes happen because be the looks of it the “boss” did not improve the work place because of his kind loving heart.
Jasmine Cox I found this narrative a very simple read as well as most everyone else, but I unfortunately found it somewhat annoying. Her story is an intriguing one, certainly moving, and a story that not many of us can relate to. However, the way she uses ‘America” as a metaphor for hope and freedom as on page 32, “Again America beckoned” makes me just want to reach through the page and slap some sense into her.
After the letter from Gedalyeh, I understand that the many families of Plinsk would dream of a far-fetched land of unicorns and rainbows. I most certainly can’t put myself in their shoes, but I believe that at least the mothers and fathers of the families should know that giving up everything you own to move to a foreign place, no matter how mystical it’s made out to be, is one of the worst ideas one could possibly have. The expectations of the families in the village are where the problem begins to arise. When you have expectations like the ones that our narrator had, nothing will live up to those expectations. Gedalyeh explained that living in America was comparable to living “like a king in a palace,” but I feel like the people of the village didn’t come to the realization that no matter where you go, you’ll forever have to work to be successful.
Our narrator had unmistakable courage in her own mind, but at the same time she was a ridiculous coward. She looked forward to moving because “In America you can say what you feel-you can voice your thoughts in open streets without fear of a Cossack.” But when she finally arrived to America and was astounded that she had to work in the sweat shops, she did not stand up for herself or voice her opinion. She kept asking herself “Where is America? Where is the sunshine?” This shows that what she was really looking for the entire time was just happiness. She believed that moving to America would deliver instant happiness without hard work. I guess I’m being too harsh since she is only ten years old, but for such a wild dreamer, I feel like she should have opened her eyes to all of the wonderful things that America had to offer right in front of her face, instead of still concentrating on all of the negatives. In that time in the world, no matter where her family would have traveled, there would have been struggles. I am happy that the story ended on a better note and she somewhat ‘found her person’ after being so lost.
I understand why Yezierska had the thoughts she did about America. The home life she described in the start of the story made her long for a better life. For many people living in terrible conditions, America became a ray of hope. Thinking about living in those terrible conditions, I can easily becoming entangled in a far off land. And what she embraced when she came over was nothing but the American dream. Had she come over years later maybe she would have found that dream, but instead she encountered a harsh reality. What impressed me though was her fight to seek out education. She refused to accept a simple life, even if the cost was the safety of her family. Education is something we all take for granted today, but reading about her pursing it reminded me about what a privilege it truly is.
The story also highlighted how important faith was for these immigrants. A moment that stood out in the reading to me was when her family was evicted, and her mother responded by praying. But as much as these immigrants had in common, it was every man or woman for themselves. I thought it was great how much the other workers supported her when she when to go speak to the boss. But shocked at how quickly they turned on her when she was fired. I guess the need to provide for one's own family is what comes into play her. The need to put food on the table breaks down these religious bonds between the workers and creates this workplace where everyone is on their own.
What stood out to me the most in How I Found America was that America was more than just a place, it was a symbol, whether it be hope or defeat. In Part One, America was the light at the end of the tunnel for all Jews, being referred to as “sunshine” on multiple occasions. The desperation for a new place, a salvation, bleeds from the text. Yezierska makes it very easy to hear her voice, see her views and logic. The fact that this part of the story is being told from a ten-year-old’s point of view helps bring out the innocence in the tone as well. The reader can see how naïve Yezierska and her family thought by showing how they were willing to sell everything they owned to reach this escape. Yezierska foolishly makes the same sacrificial mistake later on in the text when she chooses to leave her job to go to Immigrant School. Again, this is the result of hope and wanting. She believed that if she was provided with an education she would be happier, that an education is why she wanted to go to America. However, both instances are met with defeat and hardship. The reader can feel the heart-sinking disappointment Yezierska and her family experienced when they found America was not the place of their imagination and dreams. There were a few instances when Yezierska preferred to be back in Russia. Disappointment reappeared at the Immigrant School where Yezierska learned that it was a school to teach trade and not an actual education. And that, I think, is the biggest downfall of hope: that when your expectations aren’t met, you let down is that much more intense. But that’s what I liked most about the reading. Not the fact that Yezierska was met with such trials, but that she makes the reader feel what she felt, see what she saw. I was entertained and interested in continuing reading and learning more about her story because she made me put myself in her shoes. I could felt like I knew exactly what she was talking about when she was distraught by feeling betrayed by her fellow sweat shop workers or when she realized the sun doesn’t shine in the rooms in America. And the same goes for when she’s elated. My emotions were right next to hers on the rollercoaster they were riding.
(Sorry if this came up twice. It wasn't showing up the first time).
You raise a very valid point. When reading this story, I felt moved by the stinging disappointment that came with each new blow to Yezierska's hopes for America. The "sunshine" that they had all longed for was nothing more than a gloomy sky swathed in sorrow.
None of us can truly imagine how terrible working in a sweat shop could be. For a child at the young age of ten to be going through such hard times, it is impossible not to feel an overwhelming amount of sympathy.
The path that Jews have taken over the millenia have been rife with struggle and oppression. Yet, they are so strong. Yezierska, though she may be young, has the blood of her ancestors. Her family was bravely willing to risk it all for another chance to be treated the way every human being deserves to be. When they saw the truth, how ugly America could be, their spirits were crushed. From Russia to America, the evils were of a similar color and breed, only with different faces.
I agree with Hailey's assessment of the reading completely. I smiled when Yezierska smiled and in turn felt heartbroken when her dreams were turned into empty promises and hopes. The promise land had lied to her, but since her determination to pull through gave her strength and fortified her soul, I could only read on and desire a better future for Yezierska.
I really agreed with your view on the story. I found the narrative to be a more interesting read because it wasn’t sugar coated. It let the reader experience the high and lows of her journey exactly as it happened. I found the family to be slightly naïve to think that by going to America all of their problems would be solved. I definitely agree in the fact that it was very foolish of them to sell all of their possessions to come to America. I found the contrast between the symbolism of America and the reality of immigration to be in intriguing. I think I liked this story so much because in some way it was relatable. Not in the sense that I can relate to immigration, but rather the idea of disappointment. Disappointment is something that no one is immune to. Yezierska portrayed the troublesome feelings of disappointment extremely well. Because whether it is false hopes for America or getting a bad grade, disappointment is universal and inevitable. I too was interested in this story and felt all the emotions she experienced throughout her journey. She did a really fabulous job of putting the reader in her shoes and I would love to read more pieces that she has written.
I would argue that this is a story is one everyone can relate to; its a coming of age story. We've all struggled with finding our place and who we are. Her inner struggle is dramatized through the painful process of coming to America with her family. But the story is one of identity. Her geographic location is a situation she must overcome while finding herself.
I imagine working in a sweat shop would be very traumatizing for anyone, especially to a ten year old who has only known quiet, rural life. I don't think it was a matter of wanting "instant happiness without hard work." On the contrary, she wants to work hard. "I saw before me free schools, free colleges, free libraries, where I could learn and learn and keep on learning." She's not a coward for dreading a job with inhumane conditions and unfair wages. She does stand up for herself to the foreman, and loses her job because of it.
The story feels awkward, maybe even a little "annoying," to me as well, but it's because the author tells the story in hindsight. She's writing the mindset of an adult from the perspective of a child. She asks "where is America?" as an expression of the disillusionment with the American Dream. She funnels the feelings of "thousands upon thousands crushed by injustice" in one story through a child's point of view, so at times it seems a little melodramatic. However, this story demonstrates what America was really like for those who sought a better life, and is relevant to understanding immigration today.
First, I enjoyed the flow of the story and the usage of separate parts to signify the changes in place and time of the story. The author uses a relative vernacular, easy to understand and follow. A question I have is whether or not the letter written by the man depicts his true feelings toward America. Was he writing it to entice them to come to America while hiding the truth? Immediately, the author is shocked by the corrupt image of America she sees. People work like slaves, dress poorly, and live on bread crumbs. She was oppressed in the life she had lived before and to enter a similar world was a shock to her.
I agree with Isabel's view that this story is a bit "annoying" because she is writing through hindsight. It is difficult to retell events through the perspective of a child. The series of events may be factual but the emotional aspect is what I question. A ten year old's mind is constantly dwelling on different things and doesn't focus on the misery of her surroundings. Her emotional dilemmas seemed to dramatize the truth because although she does understand human rights, for her to stand up against her boss while the others work diligently around her confused me. She had responsibilities to tend to with her earnings and it seemed "childish" for her to assume that if she would stand up her boss, he would immediately increase her wage.
This story certainly does follow the "American Dream" plot that millions of immigrants endured during that era of mass migration. Millions of Europeans were told of the promises of America, only to find a place just as dirty and corrupt, but it was through their hard work and diligence that America rose from the dirt. In all, I enjoyed this piece because of the author's voice and imagery, which gave the story life and allows readers to visualize the struggling lives led by immigrants in order to create a future in America.
Maggie McCloskey, I agree that this story is relatible to anyone due to the trying to find one's place in the world. I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of courage that she had to be able to leave the only home she knew to this new place where she must work in horrific conditions. I know that my ten year old self would not have fared well. I also noticed the theme and link between the finding of identity and finding America and what it really means. The story really put me in the shoes of these new immigrants and really made me think about all they had to endure not only to get to America but also what they had to once they got here. I actually thought that the author did a good job telling the story from a child's perspective and did not really find it annoying. I feel like the author drew upon her own experiences coming to America at a young age and wanted to convey how it was like for a child to come migrate to America.
Yes, I have to agree with the reoccurring comment among my classmates. The story is melodramatic and at times I too wanted to slap some sense into her as I read in one of the comments above. But I feel that given the point of view in which the story is written, a ten year old, then it is only natural to be frustrated at the character. When they left their village and her parents decided to sell everything in order to get the ticket to America I found myself wanting to slap her parents rather than her for going on such a drastic crazy move, and not thinking of the down side; that perhaps it all would not be rose colored. But as Isabel states it demonstrates the experience, and what America meant to people in distress who sought a better life at all cost. In choosing to show their actions this way the author really expressed the hope and yearning for a better, safer life, but also showed just how bad their living circumstances were and how desperate they were for anything else. “In Russia, you could hope to run away from your troubles to America. But from America where can you go?” When the nurse tells her this it broke my heart because that is exactly the helpless impotent feeling she is feeling and it is something so far from the dreamy world she had expected, the dreamy world where the running would subside. She finds herself struggling and still running from the Cossack even in America.
Justin Huntman I really enjoyed reading this story. I enjoyed how when you start to read this piece you are seem to be thrown in right away into the story almost like you there. From the very beginning I feel as though I can really hear the children chanting the ancient poetry found on the sixteenth page. The way details are used puts you in this room. You can almost see your self in there in the exact spot that the author is in because of great use of specific detail. But, I also love the plot and Idea of this story. Of how and why she came to America, but it wasn’t what she thought it would be at first. One of her first experiences in America she says “I looked about the narrow streets of squeezed in stores and houses, ragged clothes, dirty bedding oozing out of the windows, ash-cans and garbage-cans cluttering the side-walks. A vague sadness pressed down my heart-the first doubt of America. "Where an~ the green fields and open spaces in America?" cried my heart. "Where is the golden country of my dreams,”(21)? Here in this passage you can feel the early disappointment she is suffering and finding out America isn’t what she thought it would be. This passage is an eye opening moment in the story and I feel to be one of the most important for you to be able to relate to the author. I felt threw out this story you are truly able to relate to the author even though you can physically go threw what she is going threw back then. It goes to the credit of the great writing and amazing details that went into the work. But this story has a happy ending where in fact the author realizes that everything she had to go threw was not for nothing. She ends up having success even with all the problems she faced. She realizes that in the end it was all worth it. This is her seeing how she changed and succeeded. Threw this story we have seen how she has had to group and develop as a person and how hard it was being a Jewish immigrant in America. And we explore her development of becoming an American Jew and the religious and Anti-sematic problems that where faced during that time period. Which is still something we can relate to in today society, which is what makes this story so enjoyable to read.
Justin, I will start off by saying that I agree with how you feel about the adjectives and the way Yezierska described things in that they make you feel like you are really there in the situation being described. The detail used in the piece is so specific that it gives it extra life and makes it easier to try and imagine all of the terrible things she had to overcome to be anywhere near successful in the world for Jewish immigrants at that time. And, yes I think that Yezierska and almost all other immigrants at the time were very surprised and perplexed with what they found in America. Immigrants expected almost the opposite of what they encountered and it was extremely hard for them to deal with it. The quote you chose to use from the piece is a perfect illustration of how most immigrants felt when they got to America. I also think that the story does a good job of making it relatable even though it is nearly impossible to try and put yourself in the shoes of a Jewish immigrant at that time. The lesson I got out of this piece combined with your analysis leads me to the conclusion that you must stay determined through hardship in order to be successful in a world full of fierce competition.
“Just take it out of your heart and say it”. It’s mind blowing how this one quote from a complete stranger was able to spark a feeling of hopefulness and optimism back into the heart of a young girl on the verge of giving up. Anzia Yezierska was an immigrant who came to America with the idea in her head that every other immigrant had; America was “golden” and filled with opportunities. She wanted to get away from the Czar controlling her life and start a fresh one. She was so excited that she sold her red quitted petticoat as her “supreme sacrifice of her ten year old life”. Her excitement cancelled out all the horrible troubles of the journey to America and the only thing she clearly remembered was how optimistic she was about the new freedoms she would have and how she would have the freedom to finally live her own life. She was also extremely excited about learning; “learning flows free”. She would have access to free schools, colleges and libraries and the learning she could do was endless. America was perfect in her mind. She was disappointed when she first got to America. It wasn’t what she had imagined and her working conditions were horrible. “Where is America?” she wonders. She tests her freedom of speech by speaking up for the women in the sweatshop but results in getting fired. She tries many schools and longs for a friend, but finally finds one in her sister’s teacher Miss Latham.
I think that Anzia wrote this beautifully. I honestly felt as if I was along for the ride with her. The way she wrote and described her emotions made it seem as if I was feeling those emotions too. The parts that touched me the most in her entire piece were the sweatshop incident and her admiration for Miss Latham. I genuinely felt bad for her when she spoke up for the girls in the shop and they let her go without standing back up for her. The way she got in trouble for speaking up and how let down she was made it so disappointing to read and I felt as if I could relate to her because I would have spoken up as well. When she described how much faith and optimism Miss Latham brought back to her, it changed the entire piece and her descriptions of her conversation with her was writing in such an inspiring manner.
I thought that her style of writing was so inspiring and well written. Every event that happened throughout the story flowed together and made you feel as if you were a part of the time period. I think that the fact that she was able to make it in America and found her true place at the end made the story what it really was. She was able to change the tone of her piece through her writing and it made the story relatable in every possible way.
After reading Anzia’s story I’m just left with the thought of the immigrant imagination of America. To these Jewish immigrants, America seemed like the Garden of Eden that G-d had once delivered to Adam and Eve. With their lives in ruin from persecution from the Czar and officials of Russia, this land seemed to be an escape from their lives. However, when the author finally arrives to America, she’s taken aback, just like a child is when they learn that Santa Claus isn’t real, as I’m sure many immigrants of different nationalities soon came to realize of the hardship they were now faced with.
To these people, they believed that there was no problem and struggle in America, that the roads are paved with gold. This image isn’t a reality for any country, due to the fact that every nation has its troubles. So when America was built up in their minds, they were faced with nothing but let down as life seemed to have taken a dive rather than an increase in happiness. There was an image that anyone could make it in America and in reality it just wasn’t what all these people believed. They were still persecuted and subjected to a life that wasn’t any better than the one left behind, and to make it worse they were now strangers in a foreign land. At one point in the story the author states that “After America, where is there left to go?” The let down of a “golden country” was so severe that she didn’t believe in the opportunity of the country anymore.
However, it seems as if the author had become blind to the reason why they had uprooted their entire lives to be subjected in the same living conditions as Russia. These people did it for a fair shot at life with no one stopping them due to their religion. At the beginning of the story they were forced from their home for practicing their religion, and towards the end they were being invited in so that they had a roof to practice it under. That tiny gesture was the real reason so many came to America. Not just for money, but the freedom to do anything they wanted with no one to tell them to stop. Yes having green pastures and money is always tempting, but the freedom to say they were Jewish and express their beliefs in peace is what really counted.
I really enjoyed this author’s writing style. It was an easy read and quite frankly, kept me interested and hooked instead of most other boring topics where I reread it a thousand times. I really liked the imagery used by Yezierska, the first scene in the mud hut with her father reading to the children I could easily picture and almost place myself in the scene. Also as the story evolved, I could easily envision her mother, herself, and her siblings all gathering their thing and throwing them into a pile to sell to raise money to come to America. I quickly found myself as almost a part of the story, feeling excited when her mother persuaded the man to give them enough money for their belongings, even if he had said it was worth way less. Their dreams of making it to some place so new and exciting and full of adventure really seemed hopeful.I liked how America was for the Jews a symbol of hope, a sort of light at the end of their tunnel.
But I was almost just as crushed as Anzia when she arrived to the sunshineless America and had to work in a sweatshop. She was so full of hope for a better life that to see her (I say see because at this point in the story I could see it all happening, with how well it was written) in such a broken down state of mind and spirit was heartbreaking. She was in such a state of desperation but knew that somewhere there was that America that she was looking for. I loved when she stood up for the rest of the sweatshop when their wages were lowered, even if she did get kicked out. It showed that even if there was a negative consequence, she was going to stand up for what she believed to be right. I liked that she still had a spark in her when the rest of her kind had given up and given in.
Towards the end of the story when Anzia found a school to go to, I thought finally this girl is going to get the break she deserves after being so persistent. But when she argued with her teacher that what she was learning wasn’t actually relevant and that they should be taught something more relevant, she found herself at a loss again, and again making me as a reader feel her desperation. I guess the fact that Anzia could come off as easily read made most of us like her style of writing and how she could easily get in tune with our emotions.
In terms of the perception of America, that perception is greatly influenced by the narrator and her expectations. In part one, when Gedelyeh Mindel writes to his family in Russia, I feel the elation and inspired hope that the villagers feel when he tells them how much money he makes, his upscale lifestyle, his feeling of being an equal, and there being no Czar. This is the first view of America we see from the narrator, and she puts America up on a pedestal almost immediately. She portrays America as a wonderland, and draws all sorts of conclusions from Mindel’s letter, even going as far as calling it a “golden country.” Yezierska portrays a common theme among many immigrants of the time, as most immigrants believed America to be a land of milk and honey, but were sourly disappointed upon arrival.
I feel as if this is a coming of age story rather than a story of immigration, even though that plays a major factor in how Yezierska finds herself. After being oppressed by the Czar and the Cossack for so long and living in fear for her entire life, she looks to America as an escape. She believes that her source of solace and freedom is there, and imagines that she will be absolutely free to do whatever she wants and be whomever she pleases without being oppressed. However, this dream is quickly dashed when she finally reaches the famed America. She is immediately disappointed by the concrete jungle, and states that America is a “place without sunlight.” I feel like she places too much weight into her immediate perceptions, and was not as willing to submit to hard work in exchange for her happiness. She focuses on the negative parts of her situation more than she does on the positive things that America does for her and her family. Like so many other immigrants, in placing so many high expectations in America, Yezierska ultimately set herself up to be let down. However, I am glad she questioned America and why it was as horrible as it was at the time. Minds such as these ultimately lead to change, which is shown throughout the passage. Even though she was proven wrong about America so many times, she still kept fighting for her ideal America. Upon doing this, she is ultimately fighting for herself. As her own mind has been repressed and rejected as well, she finds herself questioning her subconscious as well as her reality. She is frustrated by her imagined ideal of what her life should be like, and what her reality is. She continues this inward struggle throughout the passage, ultimately finding her solace in sharing her frustrations with a friend.
The short story, How I Found America, was an easy read and I think that’s what made the story interesting.
After the narrator’s father read the letter from Gedalyeh Mindel to the town, everyone thought of America as the closest thing to heaven. In the letter “Mr. Mindel” made America seem like paradise. And once the narrator’s family came across enough money to come to America, their reactions to landing here was interesting. The man prayed, the women cried, and the kids danced. Then the narrator sees where she is going to be living and her dreams of America die. She finds out she is still living in poverty and wanted answers to her question- where is America?
When the narrator arrives at the sweatshop, she then feels doubt of her belonging. In the front of the sweatshop she has an identity crisis and starts asking herself questions: What am I? Who am I? Why was I here? Then later the reader finds out it was a dream.
The narrator then mentions, “…must my youth too die”, and that quote stuck out to me because these children are no longer children in America. I’m not sure what their chores or jobs were back at the village, but in America they have to help their families survive by getting jobs or as she words it “turning into a machine.” The narrator has to go through obstacles, some teenagers don’t come across, she moved to another country that wasn’t what she expected and then was pushed right into being a factory worker. She had to make adult decisions and had to find her self-identity at an early age.
In the shop, the role of being a woman was one of the main topics. The boss told the women about their pay and the workers weren’t too happy about it, but didn’t say anything. I believe that was because they were women and feared the consequences of speaking up. Each woman that approached the narrator had an issue with the pay and most of them were the bread makers of the family. Of course after the narrator approached her boss, she was fired.
The last pages of the short story, the narrator still wonders where America is? And if she came to America to only use her hands and be a machine. After going to the school for immigrants and talking to the lady, then talking to her neighbor, I think that’s when the narrator started to accept the fact that this is what America is about and she was just going to have to accept it.
I found Yezierska’s short story “How I Found America” to be a rather uplifting, coming-of-age story of Jewish immigrants coming to America. It was very interesting to get a real Jewish immigrant’s perspective on their new life in America and adjusting to the changes. One thing I found most interesting was that, although Yezierska is clearly speaking out against cultural assimilation, she has written the story in English instead of Yiddish, thus conforming to American ways. This could be interpreted in one of two ways: the first being that she is being somewhat contradicting of herself in the sense that she is writing in English whilst declaring her love of her Jewish heritage (which I suppose could be somewhat of a reflection of her story’s protagonist, seeing as how she is conflicted between wanting to build a better life in America and at the same time missing her old life in Russia). The second way it could be interpreted is that Yezierska is simply trying to reach more of an audience so that her story will be understood by readers from all different backgrounds (and also giving American conformity somewhat of the middle finger by putting so much emphasis on her Jewish roots). Either way, I found her approach to be rather innovative.
A common theme I noticed in “How I Found America” was the lack of a real childhood for any of the Jewish immigrants. I noticed that, although the main protagonist was still somewhat a child when her family moved to America, she went right to work in order to help support her family. She also mentions several other workers in the sweat shop who are young and supporting their families and younger siblings as well. The narrator even states at one point, “My childhood choked with drudgery—must my youth too die—unlived?” She is clearly mourning the loss of her childhood when she is forced to start working at such a young age, because she realizes that she will never be able to have a “normal” childhood like these American children seem to have. One part that really stuck out to me was when the narrator gets hit by a car, and has a dream of being in heaven and going to school. She explains, “I was in my heaven in the schools of America—in open, sunny fields—a child with other children.” Here, it is evident that our story’s narrator longs to lead the life of an American child; attending school, and being able to be a kid just like the other children. This particular section acts as somewhat of a dose of reality for the readers as far as helping them to understand the extent to which all immigrants were forced to work, no matter their age. Yezierska’s description of children in the work force really opened my eyes to the various struggles that these Jewish immigrants went through in order to simply get by.
I've just realized that I forgot to cite the pages from which I borrowed quotes! The first being, "My childhood choked with drudgery--must my youth too die--unlived?" (23).
And, the second being, "I was in my heaven in the schools of America--in open, sunny fields--a child with other children." (27).
Anzia Yezierska's "How I found America", is a very informational and interesting read. Here we read a personal account of a jewish immigrant child. One who is facing the struggle of shedding her old skin, if you will, and welcoming a new existence. She arrives upon America with nothing but a dream, pure ambition and an undying thirst for a fulfilling life. Not many of us can relate to this on a personal level, since after all, not many of us are Jewish immigrants from the 60's. Yet some sort of connection is still ever present.
This is because Anzia is writing about her everyday life, (which she eloquently shares with her audience; an example of this is when she stands alone against her boss yet stands up for herself and the many other "machine slaves" who wouldn't dare stand in Anzia's shoes.); but through this writing she is also connecting with the human spirit on a deeper level. We are looking through her eyes outwardly at the mundane things she faces, all the while peeping inside her, at her own feelings and emotions. We see a young girl, questioning her being in this world. Anzia not only questions the fire that is found in her heart, she also attempts to understand it, to find an answer.
This is where I was able to relate, and where I am sure many others can as well. After all we all come face to face with such questions as, who al I? And what am I here for? Here we have a coming of age story, unfortunately a significantly unique one. Poor Anzia has to face a crud reality early on in life; a lost youth to the jungle of industrialized America at that time. Yet she still clings to her thoughts, her thirst for knowledge, her desire to learn, the fire that burns bright in her heart. All traces of a restless rebel, one with an undying need to progress, to know what's beyond the 'ugly concrete buildings and dirty factories".
Naturally, not every Jewish immigrant felt the same on their quest for "the golden country". This is something which Anzia was able to demonstrate while sharing her own story. She was capable of showing us Jewish history from various perspectives through her interactions with different characters. For example, "Again the shadow fell over me, again the doubt of America. In America were rooms without sunlight, rooms to sleep in, to eat in, to cook in, but without sunshine. And Gedalyeh Mindel was happy. Could I be satisfied with just a place to sleep and to eat in, and a door to shut people out---to take the place of sunlight? Or would I always need the sunlight to be happy?". While capturing her own thought she was able to recall the thoughts of others and share them with her audience.
Anzia at the moment of writing this short story was mostly concerned with her inner turmoil's, this is evident throughout the story, and one of my favorite lines of such "Life is too big for me. I'm lost in this each for himself world. I feel shut out from everything that's going on... I'm always fighting---fighting--- with myself and everybody around me... I hate when I want to love and I make people hate me when I want to make them love me." She explicates herself effortlessly with the ability of reaching out to many. More importantly, she is able to paint the bigger picture for her audience. She is able to capture a point in time through the sharing of her own story. This is what I truly enjoyed the most from Anzia Yezierska's writing or better yet, peculiar snapshot.
As Cristina points out, Anzia Yezierska's "How I Found America" is a Jewish immigrant story through the eyes of a young girl. Cristina listed the many ways in which this story can be viewed as a tale of self discovery. However, I argue that Anzia's story addresses a fundamental American Jewish question of cultural identity. During Part 1 of the tale, the emphasis on Judaism is quite strong. This can be gathered through Anzia's father reading from the book of Isaiah. Moreover, the passage from Isaiah foreshadows future events somewhat. For instance, the passage which states "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the lord," is comparable to Anzia's family receiving "a letter from America" encouraging the family to leave Russia and prepare to move to America. The religious symbolism continues in Part 1, when Anzia's family begins to dream of America. Their idealizations of America are infused with religious symbolism. During the family's decision to move to America, it is stated, "There are no high or low in America." This statement is akin to the part of the Isaiah passage where it states," Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low." Furthermore, the sentence, "Learning flows free like milk and honey," adds to the religious symbolism. In this statement, Anzia's family has made America into a new "promised land". In part 1, there is very little doubt about the religiosity of Anzia's family. However as the story progresses to the industrialized machinery of America the question intensifies, and Anzia's family must decide who they are. As Christina stated, "not every Jewish immigrant felt the same on their quest for 'the golden country'." I agree with Christina's position that Anzia's writing allowed for the different perspectives to have a true voice in this their new "promised land".
Chynna Humphrey In reading “How I Found America,” I was enticed by the story from the very beginning. It was an easier read because the language was very elementary and the progression of ideas was not hard to follow. Because it was such an easy read, I found it easier to relate to and empathize with the characters. Though I have obviously never experienced hardships even close to the ones that these men and women have faced, I feel as though struggle and suffering are relative terms. Everyone experiences hope and disappointment in their own separate ways; thus, I feel as though I can very easily relate to this story because I have definitely experienced the feeling of that same frustration and regret after hoping so much for something that didn’t exist. For example, I signed a contract with a brand new apartment complex in Tallahassee that seemed so beautiful and wonderful, and I was willing to pay just about any amount of money in order to live there. I was even willing to work an extra job on top of school wok just to pay for the rent. I had nothing but amazing expectation for this place, for I had no reason not to. Upon arrival, I found myself disillusioned by the cockroaches crawling around the apartment and the horrible services that the complex had to offer. In the end, I was heartbroken because I was tied to my decision that I had made a couple months back. I think the feeling of regret after so much hope is relatable to the entire human race, as it’s something we have all experienced. This story is so enjoyable because of that universality. I’d have to disagree with some of my peers who stated that this story was “annoying” because the characters were senseless for believing in America. Without the media and news sources that are so readily available to us today, how were they to know that it wouldn’t be just as their friend said it would? With no hopes of a positive future and no real freedoms in their own homes, a letter from a Jewish person thriving in America being treated “like a king,” is definitely a reason to become hopeful for a better future. All they have is the word of this man. What else were they to do? Because I know for a fact that if I was in their position, I would have done the exact same thing. I would have sold anything in my possession to get over to the alleged “promise lands” of America. What would YOU have done?
Devin Harkins I read ‘How I Found America’ as a brief look into the reality of immigrant life in America. Throughout the story there was a constant battle within the main character Anzia Yezierska. Anzia was regularly fighting with herself whether it was learning versus making money, or the reality of America versus her hopes and dreams. She had a habit of thinking of the cliché, “the grass is always greener on the other side.” When Anzia and her family resided in the mud hut village in Russia, she dreamed and truly believed that America would be the answer to her prayers. In her mind America was an untouched sanctuary where everyone could be free, both body and mind. She quickly learned that her idea of America was not a reality when she moved to New York. it was interesting when she said, "America-America-where was America?" (23) because she had already been living in America for some time but it was not the place she was expecting. Throughout the story she stated that she would rather be back in Russia in her mud hut where there was at least sunlight and fresh air. Anzia was not expecting to be surrounded by so much urbanization and construction. Her version of America involved valleys and wide-open spaces with schools that would teach you infinite ideas. The reality was that America needed to improve in the industrial world so they used the closet things they had to slaves, immigrants. Multiple times Anzia wondered why America was only interested in the strength her body had and not the knowledge her mind carried. She didn’t understand why no one was interested in teaching her so that she could help America prosper with her ideas. People constantly told her that America was not interested in what her ideas where because she was a young, uneducated, immigrant girl. Society only saw her as a type of slave, whether it was a sweatshop worker, a cook, or a servant. All she wanted was to learn so she could flourish in America and live the life she knew she was capable of. I thought it was also very interesting that she was longing for a friend to share her thoughts with, someone who would really listen to her ideas and opinions. It really shows how humans need that connection/relationship in order to survive. As we discussed in class, people need that contact with one another. I really enjoyed reading a realistic story that intertwined that idea along with many other subjects.
I enjoyed this short story very much. The author did a fabulous job with the writing and although it was very long, it kept my attention throughout the reading. What made this story stand out so much, in my opinion, was the great use of voice that she used. This might just be something that stands out to me because my ENC1101 teacher was a psycho about using voice, but I could definitely notice it used greatly in this writing.
For myself, this writing is very eye opening. I come from an extremely Catholic background and from the few Bar and Bat Mitzvah’s that I attended in middle school; I have very few understanding on Jewish history. For example, the thought of not being able to hold Hebrew school in the same location that one eats and sleeps completely blows my mind. Not to say that I have lived under a rock my whole life, but its just very fascinating to read about the traditions and culture of religions that are of not my own.
I also was very impressed by the protagonist’s inability to give up, even though she was disappointed in the American way. She had built up such a strong dream for what America was to be like, and when it wasn’t like how she imagined she stayed true to her values. Many immigrants adapted to the conditions that immigrants were forced to live under, although the protagonists would not. This shows what a strong individual she is, and I respect that greatly. I also really admired when she stood up for the entire sweatshop when the wages were too low. This also proved what a headstrong individual she is. Even though she lost her job, she still stood up for what she though was right. This is a great quality to have.
Lastly, this makes me wonder about all other types of immigrant groups that have come to America over the years looking for a new place to build a home. Did they too have a difficult time settling into the “promise” land? It would be very interesting to read short stories on other cultures immigration to America and their personal connection to it. I took a class my freshmen year that was based on different ethnic groups traveling to America. Although we did get the overall view of these cultures immigration, it would be fascinating to read their personal narratives.
What struck me the most in ‘How I Found America’ was the author’s smooth transition of outer focus to inner focus the closer she came to “finding America” and how this paralleled the ending concept of the story – America is not an outer place you find, it’s an inner state you create.
The beginning of the story has a strong focus on her surroundings – the description of the people in her house, just beyond her house, and the idealistic images of what was taking place across the ocean in the America. Through her strong use of imagery, Yezierska depicts the struggle of her parents through innocent eyes. She is still a child and rather naïve, but her desire to help loved ones is introduced there through the offering of her dowry. The story is still just as much about her family as it is about her, but we see her through positive eyes.
As soon as she crosses the ocean in Part 2, her imagery is related much more to her self as she narrates her time spent working in the sweatshop. As she describes her struggle to help those around her, she still maintains a clearly central focus – instead of feeling bad for those in need around her, you empathize with her struggle to help them and the resultant despair in her failure to do so. Even when her family gets evicted, it’s not about them – it’s about her.
In Part 3 she furthers the focus on her and fogs our view of what she’s helping even further. At this point, she wants to help Jewish-American immigrants as a whole and wants to learn. The mention of her family is very occasional and her parents (presumably no longer alive) are completely out of the story. Even though she’s not talking about others and the story is almost solely focused on her, we still see her in a positive light, never does she seem selfish or unthankful.
I found this particularly impactful because of the subject matter of the text – immigration. The common theme of Americans viewing immigrants as selfish is mentioned at the end of the reading and she states clearly she does not wish to be seen in this way. Due to her impeccable discretion in depicting her trials in America, she was able to accomplish this. Through her gradually shifting the focus from those around her to herself, she brings us along on her journey in a way that keeps us empathetic with her point of view. Any previous bias one may have in defense of America is dropped because she begins the story by extracting us from America and bringing us to her home. Due to her keeping the subject matter focused on her struggle instead of how bad America is, she removes any potential for a reader to see her in a selfish light, thus realizing her desire to not seem selfish.
I just wanted to say that overall the quality of the conversation on the blog is excellent so far. So keep it up.
A few last thoughts on the story:
Our narrator doesn’t bemoan working because she’s lazy or entitled, but because the nature of the sweatshops is exploitative and cruel. Our narrator’s goal are both private and public. It’s the interplay between the two that lends tension to the story. She yearns for a self outside of the community, but she also wants to improve the state of affairs for the community. Public goal: she doesn’t want to see herself or her immigrant community turned into mindless machines. Private goal: she has dreams of developing herself intellectually and artistically. Shortly after the chronological time of this story, a thriving community of artists, organizers, and thinkers emerges out of this impoverished immigrant community, thanks largely to people like the narrator in this story. So her dream of an America where you can use your heart and brain to create does in fact come true. So she expands on the American dream— it is not just money or religious freedom—-but a place where you can cultivate and express the self. What makes the story interesting, as we discussed in class, is that I think you can argue persuasively that she is an Americanized feminist rebel who mostly rejects her old culture, OR that she remains very much wed to the values of her ancestors and the old culture and seeks to improve life in America within the constraints of the Old World. So in terms of writing a paper on this story, you could argue it either way, which is part of why it’s a complex story. It’s paradoxical in that way. Finally, I say all this because it’s not just a political story about the horrors of immigrant life, but a pretty complex character study of a young girl who is trying to figure out who the heck she is in this new country. So there is a public and private side to the story. See you all on Monday!
Kayleigh Koskan
ReplyDeleteThis was a very well written story. The author had a lot of detail and explained it enough into a short story that you could still imagine what she was talking about. I really liked that within the first paragraph she had already pulled you into the story. I really enjoyed the timeline of the story. Anzia went from living in a poor town in Russia to thinking she was moving to this great, free country and then realizing it was not so great after all but gave it time and never gave up hope that one day it would be as beautiful as she had imagined. I found it very interesting, the views that the Czar held in the Russian town. The people were not allowed to hold Hebrew school in the same rooms used for cooking or sleeping. The fact that only one person in the entire town knew how to read because getting an education in such a poor area was basically impossible was also weird to me because now-a-days almost everyone has some type of education. These people all believed that America was this big melting pot where everyone got along because they did not view you on your religious views but rather that you were all American. They believed that it was a place of freedom and peace where one can live without fear. Though it is sad to think at one point America was as awful as Anzia made it out to be, having children working in sweat shops and making very low pay, she gave us all a good perspective on that time. In the story she said “Must my youth too die – unlived?” That was a dramatic point I think. This little girl spends years slaving away in a sweat shop under conditions that remind her of being back in Russia. She has not done anything in America that her family set out to obtain in the first place. The whole time this young girl is trying to make sense of her life, of what her purpose is and in the one place in this world that is supposed to help her do just that, the one place that ensures it is the “Land of the Free. Home of the Brave” she is told “I think you will have to go elsewhere if you want to set the world on fire.” The hardships faced, the belongings lost, all to find a better life in America seemed to become a lost cause; a failed attempt. Her story ended on a bright note though. She was able to change my mood about her situation multiple times throughout the story and that’s why it was easy and interesting to read.
Stephanie Smith
DeleteWhat Kayleigh has said is what stuck out to me the most. The author really put voice in this story and that is what made it so interesting to read. For each paragraph I read and each quote it was in a certain voice that you could just feel a handful of emotions coming at you. The first sentence of the story "Every breath I drew was a breath of fear..." had me hooked instantly. It was a good starter and really got me into the story. To me, it was insane how things have changed to this day. Today, school is such an important factor to become successful and live the "American Dream" going to school is a must. Seeing that back then there was only one person who was educated enough to read and write was astonishing.And to think that you were not aloud to teach children hebrew in the same rooms where people eat or sleep is troubling. There were not big luxury rooms like there are today so having a place were you were aloud to teach seems impossible. Coming to America was the girls hope in become successful and free, and once she got the chance it really hit the readers when life was not easy in america like she had hoped. Doing dirty work and getting low pay and being treated unfairly would have crushed anyones hope, but she kept that hope and later lived a good life. The story was overall were intriguing and I enjoyed it a lot!
Ginny Renas
DeleteI wanted to address a point in your post that stood out most in comparison with my experience of this reading. “Anzia went from living in a poor town in Russia to thinking she was moving to this great, free country and then realizing it was not so great after all but gave it time and never gave up hope that one day it would be as beautiful as she had imagined.” The main reason, and there are many, that I was so invested in the text was simply her drive to hope. Her hope was directly tied to her passion of learning. In multiple instances, when she ran into trouble, the text read with a hint of sarcasm. When she realizes America isn’t the heavenly land she had anticipated she thinks, “I had only one wish left-to die.” This was crucial in my personal evaluation of her character because instead of exposing a self-pitying persona the language in the text suggested her troubles would be able to be overcome. The protagonists’ personal qualities are what make her so loveable. She is hopeful, self-driven, determined, and honest; the list goes on and on. The more I read the more I questioned if a ten-year-old girl could actually be this complex. I guess that is what makes it so remarkable, yet questionable at the same time.
Vanessa Previl
DeleteI also do agree that this short story was an easy and interesting read. I loved how she told her experience in such a simple way but was still able to capture my attention leaving me to want to know more.
What had me the most was her fight and will not to stop searching for the America she dreamed and long for after discovering the truth of how ”great” America is. It probably did take get a few years but at the end she discovered herself and she didn't let no one bring her down. Like it is said, nothing you truly want will be handed to you on a silver plate but you have to go out far or near, up and down to search and reach your goal. At the end, if you have not giving up, you'll find your reward. This is what I saw in her and I appreciate her for that. This here can teach others to never give up. Even working long hours with low wages, seeing that the letter they read was not as glamorous as it said America was, and being treated badly she stood in there. Over all this story was great.
Post: (Spencer Wise)
ReplyDeleteI did a little background research and found out that Yezierska changed her name upon coming to America to Hattie Mayer, a far more Americanized and secular name (although she later in life changed it back, which also says something interesting). The name change suggests, as much as her decision to write in English instead of her native Yiddish, suggests a radical rejection of the old world culture. I see the same issue at work in the struggles of our young narrator. She radically rejects the old world in favor of education, particularly literary or poetic education. “I need school more than a starving man needs bread," the narrator says (29). This already sets her apart from vast scores of immigrant. This is NOT the typical attitude of an immigrant at the time. This makes her a rebel. A bold one at that. She is not only willing to stand up to her boss at the garment factory, but she also defies the immigrant expectations when she says resolutely, “I didn't come to America to turn into a machine” (23).
It is very radical and inspiring I think--even moving--the way she wants to speak her heart and not reflexively submit to the patriarchal norms established in the old country and brought over to America. While America represents a chance to earn four rubles a day for Gedalyeh Mindel, our narrator is not satisfied with that. America permits you to use your brain instead of your hands, she would say. That is what makes it special. Not the chance to make money. The Old World holds little value for her and she rejects it along with the dehumanizing factory life and American materialism. So I’m thinking that her break is both familial and personal. The mother, on the other hand, is wed to the past and religious custom, as we see captured marvelously in the scene where she is lights the Sabbath candles right out on the street after being evicted. So I’d argue that we are in the presence of a real rebel here, one who breaks out of the old frozen culture. In fact, when her father is reading to the family from the Book of Isaiah, she is standing off alone by the window keeping watch.
But my reading is also complicated by a number of factors. For one, the author’s native Yiddish tongue is blended with American English to create this sort of hybridic language, much like Jewish-American literature is a hybridic literature. Not exclusively Jewish or American. I’ll end with this quote from the story, which really encapsulates her inner conflict: “A thousand voices within me and about me answered: ‘My faith is dead, but in my blood their faith still clamors and aches for fulfillment’” (26). So, in this passage does the narrator mean her faith in America is dead or her faith in Judaism as a religion? And how does the blood of their (her ancestors) still clamor in her blood? What are your thoughts? Does the narrator make a clean break from the old frozen culture. Yes? No? What’s holding her back? How does she try to construct an identity in the New World.
Aside: Okay, so that is an example of how you can tackle these journals. I could have written about a dozen different posts about this story. There’s a lot to talk about. Be specific, ask relevant questions, interrogate, make connections, etc. But write in your own voice and have some fun with it. It’s okay if you are wrestling with your thoughts in these posts or even contradicting yourself. Just start engaging with the story. --Spencer
In response to the question pertaining to her loss in faith of America or her faith in Judaism, I believe honestly that she loses her faith in both. I think that in Russia her faith in the glorious prospects of what America could be take president over the old world Jewish practices of her parents. Her parents see it as a place to worship freely, but on the other hand our narrator sees it as a place to learn and learn and learn some more. Then when she finally makes it to America or the "Golden Country" and she comes to realize it is not a place for immigrants to express themselves, but rather a place to become a cog in the working machine, she cannot help but to become a broken human being. As she is fired from the factory and looking at her co-workers she cannot help but think “Had their faith in America wholly died in them? Could my faith be killed as theirs had been?” (27). If her faith in America has been broken what can she have faith in now, she has nothing left, since she seems to have left her faith in Judaism in the old world.
DeleteOverall, this was one of the easier reads I have had in college. The words seemed to flow together nicely and it made the reading seem to pass by more quickly. The thing that intrigued me the most in this story was the perception of America by the author. The first glimpse we get at her view of America is when they read the letter from Masheh Mindel’s husband, Gedalyeh Mindel, who lives in America. In this letter home, Gendalyeh tells of how great America is, from its great pay to the fact that it has no Czar. Immediately you see by the reactions of the author as well as the people in her village that they dream of America almost as a fairyland, even going so far as to calling it the “golden country.” After the reading of the letter, people in the town start selling everything they own in order to get a ticket to America, people even began selling all of their winter things because they believed there was no winter in America.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, this is where the author went wrong, she let her imagination take over and, as we all know, very rarely do things actually live up to what our imaginations tell us they will be. This being said, I could immediately tell that the author was setting herself up for a letdown once she got to America because unless she landed directly in Disney World, there was no was the images in her head would be met. Once the author got to America, I was not surprised that she was disappointed in the lack of sunshine in the Tenement house or that the sweatshops decided to cut their pay.
This got me thinking about all the other types of people that have also come to this country seeking a new beginning in our “golden country.” From the Pilgrims in 1620 to today where almost 1.5 million people immigrate to the U.S. annually and everyone in between, every single person had/has a vision of what life in America is like, and while a lot of immigrants may get to experience the “American Dream” there a many more who don’t. I feel like that is what stood out to me the most about this story, the fact that it was about a real person who immigrated to this country and didn’t, at first, have all of her hopes and dreams met.
Cristina Vallarino
DeleteI agree with what Fellerman said, the author expressed herself in such a way that made us understand quite well what she was trying to say about her experience when coming to America as an immigrant. She made sure that she was putting her voice on the story to make us feel how she was feeling through all the years of suffering in America. I believe that people need dreams and to have something in their mind to make their keep living and continue their lives to try to reach for this dream they have. People in Russia were living terrible lives and they need something to dream to, so they created this imaginary place in America and called it a the “golden land”. Off course when they got to America they realize this dream they had was not even near of what they picture it would be and this crush the author heart; but what I liked the most about her character is that she never stop believing and even though she was having rough times she continue fighting and dreaming of a better place. She was willing to continue fighting and doing everything she could to reach to what she wanted, share her thoughts and feelings and live the American Dream.
The mindset and experiences Fellerman described can be seen in multiple genres of literature, and are a key concept when trying to understand the massive influx of immigrants to countries like America and London. In postcolonial British literature, the city of London is often seen as a place of prosperity and hope; that is until you actually moved there. For immigrants it was a place of ungodly work, judgment, and atrocious living conditions, very similar to how New York is described by Yezierska. For both London and New York, immigrants had wild fantasies based off of letters from friends or stories they had heard from a neighbor, that of course were extremely embellished and anything but accurate. This constant build of hope for such a miraculous place made the depressing reality of the real thing that much more crushing, leading to a disoriented state of mind. I found it interesting in the story when she talks about how in Russia they at least had the hope of America, but in America what do they have to hope for? This is an extremely important concept, that the immigrants realized how important the notion of hope is in surviving, clearly a huge struggle when it comes to the Holocaust years later.
DeleteErika Halburian
ReplyDeleteI personally really liked the passage. I felt a true connection to the protagonist and her feelings almost became my own. She was so desperate to find the dreamland known as America. Her vivid hopes of what she imagined America to be were crushed. She refused to adapt to the conditions given to immigrants like the other immigrants already had. The mental image of America that was painted in her mind was nothing like the reality of it. I like how she stayed strong in her pursuits and refused to give up. An example was when she spoke up to the sweatshop boss and was courageous by showing her true stances. The protagonist wasn’t afraid to speak her mind no matter what the consequences were, even though they were great indeed. “ How the fear for bread had dehumanized their last shred of humanity”(25). The desperateness of the works in the sweatshops didn’t surprise me. Even though their wages were cut they needed a job and any wages were a necessity for them to get by.
I was confused why she was so unhappy because to me even though the conditions were poor in America and weren’t what she imagined, they still were superior to those in Russia. She went from a mud hut to a flat, sounds like an improvement to me. In America she didn’t have to worry about Russian troops storming into their house threatening her family with fines and prison time for reading where they ate. She had a lot more freedom that she didn’t give America credit for. I sympathized when she mentioned her fear of getting her potatoes stolen was greater than that of the Cossacks. When they moved to America those kinds of fears were abolished. I noticed in the passage that the family’s beliefs were portrayed more when they were living in Russia. When they moved to America the story focused more on the imagination of the girl and how her dreams were not a reality. I felt like the author should have made it a point that they were free to practice their faith whenever and wherever they’d liked.
What I took away from this story was how far America has come. Today conditions for immigrants still may not be favorable but to consider how they used to be, we have come a long way. Even in the passage she mentioned how over time the sweatshop’s conditions began to improve. With time comes change and usually the changes are for the better. Today there are still places ruled by communism and people who live in harsh settings but many still continue to come to America to be free. I liked how the author gave us hope at the end of the passage, for the girl and hopefully her new friend will help her mentally be able to accept her new life in America.
I really agree with you in that the family's faith wasn't really mentioned once they arrived in America. The author may have had a purpose in this, however, to show how immigrants lost their identities and became just a cog in the mechanization of an industrial age. They no longer lived under the oppression of the Czar and the Cossack, but instead lived in the oppression created by stifling poverty in a land that cared only for their labor output and not their worth as people. The American dream is that anybody can make it if only they're willing to work hard and not give up. These immigrants didn't really get to see the American dream, at least not at first. The only things they saw were the terrible working and living conditions, poverty, and the loss of their former identities. The narrator was trying to regain her sense of self and go beyond that, to gain what she deemed her American dream which was to get an education. Yes, this story shows how far America has come, but it also illustrates how much America has stayed the same. We are still a nation of immigrants trying to work our way up, to achieve our own versions of the American dream.
DeleteKendall Torres
Allison Ward:
DeleteI was also confused as to why the narrator was so completely unhappy once she arrived in America. I too thought the living and working conditions were still better than what they were in Russia. They didn't even have a room to themselves there and the Cossack was allowed to enter whenever he pleased. I also thought it was interesting, like you mentioned, that their faith was somewhat on the back burner when they arrived in America. The narrator was almost blaming God for the lack of improvement; she was repeatedly chanting a "woes me" mentality. The dreams and aspirations of the narrator over took her faith in Judaism. She only used it against the "boss" when trying to tell him she deserved more money and that back fired.
I took away from this short story that the American dream is not an easy ticket. You cannot just arrive and expect everything to be handed to you, and that is the way life works! America doesn't give handouts, and one shouldn't expect them. The narrator gave an interesting perspective on the factory and work conditions from when she began to how it improved over time. However, I wish she had focused on this a bit more. I would have liked to know what kinds of laws and union protesting made these changes happen because be the looks of it the “boss” did not improve the work place because of his kind loving heart.
Jasmine Cox
ReplyDeleteI found this narrative a very simple read as well as most everyone else, but I unfortunately found it somewhat annoying. Her story is an intriguing one, certainly moving, and a story that not many of us can relate to. However, the way she uses ‘America” as a metaphor for hope and freedom as on page 32, “Again America beckoned” makes me just want to reach through the page and slap some sense into her.
After the letter from Gedalyeh, I understand that the many families of Plinsk would dream of a far-fetched land of unicorns and rainbows. I most certainly can’t put myself in their shoes, but I believe that at least the mothers and fathers of the families should know that giving up everything you own to move to a foreign place, no matter how mystical it’s made out to be, is one of the worst ideas one could possibly have. The expectations of the families in the village are where the problem begins to arise. When you have expectations like the ones that our narrator had, nothing will live up to those expectations. Gedalyeh explained that living in America was comparable to living “like a king in a palace,” but I feel like the people of the village didn’t come to the realization that no matter where you go, you’ll forever have to work to be successful.
Our narrator had unmistakable courage in her own mind, but at the same time she was a ridiculous coward. She looked forward to moving because “In America you can say what you feel-you can voice your thoughts in open streets without fear of a Cossack.” But when she finally arrived to America and was astounded that she had to work in the sweat shops, she did not stand up for herself or voice her opinion. She kept asking herself “Where is America? Where is the sunshine?” This shows that what she was really looking for the entire time was just happiness. She believed that moving to America would deliver instant happiness without hard work. I guess I’m being too harsh since she is only ten years old, but for such a wild dreamer, I feel like she should have opened her eyes to all of the wonderful things that America had to offer right in front of her face, instead of still concentrating on all of the negatives. In that time in the world, no matter where her family would have traveled, there would have been struggles. I am happy that the story ended on a better note and she somewhat ‘found her person’ after being so lost.
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DeleteBritton Manahan
DeleteI understand why Yezierska had the thoughts she did about America. The home life she described in the start of the story made her long for a better life. For many people living in terrible conditions, America became a ray of hope. Thinking about living in those terrible conditions, I can easily becoming entangled in a far off land. And what she embraced when she came over was nothing but the American dream. Had she come over years later maybe she would have found that dream, but instead she encountered a harsh reality. What impressed me though was her fight to seek out education. She refused to accept a simple life, even if the cost was the safety of her family. Education is something we all take for granted today, but reading about her pursing it reminded me about what a privilege it truly is.
The story also highlighted how important faith was for these immigrants. A moment that stood out in the reading to me was when her family was evicted, and her mother responded by praying. But as much as these immigrants had in common, it was every man or woman for themselves. I thought it was great how much the other workers supported her when she when to go speak to the boss. But shocked at how quickly they turned on her when she was fired. I guess the need to provide for one's own family is what comes into play her. The need to put food on the table breaks down these religious bonds between the workers and creates this workplace where everyone is on their own.
Hailey Dolan
ReplyDeleteWhat stood out to me the most in How I Found America was that America was more than just a place, it was a symbol, whether it be hope or defeat. In Part One, America was the light at the end of the tunnel for all Jews, being referred to as “sunshine” on multiple occasions. The desperation for a new place, a salvation, bleeds from the text. Yezierska makes it very easy to hear her voice, see her views and logic. The fact that this part of the story is being told from a ten-year-old’s point of view helps bring out the innocence in the tone as well. The reader can see how naïve Yezierska and her family thought by showing how they were willing to sell everything they owned to reach this escape.
Yezierska foolishly makes the same sacrificial mistake later on in the text when she chooses to leave her job to go to Immigrant School. Again, this is the result of hope and wanting. She believed that if she was provided with an education she would be happier, that an education is why she wanted to go to America.
However, both instances are met with defeat and hardship. The reader can feel the heart-sinking disappointment Yezierska and her family experienced when they found America was not the place of their imagination and dreams. There were a few instances when Yezierska preferred to be back in Russia. Disappointment reappeared at the Immigrant School where Yezierska learned that it was a school to teach trade and not an actual education. And that, I think, is the biggest downfall of hope: that when your expectations aren’t met, you let down is that much more intense.
But that’s what I liked most about the reading. Not the fact that Yezierska was met with such trials, but that she makes the reader feel what she felt, see what she saw. I was entertained and interested in continuing reading and learning more about her story because she made me put myself in her shoes. I could felt like I knew exactly what she was talking about when she was distraught by feeling betrayed by her fellow sweat shop workers or when she realized the sun doesn’t shine in the rooms in America. And the same goes for when she’s elated. My emotions were right next to hers on the rollercoaster they were riding.
(Sorry if this came up twice. It wasn't showing up the first time).
Natalie Palmer
DeleteYou raise a very valid point. When reading this story, I felt moved by the stinging disappointment that came with each new blow to Yezierska's hopes for America. The "sunshine" that they had all longed for was nothing more than a gloomy sky swathed in sorrow.
None of us can truly imagine how terrible working in a sweat shop could be. For a child at the young age of ten to be going through such hard times, it is impossible not to feel an overwhelming amount of sympathy.
The path that Jews have taken over the millenia have been rife with struggle and oppression. Yet, they are so strong. Yezierska, though she may be young, has the blood of her ancestors. Her family was bravely willing to risk it all for another chance to be treated the way every human being deserves to be. When they saw the truth, how ugly America could be, their spirits were crushed. From Russia to America, the evils were of a similar color and breed, only with different faces.
I agree with Hailey's assessment of the reading completely. I smiled when Yezierska smiled and in turn felt heartbroken when her dreams were turned into empty promises and hopes. The promise land had lied to her, but since her determination to pull through gave her strength and fortified her soul, I could only read on and desire a better future for Yezierska.
I really agreed with your view on the story. I found the narrative to be a more interesting read because it wasn’t sugar coated. It let the reader experience the high and lows of her journey exactly as it happened. I found the family to be slightly naïve to think that by going to America all of their problems would be solved. I definitely agree in the fact that it was very foolish of them to sell all of their possessions to come to America. I found the contrast between the symbolism of America and the reality of immigration to be in intriguing. I think I liked this story so much because in some way it was relatable. Not in the sense that I can relate to immigration, but rather the idea of disappointment. Disappointment is something that no one is immune to. Yezierska portrayed the troublesome feelings of disappointment extremely well. Because whether it is false hopes for America or getting a bad grade, disappointment is universal and inevitable. I too was interested in this story and felt all the emotions she experienced throughout her journey. She did a really fabulous job of putting the reader in her shoes and I would love to read more pieces that she has written.
DeleteIsabel Willetts
ReplyDeleteI would argue that this is a story is one everyone can relate to; its a coming of age story. We've all struggled with finding our place and who we are. Her inner struggle is dramatized through the painful process of coming to America with her family. But the story is one of identity. Her geographic location is a situation she must overcome while finding herself.
I imagine working in a sweat shop would be very traumatizing for anyone, especially to a ten year old who has only known quiet, rural life. I don't think it was a matter of wanting "instant happiness without hard work." On the contrary, she wants to work hard. "I saw before me free schools, free colleges, free libraries, where I could learn and learn and keep on learning." She's not a coward for dreading a job with inhumane conditions and unfair wages. She does stand up for herself to the foreman, and loses her job because of it.
The story feels awkward, maybe even a little "annoying," to me as well, but it's because the author tells the story in hindsight. She's writing the mindset of an adult from the perspective of a child. She asks "where is America?" as an expression of the disillusionment with the American Dream. She funnels the feelings of "thousands upon thousands crushed by injustice" in one story through a child's point of view, so at times it seems a little melodramatic. However, this story demonstrates what America was really like for those who sought a better life, and is relevant to understanding immigration today.
Vishal Samuel
DeleteFirst, I enjoyed the flow of the story and the usage of separate parts to signify the changes in place and time of the story. The author uses a relative vernacular, easy to understand and follow. A question I have is whether or not the letter written by the man depicts his true feelings toward America. Was he writing it to entice them to come to America while hiding the truth? Immediately, the author is shocked by the corrupt image of America she sees. People work like slaves, dress poorly, and live on bread crumbs. She was oppressed in the life she had lived before and to enter a similar world was a shock to her.
I agree with Isabel's view that this story is a bit "annoying" because she is writing through hindsight. It is difficult to retell events through the perspective of a child. The series of events may be factual but the emotional aspect is what I question. A ten year old's mind is constantly dwelling on different things and doesn't focus on the misery of her surroundings. Her emotional dilemmas seemed to dramatize the truth because although she does understand human rights, for her to stand up against her boss while the others work diligently around her confused me. She had responsibilities to tend to with her earnings and it seemed "childish" for her to assume that if she would stand up her boss, he would immediately increase her wage.
This story certainly does follow the "American Dream" plot that millions of immigrants endured during that era of mass migration. Millions of Europeans were told of the promises of America, only to find a place just as dirty and corrupt, but it was through their hard work and diligence that America rose from the dirt. In all, I enjoyed this piece because of the author's voice and imagery, which gave the story life and allows readers to visualize the struggling lives led by immigrants in order to create a future in America.
Maggie McCloskey,
DeleteI agree that this story is relatible to anyone due to the trying to find one's place in the world. I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of courage that she had to be able to leave the only home she knew to this new place where she must work in horrific conditions. I know that my ten year old self would not have fared well. I also noticed the theme and link between the finding of identity and finding America and what it really means. The story really put me in the shoes of these new immigrants and really made me think about all they had to endure not only to get to America but also what they had to once they got here. I actually thought that the author did a good job telling the story from a child's perspective and did not really find it annoying. I feel like the author drew upon her own experiences coming to America at a young age and wanted to convey how it was like for a child to come migrate to America.
Yes, I have to agree with the reoccurring comment among my classmates. The story is melodramatic and at times I too wanted to slap some sense into her as I read in one of the comments above. But I feel that given the point of view in which the story is written, a ten year old, then it is only natural to be frustrated at the character. When they left their village and her parents decided to sell everything in order to get the ticket to America I found myself wanting to slap her parents rather than her for going on such a drastic crazy move, and not thinking of the down side; that perhaps it all would not be rose colored. But as Isabel states it demonstrates the experience, and what America meant to people in distress who sought a better life at all cost. In choosing to show their actions this way the author really expressed the hope and yearning for a better, safer life, but also showed just how bad their living circumstances were and how desperate they were for anything else. “In Russia, you could hope to run away from your troubles to America. But from America where can you go?” When the nurse tells her this it broke my heart because that is exactly the helpless impotent feeling she is feeling and it is something so far from the dreamy world she had expected, the dreamy world where the running would subside. She finds herself struggling and still running from the Cossack even in America.
DeleteJustin Huntman
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this story. I enjoyed how when you start to read this piece you are seem to be thrown in right away into the story almost like you there. From the very beginning I feel as though I can really hear the children chanting the ancient poetry found on the sixteenth page. The way details are used puts you in this room. You can almost see your self in there in the exact spot that the author is in because of great use of specific detail. But, I also love the plot and Idea of this story. Of how and why she came to America, but it wasn’t what she thought it would be at first. One of her first experiences in America she says “I looked about the narrow streets of squeezed in stores and houses, ragged clothes, dirty bedding oozing out of the windows, ash-cans and garbage-cans cluttering the side-walks. A vague sadness pressed down my heart-the first doubt of America. "Where an~ the green fields and open spaces in America?" cried my heart. "Where is the golden country of my dreams,”(21)? Here in this passage you can feel the early disappointment she is suffering and finding out America isn’t what she thought it would be. This passage is an eye opening moment in the story and I feel to be one of the most important for you to be able to relate to the author. I felt threw out this story you are truly able to relate to the author even though you can physically go threw what she is going threw back then. It goes to the credit of the great writing and amazing details that went into the work. But this story has a happy ending where in fact the author realizes that everything she had to go threw was not for nothing. She ends up having success even with all the problems she faced. She realizes that in the end it was all worth it. This is her seeing how she changed and succeeded. Threw this story we have seen how she has had to group and develop as a person and how hard it was being a Jewish immigrant in America. And we explore her development of becoming an American Jew and the religious and Anti-sematic problems that where faced during that time period. Which is still something we can relate to in today society, which is what makes this story so enjoyable to read.
Justin, I will start off by saying that I agree with how you feel about the adjectives and the way Yezierska described things in that they make you feel like you are really there in the situation being described. The detail used in the piece is so specific that it gives it extra life and makes it easier to try and imagine all of the terrible things she had to overcome to be anywhere near successful in the world for Jewish immigrants at that time. And, yes I think that Yezierska and almost all other immigrants at the time were very surprised and perplexed with what they found in America. Immigrants expected almost the opposite of what they encountered and it was extremely hard for them to deal with it. The quote you chose to use from the piece is a perfect illustration of how most immigrants felt when they got to America. I also think that the story does a good job of making it relatable even though it is nearly impossible to try and put yourself in the shoes of a Jewish immigrant at that time. The lesson I got out of this piece combined with your analysis leads me to the conclusion that you must stay determined through hardship in order to be successful in a world full of fierce competition.
DeleteAlex Dishman
ReplyDelete“Just take it out of your heart and say it”. It’s mind blowing how this one quote from a complete stranger was able to spark a feeling of hopefulness and optimism back into the heart of a young girl on the verge of giving up. Anzia Yezierska was an immigrant who came to America with the idea in her head that every other immigrant had; America was “golden” and filled with opportunities. She wanted to get away from the Czar controlling her life and start a fresh one. She was so excited that she sold her red quitted petticoat as her “supreme sacrifice of her ten year old life”. Her excitement cancelled out all the horrible troubles of the journey to America and the only thing she clearly remembered was how optimistic she was about the new freedoms she would have and how she would have the freedom to finally live her own life. She was also extremely excited about learning; “learning flows free”. She would have access to free schools, colleges and libraries and the learning she could do was endless. America was perfect in her mind. She was disappointed when she first got to America. It wasn’t what she had imagined and her working conditions were horrible. “Where is America?” she wonders. She tests her freedom of speech by speaking up for the women in the sweatshop but results in getting fired. She tries many schools and longs for a friend, but finally finds one in her sister’s teacher Miss Latham.
I think that Anzia wrote this beautifully. I honestly felt as if I was along for the ride with her. The way she wrote and described her emotions made it seem as if I was feeling those emotions too. The parts that touched me the most in her entire piece were the sweatshop incident and her admiration for Miss Latham. I genuinely felt bad for her when she spoke up for the girls in the shop and they let her go without standing back up for her. The way she got in trouble for speaking up and how let down she was made it so disappointing to read and I felt as if I could relate to her because I would have spoken up as well. When she described how much faith and optimism Miss Latham brought back to her, it changed the entire piece and her descriptions of her conversation with her was writing in such an inspiring manner.
I thought that her style of writing was so inspiring and well written. Every event that happened throughout the story flowed together and made you feel as if you were a part of the time period. I think that the fact that she was able to make it in America and found her true place at the end made the story what it really was. She was able to change the tone of her piece through her writing and it made the story relatable in every possible way.
After reading Anzia’s story I’m just left with the thought of the immigrant imagination of America. To these Jewish immigrants, America seemed like the Garden of Eden that G-d had once delivered to Adam and Eve. With their lives in ruin from persecution from the Czar and officials of Russia, this land seemed to be an escape from their lives. However, when the author finally arrives to America, she’s taken aback, just like a child is when they learn that Santa Claus isn’t real, as I’m sure many immigrants of different nationalities soon came to realize of the hardship they were now faced with.
ReplyDeleteTo these people, they believed that there was no problem and struggle in America, that the roads are paved with gold. This image isn’t a reality for any country, due to the fact that every nation has its troubles. So when America was built up in their minds, they were faced with nothing but let down as life seemed to have taken a dive rather than an increase in happiness. There was an image that anyone could make it in America and in reality it just wasn’t what all these people believed. They were still persecuted and subjected to a life that wasn’t any better than the one left behind, and to make it worse they were now strangers in a foreign land. At one point in the story the author states that “After America, where is there left to go?” The let down of a “golden country” was so severe that she didn’t believe in the opportunity of the country anymore.
However, it seems as if the author had become blind to the reason why they had uprooted their entire lives to be subjected in the same living conditions as Russia. These people did it for a fair shot at life with no one stopping them due to their religion. At the beginning of the story they were forced from their home for practicing their religion, and towards the end they were being invited in so that they had a roof to practice it under. That tiny gesture was the real reason so many came to America. Not just for money, but the freedom to do anything they wanted with no one to tell them to stop. Yes having green pastures and money is always tempting, but the freedom to say they were Jewish and express their beliefs in peace is what really counted.
Kyndall Herman
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this author’s writing style. It was an easy read and quite frankly, kept me interested and hooked instead of most other boring topics where I reread it a thousand times. I really liked the imagery used by Yezierska, the first scene in the mud hut with her father reading to the children I could easily picture and almost place myself in the scene. Also as the story evolved, I could easily envision her mother, herself, and her siblings all gathering their thing and throwing them into a pile to sell to raise money to come to America. I quickly found myself as almost a part of the story, feeling excited when her mother persuaded the man to give them enough money for their belongings, even if he had said it was worth way less. Their dreams of making it to some place so new and exciting and full of adventure really seemed hopeful.I liked how America was for the Jews a symbol of hope, a sort of light at the end of their tunnel.
But I was almost just as crushed as Anzia when she arrived to the sunshineless America and had to work in a sweatshop. She was so full of hope for a better life that to see her (I say see because at this point in the story I could see it all happening, with how well it was written) in such a broken down state of mind and spirit was heartbreaking. She was in such a state of desperation but knew that somewhere there was that America that she was looking for. I loved when she stood up for the rest of the sweatshop when their wages were lowered, even if she did get kicked out. It showed that even if there was a negative consequence, she was going to stand up for what she believed to be right. I liked that she still had a spark in her when the rest of her kind had given up and given in.
Towards the end of the story when Anzia found a school to go to, I thought finally this girl is going to get the break she deserves after being so persistent. But when she argued with her teacher that what she was learning wasn’t actually relevant and that they should be taught something more relevant, she found herself at a loss again, and again making me as a reader feel her desperation. I guess the fact that Anzia could come off as easily read made most of us like her style of writing and how she could easily get in tune with our emotions.
Christen Caporali
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the perception of America, that perception is greatly influenced by the narrator and her expectations. In part one, when Gedelyeh Mindel writes to his family in Russia, I feel the elation and inspired hope that the villagers feel when he tells them how much money he makes, his upscale lifestyle, his feeling of being an equal, and there being no Czar. This is the first view of America we see from the narrator, and she puts America up on a pedestal almost immediately. She portrays America as a wonderland, and draws all sorts of conclusions from Mindel’s letter, even going as far as calling it a “golden country.” Yezierska portrays a common theme among many immigrants of the time, as most immigrants believed America to be a land of milk and honey, but were sourly disappointed upon arrival.
I feel as if this is a coming of age story rather than a story of immigration, even though that plays a major factor in how Yezierska finds herself. After being oppressed by the Czar and the Cossack for so long and living in fear for her entire life, she looks to America as an escape. She believes that her source of solace and freedom is there, and imagines that she will be absolutely free to do whatever she wants and be whomever she pleases without being oppressed. However, this dream is quickly dashed when she finally reaches the famed America. She is immediately disappointed by the concrete jungle, and states that America is a “place without sunlight.” I feel like she places too much weight into her immediate perceptions, and was not as willing to submit to hard work in exchange for her happiness. She focuses on the negative parts of her situation more than she does on the positive things that America does for her and her family.
Like so many other immigrants, in placing so many high expectations in America, Yezierska ultimately set herself up to be let down. However, I am glad she questioned America and why it was as horrible as it was at the time. Minds such as these ultimately lead to change, which is shown throughout the passage. Even though she was proven wrong about America so many times, she still kept fighting for her ideal America. Upon doing this, she is ultimately fighting for herself. As her own mind has been repressed and rejected as well, she finds herself questioning her subconscious as well as her reality. She is frustrated by her imagined ideal of what her life should be like, and what her reality is. She continues this inward struggle throughout the passage, ultimately finding her solace in sharing her frustrations with a friend.
Briana Cherry-Bronson
ReplyDeleteThe short story, How I Found America, was an easy read and I think that’s what made the story interesting.
After the narrator’s father read the letter from Gedalyeh Mindel to the town, everyone thought of America as the closest thing to heaven. In the letter “Mr. Mindel” made America seem like paradise. And once the narrator’s family came across enough money to come to America, their reactions to landing here was interesting. The man prayed, the women cried, and the kids danced. Then the narrator sees where she is going to be living and her dreams of America die. She finds out she is still living in poverty and wanted answers to her question- where is America?
When the narrator arrives at the sweatshop, she then feels doubt of her belonging. In the front of the sweatshop she has an identity crisis and starts asking herself questions: What am I? Who am I? Why was I here? Then later the reader finds out it was a dream.
The narrator then mentions, “…must my youth too die”, and that quote stuck out to me because these children are no longer children in America. I’m not sure what their chores or jobs were back at the village, but in America they have to help their families survive by getting jobs or as she words it “turning into a machine.” The narrator has to go through obstacles, some teenagers don’t come across, she moved to another country that wasn’t what she expected and then was pushed right into being a factory worker. She had to make adult decisions and had to find her self-identity at an early age.
In the shop, the role of being a woman was one of the main topics. The boss told the women about their pay and the workers weren’t too happy about it, but didn’t say anything. I believe that was because they were women and feared the consequences of speaking up. Each woman that approached the narrator had an issue with the pay and most of them were the bread makers of the family. Of course after the narrator approached her boss, she was fired.
The last pages of the short story, the narrator still wonders where America is? And if she came to America to only use her hands and be a machine. After going to the school for immigrants and talking to the lady, then talking to her neighbor, I think that’s when the narrator started to accept the fact that this is what America is about and she was just going to have to accept it.
Stephanie Jones
ReplyDeleteI found Yezierska’s short story “How I Found America” to be a rather uplifting, coming-of-age story of Jewish immigrants coming to America. It was very interesting to get a real Jewish immigrant’s perspective on their new life in America and adjusting to the changes. One thing I found most interesting was that, although Yezierska is clearly speaking out against cultural assimilation, she has written the story in English instead of Yiddish, thus conforming to American ways. This could be interpreted in one of two ways: the first being that she is being somewhat contradicting of herself in the sense that she is writing in English whilst declaring her love of her Jewish heritage (which I suppose could be somewhat of a reflection of her story’s protagonist, seeing as how she is conflicted between wanting to build a better life in America and at the same time missing her old life in Russia). The second way it could be interpreted is that Yezierska is simply trying to reach more of an audience so that her story will be understood by readers from all different backgrounds (and also giving American conformity somewhat of the middle finger by putting so much emphasis on her Jewish roots). Either way, I found her approach to be rather innovative.
A common theme I noticed in “How I Found America” was the lack of a real childhood for any of the Jewish immigrants. I noticed that, although the main protagonist was still somewhat a child when her family moved to America, she went right to work in order to help support her family. She also mentions several other workers in the sweat shop who are young and supporting their families and younger siblings as well. The narrator even states at one point, “My childhood choked with drudgery—must my youth too die—unlived?” She is clearly mourning the loss of her childhood when she is forced to start working at such a young age, because she realizes that she will never be able to have a “normal” childhood like these American children seem to have. One part that really stuck out to me was when the narrator gets hit by a car, and has a dream of being in heaven and going to school. She explains, “I was in my heaven in the schools of America—in open, sunny fields—a child with other children.” Here, it is evident that our story’s narrator longs to lead the life of an American child; attending school, and being able to be a kid just like the other children. This particular section acts as somewhat of a dose of reality for the readers as far as helping them to understand the extent to which all immigrants were forced to work, no matter their age. Yezierska’s description of children in the work force really opened my eyes to the various struggles that these Jewish immigrants went through in order to simply get by.
Stephanie here!
DeleteI've just realized that I forgot to cite the pages from which I borrowed quotes! The first being, "My childhood choked with drudgery--must my youth too die--unlived?" (23).
And, the second being, "I was in my heaven in the schools of America--in open, sunny fields--a child with other children." (27).
Sorry about that little slip-up, everybody!
Cristina Diaz
ReplyDeleteAnzia Yezierska's "How I found America", is a very informational and interesting read. Here we read a personal account of a jewish immigrant child. One who is facing the struggle of shedding her old skin, if you will, and welcoming a new existence. She arrives upon America with nothing but a dream, pure ambition and an undying thirst for a fulfilling life. Not many of us can relate to this on a personal level, since after all, not many of us are Jewish immigrants from the 60's. Yet some sort of connection is still ever present.
This is because Anzia is writing about her everyday life, (which she eloquently shares with her audience; an example of this is when she stands alone against her boss yet stands up for herself and the many other "machine slaves" who wouldn't dare stand in Anzia's shoes.); but through this writing she is also connecting with the human spirit on a deeper level. We are looking through her eyes outwardly at the mundane things she faces, all the while peeping inside her, at her own feelings and emotions. We see a young girl, questioning her being in this world. Anzia not only questions the fire that is found in her heart, she also attempts to understand it, to find an answer.
This is where I was able to relate, and where I am sure many others can as well. After all we all come face to face with such questions as, who al I? And what am I here for? Here we have a coming of age story, unfortunately a significantly unique one. Poor Anzia has to face a crud reality early on in life; a lost youth to the jungle of industrialized America at that time. Yet she still clings to her thoughts, her thirst for knowledge, her desire to learn, the fire that burns bright in her heart. All traces of a restless rebel, one with an undying need to progress, to know what's beyond the 'ugly concrete buildings and dirty factories".
Naturally, not every Jewish immigrant felt the same on their quest for "the golden country". This is something which Anzia was able to demonstrate while sharing her own story. She was capable of showing us Jewish history from various perspectives through her interactions with different characters. For example, "Again the shadow fell over me, again the doubt of America. In America were rooms without sunlight, rooms to sleep in, to eat in, to cook in, but without sunshine. And Gedalyeh Mindel was happy. Could I be satisfied with just a place to sleep and to eat in, and a door to shut people out---to take the place of sunlight? Or would I always need the sunlight to be happy?". While capturing her own thought she was able to recall the thoughts of others and share them with her audience.
Anzia at the moment of writing this short story was mostly concerned with her inner turmoil's, this is evident throughout the story, and one of my favorite lines of such "Life is too big for me. I'm lost in this each for himself world. I feel shut out from everything that's going on... I'm always fighting---fighting--- with myself and everybody around me... I hate when I want to love and I make people hate me when I want to make them love me." She explicates herself effortlessly with the ability of reaching out to many. More importantly, she is able to paint the bigger picture for her audience. She is able to capture a point in time through the sharing of her own story. This is what I truly enjoyed the most from Anzia Yezierska's writing or better yet, peculiar snapshot.
Leslie Oxford
DeleteAs Cristina points out, Anzia Yezierska's "How I Found America" is a Jewish immigrant story through the eyes of a young girl. Cristina listed the many ways in which this story can be viewed as a tale of self discovery. However, I argue that Anzia's story addresses a fundamental American Jewish question of cultural identity.
During Part 1 of the tale, the emphasis on Judaism is quite strong. This can be gathered through Anzia's father reading from the book of Isaiah. Moreover, the passage from Isaiah foreshadows future events somewhat. For instance, the passage which states "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the lord," is comparable to Anzia's family receiving "a letter from America" encouraging the family to leave Russia and prepare to move to America.
The religious symbolism continues in Part 1, when Anzia's family begins to dream of America. Their idealizations of America are infused with religious symbolism. During the family's decision to move to America, it is stated, "There are no high or low in America." This statement is akin to the part of the Isaiah passage where it states," Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low." Furthermore, the sentence, "Learning flows free like milk and honey," adds to the religious symbolism. In this statement, Anzia's family has made America into a new "promised land".
In part 1, there is very little doubt about the religiosity of Anzia's family. However as the story progresses to the industrialized machinery of America the question intensifies, and Anzia's family must decide who they are. As Christina stated, "not every Jewish immigrant felt the same on their quest for 'the golden country'." I agree with Christina's position that Anzia's writing allowed for the different perspectives to have a true voice in this their new "promised land".
ReplyDeleteChynna Humphrey
In reading “How I Found America,” I was enticed by the story from the very beginning. It was an easier read because the language was very elementary and the progression of ideas was not hard to follow. Because it was such an easy read, I found it easier to relate to and empathize with the characters. Though I have obviously never experienced hardships even close to the ones that these men and women have faced, I feel as though struggle and suffering are relative terms. Everyone experiences hope and disappointment in their own separate ways; thus, I feel as though I can very easily relate to this story because I have definitely experienced the feeling of that same frustration and regret after hoping so much for something that didn’t exist. For example, I signed a contract with a brand new apartment complex in Tallahassee that seemed so beautiful and wonderful, and I was willing to pay just about any amount of money in order to live there. I was even willing to work an extra job on top of school wok just to pay for the rent. I had nothing but amazing expectation for this place, for I had no reason not to. Upon arrival, I found myself disillusioned by the cockroaches crawling around the apartment and the horrible services that the complex had to offer. In the end, I was heartbroken because I was tied to my decision that I had made a couple months back. I think the feeling of regret after so much hope is relatable to the entire human race, as it’s something we have all experienced. This story is so enjoyable because of that universality.
I’d have to disagree with some of my peers who stated that this story was “annoying” because the characters were senseless for believing in America. Without the media and news sources that are so readily available to us today, how were they to know that it wouldn’t be just as their friend said it would? With no hopes of a positive future and no real freedoms in their own homes, a letter from a Jewish person thriving in America being treated “like a king,” is definitely a reason to become hopeful for a better future. All they have is the word of this man. What else were they to do? Because I know for a fact that if I was in their position, I would have done the exact same thing. I would have sold anything in my possession to get over to the alleged “promise lands” of America. What would YOU have done?
Devin Harkins
ReplyDeleteI read ‘How I Found America’ as a brief look into the reality of immigrant life in America. Throughout the story there was a constant battle within the main character Anzia Yezierska. Anzia was regularly fighting with herself whether it was learning versus making money, or the reality of America versus her hopes and dreams. She had a habit of thinking of the cliché, “the grass is always greener on the other side.” When Anzia and her family resided in the mud hut village in Russia, she dreamed and truly believed that America would be the answer to her prayers. In her mind America was an untouched sanctuary where everyone could be free, both body and mind. She quickly learned that her idea of America was not a reality when she moved to New York. it was interesting when she said, "America-America-where was America?" (23) because she had already been living in America for some time but it was not the place she was expecting. Throughout the story she stated that she would rather be back in Russia in her mud hut where there was at least sunlight and fresh air. Anzia was not expecting to be surrounded by so much urbanization and construction. Her version of America involved valleys and wide-open spaces with schools that would teach you infinite ideas. The reality was that America needed to improve in the industrial world so they used the closet things they had to slaves, immigrants. Multiple times Anzia wondered why America was only interested in the strength her body had and not the knowledge her mind carried. She didn’t understand why no one was interested in teaching her so that she could help America prosper with her ideas. People constantly told her that America was not interested in what her ideas where because she was a young, uneducated, immigrant girl. Society only saw her as a type of slave, whether it was a sweatshop worker, a cook, or a servant. All she wanted was to learn so she could flourish in America and live the life she knew she was capable of. I thought it was also very interesting that she was longing for a friend to share her thoughts with, someone who would really listen to her ideas and opinions. It really shows how humans need that connection/relationship in order to survive. As we discussed in class, people need that contact with one another. I really enjoyed reading a realistic story that intertwined that idea along with many other subjects.
I enjoyed this short story very much. The author did a fabulous job with the writing and although it was very long, it kept my attention throughout the reading. What made this story stand out so much, in my opinion, was the great use of voice that she used. This might just be something that stands out to me because my ENC1101 teacher was a psycho about using voice, but I could definitely notice it used greatly in this writing.
ReplyDeleteFor myself, this writing is very eye opening. I come from an extremely Catholic background and from the few Bar and Bat Mitzvah’s that I attended in middle school; I have very few understanding on Jewish history. For example, the thought of not being able to hold Hebrew school in the same location that one eats and sleeps completely blows my mind. Not to say that I have lived under a rock my whole life, but its just very fascinating to read about the traditions and culture of religions that are of not my own.
I also was very impressed by the protagonist’s inability to give up, even though she was disappointed in the American way. She had built up such a strong dream for what America was to be like, and when it wasn’t like how she imagined she stayed true to her values. Many immigrants adapted to the conditions that immigrants were forced to live under, although the protagonists would not. This shows what a strong individual she is, and I respect that greatly. I also really admired when she stood up for the entire sweatshop when the wages were too low. This also proved what a headstrong individual she is. Even though she lost her job, she still stood up for what she though was right. This is a great quality to have.
Lastly, this makes me wonder about all other types of immigrant groups that have come to America over the years looking for a new place to build a home. Did they too have a difficult time settling into the “promise” land? It would be very interesting to read short stories on other cultures immigration to America and their personal connection to it. I took a class my freshmen year that was based on different ethnic groups traveling to America. Although we did get the overall view of these cultures immigration, it would be fascinating to read their personal narratives.
Desiree Amadeo
ReplyDeleteWhat struck me the most in ‘How I Found America’ was the author’s smooth transition of outer focus to inner focus the closer she came to “finding America” and how this paralleled the ending concept of the story – America is not an outer place you find, it’s an inner state you create.
The beginning of the story has a strong focus on her surroundings – the description of the people in her house, just beyond her house, and the idealistic images of what was taking place across the ocean in the America. Through her strong use of imagery, Yezierska depicts the struggle of her parents through innocent eyes. She is still a child and rather naïve, but her desire to help loved ones is introduced there through the offering of her dowry. The story is still just as much about her family as it is about her, but we see her through positive eyes.
As soon as she crosses the ocean in Part 2, her imagery is related much more to her self as she narrates her time spent working in the sweatshop. As she describes her struggle to help those around her, she still maintains a clearly central focus – instead of feeling bad for those in need around her, you empathize with her struggle to help them and the resultant despair in her failure to do so. Even when her family gets evicted, it’s not about them – it’s about her.
In Part 3 she furthers the focus on her and fogs our view of what she’s helping even further. At this point, she wants to help Jewish-American immigrants as a whole and wants to learn. The mention of her family is very occasional and her parents (presumably no longer alive) are completely out of the story. Even though she’s not talking about others and the story is almost solely focused on her, we still see her in a positive light, never does she seem selfish or unthankful.
I found this particularly impactful because of the subject matter of the text – immigration. The common theme of Americans viewing immigrants as selfish is mentioned at the end of the reading and she states clearly she does not wish to be seen in this way. Due to her impeccable discretion in depicting her trials in America, she was able to accomplish this. Through her gradually shifting the focus from those around her to herself, she brings us along on her journey in a way that keeps us empathetic with her point of view. Any previous bias one may have in defense of America is dropped because she begins the story by extracting us from America and bringing us to her home. Due to her keeping the subject matter focused on her struggle instead of how bad America is, she removes any potential for a reader to see her in a selfish light, thus realizing her desire to not seem selfish.
I just wanted to say that overall the quality of the conversation on the blog is excellent so far. So keep it up.
ReplyDeleteA few last thoughts on the story:
Our narrator doesn’t bemoan working because she’s lazy or entitled, but because the nature of the sweatshops is exploitative and cruel. Our narrator’s goal are both private and public. It’s the interplay between the two that lends tension to the story. She yearns for a self outside of the community, but she also wants to improve the state of affairs for the community. Public goal: she doesn’t want to see herself or her immigrant community turned into mindless machines. Private goal: she has dreams of developing herself intellectually and artistically. Shortly after the chronological time of this story, a thriving community of artists, organizers, and thinkers emerges out of this impoverished immigrant community, thanks largely to people like the narrator in this story. So her dream of an America where you can use your heart and brain to create does in fact come true. So she expands on the American dream— it is not just money or religious freedom—-but a place where you can cultivate and express the self. What makes the story interesting, as we discussed in class, is that I think you can argue persuasively that she is an Americanized feminist rebel who mostly rejects her old culture, OR that she remains very much wed to the values of her ancestors and the old culture and seeks to improve life in America within the constraints of the Old World. So in terms of writing a paper on this story, you could argue it either way, which is part of why it’s a complex story. It’s paradoxical in that way. Finally, I say all this because it’s not just a political story about the horrors of immigrant life, but a pretty complex character study of a young girl who is trying to figure out who the heck she is in this new country. So there is a public and private side to the story. See you all on Monday!