The Border Patrol State

In response to "The Border Patrol State" by Leslie Marmon Silko, there were some things I could definitely side with her on, but then there were other perspectives that I disagreed with her on.

Of course, I had sympathy with her for the fact that since she is an Arizona citizen, it seems ridiculous and quite frustrating that she has to be stopped on the road, questioned about her legality, and interrogated to make her feel like some sort of criminal. I can only imagine how frustrated I would be to be an American citizen and be questioned of my intent or nationality when I knew true to myself that I was a legal United States citizen. It would upset me very much to be untrusted and violated by border patrol men who pursued looking in my car and searching me with a dog.

On the other hand, although, being a white American citizen who was born and raised in Texas, I am very much so supportive on the border patrol process. Living so close to the Mexico border, and knowing there are many hispanic immigrants who try to enter the United States illegally with bad intentions as to be involved with drugs or cause harm or danger through crimes in my country, I definitely feel a sense of security from there being strict border patrol and feel that it is a necessary evil in order to run a successful and safe country. I know there are many immigrants coming into America with good intentions, but there are also many who do not have good intentions. After the terrorist attacks on our country in 2001, I feel all Americans are sketchy with immigrants of other nationalities and feel it is only fair and safe to keep strict laws on entering the country, whether it be at the airport, or on highways in states that border Mexico. It is the only way to be fair to everyone immigrating and the only way to be fair to Americans who just want to feel safe in their home states and not feel like dangerous people are crossing over the border care free with bad intentions.

Bonus Blog #2

Sui Sin Far, Onoto Watanna, and Mary Antin have multiple similarities and differences pertaining to their immigration into the United States. The main similarity that greatly stood out to me among all of the stories is the characters anxious and somewhat fearful mindset to come to America. They all know they are heading for a better life and more opportunities, but at the same time they are fearful to step into the unknown, into a totally new country they knew nothing about. For exemple, Sui Sin Far writes of the man and woman with their young son coming into America. They are more excited than ever to start a new life in a great new country. This comes to a halt when they realize they can't bring their son with them and he ends up being withheld from them for months. This turns their initial positive feelings into great depression.

The main difference I noticed was the opportunity of education, which was only presented in Mary Antin's "The Promised Land." Although the young girl feels somewhat guilty for her chance at exciting education, since her sister must go to work in a factory and isn't able to attend school, she can't contain her bursts of joy due to her eagerness to jump into an American school. Her father values this chance at education, as she quotes "Father himself conducted us to school. He would not have delegated that mission to the President of the United States." He himself knows how greatly important this new adventure is, which is reciprocated to his daughters excited emotions. They both know this is the beginning of the rest of her life, and a great education is the opportunity she needs to succeed and have a better chance of leading a successful life and having a good job.

Lieutenant Jimmy Cross' Army

If I were a soldier in Lieutenant Jimmy Cross' unit, I would probably carry a lot of possessions outside of what I was required to carry. As a regular soldier, I would more than likely be required to carry guns, clothes, food, and all the other necessary materials a soldier carries. But I would also be very tempted to carry around many other things that were important to me.

If I was allowed to, I would more than likely have to have my cell phone with me. Now, I know in these earlier times, cell phones weren't around, but referencing in today's time, I would definitely like to have my phone with me, to be able to keep in contact with all of my family and friends and use the internet to keep up with news and current events that took place back at home. I would also definitely carry a few pictures of my loved ones so I would feel like I was carrying them along with me on my journey. Along with the pictures, I would always have with me some paper and pens in order to write home to family and friends, and I would also carry letters that had been sent to me, so that I could pull them out and read them whenever I felt homesick or sad.

Other items I would carry around would probably consist of toiletries and necessities. This would include toilet paper, tooth brush and tooth paste, a brush, deodorant, soap, and extra clothes for certain weather conditions, such as a good jacket or an umbrella for rain.

The final thing I would carry with me would be a camera to take pictures of all the amazing places I saw all over the world, and to bring back to my family to show them the journey I had been on. Many soldiers get to travel all over the world and visit countries they would not otherwise get to experience, so I would definitely want pictures. Along my journey, I would also always carry my special memories of times in the past with my loved ones, family, and friends.

The School Days of an Indian Girl

The school days of an Indian Girl by Zitkala-Sa displays a sad story of an Indian girl who faced many challenges and hardships in her journey to reach college. Through boarding school in her childhood, she definitely did not experience anything near resembling an American dream. In the school taught by white women, the little Indian girl suffered so many hardships that is rare for American kids to encounter. She was mistreated, yelled at, physically punished, kept on a strict schedule, and was forced to have a certain appearance and lifestyle that was molded by the whites.

This one particular sentence stood out as so shocking to me that I could never imagine having to deal with. "I cried aloud, shaking my head all the while until I felt the cold blades of the scissors against my neck, and heard them gnaw off one of my thick braids. Then I lost my spirit." If anyone ever cut my hair or did anything to my appearance against my will, I can't imagine how violated I would feel. This is definitely not an example of living the American dream, because she had absolutely no freedom and no say for herself.

As she progresses in life, she advances and accomplishes the achievement of being fortunate enough to attend college. To me, college is one of the most current icons of the American dream since it's a privilege that is so common in today's world that people pursue in order to lead a successful life and get a good job. In this sense, the Indian girl was definitely experiencing the American dream.

"Later, the decision of the judges awarded me the first place. Then there was a mad uproar in the hall, where my classmates sang and shouted my name at the top of their lungs; and the disappointed students howled and brayed in fearfully dissonant tin trumpets. In this excitement, happy students rushed forward to offer their congratulations. And I could not conceal a smile when they wished to escort me in a procession to the students' parlor, where all were going to calm themselves." This was truly one of the first times the girl felt included and happy with her life. She had succeeded and accomplished something very great that she could take great pride in. She finally felt accepted and like one of the others in this moment.

Bonus Blog

After reading Howells' story "Editha," I had a whole different perspective on the meaning of patriotism and imperialism. On the subject of the Spanish-American War, the Americans chose to fight a battle on their own terms that had the potential to desecrate an entire generation of people. At this time, there was no draft in place, but many young Americans still strove for war and had the hunger to fight and defend their country.

Editha's husband, George, was not one of these men initially. I found it very confusing that Editha was the one eager for her husband to jump into battle, and George was very apprehensive. Relating with today's world, where there is no longer a draft in place again, and people go to war by choice, it is very common that women, whether they be girlfriends, wives, mothers, or sisters, dread the men in their life going to war and risk death. But these roles were definitely reversed in Editha.

It's ironic, because reflecting on this story, I found that if the rules we have today applied back then, and women were allowed to go to war and fight for their country, Editha would probably not have been near as eager and enthusiastic to enlist in the war. Although she pushed and blackmailed her husband into war, because she was so sure that it was the right, patriotic thing to do, if it came down to her herself having to actually be put into battle and put her life on the line, she probably would have had much different of a perspective.

This truly showed her selfishness that she didn't mind her husband risking his life for her personal pleasure. She knew she would love him more and feel a greater sense of pride to be his wife if he went to war, fought for his country, and returned back to her as a hero. She wasn't realistic that his life really was at risk and he could very much so potentially die in battle and not return home to her. But she didn't care, because all that mattered was that she got what she wanted. She preferred to live in her own little world full of naive and selfish tendencies, which in turn made her appear crazy and out of touch with reality.

Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen

"For this reason she clung with tenacity to the affection and constant attentions of her son, and no man could be more devoted than was General Dominis to his mother." (ch. 4)

This sentence really stood out to me because it is a custom in today's world more commonly for males to be close with their moms, but it is not something I thought was common in past times. I was always under the impression that in past times, males would move out of the house early on, create their own life, and not really turn back to their family they were apart of growing up. Today, it is much more common for people to remain close with their parents, so this struck my attention since General Dominis was so loyal to his mother, even as an adult. It is obvious that family ties were a priority with this culture.

Endless Faith

After reading Pauline Hopkins' "As the Lord Lives, He is One of Our Mother's Children" and Claude McKay's poems, I wonder how people of their time still managed to have faith in God despite all of the turmoil and hard times they faced. This shines through in Hopkins' story with Stone and Reverend Stevens.

Reverend Stevens was a kind, Godly man who found it in his heart to take in a desperate man, George Stone, when he was sick and at a dead end. He later finds out he was accused for the murder of a black man and there was a reward out for finding him and turning him in. While Reverend Stevens could have made $1,500, he found it in his heart to cover Stone's back and keep him safe in hiding, until all of the commotion blew over and he could safely escape. This display of kindness and care is expected of a reverend, but it also showed in a fugitive black man, who had no hope in life, George Stone.

After parting ways with Stevens and his beloved son Flip, Stone encounters them again years down the road in a tragedy situation. Stone discovers a huge tree on a train track, and hears God telling him what he has to do. He must remove the tree from the track so that the train can safely pass without crashing and killing the passengers on board, which consists of Reverend Stevens and his son Flip. After all Stevens did for Stone out of the love in his heart, Stone knew he had to save him and his son. Therefore, he works and works to get the tree off the track, with the love and support through prayers from God. In his final moments alive, Stone is one on one with God, praying for help and salvation. Stone then gets struck by the train, taking his life to save the lives of Stevens and Flip. Both men found it in their hearts to sacrifice their safety through God's faith and love to save the other.

One small example of having faith in God also shows up in one of Claude McKay's poems, "If We Must Die." Claude explains that in his times, many many black men were lynched and violently killed for one reason or another. This reflects him believing "If we must die, let it not be like hogs Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot, While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs, Making their mock at our accursed lot" (page 707 lines 1-4). He knows even if he must die, he needs to do in nobly, with faith in God that everything will end up alright and not fight what his fate holds.

The "Ah Hah" Moment

There is one literary element that makes all texts worth reading: suspense. Many people search for books and novels that are suspenseful because they like to have surprises and “Ah Hah!” moments when they get to the end, when everything comes together and makes sense.

Two texts in particular that create these moments are “Learning to Read” by Frances E.W. Harper and “The Wife of His Youth” by Charles Chesnutt. Both of these readings create an “Ah Hah” moment where the story comes to a surprising conclusion. Harper’s poem “Learning to Read” leads the reader to first believe that Frances Harper was a deprived slave who never received the privilege of learning to read by her recollection that “Our masters always tried to hide Book learning from our eyes; Knowledge didn’t agree with slavery - ‘Twould make us all too wise” explains how it was frowned upon and almost near impossible for slaves to be able to learn to read. Right when one believes she will never get the privilege she so longs for, the story takes a twisting turn. Harper speaks of her determination and how she “Got a pair of glasses, And Straight to work I went, And never stopped till I could read The hymns and Testament.” After reading this and concluding the story, I was surprised to find out that Frances Harper was finally able to learnt to read, and lived with her freedom and independence in her own cabin for the rest of eternity.

In “The Wife of His Youth” by Charles Chesnutt, the protagonist, Mr. Ryder, tells a story of his journey to the woman of his dreams. Chesnutt first leads the reader astray at the beginning by telling the story of how Mr. Ryder had met a woman named Mrs. Dixon and he had fallen completely in love with her and wished to marry her. This leads the reader to think he is going to end up with this woman he has just met. Mr. Ryder plans a ball, where he would propose to Mrs. Dixon. At this time, an older black woman walks through the gate and catches Mr. Ryder’s attention. She begins to speak to Mr. Ryder: “"'scuse me, suh, I's lookin' for my husban'. I heerd you wuz a big man an' had libbed heah a long time, an' I 'lowed you wouldn't min' ef I'd come roun' an' ax you ef you'd eber heerd of a merlatter man by de name er Sam Taylor 'quirin' roun' in de chu'ches ermongs' de people fer his wife 'Liza Jane?” Here, Liza explains she has been looking for her husband for 25 years since he has been freed from slavery, but she has yet to find him. Liza proceeds to show Mr. Ryder a picture of her long lost husband, to which “He looked long and intently at the portrait…..and it was easy to see what manner of man it had represented.” This gives the reader a hint of insight that he recognizes the man in the photo. He then proceeds to go upstairs and stare at himself in the mirror at his own reflection. Returning down to the ball, he speaks to his audience about what he should do in a time of crisis where a woman returned to seek her husband after 25 years. He wonders if she should be accepted or not. Chesnutt then throws the final curveball by ending the story, “Ladies and gentlemen…this is the woman, and I am the man, whose story I have told you. Permit me to introduce to you the wife of my youth.” This is such an amazing moment for a reader, after reading this long story, they finally come to the realization in the very last sentence that Mr. Ryder was the long lost husband Ms. Liza had been searching for. In just one final sentence, the whole story comes together in an instant and gives the reader lasting satisfaction.

Post-Civil War America

While reading the intro, pages 1-29, I noticed a big theme that stuck out to me that seems to still be a contemporary issue we still face today. It was very interesting to me to read about all of the immigration problems that erupted in America after the civil war, because we definitely still deal with immigration issues in our society today.

Back in post civil war times, American citizens were just getting used to the idea of immigrants coming into America and taking over territory and jobs. Our country had just received the Statue of Liberty from France, which was supposed to be our symbol of welcome and hope. But many citizens struggled with this, as many do today. The Chinese were excluded from our country may decades ago, which caused a huge uprising among their culture.

The text states that “Immigration and rapid industrialization also generated growing conflicts between labor and corporations, or trusts, controlled by a few wealthy men” (18). We still face this problem today with a wave of immigrants coming into our country from Mexico, crossing over the border to receive a chance at a new life, eager to work at very cheap wages, just like post civil war times when the Chinese were coming to America to perform cheap labor.

I think as long as we are as accepting of a country as we are, and aren’t very proactive to prevent immigration that is negative, we will always have our current threats of terrorism scares and bad intentions from foreigners. This didn’t seem to be as severe of a risk back in earlier times. I believe those times were full of immigrants coming to America with truly sincere intentions to settle new land and have a good life, as opposed to the negative intentions of many immigrants today, who strive to destroy America and the way we operate.

Abolitionist Poetry

In the poem “The Farewell of a Virginia Slave Mother to Her Daughters Sold Into Southern Bondage,” John Greenleaf Whittier does an excellent job using the “speaker” element of poetry to portray the image of a saddened black woman telling her story. “Writing About Literature” explains that “sometimes the voice is that of the poet him- or herself, but frequently a poem speaks from a different perspective, just as a short story might be from a point of view very different from the author’s” (Gardner).

This is very much so the case in this poem. The author is a male, but the speaker of the poem is that of an African American woman, who is suffering the hardship of losing her daughters to slavery and won’t be able to live with them or take care of them anymore. The woman is actually speaking to her daughters in the poem. The author does a good job of sharing the woman’s sorrow with the reader, because you really feel a sense of sadness for the mother when you read “There no mother’s eye is near them, There no mother’s ear can hear them; Never, when the torturing lash seams their back with many a gash, Shall a mother’s kindness bless them, Or a mother’s arms caress them…Woe is me, my stolen daughters!” (lines 15-24).

I think any reader of this poem would feel a sense of deep sadness, because nobody in today’s world could ever handle having their children taken away from them, much less to know that they were going off to be slaves and get beaten, and there’s nothing they can do about it to save them. This poem greatly succeeds at portraying the image of what many mothers had to endure in these earlier times.

Race & Culture

Regarding race and culture, the characters in “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,” by Harriet Jacobs, and “The Quadroons,” by Lydia Maria Child both face a lifetime of despair and misery trying to fight against how society thought they should be treated. It’s hard for us to believe there was ever a time where all people weren’t treated equal with rights to freedom, but it was very much a reality for many lost souls of earlier times in history.

Along with the enslavement and trading of African Americans in earlier times, there were also very strict laws against what blacks were allowed to do and how they were supposed to conduct their social lives. One major look down from society was interracial marriages. It was simply unheard of an unaccepted. Both main characters from the readings face turmoil in their fight for freedom and happiness, but the one that struck me the most was Rosalie from “The Quadroons.” There were many evident examples in this text of how colored people were treated back in the day and frowned upon for living their lives outside of the norm that was accepted by society.

Child writes that “The tenderness of Rosalie’s conscience required an outward form of marriage; though she well knew that a union with her proscribed race was unrecognized by law, and therefore the ceremony gave her no legal hold of Edward’s constancy” (Child 117). This brought deep sorrow to my heart. I can’t imagine being in love with someone and not even being able to celebrate it due to the fact that it was unheard of in the world around you. Due to this fact, Rosalie’s love, Edward, was socially obligated to marry a woman of his race to be socially accepted, although deep down he knew he really wanted to be with Rosalie. “It was a marriage sanctioned by Heaven, though unrecognized on earth” (Child 118).

Of a slight contrast, in “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,” Harriet Jacobs, known in the story as Linda, never really experienced the feeling of true love with a man like Rosalie did. Her life consisted of a constant struggle to maintain her kids under her watch and she was in constant agony over trying to keep them in her life and out of harms way. This is another unthinkable idea to people of our time, because we couldn’t imagine a life of a woman that didn’t have rights to her children, and was seen more as property than a free human being.

Equality For All

A central theme that appears in "An Indian's Looking Glass for the White Man," "The American Muse: Poetry at Midcentury," and "Indian Names" is a desire for equality among the races. We have studied many pieces that portray the American Indian as defeated, overlooked, and taken advantage of. We have realized through many works that they were walked all over and seen as “lesser than” the white man. We have a lot of accomplishments and advancements to thank the Indians for, and we needn’t forget that throughout history, and for years to come.

Throughout the story “An Indian’s Looking-Glass for the White Man,” William Apess seems to struggle to figure out why the Indians aren’t equivalent to the white man. He states “Having a desire to place a few things before my fellow creatures who are traveling with me to the grave, and to that God who is the maker and preserver both of the white man and the Indian, whose abilities are the same and who are to be judged by one God, who will show no favor to outward appearances but will judge righteousness” (Belasco 640). Apess makes a very good point. God made every man, which is why one colored man shouldn’t be any less significant than a man of another color. Because of this, one man should not act superior to another type of man or treat him with disrespect, just as the white man made Indians feel unimportant and weak.

Apess even refers to the bible, saying “But we find that Jesus Christ and his Apostles never looked at the outward appearances. Jesus in particular looked at the hearts, and his Apostles through him, being discerners of the spirit, looked at their fruit without any regard to the skin, color, or nation…” (Belasco 643). I think it definitely goes without saying that all of these pieces of writing convey a central theme of a desire and necessity for equality. It helps the reader see how truly unfair the Native Americans were treated, and helps us understand the wrong in discriminating against color, which is still a problem we face today with the struggle to have equality every where among all people.

The Tenth of January

While reading “The Tenth of January” by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, the first thing that jumped out at me was all of the instances that symbolism was used. Gardner describes symbolism as “Careful writers choose their words and images for maximum impact, filling them with as much meaning as possible and inviting their readers to interpret them” (Gardner 59). I completely agree with this interpretation of what symbolism is, because what stood out to me in this story as “symbolism” might not have occurred to someone else the same way that read this story. Symbolism is very much so how you personally see something relating to something else in the story with tied meanings.

The symbolism that stuck out the most to me was towards the beginning of the story, the author referenced “the broken fence” in multiple instances. From my point of view, a broken fence makes me think of how broken Asenath and her life were. Instead of just referring to the fence as being broken once, the author describes the fence as broken three different times in the story, seeming to purposely put emphasis on the fact that it was broken.

The author first said “It was a damps unwholesome place, the street in which she lived, cut short by a broken fence, a sudden steep, and the water; filled with children,—they ran from the gutters after her, as she passed,—and filled to the brim; it tipped now and then, like an over-full soup-plate, and spilled out two or three through the break in the fence” (Phelps 2). She then followed up with “One night there was a knocking at the door, and a hideous, sodden thing borne in upon a plank. The crowded street, tired of tipping out little children, had tipped her mother staggering through the broken fence” (Phelps 3). In these excerpts, the author refers to the fence being broken twice in one sentence describing the girl’s house. This also symbolizes how broken the poor girl’s life was. She not only had a broken life, by the fact that she would wander searching for food some nights hungry, and had a mother whose hand scarred her face, but she also had a broken image. The scar accentuating her face and her humpback covered by a cape gave the other children way to constantly tease her and make fun of her. She was seen as ugly by many, and broken to the audience.

Education & Religion

I was really interested in our class discussion how we talked about how the Puritans’ beliefs in education and religion still relate to and control our lives today. They used to center their values and lifestyles around education and religion, as do we, but I think we could definitely improve our ways by learning about how the Puritans lived back in the day.

We live in a nation that values education over anything else. Education and religion used to be linked together and were taught hand in hand back in the European times. Children would learn of the bible in school and learn life lessons through being a Christian. Children grew up learning what it meant to be a Christian, so while learning knowledge in subjects like math, science, and English, they also learned how the earth started and where we all came from, stemming children to learn from the bible and live by how God wanted us to live.

As America evolved over the years, we became the most open and accepting country out there. We accept all types of people, no matter their color, beliefs, or motives. It's what makes us amazing America. Because of this, we live in a religiously diverse nation that houses many different people. This has caused our school systems to eliminate God and Christianity since we have to be fair to all religions and citizens. I think it is very sad that things got so out of control that they even tried to take “One nation, under God” out of our pledge of allegience. I wish we could find a way to get back to the times where we could incorporate religion into our education systems. There should be a system developed where all types of religious classes could be offered in elementary school through high school, and every child, no matter their belief, no matter who they worship, could have a place to fit in and learn about their faith.

What is an American?

I have always been a true, prideful American. I have always sent the good aspects of being an American citizen and have always been well aware of the great advantages of the privilege of being born and growing up as an American. On the other hand, I have also been well aware to the obvious downside to America being such an open country. Because of this, after reading the assigned texts from class, my perspective and definition of what an American is has not changed.

The two main passages that my opinions most related to were Lazarus’ “The New Colossus” and Aldrich’s “Unguarded Gates.” I relate to both of these with my thoughts and opinions, which is why my definition of an American has not changed. When I read “The New Colossus,” I had such a feeling of comfort and pride for the fact that I’m an American. I am so fortunate to be apart of a country that is so accepting and hopeful for people to live an amazing life with nobody ruling over them and controlling their every move. Many lower fortunate countries have to deal with being told what to wear, where to work, how many kids to have, whom they can marry, and how much money they should make. Sometimes we naturally take advantage of what we are so fortunate to have, because it’s what we are used to. Sometimes I don’t realize the greatness of freedom. It’s such an irreplaceable privilege. I think one of the greatest aspects to America is that people from all over the world hope and dream, to come to America because of how accepting we are and what we have to offer. People come to our country to “live the American dream!”

On the opposing side, I can also somewhat relate and agree with Aldrich’s opinions. Because America is so accepting and welcoming, sometimes bad people enter our country that have bad intentions and only want to corrupt our country. Some have definite alterior motives than to just find a better life for themselves and their families. It makes me question the way our country operates sometimes when certain events happen, like the September 11 tragedy for example. That kind of event makes me question if we should be stricter with our acceptance policy of immigrants. Accepting the wrong person or people into our country could potentially be a recipe for disaster if we’re not careful.

-Morgan Willis