Tenly Connor
The Statue of Liberty
�The New Colossus� is a poem that
American poet Emma Lazarus (1849-1887) wrote in 1883 for the Statue of Liberty,
New York.
The plaque at the Statue of Liberty
Not like the brazen giant of Greek
fame,
With conquering limbs astride from
land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates
shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose
flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her
name
Mother of Exiles. From her
beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild
eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin
cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your
storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your
tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to
breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming
shore.
Send these, the homeless,
tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden
door!"
The title of the sonnet, and the
first two lines, refer to the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of
the World. The poem talks about the millions of immigrants that came to the
United States, many of them through Ellis Island at the port of New York.
A plaque with the text of the poem
was mounted in 1903 on the inner wall of the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Colossus"
The Statue of Liberty and the plaque
at her base, with the words of Emma Lazarus, define the American ideal on the
topic of immigration. Today, there are many, who suggest that Lady Liberty's
torch should be extinguished and immigration should come to a halt or that many
immigrants are "undesirables" and not beneficial to America. However,
this contradiction between American ideals and American beliefs and actions
regarding immigration is nothing new. Teachers can help make students aware of
past immigrants issues, dilemmas and struggles and can create greater tolerance
for today's immigrants.
According to Kenneth L. Donelson and
Alleen Pace Nilsen in Literature for Today's Young Adults, in a chapter on
historical fiction for young adults a ".recent trend is for authors to
look past the movers and shakers involved in big dramatic events and to focus
instead on ordinary people and show how their lives have been affected
by.developments and changes in society" (250). Historical fiction about
immigrants focuses on the ordinary person traveling to America, often leaving
dire circumstances. Sometimes the immigrants are in search of a better life or
in search of ways to change their own country. Immigrant stories often tell the
harsh reality of prejudices and mistreatment of immigrants once they arrive in
America. They demonstrate the struggle to balance old cultural values with
pressure in the New World to assimilate.
Young Adults historical fiction
about the immigrant experience allows students to enter into the historical
settings and live with the characters. According to Rodney M. White in an article
entitled, "Teaching History Using the Short Story," "As the
events of a story unfold, students experience the drama and the excitement of
the tale and are able to see that many issues, dilemmas, and struggles of an
earlier time still confront us today." Nowadays, the same biased
discrimination against immigrants is in the news, which was seen in the past.
It is important for students to learn that America is a nation filled with
people, who are descendants of people from around the world. America is a nation
of nations. Whether people came to prosper economically, to escape war torn
countries or were forced to come here against their will; all groups have
brought their own culture, which has contributed to the greatness of America.
Historical novels about immigration show the contributions that immigrants have
made to the landscape of America and should make us wonder what the next group
of immigrants will add to the mix. Kathy Nawrot states in "Making
Connections with Historical Fiction" that historical fiction has
tremendous value in the study of literature: "Because it focuses on the
human consequences of events and on the implications of human behavior, it
leads students into an examination of cause and effect, gives them the
opportunity to explore human problems and human relationships, makes students
aware that outside events force personal choices, and provides them with a safe
context to explore extremes of human behavior." Students get to understand
the events, which led people to immigrate to America. Students can explore the
problems immigrants encounter such as language barriers or exploitation.
Students can learn the affects of discrimination and racism against immigrants.
They can learn how their own actions and behavior might affect others. Stories
about immigration can help immigrants by letting them know that others have had
similar experiences in the past, as well as the present.
I have put together a collection of
books, a film and some newspaper articles from past and present, which will
allow students to compare and contrast past and present stories about
immigration. This collection will allow students to understand the commonality
of experiences that different ethnic groups have undergone as immigrants in
America. The aim of the curriculum is to get the student to ".make
connections between past and the present, to follow issues over time to see
their development, and to begin to see their world in context and to understand
that the past has helped shape the present. That knowledge can lead students to
understand that decisions made in the present will determine the future"
(Nawrot, Kathy). Students will learn to have empathy for the immigrants
struggle and will learn that they have more in common with immigrants than
difference. Understanding the significant contributions of immigrants in the
past will provide an appreciation of the current immigrants that flow to
America.
The ideas suggested for this
annotated bibliography on immigration can apply to the ninth grade course of
study, focusing on American immigration history in literature. Also, it would
work well with a range of eighth to tenth grade course of study, focusing on
American History. I wanted to give students and the instructors a wide range of
sources to examine so I combined historical fiction, contemporary fiction and
nonfiction about immigrants. Students can look at various time periods, ethnic
groups and stories by male, as well as female characters. I have included, in
the collection, immigrant poems, immigrant interviews, and a reference book
called Facts about American Immigration.
Addams, Jane. "Demand Fair Play
For Immigrants: Social Conference Delegates Urge
Law to End 'Inhumane Separation of
Families." The New York Times 29 May 1926:
15. Proquest. Cabrillo College
Library, Aptos, CA. 26 Nov. 2004.
< http://0-proquest.umi.com.library.cabrillo.edu/login?COPT=SU5UPTAmVk
VSPTImREJTPTFBQ0Q@&clientId=23438
This is a newspaper article from The New York Times in
1926 about immigrant families being separated by laws, which will not allow
wives, children and aged parents into the country because of quotas. Websites
like this in school libraries would be good resources to compare yesterdays immigrants dilemmas,
issues and struggles with today's. (Comparison article in New York Times under
Bernstein, Nina)
Auch, Mary Jane. Ashes of Roses. New
York: Dell Laurel-Leaf. 2002.
The main protagonist is Rose Nolan a sixteen year old
girl from Ireland, who travels with her family to America in search of a better
life. Tragedy strikes when her younger brother is marked as having Trachoma and
must be deported. Rose's father decides to take his son back to Ireland to live
with his mother, while the rest of the family goes on to America. The family is
split apart. The uncle and aunt that they were expecting to stay with, did not
expect them. Rose's mother decides to leave and go back to Ireland to be with
her husband and baby. Rose and her sister Maureen are left to fend for
themselves in New York. They find a room to rent with a Russian Jewish
immigrant and his daughter. Rose has to deal with scavengers that want to
exploit her. She eventually goes to work, with her sister Maureen, at the
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, a sweatshop that exploits young immigrant girls.
She gets caught in one of the worst industrial disaster of U.S. history, when a
fire breaks out at the factory on March 25, 1911 and many of Rose's friends
die. Rose must find the courage to stay in America. In the end of the novel
Rose intends to fight back by joining a union. She is determined to survive and
states, "I was goin' to reach out and grab this new life in America with
all my strength, because I was brought here for a purpose" (245 -246).
Rose is determined to expose labor conditions, which led to many of her friends
dying. Although this book is an excellent read, some of the images are quite
disturbing. After September 11, 2001 the images of girls burning or jumping to
their death might be too disturbing for students.
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. A Coal
Miner's Bride: The Diary of Anetka Kaminska.
Dear America Ser. New York:
Scholastic Inc. 2000.
The "Dear America"
anthology series is being put on HBO as a new series. The series depicts
important eras in history as seen through the eyes of young girls. The book is
written in the form of a diary. Anetka Kaminska is a polish girl, who is 14
years old. In 1896, Anetka's father arranges for a man in the New World to
marry her if he will pay for her passage. Anetka describes her journey to the
New World, as well as, the fear and anxiety experienced by immigrants going
through medical exams and interrogations to see if they ".will make
suitable Americans" (58 ). She becomes a coal miner's wife and the
stepmother of three young daughters. Her new husband doesn't love her. Her
husband dies in a mining accident a few months after they are married. She is
left to take in borders and try to take care of her three small step-daughters.
Conditions in the mine are an integral part of the story and so is the labor
struggle for change, which culminates in the Lattimer Massacre, where 19 miners
are killed. Anetka must deal with the racism in America. Anetka finally meets
her true love, Leon Nasevich, who is a union organizer. Some believability must
be suspended since the book is written in diary form, yet we are told Anetka
has no time because she is working all the time. Overall Bartoletti keeps
historical accuracy and she reinforces her story with historical notes at the
end with photos.
Bernstein, Nina. "A Mother
Deported and a Child Left Behind." The New York Times
24 Nov. 2004. 26 Nov. 2004.
<http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10914FA3F5A0C778EDDA8
0994DC404482&incamp=archive:search>
This is a current newspaper article
that shows current problem of immigrant families being separated by U.S. laws.
It was found by searching online, under news, using the terms "immigrant
children." Students could search online newspapers for current articles
that coincide with historical information about immigrant issues, dilemmas, and
struggles.
Bode, Janet. The Colors of Freedom:
Immigrant Stories. New York: Grolier
Publishing. 1999.
In The Colors of Freedom, author
Janet Bode looks at the beginning of the United States and its composition of
people from many nations. She talks to those whose ancestors were slaves or
slave owners, European crafts people, Irish farmers, and many others. Then Bode
travels across the United States and talks with high school students who are
immigrants themselves. These students talk about their native lands and their
new lives. They share photographs, poems, and recipes from their countries. The
young immigrants tell us about their fears and worries, and their hopes for the
future.
Bode includes a U.S. citizenship
test as well as an immigration quiz. The Colors of Freedom is an eye-opening
book that will make the immigration experience real for everyone. (taken from
the back cover of the book). I really liked all the activities this book
includes in the back. Bode gives a lot of great ideas to get students
personally involved in understanding the immigrant experience. The different
recipes add a nice touch, but we are warned that some recipes might be missing
a secret ingredient because some are unwilling to completely give family
recipes.
Brownstone, David M. and Franck,
Irene M. Facts About American Immigration.
New York: The H. W. Wilson Company.
2001.
This publication illustrates
Wilson's continual focus on editorial quality and provision of thorough,
up-to-date reference sources.
Beginning with the earliest
Americans, who crossed the Bering Land Bridge to Alaska between 12,000 and
15,000 B.C.E., Facts about American Immigration focuses on who came and from
where, why they came, the nature of their journeys, where they settled, and the
many efforts to stop them. An overview, which includes extensive statistical
data, places the process of immigration in a wide historical and global
context. The main text delves into immigration experiences, numbers, and
motives by region of emigration including Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas,
and Oceania. Each of these sections contains a brief introduction to the region
and a series of articles on specific countries or groups of countries. Articles
include tables and graphs as well as lists of additional Internet and print
resources. "Annual Immigration Statistics," generated from U.S.
government records, are presented in a section of tables. Six appendixes
provide information on general immigration resources, legislation, estimates of
emigration and illegals, tips on genealogical research, and two guides on using
the National Archives and Records Administration. A detailed index completes
the volume.
This informative and practical guide
is recommended in particular for public libraries. Facts about American
Immigration will be useful in high-school and undergraduate libraries as well.
RBB
Copyright � American Library
Association. All rights reserved (taken from Amazon editorial reviews).
This book covers a lot of
information. Students could use this as a resource to find more information on
specific ethnic groups that immigrated to America. It includes information about
the Indigenous peoples of America and the taking of their land. This book is a
great resource for instructors and students. It gives pages of internet and
print resources in the back.
Carlson, Lori ed. Cool Salsa:
Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States. New York: Henry Holt
and Company. 1994.
This book is an anthology of contemporary poetry from
Latino American writers. The poems were selected to reflect the experiences of
teenagers. Oscar Hijuelos gives a personal introduction when he talks about his
own experiences as a Cuban American, whose parents immigrated to America in the
1940's. Hijuelos states that his parents immigrated ".in a spirit of
adventure, to find--as is often documented, beaten into the ground--'a new
life'" (xv).
Product Description:
"Poetry with a distinct flavor:
a skillfully mixed appetizer."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred)
Here are the sights, sounds, and
smells of Latino culture in America in thirty-six vibrant, moving, angry,
beautiful and varied voices, including Alicia Gaspar de Alba, Ana Castillo,
Sandra Cisneros, Luis J. Rodr�guez, Gary Soto, and Mart�n Espada.
Presented in both English and
Spanish, each poem helps us to discover the stories behind the mangoes and
memories, prejudice and fear, love and life--how it was and is to grow up
Hispanic in America....
"The subtle but singing lyrics
frequently have a colloquial tone that will speak to many young readers."
--The Bulletin of the Center for
Children's Books (starred)
"Excellent enrichment...Whether
discussing the immigrant's frustration at not being able to speak English...the
familiar adolescent desire to belong, or celebrating the simple joys of life,
these fine poems are incisive and photographic in their depiction of a
moment."
--School Library Journal (starred)
(taken from Amazon editorial reviews).
I liked this books innovative
blending of Spanish and English, which really gives the feeling of what it
means to grow up Latino in America. It demonstrates how immigrant children
learn two languages, live two lives and learn the rules of two cultures.
Coan, Peter Morton. Ellis Island
Interviews: In Their Own Words. New York:
Facts on File, Inc. 1997.
In a perplexing and maddening manifestation of selective
amnesia, most Americans manage to forget that their family trees are rooted in
faraway lands, believing instead that they are "true" Americans. This
attitude ensures that today's Asian, Latino, and Caribbean immigrants must face
the same hostility and prejudice Irish, Italian, and Jewish immigrants, to name
just a few, suffered on their arrival here earlier this century. Ellis Island,
the entry point for 12 million immigrants in its active years, has now been
made into a national park and museum in an effort to celebrate and preserve our
immigrant heritage, and the Ellis Island Oral History Project has been
established so that the last surviving immigrants who passed through Ellis
Island can record their stories. This vast archive is the source of the 140
interviews collected here in this illuminating and provocative volume. Coan
provides a brisk but effective history of Ellis Island, then yields the stage
to these brave travelers whose memories of their arduous journeys remain so
sharp, so precious. --Donna Seaman (American Library Association).
Crew, Linda. Children of the River.
New York: Dell Publishing. 1989.
This book is contemporary fiction
about a Cambodian immigrant teen. I included it because it gives a perspective
of a Cambodian girl, who is separated from her family when the Khmer Rouge army
invades her village. The story gives a Cambodian perspective of American
customs and tradition.
Grade 7-12-Seventeen-year-old
Sundara is torn between her Cambodian family's expectations and her desire to
become more American now that she has been forced to relocate along with her
aunt's family following the rise to power of the Khmer Rouge. Matters are
complicated by her feelings for Jonathan, a popular American boy who has fallen
for Sundara and has trouble accepting the custom which forbids Cambodian girls
from dating and dictates arranged marriages. The captivating, touching, and
sometimes tragic story by Linda Crew (Delacorte, 1989) touches upon issues of
culture, history, gender, and race wrapped around an engaging romance. The
story is set in 1979 and provides enough details about the situation in
Cambodia at the time to set the scene without bogging down the narrative. It is
superbly narrated by Christina Moore, who deftly handles Sundara's accent. The
novel is included on various bibliographies and as assigned reading in many
schools. It will make an excellent teaching aid in classrooms and will appeal
to teens who like romances.
Diana Dickerson, White Pigeon
Community Schools, MI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business
Information, Inc. (editorial review taken from Library Journal on Amazon).
Donelson, Kenneth L. & Nilsen,
Alleen Pace. Literature for Today's Young Adults.
New York: Pearson Education
Inc. 2005.
The Emigrants. Dir. Jan
Troell. Perf. Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann.
Titan Productions Inc. 1971.
Film based on a novel by Vilhelm
Moberg. There are three parts to the film. The Emigrants is the first part in
the series of three films. It begins in the immigrants homeland and shows what
makes the family decide to leave for America. It is set in the middle of the
19th century, Kristina and Karl-Oskar live in a small rural village in southern
Sweden. They get married and try to make a living on a small plot of land.
However, the small size of their land, the infertile soil, and some bad
harvests make it hard. One of their children even starves to death. Thus, they
decide to emigrate to the U.S. They meet a group of farmers with their families
planning the emigration under the leadership of a banned priest. They sell
everything and embark for the U.S. The journey on the sailing ship is long and
tedious. Some of the emigrants will never reach the New World. Nominated for
four Academy Awards. Dubbed in English. 151 minutes. (1-World Festival of
Foreign Films http://www.1worldfilms.com/Sweden/emigrants.htm).
This film is really great for conveying the risk that immigrants took when
crossing the ocean. It shows the discrimination that foreigners experienced
once in America and the problems between new immigrants and indigenous peoples
of America.
Gallo, Donald R. ed. First Crossing:
Stories About Teen Immigrants. Massachusetts:
Candlewick Press. 2004
This book is considered contemporary
fiction, but in order to create a wider perspective for students, I have
included it. First Crossing: Stories About Teen Immigrants is an anthology of
various authors short fictional stories about immigrating to America. It gives
ten stories of current immigrants struggles. All stories are told from a teen
perspective. After each story, there are a few pages devoted to the author and
the true incidents that inspired the story. I will give a few examples of the
stories here. The first story "First Crossing" by Pam Munoz Ryan
tells about a young boy crossing the border to the United States illegally with
his father so they can work and send money home. We learn the dangerous risk
that illegal immigrants take in trying to reach a land, where they might make
enough wages to care for their families. Marco, the young boy, tells us of his
father only making nine dollars a day in Mexico, whereas if he comes to the
United states he can make anywhere from thirty to fifty dollars a day. The
money pays their rent, food and for extra's like television and clothes. They
are exploited by people, Marco terms "coyotes," who charge large sums
to smuggle Mexicans over the border. Marco and his father risk their lives,
when they agree to a dangerous ride lying above the engine of a truck, on a
built in shelf. They breathe in fumes and risk falling on to the engine, where
they could be horribly burned.
In the story "My Favorite
Chaperone" Maya is living in Kazakhstan after it broke away from the
Soviet Union. When things get very hard, her Aunt Madina Zhamejakova decides to
put her picture in an international dating magazine so that she can meet an
American and leave. Maya's aunt meets an American and marries him six months
later. When Maya's mother and father lose their teaching jobs, they decide to
immigrate to America to live with Aunt Madina. Maya's brother gets into trouble
when he fights with another boy at the school. A Hungarian janitor sympathizes
with the brother because he saw the altercation and heard the other boy telling
Maya's brother ".he would never be a real American and was making fun of
the way he talked" (53). The story is titled "My Favorite
Chaperone" because Maya cannot go to the school dance without a chaperone
because her parents think she is too young by customary standards, but in
America the age for dating is much younger. Maya's little brother offers to go
with her to the dance as her chaperone.
Other stories included in this anthology are a Korean,
who was adopted by Americans, but is desperate to know her birth parents. A
Romanian, whose new American friends have some spooky and hilarious
misconceptions about his Romanian origins. A Hatian fighting proud of her
Haitian roots and a Cambodian, who embraces her Cambodian heritage. The stories
are written by acclaimed, award-winning authors for young adults. The stories
reflect diversity and they illustrate the same struggles of past immigrants
remain today. Students could easily compare and contrast these stories with
historical fiction stories about immigrants in previous generations in American
history.
Lai, Him Mark & Lim, Genny &
Yung, Judy. Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island
1910-1940. Seattle: U of W Press. 1980.
Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel
Island, 1910-1940 would be classified as nonfiction or poetry, but it is an
asset to a collection on historical fiction about immigration. It is a
collection of poetry salvaged from the walls of the barracks on Angel Island,
where Chinese immigrants were detained between 1910 and 1940. It was by
accident that the poems survived. Three offspring of Angel Island
"inmates, plunged into the project of translation and historical
documentation as a personal hobby, which later evolved into this book"
(8). Poems are provided in both English and Chinese. In addition, the authors
have an introduction giving a brief history of Chinese immigration. The task to
preserve the words and history of these Chinese immigrants was made urgent by
the fact that most of the elderly, who had passed through Angel Island had
already died. Interviews of immigrants are included in the compilation. Pages
of quotes from various immigrants are given on various subjects including: memories
of the voyage to America, the first impressions of westerners and the daily
life on Angel Island. This is a wonderful collection.
Nawrot, Kathy. "Making
Connections with Historical Fiction." Clearing House 69
(1996) : 343 - 345. Academic Search Elite.
EBSCOhost. Cabrillo College
Library, Aptos, CA. 26 November 2004
<http://0-web15.epnet.com.library.cabrillo.edu>
Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle. New
York: Bantam Books. 1981.
The story of young Jurgis Rudkus, a young Lithuanian
immigrant, who arrives in America to seek his fortune in the Stockyards of
Chicago. He goes to work for the slaughterhouses and meat-packing industry,
where work conditions are deplorable. The setting is the turn of the century.
We discover with Jurgis Rudkus the astonishing truth about the filthy
stockyards, where New World visions and dreams perish in a jungle of human
suffering. Upton Sinclair is quoted as stating "I aimed at the public's
heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach," because the focus of the
book became about the preparation of meat rather than the human story it was
meant to be. The Jungle was termed a "muckraking novel," which means
Sinclair searched and exposed misconduct in public life through his novel.
Sinclair has many critics, as well as admirers for his novel. Critics accused
his writing of being too simplistic. They claimed his characters were two
dimensional and that he switched from fiction to political rhetoric in the end
of his novel. Sinclair spent seven weeks in Chicago immersing himself in the lives
of the workers of the slaughter houses and packing plants. He visited the
packing plants on official basis and disguised. Sinclair had a passion to
expose the unjust treatment of the workers and expose the social realities of
the exploitation of immigrant workers. While Jurgis Rudkus is watching the
cattle and hogs being driven into the chutes at the packing house, the narrator
makes the analogy, "Our friends were not poetical, and the sight suggested
to them no metaphors of human destiny; they thought only of the wonderful
efficiency of it all. The chutes into which the hogs went climbed high up---to
the very top of the distant buildings; and.the hogs went up by the power of their
own legs and then their weight carried them back through all the processes
necessary to make them into pork" (33).
White, Rodney M. "Teaching
History Using the Short Story." Clearing House 66
(1993) : 305 - 306. Academic Search
Elite. EBSCOhost. Cabrillo College
Library, Aptos, CA. 26 November
2004.
<http://0-web33.epnet.com.library.cabrillo.edu>
Yep, Laurence. Dragon's Gate. New
York: HarperCollins Publishers. 1993.
Dragon's Gate is part of a series of
books called "The Golden Mountain Chronicles." The books span over
150 years and each one gives a different generation of Chinese immigrating to
America or living in America. Laurence Yep spent two decades writing this particular
book. The book initially started with the idea of writing a book about a
Chinese pilot. Yep realized that in order to write about the Chinese pilot, he
was going to have to back track and explain what led up to the Chinese pilot in
America. Dragon's Gate is a story about a young Chinese immigrant boy, named
Otter, forced to flee to the New World and work on the transcontinental
railroad after accidentally killing a Manchu officer. Otter's uncle and father
already are working in America and hope to learn about American technology so
they can bring it back to China. They think that the technology of America will
help free them from the oppression by the Manchu. Otter finds the Chinese are
treated like slaves in America, which eventually leads to a strike. The Chinese
workers are discriminated against. They work longer hours, get less pay, do the
most dangerous jobs and get no provisions. Yep introduces the story by giving
the history of what was happening in China in the year 1865. He sets up why the
Chinese are immigrating to the United States. The instability of the China, the
inability for men to make enough money to take care of their families and the
draw of work and money in America. In the afterward, of Yep's novel he gives
information on how he came to write the novel. Yep states, "Though the
novel is a work of fiction, I did not make up the working conditions and
dangers the workers faced" (273). Yep gives credit to those, who helped
him with research and gives numerous sources. I looked on websites about the
transcontinental railroad and Chinese immigration and found similar stories to
Yep's book. Otter's friendship with Sean, a young Irish man, shows the
commonality that people in America share. The desire for justice, decent
working conditions, a safe home, a place where they can grow and improve their
lives. Despite the enormous contributions of the Chinese immigrants to the
building of the transcontinental railroad, in 1882 Congress passed the Chinese
Exclusion Act, banning further immigration of Chinese laborers into the United
States for ten years. Congress extended the Act in 1892 and again indefinitely
in 1904. What did the Chinese do wrong? Nothing! They were hard working, family
men, who saved money to purchase land. The White Europeans were threatened by
them. They claimed the Chinese were taking jobs and buying up too much land.