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Each of the three readings for the week explores the immigration experience from a different perspective. How would you state the unique theme of one of the works (“Montreal 1962, “Amphibians,” and “Names/Nombres”)? Do you have relevant experience you can share with the class?
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100 thoughts on “Week 12 Discussion”
In MONTREAL 1962 by Shauna Singh Baldwin, a Sikh woman describes her difficult experience moving to Canada with her husband. The woman’s husband in the story is struggling to find a job because he wears a turban, but she reminds her husband that the turban is part of who he is. I think the unique theme in this story is that “you should always remember who you are in a new place.”
In AMPHIBIANS by Joseph O. Legaspi, I think the unique theme of this poem is that immigrants move to a new country with their own identity and culture but their identity changes as they start adapt to the new country. The poet compares immigrants to amphibians because as amphibians grow, they also start adapt to the changes around them. Both immigrants and amphibians go through a transformation.
In NAMES/NOMBRES by Julia Alvarez, I think the unique theme in this story is that no matter what people call you or how they look at you, it should not change who you are. In the story, Julia moved from the Dominican Republic to New York City with her family and she realizes that the people pronounce her and her family’s names wrong. In the end, Julia embrace her many names and it doesn’t matter to her because she will always be the same person.
These stories remind me of my friend Yang, who was struggling to find a job because he felt that it had to do with his ethnicity and name. He wanted to change his name from Yang to Michael because he felt that his Chinese name wouldn’t help him get any interviews and that his name sounded unprofessional. Yang explained to me that if someone were open his resume and read his name, then they would reject it right away.
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Angela, thank you for the very clear analysis of the three different works. You’ve expressed this so succinctly. I am sure many students with names that are foreign to Americans—probably some in this very class—has experienced what your friend Yang is going through. As an instructor I’ve seen so many Asian students take on an American name—and I don’t blame them given how we mangle their real names (and I am no exception to that!)
Hi Angela, thank you for sharing with us your friend’s Yang story.
I loved how you analyzed each story and your conclusions. Although I decided to write this week’s discussion about “Montreal 1962” I can really relate to any of the two other works we read.
For example, as you mentioned in your post, in “Names/Nombres” by Julia Alvarez she discusses the different “American” names she gained over the years in the US. As some of you may have noticed, my name is not an American name which some people find hard to pronounce. In my first year here in the city I tried to explain to people how my name should be pronounced and always corrected them when they pronounced it badly, but in my second year here I stopped. I understood that my name may be hard for others, I don’t mind making small adjustments if it will make others lives easier. I understood that it doesn’t matter how they pronounce my name as long as it doesn’t change my personality. as for now, I think I have learned to love my “Americans” name and I even use them on my own.
In Montreal 1962 by Shauna Singh Baldwin, the women describes how challenging the experience of moving to Canada with her husband was. Sikh describes how difficult was for her husband to find a job there. She says that they were kind of judging him because he had to wear a turban. The turban is part of him and his culture and he should never forget who he was and where he was coming from and I think that’s the theme of this story.
In Amphibians by Joseph O. Legaspi, the author describes how amphibians and immigrants can be compared. the author describe how immigrants and amphibian have to adapt themselves to new places, grow different and gain new manners. the theme of the story is that every immigrant move to a new country with their own manner and culture but as time passes they gain new manners and new norms.
In Names/Nombres by Julia Alvarez, in this story Julia was an immigrant from the Dominican Republic and when she came to New York City people were pronouncing her and her family’s name wrong. She was uncomfortable with the fact that they were not saying her m=name correct and her sister was getting embarrassed by her name too. at the end she realized that no matter what name they called her se was still going to be the same person with the same heart and that’s the theme of this story.
The story Names/Nombres, remind of my biggest sister who was born in a different country. my dad have her her name and when she came to the US, everybody used to write her name wrong. She used to be very annoyed by people writing her name bad and thinking it meant something else.
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Hello Jeidy Diaz
I agree with what you said about the woman and her husband faced challenges when they came to Montreal. People judge others based on their appearance, beliefs, and religions and that leads to being challenging to the discriminated person or community to adapt and find their right in society. Just because the man wears a turban, a thing that is a part of his religion, and culture makes him look like he is doing something abnormal to others.
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Hey Souadou, I agree a lot of people are judge by other just because the way thy look and sometimes it’s not even their fault. Just like in Montreal, they got judge because of their turban but it was their culture, religion and beliefs. sec 0503
Jeidy, please be sure that your comments to others meet the length requirements.
Hey Jeidy,
Your sisters experience and the story truly come hand in hand. Although just a name mispronounced or miswritten, the affect is just as strong. A name usually identifies your upbringing and your heritage, It is was in many ways defines you as a young individual. Be it a name or the husbands turban, the discrimination is the same. Thank you for your post, I enjoyed reading it.
Hi David, I totally agree it does define each other individually. You basically become what you’re named. I am glad you enjoy reading my post.
Jeidy, thanks for the good comments about the three works of the week. Lately I’ve been thinking of Kamala Harris, the new vice president-elect. Her name isn’t really hard to pronounce. I saw her explain it: “It’s comma, like the punctuation mark, and ‘la.'” We’ve seen some Republicans publically mocking the name or pretending it’s some crazy, foreign name too hard to remember, but I think this just makes them look dumb. I love how she doesn’t get riled up about it. She knows who she is and doesn’t need affirmation from people who engage in this sort of game playing.
“Montreal 1962, is a story that highlights a social issue called racism and discrimination. The story explained a man wanting a job, but the employer asked him to remove her turban and cut his hair short. which is a very racist and discriminatory action to ask someone to get rid of their religion requirement just to get considered for a job. Racism and discrimination still exist and it is a massive issue in our society, in our communities, in this word,. Places such as Montreal still have issues like removing turban at their job, is discrimination against one group of people. But at the end of the story, the woman proved courage by believing in her gut and never giving up on what she believes in. facing challenges but still remaining who she is and continues living her lives with her values and customs. I myself got rejected many times whiles I was looking for a hostess job because of my accent. Most of the time I will end up working in the kitchen or at room service, but not at the front door.
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Hey Souadou, I enjoyed reading your post. You summarized the story well and explained the true feeling immigrants have to go through when discriminated. I am very sorry to hear that you experienced this first hand. I actually have much more respect for people who have gone through things like you and continue to better themselves yet keep their core values and customs from home. It takes a lot of courage coming to a foreign country. Thank you !
Hey Souadou, I agree with your post. Montreal is a story full of discrimination and racism. They were going through the pain of being discriminated just by the way they had to dress due to their beliefs or culture. It is sad how the husband got to the point of thinking to cut his hair off and not using the turban anymore. I liked the fact that you shared your experience. yes a lot of people judge others jus because they have accent and that is not nice because at least you were able to learn the language. sec 0503
Today I will discuss the poem of “Amphibians” by Joseph O. Legaspi. When I read through the poem, it seems easy to understand this poem for me as a reader. This poem with “Amphibians” as the title really easily attracts readers’ interest. In the poem line 2 it said: “Immigrants leave their land”. It just like me because I immigrated to the United States from Malaysia. Although life after immigration is not easy. For me, everything has to be re-adapted to the four seasons including the United States because it is tropical weather throughout the year in Malaysia. Although immigration is a new life that many people dream of, not everyone is suitable. In line 25 to line 26 it said: “Their colors brighten, camouflage. They’ve been known to fall”. This sentence expresses that people pretend to be glamorous in front of others, but they actually hide bitterness behind them. So every immigrant has a bitter story behind it.
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Hi Mei, I too chose “Amphibians” as my piece to discuss this week, but I have to respectfully disagree with your suggestion of the meaning in lines 25-26: “Their colors brighten, camouflage. They’ve been known to fall…”
To begin, I really think you should have included lines 27-28 in your analysis of the meaning in this particular section – line 27 for one, directly concludes line 26: “They’ve been known to fall…out of the sky”. Now, once you include line 28: “Fully at home in the rain”, the reader is meant to gather that living in a new unpredictable world (the actual image of frogs falling from the sky is symbolic of events and situations relatively out of our control – as depicted in Exodus in the Bible, or the “frog storm” scene in the 1999 movie Magnolia) pushes us to embrace the parts of life that are “in the rain,” or that of “both sides of life” – the “terra and aqua” that amphibians and immigrants alike live in and out of – at one moment, “colorful” and distinct, like the cultures and ways of life immigrants bring with them when immigrating elsewhere, and at other moments, “camouflaged” or blended in with the new society out of either fear or desire to assimilate oneself in with it. I’m not entirely sure I’d suggest that immigrants are moving into new countries and pretending to be “glamorous”.
Lastly, your final point, “So every immigrant has a bitter story behind it,” is quite frankly, an extremely presumptive statement to make – do you know every immigrant’s story?
Hi Mei,
I am also from Malaysia! (Kuala Lumpur) But things were probably different for the both of us because I was actually raised in America. I came to the states when I was just an infant but the funny thing is when I went back to Malaysia to visit as a teenager I felt more awkward there because I wasn’t familiar with my own culture. It is a funny thing how our experiences are different when we are in a new place. I can see how your personal experience can relate to the poem, Amphibians, I guess in a way I can relate to that too. I think being in a new place and adapting to it is a part of our personal growth.
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“Montreal”, by Shauna Singh Baldwin, is a beautiful story about the struggle an immigrating couple has with identity. We are introduced to the husband in the story who has just experienced his first uncomfortable interaction with cultural differences. He is told he could have the job if he accustomed himself to Canadian norms. “They said I could have the job if I take off my turban and cut my hair short.” The wife was obviously hurt by the experience her husband went through and the story goes on to a very detailed explanation of how a turban is cleaned. It puts the reader in the hands of the wife and makes them feel as if they are there cleaning the turban themselves. “Again inward, again outward, hands close, hands apart, as though I was back in Delhi on a flat roof under a hot sun”. The cultural difference and unfortunate lack of empathy immigrants have to go through is one that is truly hard to express. This story gives us some color of that experience and makes us understand that this couple is just like everyone else trying to make it for themselves. Although I am not an immigrant, I have had a much experience with multi cultured, dual lingual individuals in my life. My middle school and high school education were in an international school that that has students from all over the world who were the kids of diplomats from their countries. At a very young age, I learned the values of learning from other cultures and accepting differences from my own. The ultimate message and experience I gained from this school, taught me that no culture is better then the next. No culture or person should change in order to please or become something they are not. This is equal to the message that Shana is trying to portray. Shana and her husbands have generations of culture and history that stand behind the simple piece of cloth her husband puts on every day. No job, nor person has the right to take that history away from you.
Hello David Bar-Aharon. I really liked your comment. Although you are not an immigrant, you have lived closely with them. I am very grateful for the respect you have for other cultures. The fact of emigrating to another country is not synonymous with being inferior. On the contrary, it is synonymous with courage, resignation, and dedication. Making the decision to start over in distant lands is something that requires courage. Diversity is what makes the world beautiful. Thank you!!
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Hi David, I like your comments on “Montreal 1962.” Your line saying “the cultural difference and unfortunate lack of empathy” really stand out to me. From my understanding, I believe the themes of this literary work is love and appreciation for culture. The narrator goes in deep to tell us about the change her husband needs to undergo to get a job in Canada. The narrator also tells how we should be unique and love and embrace our own personal differences, even in culture and traditions. The respect being described in this literary work is also very interesting to me and it shows in the exchange between the narrator and the “neighborhood dry-cleaner” concerning how the “saris” weren’t addressed with proper respect. This work also showed me a little glimpse to how many people around the world are forced to downplay their culture or religious beliefs in order to be accepted to be accepted in the society.
Hello David,
I think it’s good you added the quote “They said I could have the job if I take off my turban and cut my hair short.”. Normally you would get told at a job to cover a tattoo, or you have to wear a certain uniform, but this is deeper. You have to change your claim to existence. In a perfect would travel wouldn’t be so restricted and we could live and travel more.
In his poem “Amphibians,” Joseph O. Legaspi summarizes the experience of immigrants as a struggle to assimilate oneself into a new country with an identity shaped by the way of life immigrants inevitably leave behind. Pointing out the Greek definition of amphibian as “on both sides of life,” Legaspi suggests that immigrants metaphorically develop in both “terra and aqua,” noting that “immigrants leave their land, hardening in the sea” (Legaspi, lines 2-3, 6-7). Through this metaphor, the author seems to imply that, in regard to “metamorph[izing],” the adjustments we make in life are, put simply, a natural part of life; just as “amphibians develop lungs [,] immigrants develop lungs” (lines 14, 16-17). Yet, by articulating an immigrant’s “toil,” Legaspi does not ignore or diminish the reality of the struggle immigrants confront (line 20); the author himself immigrated to the United States with his family from the Philippines when he was only 12 years old, an age at which we are particularly vulnerable as it is to external forces of socialization and development.
I don’t have any immediate experiences relevant to this theme insofar that I myself, am not an immigrant living in the U.S. However, with that being said, many of my experiences were the result of having to adapt to new or different modes of living or understanding. Part of that adaptation lends itself to taking in the experiences of others, including immigrants, in such a way that broadens my own understanding of the people and environment around me. Considering that we live in New York City, our experiences are very much subject to interaction with immigrant communities and individuals who make up those communities. In addition, NYC has such a ripe history of immigration that our city represents that which comprises one of the great American traditions and ideals – America as a land of immigrants. Indeed, as Legaspi writes, “immigrants give birth to Americans,” possibly suggesting that cities like New York and Los Angeles (where Legaspi immigrated to) are metaphorically akin to ‘hospitals’ (lines 11-12).
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Hi David,
Although you say you don’t have any immediate experience related to the theme, I think most people can relate to the feeling of adapting to something new like you said. Especially in New York City where there is an abundance of immigrants from various parts of the world, we can also learn about other’s experiences and draw from that. Even though I’m a second generation Chinese American, I often find that I have a lot in common with other second generation Americans despite them being Dominican, Puerto Rican, Mexican, Korean, Japanese, etc.
One thing I wasn’t sure about was these adaptations being a natural process. I have many relatives that have lived here since the 70’s and 80’s, and some of them can’t be bothered to even learn basic English. A lot of them look at America as a place solely to make a living and to take the money they make back to China. It’s very easy for Chinese immigrants here to isolate themselves from American culture because of the existence of Chinatowns.
Not that I think there’s anything wrong with that. Like how Professor Conway said, children of immigrants become American very quickly and as a result, the parents may also be hesitant to assimilate into American culture. There are many cases where their children gradually lose touch with their roots, and it is often an irreversible change. Speaking from personal experience, it requires an enormous amount of effort to keep in touch with a culture that thrives on the other side of the world.
Hi Johnson, thank you for taking the time to share with me a little on your family and your experiences. I take your perspective gratefully and appreciate such insight. Your final point – “it requires an enormous amount of effort to keep in touch with a culture that thrives on the other side of the world” – was especially poignant and in my opinion, seems to embody fully, the overall immigrant experience.
“Montreal 1962” is a very emotional reading, where a married couple is faced with a dilemma. The dilemma would be to change their roots, their customs, their identity to obtain a job in Canada. Family ties and cultural preservation were stronger than the fact of moving to another country. Preserving identity and roots is what makes us who we are. In my position as an immigrant, I could share many experiences that I have lived since I emigrated to this country. Definitely one of the events that have marked me has been the ridicule that I received at first for not speaking English and now for speaking English with an accent. I admit that at first, that lowered my self-esteem a lot, but over the years I have understood that my accent is what makes me who I am. Although definitely, if you are going to live in this country you need to speak and write English, although honestly, I love my language. In conclusion, I believe that a person should maintain their culture no matter where they migrate. Always be proud of who we are and who we are as well as the wife said. “Then we will have taught Canadians what it takes to wear a turban”.
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Raquel, what a beautiful post—especially that last line. I’m in awe of people who move to a new country where they do not know the language. I’ve lived in foreign countries and have never quite mastered the language. It’s good to hear that you love your native language and that you think it is important not to totally relinquish your heritage and its culture.
The theme of “Names/Nombres” is identity. As a first-generation immigrant, I can understand what the narrator went through. I immigrated to the USA at the age of 10. In Ecuador, names and last names are very important. My full name is Kevin Jose Tapia-Macias I was born in Ecuador. I was lucky my first name is Kevin. However in high school, my football coaches and friends thought that I changed my name to Kevin as it is not a common name in Ecuador. This did not bother me at all, and when friends and teachers mispronounced my last names. I was always happy to help them pronounce it correctly. I have always been proud of being Ecuadorian and going to school in the USA was very different. The teachers and kids here were very nice and wanted to know where I was from. I was probably the first foreign person my classmates ever meet. I went to school in a small predominantly white town in Connecticut there was no diversity at all. The hardest part for me was communicating with teaches and other kids, as they did not speak Spanish and I did not speak English. During my first English class, the teacher was reading what I assumed was a sad story, and at some point, she started crying while continuing to read. At the same time, I was in the back of the class and did not know how to communicate that I was sick and needed to go home, so I started to cry. Everybody thought I was crying because of the story and after the story was done the teacher came to me to ask if I was ok and what was my favorite part of the story. As I sat there feeling sick and confused, I managed to say two words “Doctor please.”
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Kevin, thank you so much for sharing your immigrant experience story. Even though it seems that you were in a rather accepting and warm environment, the frustration of not being able to speak must have been terrible. I have to say that your teacher, who cried while reading a story, seems like the type who would be kind to a little Ecuadorean boy! It’s funny that people thought you had changed your name to Kevin.
Kevin! Wow a school with no diversity. I can only imagine how that felt. That’s even a harder to adapt to somewhere that there’s no one that can relate or understand your frustration and life. Migrating to a new environment could be very hard and uncomfortable but making the decision to stand out is even harder. I hope it became a breeze and always remember it’s always good to communicate no matter what’s the circumstances .
Hello Kevin, I enjoyed reading how you relate to “Names/Nombres.” One of my first best friends in grade school immigrated from Venezuela, and she did not speak much English when she arrived. Although there was a language barrier between us, we managed to get close. I can understand how out of place you must have felt at first being the only kid who did not speak English. I’m glad to know the teachers and kids were nice to you. I hope thinking back to your “Doctor please” story makes you laugh because I found it humorous.
Hello Faith,
I also find it funny and always enjoy telling that story.
Thank you.
Hello Kevin. Like you, I also chose the story “Names/Nombres”. I found the way in which you related the story to your own life when it comes to your name and the importance of it to your culture. It is amusing how those around you thought your name was changed to Kevin as it does not match the traditional Ecuadorian name. I can relate to this as I am also Ecuadorian and my name, being Richard, also is not traditional at all. Therefore, when I interact with others and tell them I am Ecuadorian, the same response you got also applies.
Hello Kevin! I also chose to write about “Names/Nombres” and I really like the central theme you identified, identity. I wish that word came to my head as I agree with you about this one hundred percent. I also did not know how to speak English when I first started to go to school in the states so I can totally relate to how you were feeling. Just like you my first couple of days all I wanted to do was go home to my family as I did not understand what was going on and what people were saying to me. I am however glad that we overcame these times and learned to adapt because now we can look back at these silly memories and see how much we have grown.
Thank you
David
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Hello Kevin,
It’s crazy how there are actually places that have no diversity, I knew they existed but it’s still such a far fetched thought to me and I can’t even begin to imagine how “weird” it felt for you. Being in a place where there isn’t anyone you can relate to makes adaptation that much harder for yourself. I can kind of relate to that too in a different way because I’ve been in places where I either don’t feel or can’t relate to those around me. From experience I’ve learned that moving to new places makes one very uncomfortable and feel out of place or lonely and trying to really be youand express yourself is just as difficult. I believe that soon though if not already you will be able to be free from those emotions and will be able to just be more comfortable in your own skin (so to speak).
Hi Kevin, thanks for sharing your story! It was very enlightening reading your story, i could never imagine moving to another country. Names are very important and can often be such a huge connection to who you are and your family; i could see how a story like this would really hit home for you. Its so important to know how to pronounce one anothers names, its a wonderful way to begin a conversation and connect more people to your community.
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Hello Kevin,
Having very little to no respect for names is a silent tradition in the US now that I’m not on board with. I think well thought out and beautiful names are something of a badge of honor. At least we know they used to be. Those names are now brands, and corporations. I suppose I’m stretching a little bit but I think you can see what I mean. Names had value associated with them.
In “Amphibians” by Joseph O. Legaspi, the poet describes the experiences of immigrants after they move to a new land. He likens an immigrant to an amphibian and talks about their adaptability and survival, which I believe are the themes of the poem. Throughout the course of this poem, Legaspi reiterates the similarities between the amphibian and the immigrant. “Immigrants leave their lands, hardening in the sea” (Legaspi, lines 2-3) are lines from Legaspi that I feel drive the boat of this poem. The “sea” talked about in Line 3 refers to the new surroundings which immigrants have found themselves and whether they like it or not they have to “develop lungs” (Line 17) just like an amphibian in order to survive in these unfamiliar waters.
This poem speaks to me directly. Being an immigrant to the U.S from Nigeria, I had to adapt to this foreign environment, talk more of landing in New York. Different people, different educational system, different lifestyle, dressing, greetings, food, religion and the diversity being at its’ ultimate peak in the city. I definitely had to become the amphibian Legaspi is talking about. I have to survive in a different environment and train my lungs to stay strong. Strong enough to hold my breath under water and still run marathons on land because that is the only water this amphibian survives.
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Ebube. Yes! Adapting to a new environment is very hard but once everything is on a roll you gradually fall In line and adapt also. Learning new culture and a new education system can also be very difficult and I’m happy I’m not the only person who’s sharing about migrating from another country and having to adapt to a very fast life and vibrant environment.
Good luck.
The unique theme of “Montreal 1962,” by Shauna Singh Baldwin was that of self-love and pride. This was not a pride based on ego but a pride that kept her grounded in her culture. She expressed appreciation and admiration of her traditions and was not willing to succumb to her new environments culture nor allow anyone to look down on her culture. Washing her sari’s and husband’s turbans brings her comfort with the memories of home and the people she loved. Although the story reflects on some discrimination on her husbands search for work, they never lost themselves or conformed. This experience only made her prouder of her culture even if it meant she would lead her family, she was not going to allow her husband to shed a part of him.
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Hi Arlene,
I liked how you interpret this experience as something that ” made her prouder of her culture even if it meant she would lead her family,”.
But I do have a question about the part that you mentioned: “she was not going to allow her husband to shed a part of him.” Where do you think is the place of flexibility in this situation? Do you think if someone changed their place of living they should adapt to some of the cultures in their second home country?
I too believe that we shouldn’t change who we are simply because we moved to a new country. But I also believe that we might have to come up with plans that can help us to create a better life for ourselves and those around us. Adaptation is and was an essential part of human beings’ survival and excelling in life, and I think this is something that we should take into consideration when discussing such a subject. (In my post I mentioned that I decided not to change my name for various reasons, but I have what they call “Starbucks name” which means if it is not necessary I use that name to get my coffee rather than spelling my name for a few minutes at 7:00 am. I believe that is being flexible as well as respecting your true self and culture.)
Best,
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Afsaneh, you make a very good point about the need to adapt, at least to some extent, when one immigrates to another country. I think there does have to be a little change, which is so well expressed in “Amphibians.” I never heard that expression “your Starbucks name.” Funny! I’m glad you have kept your very beautiful and soft-sounding name.
Hi,
I chose NAMES/NOMBRES by Julia Alvarez as the peace that I want to talk about in this week’s post.
As it can be clear, my name is very hard to pronounce for many English speakers. In the past few years that I lived here, I got kind suggestions that if I change my name to something that is easier my life also can get easier as well. At least I don’t have to start all my conversations talking about my name for 5 minutes. After a few back and force, I have decided that I want to keep my name but this was my decision so I have no problem if someone mispronounces my name.
I see that many people talk about racism and discrimination but I have a slightly different view. As an immigrant, I knew I have to learn the language of the country that I am choosing to live in. So I did not expect everyone in this country to learn my language but I learned their language. Not exactly the same but similar situations about cultural differences. There are people from all over the world living together in this country. Is it fair to ask them to know about all these cultures? Is it even possible?
As I am interested in anthropology, I know in some cultures is very rude and disrespectful if you exchange money with your left hand, or if you look in the eyes of an older person when you talk to them and many other rules like these. Is it fair to expect all Americans, Canadians, or any country that we choose to immigrate to learn and know these rules?
Where is the line between being respectful and just learning and doing things as a result of being afraid to be judged and labeled a racist?
Because in the story “Montreal 1962”, how the person should have known what is Sari and how they should work with it? I know many people in Iran that don’t know much about Sari and we are the neighboring countries. Is this too high of expectation from a country that opens its arm and helps us start a life we have been seeking?
After all, I understand the difficulties that immigrants experience in a new country, and I am one of them, but I also think we should have a fair conversation and see the issue from different perspectives. If people think that they are going to be judged and labeled no matter how much they try to be good, they will stop caring at some point and that will be a loss for both sides. I truly believe the intention matters. If someone adores my accent in a way to remind me that I am a foreigner and I don’t belong here is bad, (Which has happened for me) but if someone corrects me when I pronounced something wrong as an intention to help me improve I will be very thankful.
Best
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Hello Afsaneh,
I enjoyed reading your post. I am also an immigrant and I agree we must be more comfortable with people making mistakes like mispronouncing names and other small misunderstandings. It is hard to keep up with all the religions and rules of other cultures. I say that as an immigrant that enjoys different cultures and foods. I think there are a lot of people talking on behalf of immigrants and other minority groups. Most immigrants are happy to share their culture, food, and style of clothing. When people have to tippytoe around topics like religion and culture it makes it hard for immigrants to be accepted.
I am a DACA recipient and have had many conversations about the program. People are very interested in hearing from me and my experience as an immigrant. I went to school in Connecticut with no diversity, in a town full of conservatives. I always found myself talking with my friend’s parents about these topics and they are always happy to hear from me. I feel like we need to be more understanding and take time to share our culture with others and fill in the gaps of misunderstandings.
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Kevin, now that we have a new president-elect, I think all your “dreamers” will feel much safer!
In the poem “Amphibians”, the author is ultimately describing how immigrants have to adapt to their new environments and basically grow accustomed to new things like manners and behaviors. The theme is kind of the same being that the theme is that immigrants when moving to a new continent or country, move so with their own way of doing things (culture and how they grew up/teachings). However, as time goes by those same people gain those new mannerisms and new normalities from the environment that they reside inside.
In “Montreal 1962”, the theme is that the turban he was wearing was an important part of him and his culture and was basically an extension of himself as a person. The woman Sikh described how hard it was for her husband finding a job when they moved to Canada. Those who saw him would judge him because of his turban that he wore which was a part of his culture/religion.
In the narrative “Names/Nombres”, the unique theme which to me is more of a lesson, that what another person calls you shouldn’t change you as an individual. Julia in the narrative is a girl from the DR (Dominica Republic) to NY with her family and their last name is always getting botched. However, as the story goes on we see Julia started to accept her name and that the mispronunciation of her name didn’t matter because she was still herself.
The most relevant experience I’ve had relating to these works would have to be the mispronunciation and incorrect spelling of my name; Zakiyah Bedeau. The mispronunciation wasn’t as bad for my first name than my surname. A lot of people still misspell my name and add an e in it and after a while I got used to it, I remember whenever my teachers called my name and they said it right I would say “wow you actually said it right” or “I’m surprised you said it right”. Honestly though I know my experience isn’t as bad as others and I respect those who take pride in their name like I do and correct people on their mispronunciation.
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Zakiyah, I think it is crazy how people are taught to just “get used” to the fact that people pronounce your name incorrectly! It is not hard to learn or ask how to say it properly. I am so sorry that you have to be surprised when someone says your name correctly.
Zakiyah,
Yes, I agree with the themes you think really stand out in these readings. I think struggle with identity is a similarity between all the readings and poems. A person’s roots and culture builds who they are as a person but when there is confusion around it and others get to judge you for it or you are forced to leave it behind in order to camouflage, you’re a big part of yourself. I totally relate to your struggle with having a cultural name that people always botch trying to pronounce. I’ve gotten used to it now and have learned to not let it affect me but when I was in elementary school, so many of my teachers would mispronounce it making me the center of attention that I grew ashamed of my name. I’d ask my parents why they couldn’t give me something simpler and more common because I hated having to be different. But now I’m proud of it and understand that someones else’s disregard for my culture shouldn’t change how I feel about it.
The poem “Amphibians” by Joseph legaspi, emphasizes on the life of amphibians and immigrants and their adaptation to society. When immigrants are relocating it’s similar to the adaptation and lifestyle of amphibians. The poem expressed how the two are similar because of the lifestyle they adapt to easily and rapidly. Within that life they grow and learn a lot of things fast. This poem is definitely similar to the life of me being an immigrant in this country. When I first got here about a decade ago, adapting to the American life was totally thrown at me without any guides or rule book, But gradually everything fell in line and I caught on to a lot of things fast. It was a fast life without any expectations. With everything being thrown at me I learned so many things rapidly. With learning things rapidly you start to change and grow into someone or something new. It’s very scary but also exciting to discover a new and refined side to yourself. Eventually the place that you grew up in becomes your new and comfortable home. Home can definitely be where you grow and make it, similarly to amphibians they camouflage into their environment and make it their home.
In the poem “Montreal 1962” generally the poem defines profiling of a certain race. The Narrator’s husband is highly profiled because of his race and with his race comes his religious clothing that he wears. Basically profiled and already treated unequal without him even speaking a word. Inequality exists and it’s at it all time high. No one should be treated differently because of their skin color, religion or culture. We can all coexist and share our values and regal culture.
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Hi Taheed, I agree with you that way you introduce the experience immigrant from your own country. I have the same experience as you, but the difference is my family also immigrated to the United States with me. We had to adapt to the environment and everything together. However the United States is a big city with a dense population, but it was no longer a strange environment for me and my family. I believe that other people have the same opinion as me.
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The work “Names/Nombres” by Julia Alverez really stood out to me this week. The unique theme of how parents spend time and care choosing their children’s names, only to have them mispronounced, changed and/or Americanized, simply because others find it difficult to pronounce. A name is core to who we are, it is the sounds that make up the representation of us, and for someone to feel it must be changed because people can’t take the time to learn it correctly is heartbreaking.
I have an unflattering connection to this story. Pre-covid I worked in HR and saw hundreds of resumes come in each week. When there was a candidate with a name that was challenging to read, we would do our best to ask or look up online for pronunciation, but we still often got it wrong. There were sometimes comments from our interviewers on the difficulty of pronouncing names. And there were several instances where the person would say “my name is X by I go by Y, it’s easier to pronounce.” There was one particular name that I consistently got wrong, even though I asked how to pronounce. His name was Mayank, I called him “MY-aunk” for nearly two weeks until someone overheard me pronounce it and said ‘his name is pronounced “my AUNK.”’ I apologized and his answer was “it’s okay, I’m used to it.” He was very kind about it and incredibly gracious, but it taught me not only to ask how to pronounce, which I do, but also to practice to myself after learning the correct pronunciation so that it does not happen again.
Ashley
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I think the theme of immigration is captured best for me in the story “Montreal 1962” with its flowing depth regarding family and community bonds. I find this quote sums up its theme quite well. “In the mirror I saw my father as he must have looked as a boy, my teenage brother as I remember him, you as you face Canada, myself as I need to be.” the theme of this story is the idea of being who you are staying true to yourself, because ultimately we’re a modge podge of our family and community which makes us all quite special and unique. She saw herself as her father did in the tuban and it was then she realized how important it was to stay true to themselves and their community, while also allowing themselves to adept. I myself was thinking of the traditions I gained from my family in California and how they translate in New York, a quite different place. I find my love of bright tye dyes and birkenstocks point me out fairly often amid all the dark clothing and heavy boots. Being you and not following everyone ultimately makes you a better and more interesting person!
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Hello, for this week’s reading I chose “Names/Nombres” written by Julia Alvarez. The central theme of this story is Individuality and unity with ones self. As I can not directly relate to the point of mispronouncing ones name, I was also born in New York and moved back home to Ukraine for a few years. When I returned for school, the first few weeks I was unable to speak with my classmates as I knew no English. I clearly remember my first 3 days of kindergarten when as soon as I walked in the teacher came up to me to say hello and without hesitation I would throw up for two days straight, on the third day, the teacher had a bucket ready. After a few months when I finally learned English and got with the program I was finally able to make friends and create good memories for my kindergarten years. When the Alvarez says “I suffered most whenever my extended family attended school occasions.” I can relate to her in almost a funny way because I love my mother to death but, when she would come to school it was my biggest nightmare. I am however happy that this isn’t a sad tale and towards the graduation we read that she will be missing all her friends, this makes me happy as I know she made a few amazing memories!
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David, you poor baby with the bucket! We can smile now about these painful stories, but that kindergarten experience sounds terrible.
The unique theme in “Amphibians” by Joseph O. Legaspi to me is adapting. Legaspi compares immigrants to amphibians by highlighting their similarities. One example of this is how he says amphibians live on both water and land like how an immigrant has ties to places. Being a second generation Chinese American, I can relate to this feeling of having a foot in two worlds. Although my parents were the ones who immigrated here, I can also relate partially to the immigrant experience because I grew up with a foreign culture alongside the American culture. Legaspi says that the amphibians are “fully at home in the rain”. For many Chinese immigrants, the “rain” is
in China where they grew up or where people like them reside. In this regard, I cannot relate because home for me has always been a mix of the two cultures. I guess for some overseas Chinese like myself and other children of immigrants, the “land” that the amphibians seek for us, is actually where our parents came from. It may not necessarily be home for all of us, but personally, there has always been a longing to “return” to where my family came from.
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Johnson,
Yes, I also think the poem is about adapting to new environments which is a quality both amphibians and immigrants have. I know what you mean when you say you understand the perspective of the immigrants and of their completely different Americanized children. Also, I really like your analogy of what “the rain” is in your situation, it’s what the amphibian feels comfortable and as if they belong but they still have to move and acclimate to new environment and different conditions.
I would state the unique theme of “Montreal 1962” by Shuna Singh as sticking true to one’s identity. It is so easy to conform to norms in the workplace or society in general, but despite that, it’s essential to stay true to yourself and your roots. I enjoyed the wife not straying away from how important the turban is to her and the men in her family, making it clear she will never disrespect it.
Being that both my parents are immigrants, a mother from Guyana, and my father from Jamaica, I have a laundry list of experiences related to the theme of “Montreal 1962.” One example is my father being denied work because he would not cut his dreadlocks. In jamaica, many viewed the hairstyle of dreadlocks as their strength and would be seen as their weakness if cut off. In the past, officers would cut off dreads as an intimidation tactic for those who got in trouble with the law—one of the reasons my dad took pride in his hair. In the end, he did not get that job, but something better came along, and he got to keep his dreadlocks.
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The readings of this week were the ones I enjoyed the most, and it is not because of their style or the way they are written, it is because of the way they made me feel. As a forging student, who moved to New York about three years ago, I could see myself or my friends in every one of the stories.
I think that as part of our human nature we try to fit into the bigger group, even at the cost of losing our true self. Society expects us not to be different, and therefore we can find ourselves changing part of us even if not asked to.
In the story by Shauna Singh Baldwin “Montreal 1962” we can read about a couple how moved to Canada and experienced difficulties fit in with a new culture. The narrator’s husband is trying to find a job, and when he finds one, he is asked to remove any cultural remarks he has. In his case, it is his turban. This short story concludes that the narrator refuses to change herself to fit in Canada “And so, my love, I will not let you cut your strong rope of hair and go without a turban into this land of strangers.“ I find this statement very powerful and brave, and unfortunately, I know that sometimes people’s need of being part of something, is bigger than their need to protect their real selves. From my personal experience as a Jewish woman, I can tell that sometimes I feel like I need to hide my identity and my religion in order to feel valuable and approved by society. The religious men are required to wear yarmulka (Jewish head cover) which is a visible remark they usually feel like they need to hide or remove before entering any social event.
I took the conclusion of this story into my personal lives, and I agree with the narrator’s approach saying she won’t let herself and her husband to change in order to blend. I have learned that it is important to feel welcome by society, but it is more important to feel welcome by myself.
Shai, I’m so glad you related to the readings for the week and that they struck a chord for you. I will make a confession that when I saw your name “Shai,” I thought you were a man! Here I am, a perfect example of someone making an assumption based on names/nombres.
Hi Shai,
I agree with you “the narrator refuses to change herself to fit in Canada” because people can’t change who they are or their religion/culture. The narrator does not want to change her identity, but she does want to be accepted by others. I loved how she told her husband not to do what they told him to do like cutting hair or opening a turban. Reading your comments I see you talk about Yarmulke it took back. After I came to America I saw many Jewish men wear Yarmulke but I always thought that they’re Muslims because Muslims men wear something similar like that called Hat Kufi. My teacher who was Jewish every-time I used to go to his class I always told him “ assalamualaikum” ( it means Peace be upon you) . That’s what we say whenever Muslims people see each other. My teacher always gave me a smile whenever I said that word but never said anything back, but when I learned about religions I found that Jewish men wear Yarmulke. I know why I felt that because the country I belong to there wasn’t any Jews religion.
In “Montreal 1962” by Shauna Singh Baldwin the theme is identity and culture immigration. It is a very important theme because it shows how the immigrants are different from the natives. Baldwin talks about how they are different from the native Americans, but also that they have their own cultures and beliefs. However, Baldwin uses many symbols to show how the immigrants are different from native Americans. At the beginning of the poem when her husband was looking for a job “They said I could have the job if I take off my turban and cut my hair short.” This shows that to get a job you have to follow what they said to you to do. I liked how his wife didn’t let that happen.
I could connect this poem with my own life because being a Bangladeshi American also being Muslim I got lots of Bullies not for being Bangladeshi for being Muslim many people think that I’m a terrorist. I still remember when I went to hospital with my mom, and I am wearing hijab where is one white lady told me my headscarf is so pretty and my mom asked me what she said I told her “she said my hijab is pretty” and that lady hears it, and she said “ hijab” so you’re Muslim and also terrorist. She started screaming and told everyone that me, my mom, and sister are terrorists. We should be kicked out of hospitals also from America as well. Not a single person there raised their voice so quietly watched the scene. Even today people still think Muslim are terrorists.
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Humayra, what a horror story about that woman’s response to your head scarf! I’m so sorry that no one stuck up for you and your mother. I am hoping that with a new president, racism against Muslims will lessen.
Hi Professor, thank you so much! Yes, I hope so.
I enjoyed all three works of literature for this weeks reading, they were so moving. They all seemed to share a similar theme of growth and identity. The story that I decided to touch on the most was “Names/Nombres” by Julia Alvarez. “Names/Nombres” is about a Dominican American girl, named Julia, and her family where’s she explains her and her sister’s hardships growing up with a Hispanic name but in the ends begins to accept these names that she once hated because she realizes that those names given to her are what makes her, Julia.
This story hits home because I grew up in the same situation as Julia. My name is Senia pronounced (Sen-ya), growing up I’ve gotten a thousand different pronunciations of my name and a thousand more questions on why my parents gave it to me and where it came from because my last name isn’t “Spanish” because my father is Jamaican. I remember always being nervous on the first day of school because I knew attendance was going to take place and when it came to my name some teachers had a hard time pronouncing it. When teachers would mispronounce it some people would laugh and correct them for me. I would giggle as well but on the inside sit wishing, I had a simpler name, which I’m now ashamed to even type.
My mother had gotten the name from her mother who passed away a short time before I was born. My grandmother resided in Puerto Rico up until she was 17 where she moved here, to the Bronx, New York where she then began her life. She worked long hours to be able to help my grandfather put food on the table for my mother and uncle at a local public school.
My name shows endless hard work, dedication, and love. It isn’t only who my grandmother was but who it is who I am now and beyond blessed to be Senia.
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Senia, you express some beautiful sentiments here. I love what you write about your grandmother and the meaning of her name to you!
Hello Senia,
I also chose this story because it is related to me how people give different pronunciation to my name and lastname. This story is related to identity. I like it when you mention that people ask you why your parents gave it that name? This also happens to me. I see this question as kind of disrespectful. I like that you are proud of your mom and everybody is because mothers also work hard to help their families that is why people immigrate.
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Hi Senia,
I too agree that all of these stories were moving. I really enjoyed this week’s readings because I’ve never related so much! I liked how all these readings had multiple meaning for all of us. Senia is a beautiful name and I love how you connected it to Julia’s hardships in the short story. It makes me happy that you are proud of your identity.
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Though I found all of these weeks readings very intriguing as they all explore different as well as alike perspectives on the lives of immigrants and what they go through when first arriving in a new country, I found the short story “Names/Nombres” by Julia Alvarez to be the most impactful for me personally. The short story explores a family from the Dominican Republic and how they transition themselves into the United States. What struck me most about this story was the focus on one’s name. The way something as simple and mundane as a name can represent one’s struggle to fit into a new land after migrating is something Alvarez is able to capture well. The story she presents is relatable not to me personally, but my father as much like the narrator, my father had a difficult time fitting in when first coming to the United States after he had moved here from Ecuador. However, Alvarez explains traditions and cultural attitudes that most, if not all, South Americans have that I can relate to my experiences with further members of my family. As she writes, “For my graduation, they all came, the whole lot of aunts and uncles and the many little cousins who snuck in without tickets. They sat in the first row in order to better understand the Americans’ fast-spoken English.” This quote alone brings me some nostalgia of my graduation for she could not have explained any better what it is to be in a Latino family and their love and commitment for their family members.
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Hi Richard!
I really do like your observations. For my response, I also decided to write from the perspective from one of my parents. Specifically my Afro-Dominican mother who had to navigate America not only being an immigrant, but also a black woman. She too has dealt with similar challenges as Julia and your father. Fearing that she wouldn’t be able to assimilate with her American peers, and having people misinterpret such simple things as a name. But there are always positives. Like the quote you brought up where her family came to her graduation as the loudest people in the room. Growing up in mostly Latino and Black public schools all my life, it’s always such a unique and vibrant atmosphere.
The poem “Amphibians” by Joseph O. Legaspi talks about the struggle with adapting and identity for amphibians and immigrants. Amphibians are described as very adaptable and they are built to make themselves adjust to many obstacles. For this reason, they don’t really have one single identity. Similarly, immigrants have to move from their homes to new, unknown places where they have to learn to adjust. They also have to change their identity as they move to a different place. This poem is about how effortlessly both creatures but most immigrants face these challenges to survive, and lack identity. This poem and the lines “amphibians lay/ shell-less eggs/ immigrants give birth/ to Americans.” reminded me of the stories my grandmother tells me of her childhood and how she still has a hard time accepting the culture and lifestyle I’ve acquired because it’s so different from hers. My grandparents sent my dad to the US as a teenager to study, so he adapted to the American lifestyle very quickly. After I was born I was raised with his modern ideas, unlike the traditional values my grandmother has. I didn’t grow up very cultured and do the absolute bare minimum like learn enough of the language to be able to communicate. To my grandmother, I am so different from what she expected her grandchildren to be like, and it’s not a bad thing, but she has to accept the way I live my life despite her not understanding it. She’s always encouraged me to learn to read and write the language and probably dislikes how I dress or how I only speak to my dad in English. But she’s had to welcome these differences because she knows she wanted her son and grandkids to live here to get a better life.
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Hi Zubaida,
I enjoyed your response to the poem “Amphibians” by Joseph O. Legaspi. I agree the poem is about amphibians and immigrants’ struggle with adapting amd keeping their identity. I like your story about your grandma. I feel like i can relate i remember as a little girl my grandma would alwyas encourgae me to learn hhow to speak, read and write in spanish. I remember growing up feeling left out because my cousins understood the language and I didn’t. Fastfoward to my teenage years i remember she broke her phone she had the same flip phone for many many years. My aunt brought her a new phone but it was a touch screen and she didn’t understand how to use it. So i taught her how to make phone calls, to look for someone’s number and to turn it on and off. Sometimes as a younger genertation we can teach the ones who came before us ways to adapt. The same way they teach us and remind us of our heritage.
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The theme of the story Names/Nombres is that it’s important to own your heritage and culture. Julia embracing all the mispronunciations of her name is really powerful. This is because in doing so, she holds onto who she is. I’m not an immigrant. I was born and raised in NYC. However, my name is Marisa Vittoria Gulino. So many people pronounce Vittoria as Victoria. And pronounce Gulino as Guliano or Juliano. And so many people misspell my first name too. They do this because I only have one ‘S’. People call me Melissa, Maritza, and whatever M name they can come up with. I used to get annoyed when my name would be mispronounced and misspelled. But now that I’m much older, I don’t mind. I like my Sicilian name. It’s also a bit ironic considering I’m more Puerto Rican than Sicilian.
Marisa Gulino
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Hello Marisa,
I totally agree with your contention that in this piece, Julia’s embrace and ownership of her names is extremely powerful, and a fundamental moment in the development of her identity. Rather than thinking of it as conformity, it’s interesting to consider it as being an act of courage and acceptance. At the end, she appears to accept her new identity rather than having any lingering feelings of bitterness, and she uses these misunderstandings of her culture to strengthen her own identity, which I love. It’s so interesting how you can relate to her story, and I appreciate you sharing that with us!
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Of the three readings for this week, the one that resonates with me the most has been Shauna Singh Baldwin’s short story, “Montreal 1962.” On reading the title, I immediately made connection to the year since that is the birth year of my mother. More importantly, the story spoke of both her and her husband’s immigrant experience, and as an immigrant; I was able to make some connections, mainly the importance of holding on to cultural traditions and values despite the new and unfamiliar environment in which one may reside. This underlying theme is a message I hear on a regular basis from my mother. It is in keeping with the views expressed by Baldwin when she decided that she would encourage her husband to neither cut his hair nor refuse to wear his turban “into this land of strangers,” even though she was conscious of the negative consequences of holding on to their traditions.
As Baldwin spoke of her “Gidda” tradition, which is a popular folk dance in parts of India and Pakistan, I reflected on the celebration of “Carnival’ in my homeland St. Vincent and the Grenadines which is similar in nature. I also gained a better understanding of why many organizations in the community in which I now live who are from the Caribbean diaspora, try to keep this cultural activity alive by the major Annual celebration held in Brooklyn New York during the Labor Day weekend on the famous Eastern Parkway. Baldwin’s admiration for her husband multiple turbans reminded me of how I am always moved by the pride Caribbean people exercise during this Carnival festival. During this celebration, we all make connections and strive towards maintaining our cultural roots in a new land we now call home. This is demonstrated in the multiple flags that are on exhibition as they wave representing each Caribbean island. The wearing of colorful and creative costumes depicting many aspects of our
culture is a wonderful spectacle. The lively sounds of calypso music fill the air and move bodies as hey dance to the rhythms.
This week’s readings and in particular Baldwin’s short story Montreal put me in a very reflective mood. It also made me more appreciative of where I have come from, and highlighted some factors that have helped to form my identity of which I am very proud.
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Kendra, thank you for this beautifully written post, and especially the references to your own cultural heritage and identity. I’m so glad that the readings brought about some moments of reflection.
Hi Kendra, thank you for your beautiful post! I love your description of your cultural pride and I think there is a lot to be said for the work that people put in to retain that cultural pride in the diaspora. I’m not Caribbean, but I am Chinese, and I feel the exact same way you do about Carnival with our Lunar New Year celebrations in Chinatown and Flushing. It’s something I look forward to every year, and when I’m feeling down, I remember how it feels to be surrounded by so much joy and pride in who we are. There is a lot to be frustrated with when it comes to retaining traditions away from the hub of any culture, and it can require almost too much strength and resilience, but it really is all worth it in the end when we get to come together as one community, no matter where in the world we are.
With the story Names/Nombres by Julia Alvarez, the main theme of the story is the nuances of assimilation into the United States. It’s a story about the shame some immigrants face, and the joy others experience. We see throughout the story the subtle micro aggressions that the Alvarez family face in relation to their names. Nearly every single American character in the story either accidentally or deliberately misinterprets their name. We see the ugly parts of this, the shame that the mother and daughter felt saying and pronouncing their full names out loud to friends and associates. At the same time, characters like Julia find a sense of joy in having multiple experiences in her life. She does enjoy being Jules with her friends at school, and being Julita with her Dominican family. But no matter what name she’s given, she’s still the same exact person from the Dominican Republic.
My mother is an Afro-Dominican immigrant who has definitely dealt with similar micro aggresions. Her name is Lourdes, and uncommon name in America. I can’t tell you how many times she’s been “Lardes”, or having people put too much emphasis on the first syllable. She takes those in stride, but around her family and close friends, people fully pronounce her name in Spanish, and she’s given endearing names such as “Lourdita”. So I definitely see parallels in her story and stories such as my mother’s.
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The piece I’ve selected to discuss for this week’s topic is “Names/Nombres.” Although the other works really did resonate with me in different ways, I was most drawn to this one because I live in Inwood here in New York, which is a predominately Dominican neighborhood. And, although I don’t have much relevant experience in terms of immigration (I’ve lived in many different states but never other countries), I’m lead to believe that Julia Alvarez’s teenage years actually took place near where I live! She mentions that she “had been born blocks away at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital (Paragraph 17), which is very close to my apartment. This particular piece addresses ideas that include identity, conformity, and inherent adaptability. The unique theme here addresses the idea that our sense of identity can be derived from every aspect of life, and often we have no control over this. Julia experiences this primarily through the handful of names she’s been given throughout her life and at the end of the piece, Julia states, “Someday, the family predicted, my name would be well-known throughout the United States. I laughed to myself, wondering which one I would go by” (Paragraph 32). This supports the idea that all of her names, in some way, affect her identity: she appears to take this lightheartedly and dare I say, even with acceptance.
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Emily, I think it was great that you found a way to relate yourself to one of the articles! I also have never lived in any other country, and have only moved once temporarily in my life. I think the theme you pulled is really interesting and incredibly unique. I think this is a great response! 🙂
My choice is “Montreal 1962”, because I feel there are quite a few life lessons throughout the story. Though it has statements I don’t agree with like “You must be reborn white-skinned — and clean-shaven to show it — to survive.”
I see a theme of sacrifice, conformity, and pride. Sacrifice because the wife must take up the mantel of responsibility from her husband, and they must also sacrifice daily to be a part of a new culture and society. The conformity I see mostly implied in feelings of the wife towards their new life. The pride obviously comes when she holds true to her beliefs and culture.
I think the turbans have a lot of symbolism here aside from their direct involvement in the story. I think their colors represent the variety in culture, and the many hues perspective.
I don’t have any experience immigrating or even traveling outside the country. Some would say this hinders your understanding of the world, I don’t think it’s that cut and dry.
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Hello Patrick,
This story is also related to discrimination. I like that word you say sacrifice because it is what every immigrant has to do. Sacrifice because it is not easy to leave the native country. Sacrifice because we have to adapt to a new culture. Some immigrants suffer from discrimination at their jobs this is also a sacrifice. Fortunately, nowadays we (immigrants) don’t suffer from discrimination there are some laws that protect us from discrimination but, discrimination still exists.
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I like the readings from this week because it shares different stories from different people and from different countries when they came to the United States. In the reading “Names/Nombres” by Julia Alvarez the theme is My name in another country. This story is about how everybody in NYC pronounces her name differently. I think that with all of us occurs the same thing. I always hear people asking how do you pronounce your name? or the other person correcting the pronunciation of his name. This story is also related to me some people give different pronunciation to my name and lastname. When I hear a different pronunciation I don’t hesitate because I know they are trying to pronounce in their own language or giving an American pronunciation. What also happen to me frequently is that when some people look at my ID card they ask me which one of this is your name and lastname? Because in my ID card is display my two names MY father’s lastname and my mother’s lastname. Then I have to explain them that I have two names, the other is my father’s lastname and the lastone is my mother’s lastname.
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In Names/Nombre by Julia Alvarez I believe the theme has to do with finding her identity. As people grow they must always adapted to their surrounding. Julia and her sisters grew up with people prounouning their name differently or giving them nicknames. Instead of always correcting people or letting the different nick names effect her in a negative way she embraced them as part of her identity. Despite people americanizing their names at home with family and friends they were reminded of their roots. They were remind that no matter what anyone called them they were still the same person. I remember growing up and different people would always pronoun my name wrong or give me nicknames istead of trying to learn my name. When I was a little girl I always corrected them but as a teenager and now adult I choose to embrace them.
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Although I am not Dominican, the story “Names/Nombres” by Julia Alvarez still hit very close to home for me and reminded me of my family’s journey to America. “Names/Nombres” is, as the title implies, an immigration tale centered around names and the identity they grant. Alvarez describes the ways in which her name has been pronounced and altered to cater to the comfort of the Americans around her, and explains how her attitude towards her name changed as she grew older. The story ends hopefully, with Alvarez recognizing that each of her names is a part of her and her multinational identity.
I am mixed-race (Chinese, White, and Native Hawaiian) and both sides of my family immigrated to America within the last few generations. Although my dad’s family (who came from Scotland in the early 20th century,) has a fairly complicated surname, (it’s pronounced “mik-KEK-nee” by the way,) they were never forced to change it or alter their identities–in large part, I’m sure, because they are white and moved to an almost entirely white neighborhood in Rhode Island. Their name never affected their ability to exist comfortably in this country.
My mom’s side, on the other hand, did not fare as easily. My mom’s father was born in Hawai’i to a Cantonese mother and a Cantonese-Hawaiian father. Although both of his parents had only Chinese names, they gave each of their children English names before Chinese ones, because they wanted their children to assimilate easily. My grandfather’s name is Stimson Tsai Tung Lee, and to this day, he never uses his Chinese name because it’s “too complicated”. My mom’s mother, on the other hand, was born in China (in Guangzhou) and given the name Mei Lin, after the lotus flowers that bloomed in the summer when she was born. Her family was forced to flee from the country during World War II because of the Japanese invasion of Southern China, and they were able to secure safe passage to Hawai’i, then a US Territory. The American immigration officials didn’t understand the name Mei Lin, so they wrote “Maylene” on her immigration papers, and since then, that has been my grandmother’s legal name. It kills me that such a beautiful and meaningful name was erased out of laziness.
However, despite their western names, my grandparents retained a strong connection to their culture. They came to New York in the 50s, and when they gave birth to my mother and her older brother, they gave them both only Cantonese names. My uncle’s name is Shay Jen and my mom’s is Ahn Yuet, and neither of them have English counterparts. Although this is meaningful culturally, it also caused them a fair bit of pain growing up in 70s NYC, because they were the only ones among their Chinese-American peers without so-called “normal” names. My uncle was teased mercilessly for having a “girl’s name” (Jen), and my mother was ignored and called “Ann” most of the time until she started referring to herself as a light switch: Ahn and off.
Despite it all, though, neither my uncle nor my mother have ever tried to change their names or chosen an English nickname. In fact, my mom refused to change her name when she got married to my dad, because she knew that if she had a western surname, she would no longer be seen as Ahn Yuet at all–she would simply become Ann McKechnie. She refused to erase her identity and culture, and therefore refused to change her name.
I, too, carry my culture in my name. Kia is a Hawaiian word with a few different meanings: it is the word for deer as well as one of the words for a pillar of support. My mom has never told me which one she gave me the name for, so I take both. I’m proud of my name, even though I’ve heard plenty of jokes about it, and I’m glad I come from a family able to withstand the trials of westernization.
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The story “Montreal 1962” by Shauna Singh Baldwin is essentially about a Sikh woman and her Sikh husband moving to Canada and having an extremely difficult time finding a job. The husband faces his first real signs of hardships in the work force. The only way for him to receive a job would be having to adapt to Canadian cultural norms and sort of reject his own. Baldwin states “And they talked about freedom and opportunity for those lucky enough to already speak English. No one said then, “You must be reborn white-skinned — and clean-shaven to show it — to survive”. The wife is doing the laundry and reminded of her experience with the laundry lady and how it was an unfortunate situation. The unique theme of the story is to remember who you are no matter where you go. Throughout the whole story, the woman is constantly reminded of who they are and where they comes from.
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In “Names/Nombres” by Julia Alvarez I found the themes for the story to be assimilation and acceptance. Initially, when Julia came to New York City, she didn’t bother to correct her name and got called “Jew-lee-ah, Judy, Judith, and Juliet”. She didn’t bother to correct it despite the fact that she questioned whether or not she should. All through school, she was called multiple names and just let herself be called them. She then goes on to tell a story about her sister’s name that her mom gave her when she was born. She talks about her mother initially telling the other mothers who gave birth that her sister was called “Maureen” because she was ashamed of the name Mauricia. In both instances, we see that both Julias were embarrassed by the names which came from the Dominican Republic and tried to change or allow other names to be used so that they can assimilate with other New Yorkers. I think that’s very common for individuals who come to the US because they want to fit in to be able to stay and not bring too much attention to themselves to be able to succeed. This assimilation then turns to acceptance when we see how Julia’s mom eventually tells the other mothers her sister’s real name. In the same instance, Julia herself looks back to her names she was called in the past when her family tells her that her name will be famous and wonders which one she will go by. I think this was a form of acceptance because at that point she’s older and can reflect on these instances and can laugh about it. From this point we see her embracing her Dominican heritage as she talks about her post-graduation celebration. This story makes me think of my grandfather from Greece and my grandmother from Puerto Rico. Both came to New York to work hard and give themselves better opportunities. While they never spoke about things pertaining to their names, but I’ve heard stories about them having to suppress their boriqua or greekness to be able to fit in and get ahead. This story reminds me of their experiences and makes me happy that despite those instances they are proud of their culture, and have even passed on traditions to me.
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In Montreal 1962 by Shauna Singh Baldwin she describes how moving to Canada with her husband was difficult for her husband because he couldn’t find a job because he was judged for wearing a turban which they found weird. The story goes on about how a new place is extremely difficult to adjust to and it is difficult to burn the bridges of your homeland which is what the story goes on about how her husbands turban brings this discussion up.
In Amphibians by Joseph O. Legaspi, he describes how amphibians and immigrants are similar. Joseph describes how immigrants and amphibians adapt and change to new places because of the current culture. The theme of the story is that being an immigrant in a new country is a process that will involve change and adaption and in the end you’ll realize you’ve become an entirely different animal.
In Names/Nombres by Julia Alvarez, in this story Julia an immigrant from the Dominican Republic left her home to go to New York City. The people who lived there were pronouncing her and her family’s name wrong. This had at first annoyed them but eventually they would feel embarrassed but at the end she realized that it didn’t matter how or what there name was pronounced. The theme of the story is simply about knowing that a name or origin is and it doesn’t matter, its what your do that truly matters.
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I chose to write about the theme in “Amphibians” by Joseph O. Legaspi. I think that the unique theme of “Amphibians” is the comparison of being an immigrant to being an amphibian. Like you’re not quite sure exactly where you belong. Your children aren’t the same as you, you have to endure challenges and grow in order to survive. I think this is a very good metaphor Legaspi came up with in order to get people like me (non immigrants) to have somewhat of an understanding of what being an immigrant is like. Although I know I will never truly know the struggle and hardships that come from leaving and entering a new country.
Claire, just be sure your comments meet the length requirements. Thanks!
The two stories from two different authors and the poem we read this week all bring experiences of immigrants in their new land. When immigrants move to a new country they bring with them their culture, language, customs, and their names, which certainly quite often collide with the hosting country`s. In the beginning, newcomers will most probably feel lost in their new environment, but after a while they learn how to navigate in the new culture by adapting themselves to it; they learn the language, adopt new customs, and often change their native names into familiar ones, as it is best said in the poem “Amphibians” by Joseph Legaspi that ” immigrants give birth to Americans”. To the contrary, for some immigrants it is difficult to give up their customs which are part of their identity as is the case with the Sikh community couple in the story ” Montreal 1962″ who are struggling to find a job because of the traditional cloth the husband wears, but they decide to preserve their tradition instead of adapting and losing their original identity.
I really enjoyed reading three works on immigrants and I thank you Professor for picking this topic for this week because I am an immigrant to this country as well and I may say that I share similar experiences with the ones in the stories.
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As a daughter and granddaughter of immigrants I can relate to “Amphibians”. My father came to this country from Nicaragua and was able to create an entire life for himself and his family. Line 2 and 3 “Immigrants leave their land,
hardening in the sea” resonated so well with me and actually a little humorous because my father always says he swam over here, but it the God’s honest truth that he been the ultimate journey to be in America. “Hardening in the sea” is what I can imagine he did. I could only imagine his thoughts, but I definitely understand his intent was to have a better life. Thank God that exactly what he did. “Their colors brighten, camouflage.” a perfect description of what every person desires to do when they come to America; “fit in” its funny how its the land of the “free” but out of all the word Legaspi could have use to describe a person blending in to society he used camouflage. It’s ironic because that exactly what people do they come to America. They change their name and so much more just to be apart of American society.
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Hello Summer,
As a daughter of immigrant parents myself It is truly difficult to even imagine the pain our parents went though. My father was one of the first people to come to “El Norte” from his town in Mexico. In Mexico calls the USA, “El Norte” which is in English translates to “The North.” My father always tell me it was very difficult for him to adapt because he did not speak or understand English. He slowly adapted to gives us a better life and achieve the American Dream. Mexico is his home country but he spent more then half of his life here in New York.
After reading “Names/Nombres” by Julia Alvarez, I believe the unique theme of this story is, to embrace who you are and where you come from. In the strory, Alvarez talks about how she’s from DR. She explains how her name and many other names differ depending on the location. For example in the text she states, ” I, her namesake, was known as Hoo-lee-tah at home. But at school I was Judy or Judith, and once an English teacher mistook me for Juliet” (Alvarez, paragraph 3). At the end of the story she explains how everyone in her big family came to her graduation and sat in the front row to better understand the American’s fast spoken English. At the end she states, “Someday, the family predicted, my name would be well-known throughout the United States. I laughed to myself, wondering which one I would go by” (Alvarez, paragraph 32). She threw in a joke at the end but it’s much more than that. She is showing that she embraced who she is and where she comes from and is going to use that to motivate her to achieve her goals. My grandmother was also from DR. She came to this country when she was 19 years old and came with nothing, not even knowing English. She then went on to learn the English language, and got her citizenship a year to 2 years later.
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In Names / Nombres by Julia Alvarez expresses the theme of finding her own identity through family and friends. She is a New Yorker with a beautiful traditional Hispanic name. She is from the Caribbean trying to fit in with her American friends. Her American friends call her different names because she introduces her American side. Julia did not accept the American accent in the beginning but as time went by, she learned to appreciate all the nicknames and pronunciations of everyone. As a New Yorker myself my name can be pronounce differently. In school my teachers would try to exaggerate the pronunciation of my name. I had a hard time even figuring out how to pronounce my own name so that people understand and know my name. Now, I appreciate my Hispanic accent and proudly say my name. Most people call me by my name only my family members call me by my nickname Mari. I find my nickname Mari like a sweet version of my name and Mariana more powerful version of myself.
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For this week’s discussion, I want to talk about “Names/Nombres” by Julia Alvarez. I think the central theme of this story is about learning to accept yourself for who you are without having to change. In the very beginning, the immigration officer pronounces her last name incorrectly. I can relate to this because of my name. My name is Nathaly but it’s pronounced like “Natalie.” When I first started school teachers would always pronounce the TH in my name. I would always go out of my way to correct them. One time, a specific teacher in the 3rd grade kept pronouncing the TH and I had to go out of my way to explain to her that my mom basically chose my name to be pronounced in Spanish. In the Spanish language the letter h is silent. After explaining it to her, she laughed and continued to mispronounce my name. I was in a dual-language program so I felt comfortable enough to confide in my Spanish teacher and explain the situation to her. I’m almost convinced that they had a conversation because after that day, she finally said my name correctly. I was really young and it stuck with me after all these years. Sure, teachers continued to mispronounce my name but a simple correction came right after. A couple years later when I was a senior in high school I bumped into her and she actually apologized to me and told me she wasn’t being rational at the time. It was a small interaction but it actually meant a lot knowing that she still thought about her actions at the time.
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