Week 3 - January 30th, 2011
The
article that we read for class was very interesting. It is about identity and
more specifically about how autobiographies, “play a central role in the process
of identity negotiation in writing” (Pavlenko 34). As stated in the article, an
autobiography is an example of identity narratives. The focus on this article
was about memoirs, specifically those that were written by first generation
immigrants. As soon as I began reading I began to think how these narratives
can help researchers and people in the present time get an idea as to what
first generation immigrants’ lives’ were like. Everything from what they wore,
ate, where they lived, and how they lived. I can relate to learning through
narrative readings from the times that my grandma has shown me writings that my
grandpa wrote when he first arrived in the United States. From these writing I
could mentally construct an identity of how he was like at that time, how the
community was like, and his feelings that surrounded the process of moving and
leaving his family back home. Unlike the many memoirs noted in the article from
various immigrants, my Grandfather’s story is a little different. He came here
in hops of finding a job so that he could provide for his family in Mexico. He
came to the United States during the era in which they were letting immigrants
from Mexico come here to work. Unlike the immigrants in the memoirs written, my
grandfather did not go to school nor did he get into the publication/writing business.
He first worked on a field and then made his way to working for a railroad
company out in California. Like clockwork, my Grandfather would send money to
my Grandmother in Mexico along with the hope that she, and their children,
could join him in the Untied States. It was not long until that dream became a
reality. Both my grandparents had to go through countless obstacles, such as
the language barrier and ridicule for being an immigrant, among other things.
However, they were able to provide for their family and have a comfortable way
of living. Without proper higher-level education (i.e. college), my
Grandparents were still able to live well, raise all ten of their children and
help them assimilate into their new culture and ways of living. Yes, it would
have been easier if my grandparents would have spoken English, would have known
all of the socially acceptable norms of living, and if they would have received
a college education. Nevertheless, they managed. Their hard work and perseverance
paid of. All of their children received an education, some more than others,
however they are all working in well-paid jobs, involved in their community,
and all speak English. This is all because of my Grandparents and their
dedication to making sure that their kids assimilated into the culture of the
United States. Although they assimilated them into a new way of living, my
grandparents also enforced that they still learn Spanish and the cultural norms
of their past, that way they wouldn’t lose their culture. All of their children
have now had children and have also raised them and helped them assimilate in
two very special cultures.
As
a fruit of one those children, I am very happy and thankful for the fact that
my parents raised me to understand both the American culture and the Mexican
culture. I am fluent in both languages and can relate to both customs and
traditions. I feel that it is very
important for immigrants in this era to integrate themselves and their children
into the American culture because it would greatly benefit them. However, I also
think that is so important to keep your culture close to you as well. To never
lose it. As a future teacher I want to include all different cultures and
traditions into my classroom. Not only will my students benefit from it by
learning new things, they will also learn to respect people that are different
than they are. I am interested in learning more about identity and the way it
shapes us as human beings.
