New American Essay
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In The New Americans by Ruben Martinez, the author provides insight of the life experience of several families as they emigrate from their homeland and migrate to America in hope to finding a better life. The following text will briefly examine each family and their experience, but critically analyze the experience through defining and relating sociological concepts and theories. By the end the writer will explain how in reading this book has helped in understanding cultural pluralism in American Society.
The first chapter involves a family emigrating from Palestine to Chicago. The chapter explains the difficulty the family experiences before and after emigrating. Leading up to their departure, Naima Saddeh, and fiancД© of Hatem Abudayyeh plan to marry in Chicago, spend much of their time with her family reflecting her life in El Jib, Palestine and what the future of Chicago holds. Finally once the couple and her mother arrive in Chicago and begin a new life, but while experiencing their new life, they experience the American culture.
This family helped me understand what it means to be American living in a culturally pluralistic society because of culture shock and marginality faced by the arrival of this family. Cultural pluralism is defined as a series of distinct but coexisting groups each preserving their tradition and culture but each loyal to a broader national unity. This was made apparent several times. One example was when Hatem went to kiss Naima goodbye, but she refused due to tradition of Ramada. This shows that Naima and any myself are part of America but preserve our own traditions. Naima’s culture is her Palestinian products, belief systems, values, morals, skills, literature and language. These were different from those of U.S. especially language and tradition. These two concepts notably created culture shock, the experiencing of disorientation and confusion one feels when confronted with a different culture. A prime example was shown when Naima searched for employment and was over looked due to a language barrier. Another was learning how to drive a car in America.
Naima may experience ethnocentrism, which is the attitude that one group is superior to an inferior group (Naima). This may be due to culture shock and not being able to do anything, she may feel inferior. Naima stated “In Palestine, I could do everything. Suddenly find myself; I can’t do even a little bit.”
By far, the concept of marginality is what Naima is experiencing. Defined as living with two separate cultures, you feel attach to one, but living in another. Naima still holds on to her old culture, while living the new culture in America. This is shown as she experiences the cold weather, driving, and having to learn a new language. Yet she practices old culture religion, and traditions such as practicing faith in Ramada.
One model of society that applies to this family is the Melting Pot theory. It is the idea formed by immigrant cultures, religions, and ethnic groups will produce new social and cultural forms. The author states Naima and her husband “experience” the melting pot. They have come to America to live the dream life as so many immigrants do. In that they bring their culture to America and share culture and ideas just as any other immigrant culture has done. In the end, everyone blends together.
In this chapter Naima and her husband were part of a minority group. Minority group is defined as a group of individuals whose physical appearance and cultural practice are unlike those of the dominant group. This family applies to minority group theory because they did not volunteer for minority status, have physical characteristics that distinct them from the dominant group. They are one of many Palestinian Americans, are aware of their social status and experience unequal treatment from the dominant group, such as employment.
In chapter 2 of The New Americans two Nigerian families migrate to Chicago. They are a highly educated family who has great expectations and foresees a perfect life once living in America. However, as do most immigrants into America they arrive and experience culture shock. They find themselves underemployed, working at minimal wage jobs at a hotel. They left their Nigerian culture of political violence, living in fear of government and oil controlled economy, only to come to America and not have gained a whole lot. While living in America they experience ethnocentrism, considering no one will employ them, not based on their education level, but because their immigrants and are inferior.
Over time the Nigerian families will experience socialization. This is defined as the lifelong process of learning self image as reflected in the sub cultural groups. They will see the status of other cultural groups and learn they are the same and more than likely will never achieve what they have hoped for. Marginality was greatly experienced by both families, as they tried to adapt to America but were still clinging to Nigerian culture. This was shown when they learn not to let strangers in their house, as they did back in Nigeria. My knowledge of these concepts has helped me understand this family experience because they explain why there is such disappointment in their expectation for those immigrants.
This chapter describes the concept of cultural pluralism when the twin daughters at school are being taught dining etiquette and how to speak nothing but English. This showed the girls are adapting to American distinctive traits, but preserving their own culture during times when it’s OK. It also shows the girls are assimilating or adapting to America culture.
According to the minority group theory, characteristics of physical and cultural characteristics differences and non-voluntary are shown by the two families. Other applicable characteristics were their awareness of their subordinate status and experiencing unequal treatment, as shown by their employer.
In the next chapter, “Dominican Republic to Great Falls,” two major league baseball prospects encounter the road it takes to make it to the big leagues. Along the way, they experience that sometimes the hard part is not baseball, but adapting to the new culture of the land where you play it. The two players Dominican culture is that of most, which poverty, little education, and little opportunity. Once arriving to the states they see better economic life, but are quick to realize the difference in language, etiquette, religion and the way white American view black immigrants. Although some what prepared beforehand, everything is new and is a culture shock to the players. However, their dream could be easily shattered by one mistake or complainant whether true or not, as shown by another player.
Once living