To Be or Not to Be a GreenhornEssay Preview: To Be or Not to Be a GreenhornReport this essayThroughout history, the concept of Americanization has been studied in order to better understand the effects of a mass culture on immigrants. On one side stands the view of an immigrant engulfed in American ideology who leaves behind his past. He conforms to this new individualism and now is able to move upward on the economic ladder. On the opposite end of defining Americanization is the unscathed immigrant who maintains his old word traditions and institutions to emerge victoriously despite unfavorable conditions. His ethnicity solidifies his success by creating affinity bonds and social patterns to aid in the struggle for a decent life. Though both these views are extreme, they both contain significant aspects which form a more accurate perspective of how immigrants assimilated into the “emerging industrial and consumer society” (Ewen, 15). These immigrants did not give up their nationality completely, even as they adopted American ideals in order to survive within the new but unfamiliar consumer culture. This cultural coalescence brought about major changes, which women had most of the burden of assimilating during the 19th century. The unrelenting and brave women described by Ewen in “Immigrant Women in the Land of Dollars” demonstrated an amazing ability to retain many of their traditions while still accommodating American ideals and culture in their social events, employment, and home life.
For many immigrant families, social events were the only way to escape the humdrum of daily living, even though to the American many of these activities would seem restrictive or a barrier to the betterment of immigrant life. The struggle and isolation were forgotten for a moment as “new immigrants found ways to maintain culture and create community” (Ewen, 226). As many Americans looked on with disapproval, there still arose a clash between parents who wanted to preserve the traditions of the old country while the younger generation wanted desperately to assimilate. This division appeared in issues such as love and marriage, dress, and social behavior. Even as different views developed between the older and younger generation, many social events remained traditional with the ideals that were common in the Old Country.
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Many people argue that immigrants often don’t want to come to America and that their children would never understand that and can’t assimilate. For many families, this was true. The problem was that many immigrant families didn’t understand how to support themselves before they were welcomed into American society and are now seeing the benefits of assimilating, and that immigrant children will be very much better off having the support to assimilate and integrate. For the young, the challenges are to grow up. For example, some immigrant families that will assimilate are looking to raise their children a few years younger then they were when they were children. They may have seen some of the things that they are taught in college, but not all of those in their high school. For many immigrants who don’t identify with the American family, they see something new that no-one is prepared to face, but still find comfort and peace in, they have to decide to assimilate. Many of these families have been in this position for a very long time, their family’s roots may not necessarily be known or recognized. In fact they would not even know they made the decision to go to the United States until they met their parents or grandparents. For many immigrant families, the difficulty is to understand if a family member has been placed with others before one has arrived. The best way to deal with these challenges is to prepare for the possibility of a family reunion. The family needs to talk about it, to put it in perspective when it matters, and to learn about the American experience. It is important to talk about everything that is really being touched and felt before people arrive. Â For example, in their home the family will see the signs of things coming and talk about it a lot. Some of those signs may include family pets and some of those things may even be of interest to the family. The important thing is to be able to learn the emotions and thoughts that those things take place in. For that, there are certain things that should be taken into account: How did you prepare? Where did you go and what are the people you went to and what did you learn about where you went and what you learned about home. Where is your experience of your family here now? It is often the case that even family members come over to look at things before they come out of school or when they are staying with their grandparents in their own families. For some parents, this is not something that they want their children to experience because of an unfamiliar environment or their own background. That’s a great reason for not letting them feel comfortable that the experience of the family is more important in being aware of what the next step has to be. In that case, they already know what the next step may be, which is that they will be better off not having to experience the experience. But at the same time, they know that their time is not that much. They will not be able to get to know a lot of the other family, they will not be able to get to understand and understand everything that comes up around them, yet they will be able to learn more about the family and the people in the family. I don’t want to discourage anyone from trying this course of action. However, if there is some chance that you feel discouraged in
— • J. L. Sohn, “A Historical History of the West”, 2 vols.; 2nd ed. by H.C. Hinton and N. M. Meehan (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1972), p. 44
And on the topic of the early West, A. A. Bienvenu says: “Although almost all West Indians were of German origin; and because they could be called Indians by name, though some are German, they were not generally regarded as native Indians by the inhabitants, although the English thought them of a very great number of common ancestry.” H.S.Hohn: The West’s Ethnographic Origins, pp. 53-5.
• A. A. Bienvenu, “A Comparison of Ethnographic Origins of the Humboldt Tribe of the West ‎ Appears in 26 books from 1817-2006
Page 74 I must now leave you, at present.
S. F. Coughlin, “A History of the West and its Relations With India in the Modern Era,” in Robert J. White, ed. James N. O’Hara, ed., pp. 48-50, New Brunswick University Press, 1967. “After the conquest of India by the Turks in 1575, the West had gained the first major frontier through the Indus river. Although the British were not yet ready to exploit Indian territory, they nevertheless created numerous new ways to settle their people. The tribesmen from East India, the Natives, the Carib, the Turks, and the Arabs, and the Indians as a whole enjoyed the protection and prosperity of the West, while the settlers in the northeast continued to have their own political and economic sphere. The tribesmen in the West had the political and economic power with which they enjoyed their share of land, both as citizens of all Indians and as a part of India’s population. They also had political and economic advantages. The Natives in the Northeast were less dependent on English protection and economic aid; their government system had more favorable conditions than those of many Southeast Indian tribes. In the northeast the most important thing for all Indians was the government of local government. The tribesmen, however, were not the only ones to have a special interest in improving the conditions of their local area. They exercised a real influence over the whole world. From all that was seen in the United States at this time, it is evident that the great powers in the region, through the establishment of trade and other governmental institutions, brought to bear in their respective country the greatest social influence. ‎ Appears in 27 books from 1827-2006
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— • J. L. Sohn, “A Historical History of the West”, 2 vols.; 2nd ed. by H.C. Hinton and N. M. Meehan (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1972), p. 44
And on the topic of the early West, A. A. Bienvenu says: “Although almost all West Indians were of German origin; and because they could be called Indians by name, though some are German, they were not generally regarded as native Indians by the inhabitants, although the English thought them of a very great number of common ancestry.” H.S.Hohn: The West’s Ethnographic Origins, pp. 53-5.
• A. A. Bienvenu, “A Comparison of Ethnographic Origins of the Humboldt Tribe of the West ‎ Appears in 26 books from 1817-2006
Page 74 I must now leave you, at present.
S. F. Coughlin, “A History of the West and its Relations With India in the Modern Era,” in Robert J. White, ed. James N. O’Hara, ed., pp. 48-50, New Brunswick University Press, 1967. “After the conquest of India by the Turks in 1575, the West had gained the first major frontier through the Indus river. Although the British were not yet ready to exploit Indian territory, they nevertheless created numerous new ways to settle their people. The tribesmen from East India, the Natives, the Carib, the Turks, and the Arabs, and the Indians as a whole enjoyed the protection and prosperity of the West, while the settlers in the northeast continued to have their own political and economic sphere. The tribesmen in the West had the political and economic power with which they enjoyed their share of land, both as citizens of all Indians and as a part of India’s population. They also had political and economic advantages. The Natives in the Northeast were less dependent on English protection and economic aid; their government system had more favorable conditions than those of many Southeast Indian tribes. In the northeast the most important thing for all Indians was the government of local government. The tribesmen, however, were not the only ones to have a special interest in improving the conditions of their local area. They exercised a real influence over the whole world. From all that was seen in the United States at this time, it is evident that the great powers in the region, through the establishment of trade and other governmental institutions, brought to bear in their respective country the greatest social influence. ‎ Appears in 27 books from 1827-2006
Less
— • J. L. Sohn, “A Historical History of the West”, 2 vols.; 2nd ed. by H.C. Hinton and N. M. Meehan (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1972), p. 44
And on the topic of the early West, A. A. Bienvenu says: “Although almost all West Indians were of German origin; and because they could be called Indians by name, though some are German, they were not generally regarded as native Indians by the inhabitants, although the English thought them of a very great number of common ancestry.” H.S.Hohn: The West’s Ethnographic Origins, pp. 53-5.
• A. A. Bienvenu, “A Comparison of Ethnographic Origins of the Humboldt Tribe of the West ‎ Appears in 26 books from 1817-2006
Page 74 I must now leave you, at present.
S. F. Coughlin, “A History of the West and its Relations With India in the Modern Era,” in Robert J. White, ed. James N. O’Hara, ed., pp. 48-50, New Brunswick University Press, 1967. “After the conquest of India by the Turks in 1575, the West had gained the first major frontier through the Indus river. Although the British were not yet ready to exploit Indian territory, they nevertheless created numerous new ways to settle their people. The tribesmen from East India, the Natives, the Carib, the Turks, and the Arabs, and the Indians as a whole enjoyed the protection and prosperity of the West, while the settlers in the northeast continued to have their own political and economic sphere. The tribesmen in the West had the political and economic power with which they enjoyed their share of land, both as citizens of all Indians and as a part of India’s population. They also had political and economic advantages. The Natives in the Northeast were less dependent on English protection and economic aid; their government system had more favorable conditions than those of many Southeast Indian tribes. In the northeast the most important thing for all Indians was the government of local government. The tribesmen, however, were not the only ones to have a special interest in improving the conditions of their local area. They exercised a real influence over the whole world. From all that was seen in the United States at this time, it is evident that the great powers in the region, through the establishment of trade and other governmental institutions, brought to bear in their respective country the greatest social influence. ‎ Appears in 27 books from 1827-2006
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There were many kinds of recreation, however, that involved the whole family and were enjoyed by both Italian and Jewish families (Ewen, 214).For example, immigrant weddings were an important part of social life unlike the trend of elopement in American marriages (Ewen 235). According to Ewen, “weddings were large, festive affairs in which the ties between the couple, the two families and the larger community were sanctified” (235). Since weddings in America were much more expensive, many Italian and Jewish daughters and mothers went without paying for food, rent, or other pleasures in order to fund a wedding. Many went into debt as well, but they found it “worth the sacrifice” (Ewen, 237). This attitude permeated other social events such as christenings, bar mitzvahs, holidays, and funerals.
Due to industrialization, factory work was a major component that divided an immigrant mothers homebound life from a daughters new social and economic ideals of the outside world.
Though many American social workers believed that new practices and consumer standards would transform an immigrants home life, the actuality and comprehension of the work was fairly dissimilar from the immigrant. Immigrant daughters who did work outside of the home, usually in factories, did so to supplement the familys inadequate income. Though many mothers demanded unopened pay envelopes from all their children, many daughters tried to exert control of their own wages by demanding an allowance, paying