Transcript Assimilation in America

The People, the Problems, the Poetry.
Assimilation in America:
Defining an Idea
 “…the merging of cultural traits from previously
distinct cultural groups, not involving biological
amalgamation…”
 Random House Dictionary, 2010
 “The process whereby a minority group gradually
adopts the customs and attitudes of the prevailing
culture.”
 American Heritage Dictionary, 2010
 “…the social process of absorbing one cultural group
into harmony with another…”
 WordNet, Princeton University, 2010
Melting Pot v. Salad Bowl
DREAM Act, 2010
 Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors
Act.
 Started in 2001, has gone through many changes since
then.
 “The United States is missing out on talented workers
and entrepreneurs, and is losing vital tax revenues and
other economic contributions.”
 http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/just-facts/dream-act-2010
Approach
 Interviews
 I first conducted some interviews with immigrants/2nd
generation immigrants I knew.
 Asked questions on culture shock, language and other societal
obstacles.
 “I never thought about that.”
 Poetry
 Asked each person I interviewed if they’d be interested in
sharing poetry on their experience with me.
 Submitting my own poetry.
 Circulation
 I created very cheap versions of “chapbooks”
 Each section contains a brief description of the poets and the
country they came from.
 Distributing the chapbooks just to sort of “get the word out”.
And shoe similarities between experiences.
Juan and Joy Pawirosetiko
Ages:
Juan 19, Joy 18
Nationality: Indonesian (Javanese) and French
Born:
Surinam
Selected Q&A – Juan & Joy
 Q: Why come to America? When?
 Parents wanted a better educational opportunity for them.
 August 3rd, 2001.
 Acquisition of Language? Culture?
 Parents were both fluent in English before moving.
 Babysitter was Guianese and Jamaican and spoke very Pidgin’d
English to them both.
 They both felt that assimilation was easier for them because of the
age.
 Culture Shock?
 Felt more of a culture shock when they returned to Surinam.
 Teased and called Americanized.
Jorge Duque
Age:
24
Nationality:
Colombian
Born:
Cali, Colombia
Selected Q&A – Jorge Duque
 Q: Why come to America? When?
 Because of violence, mostly due to drug trafficking
 1989, at age 3
 Acquisition of Language? Culture?
 Parents and two sisters only spoke Spanish
 Since he moved while young, learned it very quick.
 Learning English was different for parents. (Worries)
 People assuming you’re dumb because of an accent.
 Interesting Comments
 “My American friends do not consider me American…and my Colombian
relatives do not consider me Colombian.”
 “I have now moved to France…in no way under the same circumstances as
my parents…but it has taught me that assimilation is truly important…”
“Returning Home”
 Joy & Juan
 On either of their visits back to Surinam, they have felt
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that their family didn’t truly accept them as their own.
Most notable were the differences between cultures.
The attitude in Surinam is easy going, doing one thing at
a time, as opposed to American (specifically New
Yorker) attitudes.
Judged on their clothes.
Insisted on them speaking Dutch.
Movie theaters considered a fancy outting.
“It was like a weird kind of middle.
“Returning Home”
 Jorge
 Felt a mixture of emotions, “like I was ‘home’”
 “I also felt alienated by a ‘mass culture’ I was
unaccustomed to.”
 Describes having grown up feeling like his “house” being
Colombian and his “world” being American.
 Called “el gringo” by cousins and family.
 At first afraid of speaking to strangers because they
would hear his accent and know he didn’t live there.
And Now, Some Poetry.
 Seemingly So, by Joy Pawirosetiko.
 Untitled, by Juan Pawirosetiko.
Reflection
 I think what mostly struck me were the similarities
between the people I interviewed.
 I’d hoped to show more, but I ran out of chapbooks
but can bring in more Thursday if you all really want
some!
 I feel poetry is a great medium for expression of these
different peoples, especially with bilingual poetry.