An Expliciation of "Prospective Immigrants Please Note."
"Prospective Immigrants Please Note"
Adrienne Rich
Either you will
go through this door
or you will not go through.
If you go through
there is always the risk
of remembering your name.
Things look at you doubly
and you must look back
and let them happen.
If you do not go through
it is possible
to live worthily
to maintain your attitudes
to hold your position
to die bravely
but much will blind you,
much will evade you,
at what cost who knows?
The door itself
makes no promises.
It is only a door.
"Prospective Immigrants Please Note", a poem by Adrienne Rich, helps one to ponder on the dual perspective, with the mother culture and the American ideals. Rich 's essential goal is for one to remember their families and origins.
First of all, the title, "Prospective Immigrants Please Note" implied an immigrant 's plea to enter into a foreign country. Upon reading the poem, though, I now see the title as represents differently.
Rich 's poem, claims either one leaves their land or simply stay where you 're at. "Either you will go through this door or you will not go through."
"If you go through there is always the risk of remembering your name." Remembering one 's name- the antithesis of assimilation to remember one 's name is to remember tribal affiliations, family, and origin. This was especially true for Jewish immigrants, who went from using the Hebraic construct "Yitzhak ben Ya`akov" to Isaac or even Ida Jacobs.
Perhaps the difficulty of adapting to a dual perspective with the mother culture and the American ideals is a conflict. "Things look at you doubly and you must look back and let them happen."
"If you do not go through it is possible to live worthily", implies, it isn 't necessary to go through the doors to live a fulfilled, complete life. To maintain ones attitudes, and to hold your position first generation American Jews found if very difficult to live according to tradition; America gave the freedom to assimilate and most welcomed
Adrienne Rich
Either you will
go through this door
or you will not go through.
If you go through
there is always the risk
of remembering your name.
Things look at you doubly
and you must look back
and let them happen.
If you do not go through
it is possible
to live worthily
to maintain your attitudes
to hold your position
to die bravely
but much will blind you,
much will evade you,
at what cost who knows?
The door itself
makes no promises.
It is only a door.
"Prospective Immigrants Please Note", a poem by Adrienne Rich, helps one to ponder on the dual perspective, with the mother culture and the American ideals. Rich 's essential goal is for one to remember their families and origins.
First of all, the title, "Prospective Immigrants Please Note" implied an immigrant 's plea to enter into a foreign country. Upon reading the poem, though, I now see the title as represents differently.
Rich 's poem, claims either one leaves their land or simply stay where you 're at. "Either you will go through this door or you will not go through."
"If you go through there is always the risk of remembering your name." Remembering one 's name- the antithesis of assimilation to remember one 's name is to remember tribal affiliations, family, and origin. This was especially true for Jewish immigrants, who went from using the Hebraic construct "Yitzhak ben Ya`akov" to Isaac or even Ida Jacobs.
Perhaps the difficulty of adapting to a dual perspective with the mother culture and the American ideals is a conflict. "Things look at you doubly and you must look back and let them happen."
"If you do not go through it is possible to live worthily", implies, it isn 't necessary to go through the doors to live a fulfilled, complete life. To maintain ones attitudes, and to hold your position first generation American Jews found if very difficult to live according to tradition; America gave the freedom to assimilate and most welcomed