◆ A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America by Ronald Takaki (There will be several copies of this book on reserve at Geisel Library; photocopies may also be provided.)…
Ronald Takaki’s goal in writing A Different Mirror: a History of Multicultural America was to show that American history may not be as black and white as most people think it is. He wants to inform people that our history has more than one perspective to it. Like when he points out that even though he was born in the U.S, yet when people see him they assume he’s not American. He wants us to consider what makes someone an American our appearance or, were we can trace our lineage? He is trying to make us see that “white” is not American but many other races are also what make up America. We’re a big melting pot of many to make a whole.…
All through the historical backdrop of the New World, there has been strife between indigenous populaces and approaching pioneers that usurp the land and assets. The uncovered histories and ficticious belief surrounding the Trail of Tears and the victory of the Incas and other local societies reminds us as readers that genocide and ethnic purifying leaves a sign of an awesome misfortune on American…
He recounts the devastations that the Americas have faced, such as “the Spaniards” imposition of their Old World culture to the New World, and “the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.” When Spain colonized the New World, they brought with them their European culture that clashed with the Native Americans. With history as our evidence, the destruction is well known. The Dust Bowl was the fault of applying old traditions to new lands. Scientifically proven, readers can see that by migrating and bringing their own ways without adaptation results in disaster. Together, readers can logically conclude that the outcome of moving ended up in a…
The face of America has slowly, but surely, changed over the course of sixty years. America’s schools, sixty years ago, were predominantly white and most teachers were white as well. If one thinks that America is still mostly white, they would be sadly mistaken with immigration numbers at all time highs. America has become the most culturally diverse nation in the world. With every passing year, it seems immigration numbers continue to rise. As these numbers have begun to rise over the past years it has begun to change the way Americans live their everyday life. Used to when one says an “American” individual you would think of a white person, however this is no longer the case. America is becoming the world’s melting…
The apotheosis and popularization of the American West has left an indelible and lamentable stain upon the historical record of the United States for both European and Native Americans. Moreover, this revisionist history has obfuscated the objective reality of the American West. Relations between European and Native Americans have been vexed by this miscarriage of justice all the way through the present era. In this fallacious and farcical narrative of rugged individual European Americans conquering and enlightening the “Wild West” (Major Problems, 55) remains the tragic ramifications of American imperialism. This ruthless conquest left a wanton trail of depredation and destruction from which the autochthonous peoples of North America could not recover from.…
In essence, this criticism explains how industrialization has changed multiculturalism in the United States. He describes in his review, how beautiful the United States appears, but in truth, he reveals…
The definition of multiculturalism in the Webster 's Dictionary is: "of or relating to a social or educational theory that encourages interest in many cultures within a society rather than in only a mainstream culture" (1984). There are many reasons why multiculturalism should be integrated into the curriculum of America 's schools. Multicultural education is an idea that seeks to develop the same opportunities for all students; it is not geared solely for the benefit of those from different racial, ethnic, and social-class groups, but it is also designed to help the middle to upper class white Americans (Banks, n.d.). The goal of multicultural education is to restructure schools, so that all students will achieve the knowledge, proper outlook, and abilities required to function in a diverse nation and world (Banks, 1993). It is important for multicultural education to permeate the curriculum in all grades and aspects of the educational system.…
In this brief introduction, the image of Native Americans can perhaps be overly simplified that all Europeans treated them bad. That is not the case because many native people were friendly and wanted to share with their newfound friends. Somehow, the circumstances began to go wrong for some Europeans and natives. This essay will discuss three main points about the depiction of the natives and their relationship with the Europeans. A. Christopher Columbus story of dealings with the Native people in Hispaniola. B. Even Bradford discusses his first contact and the Indian’s aloofness. C. Additionally, the difference in the illustration of Native Americans compared to Columbus and Bradford.…
In the reading “America: The Multinational Society,” written by Ishmael Reed and “The Cult of Ethnicity,” by Arthur M. Schlesinger JR., the authors point out the issues of cultural diversity in the United States.…
Race defines me as Mexican, German, and Irish. My religion defines me as Catholic. My country of birth defines me as American. However, I believe these terms describing me, merely list historical facts and statistics. The fact remains; I belong to these various groups by birth, not choice. I believe I am fortunate that my family instilled the understanding of diversity as far back as I can remember. Each of the people who raised me contributed to my value set in different ways. In addition, and most important, my personal experiences helped me to discover and appreciate diversity.…
In addition, the author maintains that although bureaucratic policies that address racial superiority no longer exist to a certain extent on the books, the resurgence of cultural intolerance has taken a new face in America. Modern racism takes place in the form of resistance to integrate neighborhoods and equal opportunity efforts in the workplace.…
Criticism of Victorian notion of women’s sexuality is a remarkable theme of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s novella “Carmilla.” Even though sexuality is seen as an essential element in an individual’s life, throughout history, it has continually been conceived as a taboo topic; indeed, for many conservative cultures around the world, to talk openly about it is still considered offensive. Therefore, sexuality has been constantly associated to repression because, in human history, there have been many societies in which people have been deprived of their right to enjoy their sexuality, and women have been the most affected. As a matter of fact, this can be easily noticed in the Victorian era. During this period that goes from 1837 to 1901, British women were prisoners of an extremely close-minded culture that did not allow them to live their own sexuality. Women were not supposed to experience pleasure of any kind, and they were just seen as social representatives of their husbands. As a result of this, Victorian society has been object of constant criticism, and literature has been an exquisite means to expose people’s disapproval in regard to women’s sexual repression. In fact, the novella “Carmilla,” work written by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu during the Victorian age, is a perfect example that shows how a writer uses his texts to denounce the oppression of female individuals, and he actually does so by raising the topic of lesbianism in the Victorian context. Indeed, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu condemns the narrow-minded conception of women’s sexuality during the Victorian age through the use of three typical characters of Gothic literature: a femme fatale, a persecuted maiden, and a hero.…
Rasmussen, K. L., Nichols, J. C., & Ferguson, F. (2006). It’s a new world: Multiculturalism in a…
A fundamental difference subsists between American literature and proximately all the other major literary traditions of the world: it is essentially a modern, recent and international literature. The American continent possessed major pre-Columbian civilizations, with a deep heritage of culture, mythology, ritual, chant and poetry. Many recent American writers, especially recently, have looked to these sources as something essential to American culture, and the extraordinary variety and vision to be found there contribute much to the complexity and increasing multiethnicity of Contemporary American experience. But this is not the originating tradition of what we now call American literature. That originated from the meeting between the land and usually despised Red Indians and the discoverers and settlers who left the developed, literatre cultures of Renaissance Europe, first to explore and conquer, then to populate, what they generally considered a virgin continent – a “New World” already promised them in their own mythology, now discovered by their own talent and curiosity.…