A New Way to Understand the Holocaust essays

A New Way to Understand the Holocaust essays The Holocaust is often expressed as an event that cannot be appropriately described in any language known to the human race. Art Spiegelmans Maus and Maus II tries to overcome this perplexing language barrier by presenting the story of the authors father, a Jewish man who survived the Final Solution, in the format of a graphic novel. Spiegelmans illustrations and dialogue storyline help to capture both his fathers distressing story as well as the personal difficulties he experienced himself as a second generation survivor, so to speak, giving readers a new way to try to understand this dark moment in history. A relatively new medium when the Maus books were first created, the graphic novel has the power to attract a diverse audience. In his books, Spiegelman is telling the story of his father, Vladek, and how his life was affected during the Holocaust. Artie, as his father calls him, gets his father to tell him the story over many visits, and includes in the plot his own feelings about the visits. The drawings follow the plot from the present setting in which his father is actually relating the story to him with lengthy flashbacks to the time during which the events actually took place. The first book is entitled My Father Bleeds History, and relates his fathers life from the mid 1930s to the winter of 1944. And Here my Troubles Began is the second book, which picks up where the first one left off, following Vladeks story through the end of the Holocaust while in the present, his health is failing and by the end of the book, he has passed away. Spiegelmans drawings give readers a new way to realize the events that happened during this historical stain. One way in which the drawings aid in creating a memorable understanding of the Holocaust is the metaphoric way in which the characters of both books are drawn. Jewish people are drawn as mice, hence the title Maus, while the...

The concept of progress or the pursuit of the American Dream

The concept of progress or the pursuit of the American Dream The concept of progress or the pursuit of the American Dream since 1930s has been a matter of concern for many immigrants who believe that they can achieve much in the US than in their native countries. Different people have varied perspectives about the concept of progress.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The concept of progress or the pursuit of the American Dream specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To immigrants, progress in the US provides opportunities for them to achieve material affluence, advanced education, and general prosperity in life. However, in the process of achieving all these, immigrants experience different challenges but almost of a similar nature, in a strange land. While some of the immigrants are struggling to achieve progress in the US, many of them experience conflicting needs and desires. Most immigrants want to embrace the foreign culture, and at the same time maintain their native cultural or ientation and practices. Immigrants rarely discuss the possibilities of hardships or failure in pursuit of progress in the US. This essay shall present the concept of progress, and historical experiences among immigrants of Chinese and Filipino in the US using Bone by Fae Ng, and America is in the Heart by Carlos Bulosan. Ng tries to look at what happens when hopes of progress in a foreign land fail to come true. Ng looks at the feasibility of achieving progress among Chinese immigrants in the US. To most immigrants, the thought of achieving progress in the US is amazing. However, Ng notes that these hopes and dreams of happiness can fail and lead to disappointments. Ng presents realities immigrants experience in their pursuit of opportunities in the US. The author presents historical experiences of Chinese immigrants as full of challenges in their attempts to achieve freedom, life, success and happiness. Ng gives honest accounts of Chinese immigrants in the US through a family livi ng in Chinatown, in San Francisco. The author presents a father figure who has failed to achieve his hopes of progress through a struggling family of Leon Leong.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Through this, Ng rejects the notion that all immigrants can achieve progress in the US. This is because most of the immigrants remain divided between their heritage orientations and giving it up in order to accommodate the new culture a foreign land presents to them. Scholars insist that not all can achieve progress in America. In fact, a closer look at the concept of progress and the American Dream suggest this fact. Ng presents a lead character who is among Chinese immigrants who can never attain this progress. These immigrants struggle but progress is simply out of reach for them. In order to prove that progress in America is not possible for all immigrants, Ng presents chara cters with limitations and eccentric acts. For instance, Leon shows possibilities of hope in achieving success in the US. However, we can see unavoidable failures in his approaches. Ng enhances this fact by showing that Leon main occupation is making household items from junks. This is after experiencing rejection and discrimination in most employment sectors. Leon says that â€Å"I only had to open the first few to know the story: ‘We Don’t Want You’. A rejection from the army: unfit. A job rejection: unskilled. An apartment: unavailable†¦He had job skills and experience: welding, construction, and electrical work, but no English†. Leon represents the historical experiences of most immigrants in Chinatown. Ng also demonstrates the attitudes and expectations of different immigrant generations. The author shows the conflicts of her characters as painful experiences. Ng notes that earlier immigrants hope to achieve progress through their children. This is because they believed that surviving in a native land and improving their livelihood was in the distance future only possible to their children. Ng also highlights a representative life of constant strain leading to suicide. For instance, Leila has a strained relationship with every character in the novel. Ona’s suicide gives a new experience to Chinese immigrants’ life. These aspects of strained relationships show difficulties immigrants experience, sometimes pushing them to suicide. A family condition in this novel represents the broad picture of Chinese immigrants in San Francisco.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The concept of progress or the pursuit of the American Dream specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The first generation of Chinese immigrants in the US has to contend with the issue of identity crisis. The definition of self has to reflect both what it means to be an American and at the same time a Chinese. Ng shows this through Leila and her sisters. These generations must struggle with the American mainstream culture and culture of their heritage. Carlos Bulason shares the ideas of Fae Ng in relation to experiences of immigrants in the US. Bulosan presents negative aspects, which Filipino immigrants experienced in the US in pursuit of progress. Bulason characterises Filipinos historical experiences as full of historical injustices like racism, violence, severe experiences of poverty, and cultural alienations. At the same time, immigrants also experience inequalities in terms of social, economic and political rights. Bulosan serves the social role of a writer by exposing the unfair social systems in the US that Filipino immigrants had to contend with in a foreign land. Majority sees the US as a land of progress. Consequently, the US has attracted a large number of immigrants. However, multiculturalism has caused a number of problems to the immigrants. Despite the freed om in the US, many immigrants remained tied to their cultural heritages and races. These aspects hinder progress in the US among immigrants who find it hard to fit in the mainstream culture. Bulosan presents the idea that most Filipinos immigrants leave their home country to pursue progress in the US unknowing of the impending difficulties, and unfavourable conditions that await them. These immigrants experience sociological and psychological difficulties that prevent smooth integrations into the mainstream culture of America. America is in the Heart presents economic and assimilation challenges most Filipino immigrants face in the new land. Bulosan expresses the toil most immigrants undergo in the canneries for a mere pay of 13 dollars for the whole job fishing companies offer immigrants. These economic difficulties force many immigrants to become wanderers moving from one city to another in an attempt to secure employment opportunities. It is unfortunate that Filipino immigrants c annot even secure works as farmhands. Immigrants experience career and financial difficulties because the American employers view their education as overseas and of no value.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Employers have noticed the nature of Filipino immigrants as hardworking. Consequently, these employers are ready to exploit cheap, available labour from immigrants. In addition, Bulosan presents several instances of racism and violence against him. For instance, while he was in San Diego, the hotel owner repeatedly assaults him. The drugstore also refuses to provide services to him. In California, the narrator and his friend hear the news that â€Å"local whites are hunting Filipinos at night with shotguns†. However, nasty experiences among Filipino immigrants occur to Filipinos with Native American women as their wives. For instance, in Holtville the narrator observes racial discrimination when a local hotel refuses to serve a Filipino immigrant with his family. In addition, the restaurant owner yells thus, â€Å"You goddam brown monkey have your nerve, marrying our women. Now get out of this town!† Cultural orientations of native Filipinos create conditions that make it difficult for them to assimilate in the mainstream American culture. Racial discrimination has extended to include features of the body, accent and poor English. Filipinos who speak fluent English are still foreigners in the US. The author tries to condemn such violations of immigrants’ rights, and at the same time show immigrants that progress in America can sometimes be elusive, and more often than not remains a dream among the majority of the immigrants. Bulosan highlights the fact that most immigrants lack appreciation of their own country. At the same time, they are also not aware of the difficulties that most immigrants undergo in such of progress in the US. He stresses that progress is not necessarily in the US but may also exists in one’s own native country. In conclusion, both Ng and Bulosan main concerns are the pursuit of elusive progress among immigrants. These authors note that most immigrants experience social injustices, economic hardship, and cultur al strains in their pursuit of happiness and economic prosperity. Once the initial hope has disappeared, most immigrants experience and turn to menial jobs for their upkeeps. In worst cases, some strains may even lead to suicides. Immigrants must understand the impossibilities of achieving success in a foreign land that present barriers of every nature. These authors believe that progress may not necessarily be in a foreign land, but rather in one’s own country.

Mexican American War Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Mexican American War - Research Paper Example The Mexican-American War, also known as the First American Intervention came with social, political and economic factors which impacted civilians in both the US, and Mexico. This particular war was an armed conflict between the US and Mexico, which began in 1846 and lasted until 1848. The war was caused because the US had just annexed Texas and added it to its states in 1845. Regardless of the Texas revolution, Mexico considered Texas to be part of its territory. Texas was admitted to the Union as the 28th state of the United States. Because of its admittance, the US inherited the Mexican boarder dispute by default. This became a problem therefore creating the current war at hand. Not only did the US connect only Texas, but they continued to capture more territory which extended the nation’s boarders all the way to the Pacific Ocean. This acquisition of more territory was known as the Mexican Cessesion which occurred back in1848. This Cession is currently known as the southwes tern region of the United States. This region can be divided into pacific time and mountain time. This Cession was ceded by Mexico during the Treaty of Guadelupe back in 1848. It was a peaceful treaty dictated by the United States and it eventually ended the Mexican-American war which lasted a daunting two years. ... It was torn apart by angry internal political mini battles that could have created a civil war. It had a lot of debt and so it started relinquishing its rights to different states to help pay off the massive debt acquired during other wars. Mexico decided that Texas had little value compared to California and its richness and so relinquishing its rights would not be so difficult. There were several negotiators which greatly affected the results of the war. Because the negotiations were done in a peaceful manner, they were referred to as â€Å"peace talks†. Nicholas Trist, the chief Clerk of the state department, accompanied General Winfield Scott as a diplomat and President Polk’s representative. They found no previous success in coming to an agreement so they reluctantly decided that they would have to view Mexico and their chief leaders as conquered enemies in order to get the job done. The special commission representatives were Don Bernardo Couto, Don Miguel Artrist an, and Don Luis Gonzaga Cuevas of Mexico. The war itself created social factors which lead to unity and unrest. Social factors impact people all over the world. During the Mexican-American war, a huge wave of immigrants permeated the United States. Several factors contributed to the wave of Mexican immigrants. The first was the Reclamation act of 1902 which expanded acres of farmland through new immigration projects. This pushed the need for agricultural workers. The Mexican revolution and the political and violent instability pushed people out of their country and into the United States. Possibly the most important social factor was the growth of the U.S. economy which attracted several thousand immigrants to its territory. Once moved to the US, most Mexican migrants