Stranger in America - 1247 Words

16 October 2013 From the Outside Looking In What does it mean to be an â€Å"American†? To each individual person it means something very different. For the writer Bharati Mukherjee, who wrote the essay, â€Å"American Dreamer†, to be a true American someone has to want to be an American, not just prove that they merited citizenship. Her essay â€Å"American Dreamer† goes in depth into this idea and her opinion that as an American one should believe in bringing together the cultures in America. â€Å"We must think of American culture and nationhood as a constantly reforming, transmogrifying â€Å"we† (Mukherjee 438). For the author James Baldwin, who wrote the essay â€Å"Stranger in the Village†, an American is a person who is integrated with other cultures, and†¦show more content†¦Baldwin says, â€Å"The time has come to realize that the interracial drama acted out on the American continent has not only created a new black man, it has created a new wh ite man, too. (Baldwin 449) Baldwin believed that the time has come for Americans to open their eyes to the world around them and learn to embrace the new cultures constantly growing to be apart of what makes up America. As an African-American in the 50s Baldwin especially felt how important it was for there to be and end to the separation of cultures and race in America. Another main likeness between â€Å"American Dreamer† and â€Å"Stranger in the Village† is the author’s thoughts and beliefs for the future of America. Even though the time frame of the two essays is very different both of the authors agree that Americans need to embrace foreigners and grow with the new cultures, which is an ideal that is still relevant today. Mukherjee believes that for the future Americans need to be actively involved in fighting discrimination. Americans need to move away from the cultural ideas of the forced assimilation of the â€Å"melting pot† and the multicultur al â€Å"mosaic†. She believes that Americans must stray from the â€Å"us versus them† mentality; we need to think of America as a â€Å"we† in order to grow and prosper as a country. (Mukherjee 437-438) In that same sense Baldwin believes that Americans have to step away from their normal way of viewing other culturesShow MoreRelatedJewish Immigration And The United States1443 Words   |  6 Pages Throughout the 1800s and early 19th century, Jews continually emigrated from Europe to America. The most recent and significant episode of Jewish immigration to the United States was motivated by fear of the fascist Nazi regime that was quickly expanding throughout Europe. Jews fled to America and dispersed throughout cities and communities, escaping anti-Semitism and exploitation. 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Du Bois’, ‘Souls of Black Folk’ pose very parallel arguments in understanding the role of a ‘stranger’ in society. In Simmel’s work, he examines the trajectory of the stranger through an abstract lens. He establishes a conceptual framework for the ‘stranger’ within society while Du Bois presents a more tangible illustration through the experiences of African Americans in the United States. Although each approach is discrete from the other, the theoriesRead MoreInformation To Those Who Would Remove To America Essay886 Words   |  4 PagesInformation to those who would remove to America By: Benjamin Franklin At a time of hardship and human progression in North America especially in the 1700’s one name specifically shines out amongst all others. That name is Benjamin Franklin; a visionary inventor, politician, and true American hero. In the late 1700’s, precisely 1784, Benjamin Franklin wrote an informative essay titled, Information to Those Who Would Remove to America. It was printed out as a pamphlet for people in Europe