Blog Post 2 January 31

The concept of narrative ideas is something I have never heard of previously. I know that biographies are written by people about someone else and autobiographies are written by the person themselves, but I didn’t know that would be under the concept of identity writing. American immigrant narratives are works of writing that give other readers insight to other cultures, races, religions, etc. “The overwhelming influx of new arrivals raised numerous concerns about national unity and the capacity of American society to assimilate such a large body of newcomers, leading to national anxiety as to what was meant by ‘We the People of the United States’. These concerns resulted in a search for new means of ensuring social cohesion and fashioning national identity. The resulting movement, which aimed to assimilate immigrants through instruction in English, civics and often times personal hygiene, eventually became known as Americanization.” This quote in The Making of an American article is so important because I think that people that are called foreigners are trying more and more during this generation to become Americanized. Like it says, there is still anxiety within the United States about how to define the word “American”. I completely agree with this. I think that some states or towns or cities are so used to having certain races and cultures and religions; however, when a different race presents itself into a new area, people have anxiety that their place of living may possibly change. Using my parents as prime examples, they have set up their living space in Tinley Park, Illinois which is a dominantly white Christian/Catholic area. However, when you decide to go to the closest mall on any given Saturday afternoon, you will see all different colors of people and all different kinds of languages are being spoken. I believe that my parents have the notion that everyone should speak English when they live in the United States because that is the dominant language. I think that speaking English is so important within this country because it is the dominant language which is why I want to teach English as a Second Languages to Speakers of Other Languages. I don’t believe that the English language will be disappearing anytime soon so it is important for people to be able to speak it while they live and function as a member of society in this country.

I think the idea for Americanization stories written by immigrants is a great idea. It lets others know what they are going through when they came to a new country and maybe the reader will feel sympathetic. Authors who have immigrated are trying to make their position known in their memoirs, but how did the author get that identity? The first things that comes to mind is the novel Night which is written by a Jewish man who was living during the Holocaust and was forced to enter concentration camps with his father. While reading this in my English class last semester, I learned that some people believe that the Jewish people exaggerated their accounts of the Holocaust, which I believe to be absolutely ludicrous. Some people also attach curly hair, big noses and being cheap with the Jewish people. “Oftentimes, the identification is non-negotiable and first generation immigrants have no choice but to accept the label forced upon them.” After reading Maus I and II this past semester (graphic novels depicting a man’s flashbacks to the Holocaust) it shows many stereotypes of Jewish people such as the people use things in moderation and don’t want to throw anything away because of previous rations in the concentration camps. I think as a writer it is hard to turn away from those stereotypes while you are writing any kind of narrative. “And while some authors, like Bok (1921) or Riis (1901), simply position themselves as 'remade' Americans and tell their story, others offer an argument as to why they should be considered American.” Some authors try their hardest to help their readers understand that just because they aren’t born in the states or aren’t completely Caucasian, that they are still considered American. Some people can be so closed minded because they do not want to make room for any “new Americans” in this so called melting pot. In my opinion, my generation is doing a much better job of accepting those who move to America for a better life and do their best to become Americanized. If we keep this positive energy up then maybe past and future generations will follow our example and do the same.

Blog Post 1 January 25

From the TESOL and Culture article, the most important piece of information I found was written right there in the title; culture. I find it interesting that TESOL branches out into many more subjects besides just the English language. Psychology and cross-cultural communication can also use the TESOL component. I think that TESOL is so attached to teachers of the English language because it says that right in the title. But TESOL has seemed to become more popular as the years have gone on. I relate this to my experiences being an undergraduate student. I have recently decided to add on a TESOL endorsement and receive my TESOL certificate before I graduate. When I tell people I am staying at school longer in order to graduate with this, they tell me I should have no problem getting a teaching job because of being able to teach English to speakers of other languages and having a foreign language as a minor.

I think that TESOL is becoming more popular because there so many other languages spoken in the United States now besides English. The cross-cultural communication is very important regarding TESOL because the speaker of English should or needs to have a background of who they are teaching the English language to. Culture is so important because each culture is unique. Cultures have certain beliefs, morals and ideas and keep traditions alive within families and are passed down through the generations. I think it is important to share ideas with culture with other students who are getting a TESOL minor or endorsement to see how they view the importance of culture. I think that some teachers forget the importance of culture. Students can learn so much about cultures other than their own when the teacher takes the time to incorporate them into the classroom.

Teachers should have some kind of experience in TESOL so they know what they should do if they ever have a student whose English is not their first language. I don’t think that any teachers should have the view that culture is not important because it is. Some people have a received view that culture is a problematic concept that should be avoided. People may feel awkward discussing other cultures that they don’t have enough background information about. What can be done to encourage teachers to incorporate more cultural issues in the classroom? Why do people feel scared to introduce culture in the classroom and attempt to avoid it?