Immigrants come to America in hopes of finding and achieving the “American Dream”. Some do end up achieving this goal, but for a majority of immigrants, they are faced with racism and discrimination because of their culture. When asked for our nationality or where we are from, they do not expect us to say American or America, and when we do, they say “No, where are you REALLY from?” Immigrants are told to assimilate and join the American culture, but when they do so, they are still reminded that they will never actually truly be an American because of their where they’re from, their culture, and the color of their skin. Because of this, immigrants are forced to find a way to connect with their community, to make the best of the “American Dream”
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Throughout the poem, the writer uses “sex-goddess” (2) when describing the actress on screen, to show her notion of beauty, which is different than “the white filmstars, all rib and gaunt cheekbone” (1-2). This was done to show her stance on not assimilating to America’s views of beauty and its culture. The writer describes the immigrants English with “lead pellets” (19) to give off a negative connotation to how Americans feel hearing their “broken” English. The movie theater was described with many different adjectives. The immigrants consider the movie theater to be a “safe” (11) place for them, considering it a place that they feel at “home”, where they are “unwilling to leave” (31). But in reality, the theater is “flickering” (20) and “dim” (37), it’s fading away. That image of a “perfect life” that was depicted in the movie is drifting off, and soon they will have to face reality. ADD MORE. Similarly, in “My Father and the Figtree”, the use is symbolism is found in the poem to symbolize how the father connects back with his homeland, which is through simple objects that carry deep personal meanings. The main symbol that is used in the poem is the fig tree. The fig tree has a lot of significance to the father, it symbolizes his past in his homeland. His will on trying …show more content…
Divakaruni mentioned many acts of discrimination that the immigrants “do not speak/ of” (33-34), one being the “Dotbusters” (36). Dotbusters were a hate group in New Jersey that were against Indians and other South Asians in the late 1980s. Their main goal of the group was to drive the Indians out of New Jersey by any means necessary. This had taken place in many forms, from “motel raids” (34) to “stones/ thrown through glass windows” (34-35). This was taken from a letter that was published in the Jersey Journal in 1987 by fellow Dotbusters stating, “If I'm walking down the street and I see a Hindu and the setting is right, I will hit him or her. We plan some of our most extreme attacks such as breaking windows, breaking car windows, and crashing family parties” (Jersey Journal). Similarly, in “The Father and the Figtree”, the use of allusion throughout the poem was used to help provide more background information on the father, along with helping the reader understand the father’s perspective on the fig tree deeper. There are many references to the Arabic culture, which the father has a huge background and connection with. Shihab Nye mentions “Joha” (8) who is a trickster figure in many Arabic folktales, to connect it to the father’s background culture of his heritage. The father also mentions the figs as a “gift of Allah”
Throughout the poem, the writer uses “sex-goddess” (2) when describing the actress on screen, to show her notion of beauty, which is different than “the white filmstars, all rib and gaunt cheekbone” (1-2). This was done to show her stance on not assimilating to America’s views of beauty and its culture. The writer describes the immigrants English with “lead pellets” (19) to give off a negative connotation to how Americans feel hearing their “broken” English. The movie theater was described with many different adjectives. The immigrants consider the movie theater to be a “safe” (11) place for them, considering it a place that they feel at “home”, where they are “unwilling to leave” (31). But in reality, the theater is “flickering” (20) and “dim” (37), it’s fading away. That image of a “perfect life” that was depicted in the movie is drifting off, and soon they will have to face reality. ADD MORE. Similarly, in “My Father and the Figtree”, the use is symbolism is found in the poem to symbolize how the father connects back with his homeland, which is through simple objects that carry deep personal meanings. The main symbol that is used in the poem is the fig tree. The fig tree has a lot of significance to the father, it symbolizes his past in his homeland. His will on trying …show more content…
Divakaruni mentioned many acts of discrimination that the immigrants “do not speak/ of” (33-34), one being the “Dotbusters” (36). Dotbusters were a hate group in New Jersey that were against Indians and other South Asians in the late 1980s. Their main goal of the group was to drive the Indians out of New Jersey by any means necessary. This had taken place in many forms, from “motel raids” (34) to “stones/ thrown through glass windows” (34-35). This was taken from a letter that was published in the Jersey Journal in 1987 by fellow Dotbusters stating, “If I'm walking down the street and I see a Hindu and the setting is right, I will hit him or her. We plan some of our most extreme attacks such as breaking windows, breaking car windows, and crashing family parties” (Jersey Journal). Similarly, in “The Father and the Figtree”, the use of allusion throughout the poem was used to help provide more background information on the father, along with helping the reader understand the father’s perspective on the fig tree deeper. There are many references to the Arabic culture, which the father has a huge background and connection with. Shihab Nye mentions “Joha” (8) who is a trickster figure in many Arabic folktales, to connect it to the father’s background culture of his heritage. The father also mentions the figs as a “gift of Allah”