ENTERING THE CONVERSATION

1. Li-Young Lee in “For a New Citizen of These United States” (p. 618) and Nola Kambanda in “My New World Journey” (p. 620) describe the difficulty of being a refugee. Both authors examine the tension between wanting to remember what life was like before immigration and needing to focus on the present and future. Compare how they face the issue of assimilation.

2. Language is often a polarizing force in the immigration debate. For instance, in 2013 the Associated Press stopped using the term illegal alien and instead endorsed the term undocumented immigrant. Choose two texts that appear on different sides of the immigration debate and explain how each writer defines such key words as immigrant, American, worker, freedom, and so on.

3. Crèvecoeur wrote his piece in the eighteenth century and Nola Kambanda wrote her narrative in the twenty-first century. Looking at both texts, how has America changed in the nearly 250 years between, and how has it remained the same in its priorities, values, work ethic, and so on?

1. There are several metaphors that writers in this Conversation have put forward to describe the process of assimilation in America. J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur, for instance, describes it as a “melting pot,” Anna Quindlen describes it as a “quilt,” and Maira Kalman recalls being told at her citizenship ceremony that becoming an American was like putting on a new sweater. Write an argumentative piece in which you identify and describe an appropriate metaphor that reflects your view of assimilation and immigration. Be sure to refer to at least two texts in this Conversation for support.

2. A question that has been asked repeatedly throughout this Conversation is “What is an American?” How would you answer this question? Be sure to refer to at least two texts in this Conversation for support.

3. To what extent can or should an immigrant assimilate at the risk of losing significant portions of his or her own cultural identity? Ultimately, is the cultural transition faced as an immigrant more of a benefit or a hardship? Explain your response by referring to at least two texts in the Conversation (or one text in the Conversation and the Central Text of the chapter from When the Emperor Was Divine).

4. What role, if any, does racism or prejudice play in the immigration discussion in the United States? Explain your response by referring to at least two texts in the Conversation (or one text in the Conversation and the Central Text of the chapter from When the Emperor Was Divine).

5. Two extremes are often put forward in the immigration debate: the welcoming beacon of the Statue of Liberty, and the idea of shutting the door to all newcomers. What is the likely middle ground on this issue? How do you determine it? Write an argumentative essay in which you put forward your approach to the immigration debate. In addition to conducting additional research, be sure to refer to at least two texts in this Conversation (or the Central Text of this chapter from When the Emperor Was Divine) for supporting evidence.