Intercultural LiteratureIntercultural LiteratureC. ValverdeC. ValverdeAmerican Dream UnitAmerican Dream Unit

Critical discourse analysis does not provide answers to the problems but does enable one to understand the conditions behind the specific problem – the deep, ideological roots of the issue (Palmquist, 1999).

In the Land of the FreeIn the Land of the FreeSui Sin FarSui Sin FarCirca. 1910Circa. 1910

Angel Island Immigration Station PoetryAnonymousCirca. 1920

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Some background info…Some background info…Sui Sin Far (Edith Maude Eaton)

1865-1914◦Born in England; Chinese mother and

English father.◦Family moved to NY in 1870’s;

naturalized as US citizen◦Lived during heightened anti-

Chinese sentiment in the US: Chinese Exclusion Act

◦First published Asian American writer in the US

Chinese Exclusion ActChinese Exclusion ActForty-seventh Congress. Session I. 1882,

May 6 Preamble: “… the coming of Chinese laborers to the United

States be, and the same is hereby, suspended; and during such suspension it shall not be lawful for any Chinese laborer to come, or, having so come after the expiration of said ninety days, to remain within the United States.”

Section 9: “That before any Chinese passengers are landed from any such vessel, the collector, or his deputy, shall proceed to examine such passengers, comparing the certificates with the list of passengers; and no passenger shall be allowed to land in the United States from such vessel in violation of the law.”

Section 12: “And any Chinese person found unlawfully within the United States shall be caused to be removed therefrom to the country from whence he came, by direction of the United States, after being brought before some justice, judge, or commissioner of a court of the United States and found to be one not lawfully entitled to be or remain in the United States.”

NOTE: The act was in effect for 61 years; repealed in 1943 through the Magnuson Act which lifted restrictions and gave amnesty to Chinese residing in the US.

CharactersCharacters

In the Land of the Free

• Hom Hing• Lae Choo• Little One• Immigration officers• James Clancy• Orphanage nun

Angel Island Poetry

• Anonymous detainees

CDACDASocio-Historical LensWhat is the historical context of

the texts?How does historical knowledge

affect the reading of these texts?

Socio-Cultural LensWhat is the social context of the

texts?What is the cultural context of

the texts?

CDACDA

Relationships of Power LensHow is institutional power

represented in the story or poems?

Who/what is depicted as “in power”?

Who seems to exert power over others?

Who is depicted as powerless and passive?

CDACDA

Gender LensIn what ways do we see gender

inequality in the texts?What is the role of men?What is the role of women?

CDACDA

Racial LensWhat is the role of race and

racism in the texts?How are race relations depicted

in the texts?In what ways is discrimination

exercised?

CDACDA

Socio-economic LensHow does Hom Hing and Lae

Choo’s economic status affect their conditions?

What is the relationship between wealth, or lack thereof, and power?

What might have to be sacrificed at the expense of wealth?

CDACDAPolitical LensWhat political implications can we

draw from the texts?What are the affects of political acts

on social conditions?Can we draw correlations between

political ideologies of the past with those of the present?

What ideological slant (belief system) might Sui Sin Far demonstrate in writing this piece?

What do the texts suggest about the American Dream?

CDACDA

Psychological LensHow did the scenarios of the

texts, affect the thinking, behaviors, and emotions, of certain characters?

What questions do the texts raise about the mental/psychological conditions of the characters or authors?

CDACDA

Humanistic/Personal LensWhich character or poem do you

most identify with? Why?What events or words affected you

the most? Why?What questions do the texts raise

about compassion?

CDACDA

Meanings/Double MeaningsSection 3: “the Great government”Section 4: “Go away, go away!”Title: “In the Land of the Free”Poem III: “I could do nothing but frown and

feel angry at heaven”Poem VI: “Even while they are tyrannical they

still claim to be humanitarian”Poem VIII: “Experiencing a little ordeal is not

hardship/ Napoleon was once a prisoner on an island”

Relation to the Present* In what ways do current laws prevent

certain immigrants legal entry into the US?

* How do immigration laws prevent access to the American Dream?

* How do laws affect the social perception of certain immigrants? Vice-versa.

* How does the US perceive certain immigrant groups today?

* Why types of political debates arise from the issue of immigration today?

* What factors influence your own personal beliefs and attitudes toward immigrants?

Some High-profile Some High-profile ExamplesExamplesElian Gonzalez - 2000Alvira Arrellano – 2006Thousands of other examples not

covered by the media.