Welcome!
ELIT24/ICS24
Asian American Literature
Blog
• Look around the room. Can you guess
what people are interested in?
Agenda
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I need to learn your names!
Essay 1
Recap
Homework
Essay 1
• A preview of the essay description:
Tell the story of Hmong Americans and the
story of another people. Use The
Latehomecomer as a reference. Your
essay should compare and contrast the
story of the Hmong with the story of
another people. The essay will be due on
Monday, January 28.
• This will be an opportunity for you to learn
the history of your own people.
Essay 1
• For about five minutes write about the
reasons why your family decided to come
to the US.
• More likely than not your story will involve
war, financial pressures, marriage, or a
combination of these three factors.
• Be prepared to share.
Essay 1
• For your first essay, you should compare
and contrast the story of your own family’s
immigration experience with the story of
Yang’s family’s immigration experience.
• You will likely discuss war, financial
pressures, and/or marriage.
• If you discuss financial pressures you need
to answer this question: Why is there
inequality in your family’s country of origin?
Essay 1
• I suggest that we break up into the
following groups:
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Vietnamese ancestry
Chinese ancestry
Filipino ancestry
Latino ancestry
International students
Latino ancestry
European ancestry
African ancestry
Japanese ancestry/Islander ancestry
Mixed
Essay 1
• Vietnamese ancestry
– Come to the front of the room and read the
Wikipedia article on Vietnam. Prepare to
share what you learn.
– Later on you should also read the article
“Vietnamese American.”
• Chinese ancestry
– Discuss your connections or distance from
Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the People’s
Republic of China
Essay 1
• Filipino ancestry
– Think about the reasons for class inequality in
the Philippines.
• Latino ancestry
– Think about the reasons for class inequality in
the country of origin of your families. Also,
think about relationships between your
families and Asian American families.
Essay 1
• International students
– Discuss your reasons for studying in the US
and the involvement of your families in your
decision to study in the US.
• European ancestry
– Consider the role of war, economics, and
marriage in your family’s relationships with
Asian Americans.
Essay 1
• Your essay should consist of parts that are
set in the US and parts that are set outside
of the US.
• We will prepare now to write about parts
set in the US.
Essay 1
• For about five minutes write down
struggles that immigrants face. Different
immigrants face different struggles, so it is
ok if you have only some immigrants in
mind. You might also consider the
struggles that Yang’s family encountered in
Part III of The Latehomecomer. Be
prepared to share.
Essay 1
• For the parts of your essay that are set in
the US you might write about the following
topics:
– Struggles to maintain family unity
– Culture shock
– Learning English
– Different religions
– Setting a strong foundation for future
generations
– Racism or discrimination
– Financial hardship
Essay 1
• For the parts of your essay that are set in
the US you might write about the following
topics:
– Climate
– Trying to keep culture and traditions alive
– Native diseases; health
– Food (cheese, dairy); ingredients
– Getting used to the laws (police harrassment)
– Internal conflict within extended family
(generational conflicts)
– Finding work, education; social class structure
Essay 1
• For the parts of your essay that are set in
the US you might write about the following
topics:
– Deskilling; the situation when someone with
training from one country cannot practice his
or her profession in the US
– Pressures to enter certain professions
– Immigration laws, enforcement; methods to
determine who can be in the US legally and
who can have legal documentation
– Getting documentation for employment and
education
Recap
• In your essay you will tell the story of
Hmong Americans and the story of another
people.
• Your essay should consist of parts set
outside of the US and parts set in the US.
• Your essay should focus on the story of
your family and the story of Yang’s family.
• Any questions at this point?
Recap
• For the parts set outside of the US here
are some topics that you can use to
compare and contrast your family’s
experience with the experience of Yang’s
family:
– The struggle to acquire legal residency in the
US (including student visas).
Recap
• For the parts set inside of the US here are
some topics that you can use to compare
and contrast your family’s experience with
the experience of Yang’s family:
Homework
• Answer the blog question if you have not yet done so.
• Finish reading The Latehomecomer.
• Start writing the story of Yang’s family and your family. For a
reference you might read the Wikipedia articles on your country
of origin and the ethnicity associated with that country in the US
(for example, “Taiwan” and “Taiwanese Americans”). Also,
consider diasporas.
• See me if you are not yet officially enrolled in the class or if you
did not hear your name during the roll call. If you still need to
add the class you need to do it ASAP.
• There is no class at De Anza on Monday in observance of
Martin Luther King’s birthday.