Intercultural Literature
C. Valverde
American Dream Unit
In the Land of the Free
Sui Sin Far
Circa. 1910
&
Angel Island Immigration Station Poetry
Anonymous
Circa. 1920
Some background info…

Sui Sin Far (Edith Maude Eaton) 18651914
◦ 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 Act
Forty-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 NOTE: The act was in effect for 61 years; repealed in 1943 through the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.

Characters
In the Land of the
Free
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Hom Hing
Lae Choo
Little One
Immigration officers
James Clancy
Orphanage nun
Angel Island Poetry
• Anonymous detainees
CDA
Socio-Historical Lens
 What is the historical context of the
texts?
 How does historical knowledge affect the
reading of these texts?
Socio-Cultural Lens
 What is the social context of the texts?
 What is the cultural context of the texts?
CDA
Relationships of Power Lens
 How 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?
CDA
Gender Lens
 In what ways do we see gender inequality
in the texts?
 What is the role of men?
 What is the role of women?
CDA
Racial Lens
 What is the role of race and racism in the
texts?
 How are race relations depicted in the
texts?
 In what ways is discrimination exercised?
CDA
Socio-economic Lens
 How 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?
CDA
Political Lens
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What 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?
CDA
Psychological Lens
 How 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?
CDA
Humanistic/Personal Lens
 Which 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?
CDA
Meanings/Double Meanings
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Section 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 Examples
Elian Gonzalez - 2000
 Alvira Arrellano – 2006
 Thousands of other examples not
covered by the media.
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