A Quote

“What, indeed, is a New Yorker? Is he Jew or Irish? Is he English or German? Is he Russian or Polish? He may be something of all these, and yet he is wholly none of them. Something has been added to him which he had not had before. he is endowed with a briskness and an invention often alien to his blood. He is quicker in his movement, less trammeled in his judgment...The change he undergoes is unmistakable, New York, indeed, resembles a magic cauldron. Those who are cast into it are born again.”
― Charles Whibley, American Sketches

            One of my favorite things about New York City is its willingness to open the doors to anybody. New Yorkers make anybody feel like everyone belongs (until you enter Times Square and tourists are being shoved everywhere for stopping in the middle of the sidewalk trying to read a map). When somebody from another country moves to NYC, they are treated like another person. In some countries, or even cities, an immigrant will be treated like garbage-especially if they are illegal. 

            New York City is partially known for its cultural diversity. There are restaurants from multiple countries around the world everywhere you look and there are areas that are known for being home to particular cultures. In New York City, once you learn how to move fast, cram into a subway train, and get frustrated when people stand still on an escalator, you're treated like a native New Yorker and no longer an Alien, which is exactly what the quote is saying. New York is a magical place for immigrants with no one judging or noticing and many others of your type on each and every corner.

Link to Literature

            After reading The Namesake in class, the characters Ashima and Ashoke are two of the main people that come to mind when thinking of immigration.  Ashima and Ashoke Ganguli moved to America from India, making them immigrants. They were able to succeed with an American Dream of their own and create a new life here. They had children, became fairly wealthy, and had a job to support the family. Ashima and Ashoke had to deal with leaving their entire families behind and starting over in a new place. They made friends with no problem and all of which, especially at first, were Bengali just like they were. This is a similar case with what happened when someone moved to New York City in the 1800s, over a hundred years earlier. People moved to areas with people from the same place as them which made an easier adjustment. However, the Ganguli experienced difficulties with assimilation, like when they had to name their first son in the hospital opposed to giving him a pet name before his good name. The Ganguli's had to make adjustments and sacrifices to fit in with American culture and society.

            In The Namesake, Ashoke had a much easier time assimilating than his wife did. Ashoke had a job pretty much right away and wore basic clothes you would see on an American male today. Ashima, on the other hand, had a much more difficult time. She wanted to keep her Bengali culture as much as possible. She did this by constantly cooking Bengali food, when Ashoke would eat more Americanized foods. She wore a sari almost every day and was used to constantly being accompanied by someone, so it's weird for her when she is first alone. However, both characters still had the same output when it comes to holidays, birthdays, and huge traditions like naming.

            Many characters in musical theatre immigrated from Another country. One example is all of the sharks in West Side Story. West Side Story takes place in the 1950s when there was a lot of immigration to New York City from Puerto Rico. In the play, a group of these immigrants formed a gang known as the "sharks". The Sharks got into fights with other gangs, particularly the Jets. The Jets tormented the Sharks when they first got to New York City, partly because they were immigrants, causing a permanent tension between the two groups and the Sharks to be hated by other New Yorkers. If immigration in the 1950s wasn't looked upon as a bad thing, the Sharks would have been in a safer, better condition since no one would have hated them just for being an immigrant.

            Another example of immigration in musical theatre is the Von Trap family from The Sound of Music. Just before World War II, the Von Trap family is living in Austria, which was dangerous because they were Jewish and it was right before the holocaust. At the end of the second act, Nazis do a search and nobody can find the Von Trap family. They had fled over the Alps and escaped. They had been able to stay safe  because they escaped and became immigrants of another country. I was able to find their immigration papers online from when they arrived in Vermont, their final destination to be safe. Immigration caused the family not to be killed in World War II in Austria.

Von Trap Family Immigration Papers

US Citizen Test

This test was mentioned in one of my other posts, so now that I have an opportunity to post it, here it is!

A Sample 100 Question Citizenship Test

(Click here for Pop-up Answer Window)

What are the colors of our flag? How many stars are there in our flag? What color are the stars on our flag? What do the stars on the flag mean? How many stripes are there in the flag? What color are the stripes? What do the stripes on the flag mean? How many states are there in the Union? What is the 4th of July? What is the date of Independence Day? Independence from whom? What country did we fight during the Revolutionary War? Who was the first President of the United States? Who is the President of the United States today? Who is the Vice-President of the United States today? Who elects the President of the United States? Who becomes the President of the United States if the President should die? For how long do we elect the President? What is the Constitution? Can the Constitution be changed? What do we call a change to the Constitution? How many changes or amendments are there to the Constitution? How many branches are there in our government? What are the three branches of our government? What is the legislative branch of our government? Who makes the laws in the United States? What is Congress? What are the duties of Congress? Who elects Congress? How many senators are there in Congress? Can you name the two senators from your state? For how long do we elect each senator? How many representatives are there in Congress? For how long do we elect the representatives? What is the executive branch of our government? What is the judiciary branch of our government? What are the duties of the Supreme Court? What is the supreme law of the United States? What is the Bill of Rights? What is the capital of your state? Who is the current governor of your state? Who becomes President of the United States if the President and the Vice-President should die? Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court? Can you name the 13 original states? Who said, "Give me liberty or give me death."? Which countries were our enemies during World War II? What are the 49th and 50th states of the Union? How many terms can a President serve? Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.? Who presides over your local government? According to the Constitution, a person must meet certain requirements in order to be eligible to become President. Name one of these requirements. Why are there 100 Senators in the Senate? Who selects the Supreme Court justices? How many Supreme Court justices are there? Why did the Pilgrims come to America? What is the head executive of a state government called? What is the head executive of a city government called? What holiday was celebrated for the first time by American colonists? Who was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence? When was the Declaration of Independence adopted? What is the basic belief of the Declaration of Independence? What is the national anthem of the United States? Who wrote the Star-Spangled Banner? Where does freedom of speech come from? What is the minimum voting age in the United States? Who signs bills into law? What is the highest court in the United States? Who was President during the Civil War? What did the Emancipation Proclamation do? What special group advises the President? Which President is called the "Father of our country?" What Immigration and Naturalization Service form is used to apply to become a naturalized citizen? Who helped the Pilgrims in America? What is the name of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America? What were the 13 original states of the U.S. called? Name 3 rights or freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. Who has the power to declare war? What kind of government does the United States have? Which President freed the slaves? In what year was the Constitution written? What are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called? What is the supreme law of the land? Where does Congress meet? Whose rights are guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights? What is the introduction to the Constitution called? Name one benefit to being a citizen of the United States? What is the most important right granted to U.S. citizens? What is the United States Capitol? What is the White House? Where is the White House located? What is the name of the President's official home? Name one right guaranteed by the first amendment. Who is the Commander in Chief of the U.S. military? Which President was the first Commander in Chief of the U.S. military? In what month do we vote for President? In what month is the new President inaugurated? How many times may a Senator be re-elected? How many times may a Congressman be re-elected? What are the 2 major political parties in the U.S. today? How many states are there in the United States?

Picture and Story Option

A View of Childhood Seventy Years Later

            "I can't believe it's been nearly seventy years since I was last here," Rosalia said to herself as she came up from the F train at Delancey Street, right where the Lower East Side meets Little Italy, right where the Italian-Jew grew up. Rosalia,  her official Italian name that her family eventually shortened to Rose. "All the buildings are the same, but everything looks so new."

            "Is this really where you grew up?" Asked Alessandra, Rose's eight year old granddaughter who accompanied her on the trip back home.

            "That building right there. I rode this subway everyday to get to work. Things were very different back in the old days. it was much more crowded and a lot dirtier. And see that building in the back over there? The big white one? That wasn't there when I was growing up."

            "You're older than a building grandma!" Alessandra joked.

            "I'm older than a bunch of things here, Allie. Most of this wasn't here when I moved here." The tone of Rosalia's voice changes and she starts to miss the old days. The girls are walking quietly when Alessandra says, "When did you move to New York?"

            "It's a long story to tell, do you want to hear it?"

            "Of course! I wanna know everything!" Rose and Allie walk into an old fashioned pizzeria and take a table.

            "Well. When I was a little girl, only about five or six years old, back in 1942 in the middle of world war two, I remember my grandma walk into my room in the middle of the night to wake me up.  Oh, and we lived in Italy when this all happened. In the dark, we snuck to a dock in Sicily, I think it was. We boarded the boat and as my mother described it, I fell asleep in her arms, scared and confused as to what was happening.  Little did I know, where were on that boat for the next two and a half weeks on our journey to America. My family had tried explaining to me what was happening but I was clueless and couldn't understand a thing. Now remember, it was the middle of World War II.  They told me that everything was fine back in Italy, but just to be extra safe we were coming to America, where we wouldn't have to worry. Those two weeks were miserable: stuck on a boat full of screaming babies, children like myself, adults, elderly, and people who were sick, all crammed together in this small area in the middle of the ocean. At last, the boat docked and we got off at Ellis Island where we went through health checks and security. We found my great uncle who took us to his apartment, right across the hall from where we would eventually move. I had my favorite doll in my hand and a backpack with some of my favorite clothes. A short while after, we moved across the hall into a two room apartment of our own-a bedroom to fit me, my two newborn sisters with a brother on its way, two grandparents, and my mom and dad, and a room with a sink, stove, ironing board, and a piece of wood we would eat on. At eight years old, just your age, I got a job I'd have to go to after school babysitting some of the richest kids in the area and -"

            "You were only eight years old and you got to babysit!?!?" Alessandra exclaimed. "I'm eight and I'm not even allowed to stay home alone! I have a babysitter because my mom thinks I'm a baby!" Rosalia laughed with Alessandra, who was beginning to lose focus on her grandmothers story. The girls giggled along while they finished their pizza.

            "What are we gonna do now?" Alessandra asked.

            "Do you want to go to the playground I went to a lot when I was a child? My old friends say it's still there."

            "Yay! Let's go!" Alessandra got suddenly excited. The girls walked over to the playground and had fun together.  "Is this really how you grew up?" Alessandra asked. "Did you actually go everyday to the playground by yourself  after school and work?"

            "Yes, we did, honey."

            "And is this really the food you ate all the time? Because it's so good! My mommy doesn't make anything this good! She always buys yucky pizza with the picture of the square with dots on it! I never get any real homemade food unless I'm with you! And I never get to go to parks like this either." Alessandra was amazed by the things little boys and girls did in the 1900s.

            "That's the biggest problem today. Cultures are fading away. Little Italy and the Lower East Side are beginning to look more like the rest of New York City than ever before. Right where I lived used to be made up of solely Italian Jews like myself. We were all immigrants and had the same story, which is why we could go out by ourselves. We all had the same exact traditions and we all knew each other. Cultures today are all blending together. It's great that they are mixing, but they are fading away in the process which is the bigger problem. I used to be able to speak multiple languages frequently, and still can, but people aren't passing traditions like that down to their children which is what's causing them to fade."

            "Are you going to pass any of those traditions down to me?"

            "Of course."

            "Do my mommy and daddy have any of those traditions?"

            "When I had your dad, I was just excited to get out of Little Italy a little bit and explore. I began to blend in with the general crowd of people I was surrounded by in Long Island before we moved here to Manhattan. It was hard and I didn't do as good of a job as I should have."

            "Grandma?" Alessandra called. "Will you pass those traditions down to me? And teach me how to speak Italian and everything you used to do?"

            "Of course sweetie. Just you have to promise me one thing: don't let them slip away. Promise me that you'll pass these traditions to your children."

            "I can do that."
            "Lo ti amo, tesora."

A picture of Little Italy/Lower East Side when Rosalia was growing up.

A picture of Little Italy/Lower East Side when Alessandra and Rosalia went for a visit in around 2005.

A map of Lower Manhattan, showing the streets of Little Italy and the Lower East Side

An Englishman in New York - the Sting (song and analysis)

"Englishman In New York" - Sting
I don't drink coffee I take tea my dear
I like my toast done on one side
And you can hear it in my accent when I talk
I'm an Englishman in New York
See me walking down Fifth Avenue
A walking cane here at my side
I take it everywhere I walk
I'm an Englishman in New York
I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
If, "Maners maketh man" as someone said
Then he's the hero of the day
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
Be yourself no matter what they say
I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
Modesty, propriety can lead to notoriety
You could end up as the only one
Gentleness, sobriety are rare in this society
At night a candle's brighter than the sun
Takes more than combat gear to make a man
Takes more than a license for a gun
Confront your enemies, avoid them when you can
A gentleman will walk but never run
If, "Manners maketh man" as someone said
Then he's the hero of the day
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
Be yourself no matter what they say
I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York

Song Analysis

This song, written by the Sting, is about a man from England who moves to America, specifically New York. The song talks about the man having to adjust and the changes he goes through while adapting to a new society.  In the first verse, the writer even says “I don’t drink coffee I take tea my dear...and you can hear it in my accent when I talk, I’m an Englishman in New York.”  The writer is mentioning how the Englishman is constantly standing out and recognized for being from England. He even says that he is a “legal alien”. Aliens are often associated with foreign creatures that are weird and treated funny, which is the way that the Englishman feels. In reality, he is looked upon as an immigrant and  hates the feeling of  isolation and abandonment he receives. He doesn’t enjoy being treated like an outsider, even that that’s where he lives and should belong.    He is a new man in a big land and doesn’t feel like its where he should be with that sense of force against him.   

The writer says “to be yourself no matter what they say” in the second to last verse. I think this is really important and something that I can really relate to personally. I went to a small Jewish private school in East Brunswick through sixth grade. When I switched to public school, as cheesy as it sounds, my mom told me this. She thought I wouldn’t be used to moving from a grade of twenty people exactly like me to a grade of one hundred sixty where everyone was different. My mom told me to just be myself and not try to be what every other kid was, and not to make myself blend in completely with everyone around me, sort of like what I was used to from private school. This, in much smaller terms, is similar to what an immigrant experiences. An immigrant might move from a really small town in a small country, to a huge city like New York in a country as big as America. In a case like New York City, the immigrant will be moving from an area where everyone was from the same background to a place of numerous different cultures. The immigrant would just have to be himself and not be afraid to be different.

“Confront your enemies, avoid them when you can. A gentleman will walk but never run.” This line in the seventh verse is really effective on the listener as a piece of uplifting advice. This line is used as a reminder that no matter how harsh people might be, in this case because of a false stereotype, you should just avoid the enemy to stay out of trouble. Then when the writer says “a gentleman will walk but never run”, he or she comments on how a person won’t run away from what’s following them, but rather walk, which tends to be much quieter. The gentleman refers to an adult male who is mature and able to handle all the pressure that’s on him.

“An Englishman in America” reminds me of the immigrants back in the 1900s, when they would come to America and move in with others of the same background. Someone like this would move to an area like Little Italy, but for Englishmen.  This reminds me of the song “Why Can’t th English Learn how to Speak” from the Broadway musical My Fair Lady.  In the song, the characters are complaining about how people, particularly from England, don’t know how to speak English. They say comment on their accent and criticize them, which is probably all of the feelings that the Englishman in the song by the Sting is undergoing.

 

Reference to: Why Can't the English Learn How to Speak? - My Fair Lady lyrics

Immigration to New York City. Is it needed?

            Immigration is an essential part of numerous cities across the country, New York City being one of the major ones with more than 3,000,000. Immigrants make up about 40% of the New York City population, 18% of which being illegal. On May 1st, 2006, all immigrants, both illegal and legal, across the country stayed home. In cities like New York, which consist of huge immigrant populations, it was nearly impossible to function. “Meatpacking plants will shut down. Markets won’t open. Trucks won’t roll. (CNN.com).” Stores weren’t able to open since there weren’t enough workers to operate the business for the day. This became known as “A Day Without Immigrants”. This day is just proof that the city of New York would not be able to function without immigrants, since they make up such a large population.

            Many Americans believe that illegal immigrants should be deported since they came into the country without any papers or documentation. They make up such a huge part of immigrant population that it would affect the city greatly. Without immigration in New York City, as proven on May 1st, 2006, business would be forced to close. This would damage the economy and eventually cause it to crash. There were 2.9 million illegal immigrants in 2000 in New York City, all of which wanted to work. However, a lot of the money that illegal immigrants earn in America while working gets sent back to their home countries, giving money to the workers family to support themselves and eventually come over to America. This doesn’t benefit our economy as much as it could, but it still keeps us going.

            Throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, immigration in New York has changed majorly. Millions of immigrants came to American between in the 1900s, when they went through Ellis Island, through today. Immigration shaped different areas and cultures of New York City. “Jacob Riis observed in 1890 that a map of New York City, colored to designate nationalities’ would show more stripes than on the skin of a zebra’ (Appleby). When immigrants in the 1890s moved to America, they would often settle in with others from the same nationality. This allowed the families to keep their cultural traditions and share them with people from the same background. This brought different cultures into America which helped lead to the path of cultures today. These communities formed famous areas of New York City that are today known as Little Italy, Chinatown, and the Lower East Side.

            With heavier population in large cities like New York in the 1890s, new means of everyday lifestyle had to be created to keep from overpopulation. Skyscrapers became a new form of building up opposed to building out, which allowed for more space. Subways were also built during this time as a form of mass public transportation, underground so street space was not wasted. This also gave immigrants building jobs, helping them and the economy. The city needed immigrants to work, even in the nineteenth century. On the contrary, this time period in New York City had a very high right of pick pocketing and crime. Of course, with the flood of new immigrants, they were blamed by Americans for the new high crime rates. Also, with the overpopulation, it became harder to keep the city clean. “Improper sewage disposal contaminated city drinking water and triggered epidemics of typhoid fever and cholera” (Appleby). This created a new problem of hygiene and keeping the city clean, which was changed and improved to keep people safe. If it wasn’t for the millions of new residents of NYC, this never would have happened.

            Mayor Bloomberg of New York City has his own opinion of immigration and what he thinks of it. He agrees that the city will collapse without immigrants and supports them wholeheartedly. “He thinks that amnesty should be given to those illegal immigrants already in the country” (Scott, Andy). Amnesty is an “official pardon for people who have been convicted of political offenses” (Google). Bloomberg believes in immigration and that illegal immigrants should be forgiven and just become documented. He also thinks that border control is impossible, and I think he’s right. It’s nearly impossible to completely block the borders of our country and prohibit someone from getting in, legally or not. Bloomberg also thinks that there should be an easier way to get citizenship, which is difficult. Immigrants must apply by filling out papers as well as taking a test, which for a high school student born in the country is difficult to pass.

            Immigrants make up a huge part of New York City. Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, millions of immigrants moved to New York City, particularly Manhattan, both legal and illegal, and that helped shape the way the smallest big city is today. In the 1890s, immigrants started moving here and formed areas like Little Italy and the Lower East Side. This brought new foods and cultures over to New York, which is one thing New York is greatly known for. The new overpopulation during that time period led to pollution, which led to new health improvements, as well as skyscrapers and subways to allow for more space, which are today two big factors of New York City. Today, the three million immigrants in NYC have jobs and are earning a living. Without these immigrants, businesses would be forced to shut down and the city would not be able to operate and function. Manhattan is only 13.4 miles long by 2.3 miles wide, consisting of over three million immigrants from all over the world, with numerous different cultures. Without these three million people, as seen from “A Day Without Immigrants”, New York City would not be able to function, and therefore, collapse.

Works Cited
"Amnesty." Google. Google. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. <http://www.google.com/#hl=en>.
Appleby, Joyce Oldham. Urban America/Immigration. The American Vision. New York: Glencoe McGraw-Hill, 2005. 467. Print.
CNN.com, Brad Lendon. "U.S. Prepares for 'A Day Without an Immigrant' - CNN." Featured Articles from CNN. 01 May 2006. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. <http://articles.cnn.com/2006-04-28/us/boycott_1_immigration-law-illegal-immigrant-latino-movement-usa?_s=PM:US>.
Scott, Andy. "Bloomberg on Immigration." 2012 Presidential Candidates. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. <http://2012.presidential-candidates.org/Bloomberg/Immigration.php>.