Author: Sabrina Cohn

The Shadow Hero has a lot of references to Asian American stereotypes. Hank is a typical child of immigrants who follows in his father’s footsteps. He is obedient and studious. His only life goal is to one day own a grocery store just as his father did. This is apparent in many immigrant families who own a business. Asian immigrants have been known to be small business owners throughout the history of their presence in America. Hank’s mother, on the other hand, is bored by this life. She makes an effort to escape Chinatown through her job. After her encounter with the Anchor of Justice she begins to dream about the possibilities for her son. Before this point she had just settled for the minimum her entire life. After being enlightened by this Caucasian superman figure she is inspired to create the same destiny for her son. This determination and strength of character in Asian mothers is a common stereotype. The “Tiger Mom” idea can be applied to this situation but instead of her pressuring her son to study or get a job she wants him to be a superhero. Even though at first her idea seems completely unreasonable it turns out to actually work. He does not just instantly become a superhero like many other stories. He gets it through hard work and dedication. This is a quality in many immigrants. At first no one takes him seriously because he is Chinese. Even his own kind are surprised to see a Chinese superhero but he eventually proves them wrong. Both Hank and his Mother are not your typical Asian Americans. They both challenge the norm in order to do something that they want.

This chapter is basically a review of all the immigrant groups who came to New York and their impact on the city; economically, socially, and politically. The relationship that immigrants have had with this city is give and take. They contribute their skills to the labor force while gaining a better life than the one they left behind in their home country. They arrived waves and tend to stick together. This created a city that I extremely diverse. Immigrants inevitably bring their cultures and traditions with them when they come a new place.

Reitano begins with the Asian immigrants and their experiences. Each groups role in the ever changing society of the city changes along with the current condition of the city. In the case of the Asians, they were initially extremely isolated from the rest of the city. Chinatown was its own separate entity. They were even “prohibited from becoming citizens” and for a long time were unable to participate in politics at all. There were also stereotypes that developed regarding the Asians. These were not necessarily negative stereotypes in their eyes though. They were seen as very smart hard workers. They embraced this a put much pressure on their children. Many were entrepreneurs and small business owners. The two main Asian immigrant groups were Chinese and Korean. Although they did not share national ties they still grouped themselves together somewhat in Chinatown.

Next are the Latinos. One of the main groups that initially came were the Puerto Ricans. They contributed a lot culture through music and language. Other characteristic of their culture was strong family traditions. One thing that set he Latinos apart from other immigrant groups was that they maintained strong ties with their homeland. Because of the US’ proximity to South America they were actually able to travel back and forth. Soon after the wave of immigrants to Puerto Rico the Dominicans followed. They were also very traditional and were strongly tied to their country. This actually tended to cause internal conflict for many. Their identity was complicated and they did not know where to place their loyalty. Many Latinos work in industrial jobs after WWII. Even though they generally took more low paying job there was still the possibility of upward social mobility.

Lastly, is The Social Contract. This part discusses the political environment of the city and how it has adjusted to the needs of the city as a whole as well as the individuals. These include policies for working conditions, taxes, and the pubic school system. Reitano discusses the policies of the various mayors that have lead the city, including Giuliani, LaGuardia and Badillo. Another component of the social contract is the First Amendment. People right of assembly as been an integral part of New York City’s social and political environment. The section finished with 9/11 and Giuliani’s admirable leadership in handling the situation. I think what Reitano is trying to convey is how strong and resilient this city is even with its immensely diverse patchwork of a population.

The anxieties of Emma Lou in the opening of The Blacker the Berry mirror those of Irene in Passing. The thing that sets these two women apart is that Irene is passing and Emma Lou is not. Both novels show the experience of a black person living among white people and its effect of it on them emotionally and psychologically. The fact that both novels are narrated by these women gives the reader an inside look into what goes on in their heads. As unreliable narrators they show the ups and downs of living among white people. In the beginning of Passing, Clare simply taking notice of Irene was enough to induce a feeling of paranoia in her. Before she realized it was Claire she was scared that she had been tagged as negro despite her effort to pass as white. This content worry of being noticed and standing out because of the color of your skin can have substantial effects on a person emotionally. This is apparent in The Blacker the Berry as well. It begins with Emma Lou sitting at graduation waiting to receive her diploma. There a sense of resentment that she feels toward the color of her skin. The relationship that both these women have with their skin color is complicated. It is not the actual color of their skin that they resent; it is how their race effects their place in society. As a white person if is sometimes hard to relate to these feelings. She is “the only negro pupil in the entire school”. Naturally this causes people to treat her differently. It creates a constant struggle for her as she interacts with her peers. She worries more about what people think of her rather than just being able to live her life and be able to be treated the way she wants.

My first association with the word “passing” is passing away or something passing by. After beginning the book however, I soon realized that is referred to passing as white in the highly racist society of the Harlem Renaissance. The two main characters in the novel, Irene and Clare, are half white and half black. They both choose to pass as white in their society so that they can experience the privileges of white people. Although they both share this trait they use it in different ways. Irene still holds on to her black heritage that she grew up with, whereas Clare attempts to full assimilate into white society. Clare goes so far with this that she even lies to her husband about her race.

The other meaning of “passing” does not become apparent until the end of the book. Clare’s death brings new meaning to the word in the context of the book. Passing away is kind of a statement of how she may have gone to far in her attempts to pass as white. She tried to completely disregard the fact that is still half black. That is the fundamental difference between the two women. Irene uses “passing” as a way to move up in society and get privileges that she deserves but still accepts her true identity. Clare has a much shallower approach to the idea of “passing”, which ends up working to her disadvantage in the end.

The thing I liked the most about journaling in this class was the variety of subject matter. We did not just read novel after novel. I gained experience in writing about film and graphic novels. I had to think a little more when writing about these because it did not come as naturally to me. Another aspect I liked of journaling instead of taking notes is that I was able to voice my opinion. Journal entries are a bit more of an in depth look at a work. They require the writer to really think and contemplate the prompt before writing.

Note taking is also useful in its own way. While reading or watching a film it cam be useful to jot down anything that comes to mind in the moment before I forget. It can be beneficial to refer back to these notes to jog my memory. I usually do take notes while reading and I find that it helps me substantially when it comes to writing the journal.

I feel that journaling has given me a bit more freedom than note taking. I was allowed to choose a specific part of the text that was most interesting to me. Note taking can be kind of limiting sometimes because I feel pressure to cover all the material. Journaling allowed me to develop one idea further than I would have otherwise. For example, when we did the reflections on the films I was able to choose one scene that I had something to say about. My lease favorite part was probably the summaries because they felt very similar to note taking. I guess they did make me read the text a lot more closely because I knew I would have to summarize it afterwards.

Each of these techniques all have their own purpose in the classroom and one could argue that they are equally useful. I definitely prefer jailing over note taking because it gives me more freedom but I also see a purpose for note taking and summarizing.

Shaun Tan’s novel The Arrival is a wordless graphic novel that depicts the journey of a migrant from an unnamed poor city to a new and fantastical one. The actual names of these places don’t matter because this story can apply to any immigration story. Its purpose is merely to create the tone of the experience of an immigrant from their perspective. Tan incorporates fantastical elements to strengthen the feeling of being in a foreign place.

The creature on the cover is one of the fictional characters that is present throughout throughout the book. When the immigrant moves into his home he feels lost and confused after a hard day and then he finds the creature. He sets it free but it stays on his window sill and keeps him company. This creature suddenly makes him feel less alone and acts kind of as his guide as he explores the new city he has found himself in. This creature is his companion that has dog like characteristics. It represents the friendliness that is possible in such a foreign place. Without exchanging any words, they have an understanding that they need each other. There is no need to speak the same language or even be the same species to become friends. This is apparent with the migrant’s other interactions with people throughout the book as he tries to learn the ways of this new city.

The publication page also represents a statement that Tan is making. It is a representation how diverse people are. The images seem to be identification photos similar to what an immigrant would have on their paperwork upon arrival in a new country. They all have their own identity and culture but they are all connected by the fact that they are people. Any two people can have a meaningful interaction even if they are very different or don’t share a common language. Because there are no words in this book one must infer the meaning of the illustrations. Based on the appearance of the people depicted in the publication page the differences between them are apparent. Despite these differences the book proves that we all share in the human experience and should not judge people only based on their appearance.

Chapter five poses three main questions about the Gilded Age in New York City (1865 1899): a political, a social, and an economic question. A running theme throughout the chapter revolves around Horatio Alger’s novel Ragged Dick. Alger’s work was very influential during this time period. He focused on the “rags-to-riches” notion that was very apparent in the city. This was a period or rapid modernization. There were many positive aspects to this modernization but also some negatives. People were becoming better informed about what was going on in their society through literature such as Alger’s or other inexpensive newspapers or novels. This lead to a push for social reform. Many people greatly profited from social Darwinism but others saw the negative consequences of this. Although the city as a whole was progressing, there was much conflict within. The gap between rich and poor was rapidly expanding. This uneven distribution of wealth created conflict within the society. People called robber barons and urban bosses took advantage of the malleability of society and dominated business into their own empires. Some of these robber barons were the poster children for the rags-to-riches concept put no all could be so lucky. Men like Rockefeller had a ruthless approach to business and used social Darwinism to rise in the ranks. Once the government identified the monopolies as a problem they began to try and regulate. They needed to find “harmony between capital and labor in the pursuit of progress” (Reitano 83). There was also an influx of new immigrants which contributed to a rapid increase in population. Brooklyn faced problems with immigrants, crime and corruption.

The chapter begins with the political question. It focusses on Tammany hall and how it worked. There was quite a bit of corruption in NY politics at this time. People would rise into power from nothing and take advantage of the rest of the city for their own purposes. One very important figure was Boss Tweed. Tweed started as working class Scottish immigrant and rose to power very quickly. “Tweed’s success represented a shift of political power away from the old formal party structure. . . to a new grassroots system” (Reitano 85). Tweed and his followers soon dominated to entire state political sphere. They did do some good for society by improving schools and other public infrastructure. A cartoonist named Nast often made cartoons about Tweed to expose the corruption in his system. This outraged the general public and even lead to violence. A particularly horrifying riot was the Orange Riot of 1871. It was caused by religious conflict between Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics. After having to deal with much violence and massacres Tweed eventually lost his power. His corrupt ways were revealed and although he had done some good it was not enough. Tweed’s actions opened up people’s minds to what was going on in American politics.

Next is the social question. Although there was much affluence in the city at his time it was coupled with extreme poverty. Some looked down upon the poor. There was a sense of optimism for them as they saw the opportunity but there was also potential for conflict. Jacob Riis was an extremely important photographer of the slums. He has a “humanistic” approach to photography and tried to capture real life in the slums. He used some very interesting and imaginative camera techniques to create images that were impactful on the public. His book, How the Other Half Lives, was a huge hit and was a great way to bring attention to these issues. It made people rethink their view of the slums and caused them to empathize a bit more with the poor. Some nativist sentiments resurfaced during time which targeted poor immigrants. In response to the tensions in the slums the police force was strengthened. There were also campaigns to fight disease. Public education was a main focus for improvement of society. Education was views as a ladder of social mobility. Some issues arose regarding racial segregation in public schools. There was also reform in labor to push for better working conditions for women and children.

Lastly, is the economic question. The laborers had had enough and decided to organize. The notion of the American Dream had faded in many people’s minds and they decided that they needed to take direct action. Unions grew rapidly. Many saw strikes as their only option to make any change. It started with the railroad strike in 1877. Some feared that these strikes would lead to “Communist riot”.  Other riots followed soon after. Many were short lived but the unions eventually became stronger. The Central Labor Union was important because it “brought together a variety of workers’ groups. . . it endorsed a wide range of strategies” (Reitano 98). These organizations were initially looked down upon and put down by the police. After seeing little success, the CLU decided to take a different approach; a political approach.  They nominated Henry George to represent them in government. George put up a pretty good fight in the election and although he was not elected this showed the government that the unions were a real threat. Other, stronger, unions formed after this. The most important one was the American Federation of Labor which promoted “business unionism”. Later came the newsboys’ strike which was also influential. Their “strike attested to the complexities of economic change.” (Reitano 103).

A pivotal scene in the Godfather 2 is when Michael shows up at Frank’s house unannounced after the incident in his house. He has come to make a game plan with Frank about how he is going to take his revenge. An ongoing theme in this movie is the cluelessness of the women to everything that is going on behind closed doors (literally). This is a small detail but I think is adds to characteristics of the men. When the men are discussing business there generally pretty low light that gives a grim tone to the scene. The producers did a really great job of making Michael look scary and intimidating. Although he keeps his calm for the most part you can see the rage in his eyes. The lighting seems to come from above and creates a shadow under his eyes. The darkness of his eyes is almost haunting.

Another important part of this scene is Michael’s tangent about his father and the lesson he learned from him. This kind of connects the flashbacks that have been consistent throughout the film to the present action. Frank lives in the house that Michael grew up in. The references that he makes to his childhood provides a break in the conversation. Literally seconds before Michael was planning out his evil plan and then he starts talking about his childhood. Michael plans is to get Roth very comfortable so that he can strike when he least expects it. Michael’s posture as he sits in the chair is notable as well. He has both arms on the armrests and his legs crossed. He sits there with a pretty stoic face as Frank talks. It is clear that Michael is deep in thought. As the scene progresses the camera slowly gets closer to their faces so as to increase the suspense.

Part Two introduces the Italian immigrants who came to New York during the period before World War I. They compare these immigrants to their Jewish counterparts who came around the same time. Similar to the Jews, the Italian’s main motivation for coming to the US was to find a better life. What set them apart was their skill set. The Jews were generally more educated and had more employable skills. Many of them were also literate. The Italians, on the other hand, were mostly peasants. Another difference between these groups was their demographic. The Jews came mostly in family units whereas the Italians were mostly young men looking to make money to bring back to their families in Italy. It was not until later that their families came as well.

Italians concentrated in a few areas in the City for various reasons. The most famous of the Italian colonies was Little Italy in Lower Manhattan. Other areas with large concentrations of Italians included Greenwich Village, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and even parts of Harlem. The patterns of settlement were highly dependent on where they found work. Many of the young Italian men did manual labor in construction. There were a lot of big building projects in progress during this time and they tended to settle nearby. The settlement in the Bronx was due to the prosperous real estate market. Another factor that contributed to settlement were the labor contractors. They made deals with laborers and set them up with a place to live. There was a general pattern of people from the same region/town of Italy living very close to each other.

Like most other immigrant groups, the housing conditions were often crowded and dirty. This was no exception. for the Italians. They were arriving off the boats with few possessions and almost no money. It took time before they made enough money to support themselves. The result of this was slums. The Italians initially took over tenements that were previously inhabited by Irish immigrants. Because these homes had been abandoned for a while they were in very poor condition. The housing in East Harlem was especially poor. Jacob Riis took many pictures of these types of situations and revealed this issue to the public.

Crime was also an issue among the Italians. They struggled with juvenile delinquency as well as the Mafia. There was a large scale migration of Mafia members came from Sicily. They maintained their connections with the Mafia in Italy. These types of practices contributed to the anti-immigrant sentiment at this time.

Aside from the the poorer Italians who accepted the physically demanding and low paying jobs some were able to pick up trades or get a job on municipal payroll like in sanitation. Some of these trade jobs include, shoemakers, masons, waiters, and even musicians. Another big employer for Italians was the garment business. Unlike some other immigrant groups the Italian were very eager workers and rarely went on strike. They took whatever work they could find.

Italian women also played a roll. Often they were required to work as well o support their families. Most of them worked in the garment business. Young girls also played a roll in the home taking care of their younger siblings while their parents worked. Much of the time parents did not allow their children to go to school.  They were distrustful of the American public school system. This created a problem for second generations in advancing in society. Some people were able to score white collar jobs. Some went into banking, real estate, and newspapers.

The Italian’s role in politics is also an important thing to consider. They formed their own political groups and some managed to get positions as politicians. One of the more successful individuals was Fiorello La Guardia. Some of the groups that formed were called Brooklyn’s Club Avanti and the Italian Socialist Federation.  Some other organizations formed to help the newcomers adjust as well. One was called the Society for the Protection of Italian Immigrants.

The last thing to consider it how the Italians practiced religion. In Italy, they were surrounded by only Catholics but when they came to New York they suddenly became the minority. They came to distrust the church in America.

Overall the Italians were a very tightly knit community and supported each other in their journey to America. They eventually made their way and many were successful in finding a better life.