The theme threading all these readings together seems to be the concept of previous culture, immigration lifestyle, and the struggle of reconciling firm values with assimilation. Reading about the rigid system of the domus and the youth’s desire to disobey brought to mind a specific era in American culture— the counterculture of the 1960s and the rise of the hippie culture. I think that the desire for change and freedom that led the immigrants to America was passed down to their children, but this energy manifested itself in an entirely different way. Now that doors of opportunity were pushed open for them, they were ready to not only live in a different area, but live a completely different lifestyle. They wanted more rights, the ability to experiment with drugs, and to form novel types of music, for instance.

I agree that it was probably better for the Italians who lived among people they knew as opposed to those who inhabited filthy tenements full of varying cultures. To me, domus seems to be a bond that the Italians gripped onto, in fear of change/the unknown. They wanted to persist in their customs and way of life prior to immigration, because, like William said, doing otherwise could potentially destroy the family bonds.

In a sense, I really think that it is important for immigrants’ cultures to be preserved, despite the distance from their home-country. The attributes that make New York so attractive and welcoming is its blend of cultures and the fact that anyone, from any country, can fit in. If being American meant that we merely followed the laws dictated by society and we abandoned any relation to previous culture, then there would be no difference between Americans except for physical appearance. Our food would be the same, our education the same, our opportunities (practically speaking, basically) the same, etc. The domus represents the perpetuation of values and culture and I like knowing that New York will continue to be a diverse, central location.

Italian immigration into Manhattan was very interesting to read about, especially as an Italian-American. Unlike ToniAnn, however, my family is not as tightly-knit. My immediate family gets along pretty well, but my extended family is not as close as other families I’ve seen who have not been in America as long as mine. That’s interesting to me because from the reading, it seemed like the idea of the domus, and rispetto, and a religious emphasis on family bond, was meant to slow or stop Americanization and keep a level of importance placed on the values of their country. I have Italian-American friends, and some have families that immigrated recently, and some, like me, have families that have been here for a while. It’s easy to see that the longer the family has been here the more broken down the idea of the domus is. I would say that over time, from generation to generation, Americanization is inevitable.
In this era where the idea of the domus “governed” Italian-Harlem, it was really easy for Italian immigrants to feel comfortable in this areas because it maintained the ideals of their home country. Immigrants in East Harlem reminisced about Italy, while their children reminisced about East Harlem when they grew up. While this area wasn’t without it’s crime and grit, the Italians spread the idea of family throughout the immigrant population in Italian-Harlem. This helped reduce the cut-throat, every man for himself feeling of places like the Five Points. Also with the deep religious connection like the one surrounding the celebration of The Madonna it was one less thing for people of this community to argue about.

While reading Orsi, I decided that his book was two things: 1) a tribute of his own to the Madonna of 115th Street, as well as 2) a reminder to later Italian generations of their earlier roots.  But while Orsi’s book may focus on the Italian community, there are aspects of it that all of us, as immigrants and the children of immigrants, can connect to.  For example, like Silky mentioned, the Italian domus-centered society is similar to the respect that children must give their elders in Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian, Afghani, Japanese, Chinese, Nepali, …. okay, maybe just about every culture.  In fact, even having lived in America for more than two-thirds my life, I would probably jump off a building before I intentionally disobey my mother.  Even reading about the devotion to the Madonna, which at first glance may seem extreme, had me drawing parallels to other cultures.

But despite having similarities to other cultures, Orsi presents Italian Harlem as a unique community with its individual struggles and victories. For instance, Orsi talked about how the Pope legitimatized the Madonna.  I doubt many other communities can boast about this achievement.  Though this is a very large aspect of Italian Harlem uniqueness, there are others that Orsi mentions that are just as significant.  For example, outside communities were often astonished by the way the Italians celebrated the festa.  Even the Italian clergy shook their heads at them, wishing for them to adopt traditions more acceptable to mainstream Americans.  Only an insider was able to truly appreciate this feature of the Italian culture.  In order to truly understand this or any other community, one must look with the eyes of an insider.  Alexa talked about this when she talks about the mind-boggling task that we have to complete in four short months–understanding the communities that make New York New York.

I agree with Silky’s remark about how she relates to the domus centered society to her own family life.  As a child I was always surrounded by family, my cousins where my babysitters and my friends, and missing family gatherings was a big “no no” to us.  It’s how I was raised and I can see where this kind of family bond stems from after this week’s  readings.  My family may be Hispanic, but the value of family unity still comes before anything else.  Respect wasn’t just expected, it was required.  Much like the domus centered society of the Italian immigrants, family ties and religion is what kept my family so united.  I always hear stories of how my cousins were punished whenever they showed disrespect to someone older and I could only think to myself, how did I get so lucky to avoid that? My answer came from reading about the respect-fear that was instilled to keep Italian children in line.  That kind of respect-fear doesn’t exist as much in the U.S. because of all the child abuse laws that prevent parents from punishing their kids the way they might have in their countries of origin.  But I also think there’s another reason why respect-fear might not be as common, at least in my household.  My parents never wanted to subject me to the punishments that they had to undergo when they were younger, and because of how American society shapes our values it’s easy to see how it might influence younger generations of parents to be a little easier on their children.

Reading about La Madonna really made me see the similarities between Italian and Bolivian heritage.  In New York we have statues of the Virgin Mary that come straight from different cities in Bolivia that are celebrated and prayed to in hopes that the processions, feasts and festivities in her honor bring about success and prosperity.  It’s a tradition that I became so accustomed to, but always had to explain to others why Bolivians did it.

La Madonna was more than just a religious symbol, she was a powerful figure who received respect and admiration from the likes of men and women alike.  She was the symbol that women looked to for strength, guidance and protection in difficult times.

The basic idea that just kept occurring throughout the readings, and as Silky and many people already mentioned and posted, is that family was important in Italian Harlem. Family was the reason Italians emigrated to the U. S. and the goal was to bring the entire family to the new land. To conduct oneself without consent of the domus or to stray from traditions normally meant that you were going to be ostracized and considered the shame of the family. And family was not only the mother, father, siblings, etc., but also members of the community that had become close to the family, known as the comari and compari. Their devotion to la Madonna seemed to facilitate the coming together of an entire community who admired and thanked her for her help.

I can also relate to some of the concepts Orsi mentions in these chapters and what ToniAnn, Jessica, and Liz said. My family is pretty close, although I am not Italian. Many of my aunts, uncles, and cousins live a 5 to 10 minute drive from my home. Throughout the year, we have small get-togethers, and on major celebrations, like a wedding, or the holidays, like Christmas, the family comes together to celebrate.  I was taught to respect the older members, and even some distant relatives are considered close family.

Like Allexa said, there were some paradoxes in this neighborhood that also exist as a whole in New York City. Family, or domus, life was central and people felt very close to each other. However, there was also tension and resentment because the younger generations didn’t always want to conform. For example, it was only acceptable to associate with other Italians and the people within your neighborhood. Not only did children have to respect their parents, but also the older brother. Although there was definitely love, many people also seemed lived in fear. But overall, it was their family ideals that kept them together.

It was interesting to read about so much church politics, and how la Madonna represented so much of Italian Harlem’s history and life. From where the statue of la Madonna was placed, to the prayers she’s heard, la Madonna was a big part of early Italian American life in East Harlem. And when it came to crowning la Madonna in the church, many of them were willing to donate family gold towards the crown. I have never really thought about how the problems that arise from different observations of the same religion are dealt with so diplomatically. The crowning of la Madonna was done to appease the Italian American Catholics, yet it was also to try and make the Italian American Catholics assimilate into a more American Catholicism. The Italians’ way of worshipping, especially with feasts and celebrations, seemed sacrilegious to many non-Italian Catholics.

Another big part of Italian culture and life is family, or the domus. I think that for a lot of different cultures, family is an important aspect, but as for the Italians in East Harlem, family is essentially a religion. It is ironic how the women are supposed to be more subservient to the men in public, but in many times, it is really the women that are in charge of the house hold. In terms of father and son, things aren’t also as they appear. Sometimes, even though the father may try to show that he has more power in public, in reality, it is the son that has more power. Reputation is indeed very important in this domus based culture.

And from reputation conflicts can arise. If a girl has dated too many times, her reputation can be ruined, and she might have to move to a new place. And since culture is domus based, individual actions can reflect on the family as a whole, so many people have to sacrifice a lot of things to maintain the family’s reputation, as well as the solidity of the family. This can mean giving up a potential wife/husband, or not taking a certain job. I find these sacrifices commendable, and I am not sure if I would be able to make the same sacrifices for my family.

Aside from the fact that every minute of every day was a struggle for these immigrants, I couldn’t help but be a little jealous of them.  Of course I wasn’t jealous of the hardships they had to face, the journey coming to America and then the hardships of making a new life for themselves here as immigrants.  Instead, I was jealous of the sense of culture they had, and the way they lived in tight-knit communities.

As ToniAnn and Jessica mentioned, I was also raised with some of the same values shared by the Italian immigrants, such as the value of being close to your family and respecting elders.  However, no matter which way you spin it, it is impossible to say that we live in the type of community that the Italian immigrants lived in back then.  Although I am close to my family, we don’t all live right next to each other.

I wish that I had the experience of living in the domus society of the Italians.     The domus fostered a close community structure with rispetto for the home, the elderly, etc.  Although I think it would be fun to have lived in the Italian domus society for a while, I wouldn’t want to live that lifestyle forever because of the restrictions placed upon everyone, especially young women.  For all the closeness shared between family members, it was crazy how easy it was to break that family bond.  As a few people mentioned, reputation was a big deal, and some men or women rejected husbands/wives in order to stay in the domus.  It was particularly difficult for young women.  Although La Madonna was the symbol of female strength, it seemed as though this female empowerment and respect only applied to elder women.  Young women had to be careful not to be “too educated” or they would scare away less educated suitors, and they had to put their male relatives’ schedules before their own.

Although I often wish I could go back in time to experience what it was like to live in a small village before money and technology, back when a big outing was going to the market to trade your three chickens for a cow, I have to say that ultimately, I’m happy that I live in the society and time I do now.  My nostalgia for living in an Italian domus society is just like my nostalgia for the little village I mentioned above- every type of community has its benefits and its downsides, so although I would have loved to experience life in the domus, I wouldn’t want to live permanently in any other society/time than this one.

I may not be Italian, but coming from a very closely linked family, I can completely understand the idea of the domus having complete control over the younger generation. As Toni-Ann mentions in her posts, it is hard for anyone to be put under such harsh pressures as the Italian girls were in Italian Harlem. Like Silky says, families in East Harlem at the turn of the 20th century were brought together through their familial traditions and this placed restraints on the younger generation, who would have preferred to Americanize themselves.

The role of women was extremely surprising for me to read about in these chapters. Usually, Italian women are seen as the housewives, who must do the cooking, the cleaning, and the care-taking. They are the softer, more fragile members of the family and must take care of the househole from the inside. However, in these chapters, women are portrayed as the more dominant of the household, and the ones to dispense punishments and money. The wives took care of the family’s paychecks and bills, the punishment of misbehaved children, while still taking care of the assumed female responsibilities. In society though, women had to feign subservience to their husbands, and although everyone knew it wasn’t truthful, it was made to seem that the men had the dominant position. Women were shunned from society by silence imposed on them. It’s actually very interesting topic, because in another of my classes, we’ve been speaking of this repression in books such as “Lessico Famigliare,” “Casalinghitudine” and “Autoritratto di Gruppo.” The silence imposed on women is meant, as Orsi says, to keep them from having complete control.

The important role of women in society was also seen by the admiration of the statue of la Madonna. This statue helped the immigrants come to terms with their removal from Italian society, by having a little light of hope, a monument that gave them strength to continue on in their plight in their new home. As Silky says though, la Madonna wasn’t what held the community together: it was the domus-their ideals and traditions that kept them together. La Madonna was merely a symbol of this, a tangible object that could be turned to out of desperation, when they felt like the domus was falling apart, and they were losing their ties to their native culture.