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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 6 page essay that explores 2 works. Yoshiko Uchida's memoir Desert Exile (1982) and Anzia Yezierska's Bread Givers (1925). In these books, readers encounter the accounts of two women, each descended from first generation immigrants to America, each facing prejudice and obstacles and each coming to terms with the difficulty of being of ethnic origin in Protestant, Anglo American culture. Uchida's book is a personal memoir and while Yezierska's text is fictional, it nevertheless draws on her own Polish background and accurately reflects Jewish immigrant life in the first half of the twentieth century. While the two works address different eras and different ethnicity, they are similar in that each woman comes to terms with her own definition of what it means to be American. No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khyezuch.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
to America, each facing prejudice and obstacles and each coming to terms with the difficulty of being of ethnic origin in Protestant, Anglo American culture. Uchidas book is a personal
memoir and while Yezierskas text is fictional, it nevertheless draws on her own Polish background and accurately reflects Jewish immigrant life in the first half of the twentieth century. While
the two works address different eras and different ethnicity, they nevertheless are similar in that each woman comes to terms with her own definition of what it means to be
American. Sara Smolinsky, Yezierskas protagonist, like her sister, is under the thumb of a domineering patriarchal Jewish father. Reb Smolinsky has devoted his life to the study of the Torah
and other holy books. The novel opens with the family on the verge of starvation because of his refusal to earn a living. He relies on his daughters to bring
money into the family and is controlling and manipulative, as he scares away suitors who might derive him of his daughters income. He arranges marriages for Saras three older sisters
based solely on the ability and willingness of the suitor to pay a dowry. Sara see how miserable her sisters lives are and determines that her life will be her
own. Throughout the novel, Yezierska shows how Sara has absorbed the American values. For example, she steadfastly rejects the Judaic concept that she is "less than nothing" without a
man (Yezierska 205). Rather than accept her fathers Old World values, Sara embraces American culture, declaring, "In America, women dont need men to boss them" (Yezierska 137). In a dramatic
confrontation with her father, Sara declares her independence, "Thank God, Im not living in olden times. Thank God Im living in America! You made the lives of the other children!
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