now everything lost has been to you" (Girmay 28-29). This line stands out to me because of the way that the hispanic culture has been a minority in society and sometimes is segregated. That being said, I have a great appreciation for the Spanish culture and its influences in California.
The Heartland represents a vast history of California and stands as a frontier in my eyes. With its long ranges of corn rows and agricultural land, the heartland stands for the true "heart" of California. That being said, people in the heartland are often limited by the emptiness of the open land. For example, in "We in the Fields", Emerson writes that the workers are, "hopelessly longing to know the red beauty" (Emerson 13). In my perspective, this idea of the red beauty represents the horizon and the city life of other parts of California. This is something that people want to experience, and this often leaves this part of California forgotten.
The Bay Area is somewhere that I have visited a few times in my life. When I think of this area I consider the vast fog banks and vibrant city life of San Francisco. San Francisco is an area that is very influenced by Chinese culture. In the streets of China Town, this culture is very prominent and in Amy Tan's, "Fish Cheeks", she displays this influence. With many Chinese immigrants coming to the United States, a struggle emerged to preserve their culture while assimilating to the customs of the Untied States. Tan writes, "and even though I didn’t agree with her then, I knew that she understood how much I had suffered during the evening’s dinner" (Tan 1). This is a story of a Chinese girl finally appreciating her culture after being self conscious due to her feelings for a white man. Ultimately, this culture contributes to the diversity in this area and many other parts of California.
Greg, this blog is well written in a way that you give appreciation to each part of California that we have gone through. However, I do not fully agree with you when you said that "people in the heartland are often limited by the emptiness of the open land". While I feel there is much open land, I also feel this open land gives people who live out there the ability to do what they want and live live with less restraints. That being said, they are not able to live a "city" lifestyle but they are able to replicate some things. Well done on bringing connections to these places through the readings and your own personal stories. Out of all these places, which one is the place you feel is the most opportunistic for a person immigrating to go live?
ReplyDeleteGreg, I think our views of California align in many ways, especially when thinking about the Southland and the Bay Area. The diversity of California is in many ways glamorous, but do not forget about the shadows in the sunshine when it comes to discrimination and racism.
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