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March 29, 1999
For the lecture before spring break, we watched a video called “Becoming American”. It featured a family who left Mong to go to America. Unlike many other immigrants in to the United States, the reason why they left was not because they wanted the fulfill the “American Dream”. They left because they had no choice after the war left them in shambles.
I felt really sorry for the immigrants. They seemed to be living a perfect peaceful life before the war tore them apart. They pretty much had to start over because all they could carry were nine bags. The land that they were entering was completely the opposite of the lifestyles that they had lived before. Also, no one from the family knew the English language so they had couldn’t communicate with anybody except for their family that already lived there. Not knowing the language was bad because they couldn’t get the income necessary to provide the family. I felt really sorry for their situation.
I think that the most important point that the video made was that Americans feel as if immigrants have no right to be here and they don’t belong here. However, if the Americans were forced out of their native land and put in Mong, they probably won’t be able to survive. I had to think about that one for awhile. I agree with what they are saying. I don’t think that I can’t survive without the luxuries that are provided for me in America so I feel privileged that I was born and raised here. However, I can sympathize about how they feel alienated because I am Japanese American myself and I will never look completely American, even if I was born in America.
