This land is her land. Pictured above is new United States citizen Maria Anne Pilgrim, taking the Oath of Allegiance last Friday. Just in case you were wondering... here is the oath:I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.
The law allows new citizens whose religious beliefs require it to omit the words “so help me God” and the bit about bearing arms.
For your final comment of the semester, pretend that that you have been given charge of a portion of Ms. Pilgrim’s cultural assimilation. You must assign her two texts that you feel will help her understand the “real” America: one an early American work from our course syllabus, the other a song.
What would you choose, and why?
Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images. h/t Andrew Sullivan.
Sunday, December 6
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8 comments:
I would assign Ms. Pilgrim of listening to the slave songs, probably the "Go down moses" version that we listened to in class. I think this song is full of history and culture, both of which heavily influence our society today.
For an early American work, I think I would suggest Emerson's "Self Reliance." Emerson captured the great notion that comes with the "dream" that is America: individuality and the power that comes from being an individual. I think that book would give someone who is new to the country something to strive for. They would feel that they have an equal chance to make a difference in this country. I'm not saying that that would happen, but it would certainly get the point of the American ideal across.
I agree that Self Reliance would be a great reading to help with the assimilation into our culture. I think quotes like "Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string." and "Insist on yourself; never imitate." are not only inspirational but important when it comes to finding your place in this society.
As for a song I would assign "Free Fallin" by Tom Petty. I feel that this song is not only patriotic but captures the the mindset of American society.
The book I would assign our new pilgrim would be "Letters from an American Farmer" by Crevecouer. This story gives accounts of the good and bad about America in its beginnings. It would be a good text to show where this country has been and some of the values we still have.
The song I would choose would probably be our National Anthem. Is that too obvious? Another choice might be "America the Beautiful". I would want to portray our national pride with whatever song I chose. I would want to pick a song that she could take pride in.
For the early American work I would assign "Waldon or Life in the Woods" by Thoreau. I think that this captures the life of a traveler who makes his own life work for him and supports himself, which I think is the whole idea of the "American" dream; to keep what you make. For the song, I would choose something like "The Times They Are A-Changin" by Bob Dylan because I think it captures the "controversial" idea of questioning your government and the way things are run; it is a freedom and right as an American to do so.
I agree with what Dan said, I would assign her "Letters from an American Farmer" for basically the same reason. I would like for her to see some of our history through an "average American's" eyes and not the history books that are in our schools.
For the song I would probably choose "This Land is Your Land". Simply because it is her land now. I would like for her to believe that she has become a part of something great.
I agree with Dan. The best book would be "Letters to an American Farmer." This book will give Mrs. Pilgrim the double-truth about what being a an American is all about.
As for the song, I would have her listen to Rage Against the Machines "Know Your Enemy." This song will also warn Mrs. Pilgrim about the sacrifices she must make in order to fit into our society.
Bartelby the scrivener- because its true to America and the way people are treated.
'merica by The Descendants- because you got to know the truth before you say that you got pride.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H44Js74MSuo
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