StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Hyphenated American Position Paper - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The identity of the Irish-American changed drastically over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and continues to shift within the twenty-first. The culture has been by turns condemned and romanticized, the people assumed to be drunkards or charming ignorami…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER92.4% of users find it useful
Hyphenated American Position Paper
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Hyphenated American Position Paper"

Download file to see previous pages

In this way, the Irish-American has found a hyphenated identity through response to American perceptions of his (or her) Irishness. The grim nature of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century perceptions of Irish-Americans can be examined through a look at Nast's 1871 cartoon, reproduced below: Two particular signifiers of Irish-American stereotype are present in this picture. The character holds a bottle in one hand and a gun in the other. The bottle signifies Irish drunkenness, and the gun, violence.

These stereotypes are so strongly ingrained that even a Korean-born man like myself can look at these signifiers and interpret them in the way intended by the artist. Further, the writing on the bottle - “Gun Powder, Uncle Sam's” - signifies that the Irish-Americans support their less than respectable habits with the resources of their new land. Nast also addressed Irish females in a series of cartoons about a servant named Brigid. The actual cartoons are difficult to locate, but a description can be found of her in Bronwen Walter's Outsiders Inside as a “clownish Irish maid.” (63) These characteristics were among America's first popular perceptions of the Irish-American.

The Irish-American had much to contend with in building an identity. . The narrator of the song applies for a job and is told, “No Irish need apply,” and the following occurs: I couldn't stand it longer, so a hoult [sic] of him I took, And I gave him such a welting as he'd get at Donnybrook. He hollered, Millia murther, and to get away did try, And swore he'd never write again, No Irish need apply. He made a big apology, I bid him thin [sic] good-bye, Saying: Whin [sic] next you want a bating [sic] write, No Irish need apply.

(Poole, 1862) In this stanza, the narrator reclaims ownership of the violence stereotype, but turns it into an expression of pride. The final line signifies the narrator's willingness to stand up for his identity. In reclaiming this identity, he also reclaims the stereotype of the Irish-American as violent. He seems to intend an act of physical violence to be read as strength and pride instead of the byproduct of laziness associated with the trait in the Nast cartoons. This reclaiming continued long past the 1860s.

Over a century later, Irish author Frank McCourt responded to these cartoons in his 1997 musical The Irish and How They Got That Way. His responses are not verbal but theatrical, as his actors perform “Brigid” jokes: WOMAN 1:Mrs. Van Wick said to Brigid, 'Look at the dust on this sideboard; I can write my name in it!' WOMAN 2: Lord above, Missus, isn't it a great thing to have an education! (McCourt, 1997) In performance, as viewable on the original cast recording, the actress portraying the mistress speaks in a high-class accent.

The actress portraying “Brigid,” by contrast, speaks in a high-pitched brogue and rolls her eyes at the punchline. This action serves as a commentary on the ridiculousness of the joke

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Hyphenated American Position Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words”, n.d.)
Hyphenated American Position Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/visual-arts-film-studies/1435802-hyphenated-american-position-paper
(Hyphenated American Position Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words)
Hyphenated American Position Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words. https://studentshare.org/visual-arts-film-studies/1435802-hyphenated-american-position-paper.
“Hyphenated American Position Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/visual-arts-film-studies/1435802-hyphenated-american-position-paper.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Hyphenated American Position Paper

Business Management and Instrumental Values

position paper When it comes to business management, the values that I hold most central and important to how I approach work are creativity, innovations, self respect and flexibility.... And when it comes to instrumental values, I hold dependability and trust very close to my heart....
5 Pages (1250 words) Term Paper

John Gasts American Progress 1872 Painting

american progress Your name Institution american progress John Gast's american Progress 1872 painting was one the most symbolical piece of art in the history of America.... It symbolizes one of the most important events that took place in american history.... The american progress painting shows a translucently and unsteady dressed America floating westwards through the air with the star of empire on her brow....
7 Pages (1750 words) Term Paper

The Position of Religious Leaders in African-American Communities

The paper "The Position of Religious Leaders in African-American Communities"  tells that research proves that many African religious leaders were intimidated and retained with several physical tortures.... Although scholars disagreements on the extent of Christianity among the African-american society, there is however no doubt that black Christian evangelism influenced the population tremendously in championing their rights and transforming the entire american society (Johnstone, 2006)....
7 Pages (1750 words) Research Paper

The Use of Emergency Contraception

position paper on Emergency Contraception Name University position paper on Emergency Contraception The use of emergency contraception is controversial because of debates on its health, religious and ethical aspects.... A random survey of 1000 american women and 1002 men who were 18 years and above was conducted in 1994....
8 Pages (2000 words) Research Paper

Research paper of African-American Music

The African american subculture thus, has great importance in America and music has played… The black music has undergone a lot of changes with the change in the black community itself and there was a significant musical revolution back in the start of the 20th century (Brooks, 118). Most of the musical changes in the The Harlem had significant influences over music and dance and introduced the genres of blues, jazz, hip – hop and rap music in America.... Both the blues and the rap are important types of African american music....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper

Gender Differences in the African American Community

Going through various articles and books that have researched on the difference in the African american society, it was identified that the African american society were at par on issues… Both the women and men in the middle working class has been sharing responsibility, and there is no defined house role for a specific person.... Even though some parts of the world and community are still fighting gender equality, the African american communities have made some great achievements....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper

Psychological Questions for Immigrants in America

The paper "Psychological Questions for Immigrants in America" focuses on the fact that The main reason for the presence of various cultures in the United States is immigration from other countries and environments whether the immigrants are integrated into the receiving society.... mmigration and Cultural Diversity: Chryssochoou (2004) states that: in plural societies, a cultural group might be in a minority position at several different levels: economic power, political power, numerical terms....
6 Pages (1500 words) Term Paper

Chromatographic and Hyphenated Methods

The paper “Chromatographic and Hyphenated Methods” analyzes esomeprazole magnesium, which is a chemical substance that prevents gastric acid secretion.... Its chemical formula is Magnesium 5-methoxy-2-[(4-methoxy-3, 5-trimethylpyridine-2-yr)methylsulfinyl]benzimidazol-1-ide....
6 Pages (1500 words) Research Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us