Multicultural a Reader - Perfection Learning

Many Voices: A Multicultural Reader/Collection One—Student Edition sampler

a Multicultural

Reader

C O L L E C T I O N O N E

M A N Y V O I C E S L I T E R A T U R E S E R I E S

Perfection Learning® (800) 831-4190


Table of Contents

Families: Comfort and Conflict

L o o k i n g f o r Wo r k Gary Soto memoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

T h e Wa r r i o r sAnna Lee Walters short story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

N i k k i - R o s aNikki Giovanni poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

from R o o t sAlex Haley autobiography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

I m m i g r a n t P i c n i cGregory Djanikian poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

H o u s e p a i n t i n gLan Samantha Chang short story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

T h e H o r n e d To a dGerald Haslam short story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Traditions and Customs

T h e R e a l T h i n g Marilou Awiakta poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

G e n t l e m a n o f R í o e n M e d i o Juan Sedillo short story . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

S u n d ay Angela Shannon poem . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

T H E M E O N E

T H E M E T WO


Fo r t u n e Te l l e rNguyen Duc Minh short story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

L i t t l e T h i n g s A r e B i g Jesus Colón essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

T h e C u t t i n g o f M y L o n g H a i r Zitkala-Sa memoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109

T h e L i o n S l e e p s To n i g h tEgyirba High memoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

M a g i cLiz Rosenberg short story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118

Becoming Me

D av i d Ta l a m á n t e z o n t h e L a s t D ay o f S e c o n d G r a d e Rosemary Catacalos poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130

A W h o l e N a t i o n a n d a Pe o p l eHarry Mark Petrakis short story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133

from B l a c k B oyRichard Wright autobiography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140

I n d i a n E d u c a t i o nSherman Alexie short story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146

C h i t t e r l i n g Henry Van Dyke short story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151

N o t K n ow i n g , i n A z t l á nTino Villanueva poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165

Fox H u n tLensey Namioka short story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166

t h i s m o r n i n g Lucille Clifton poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176

T i f f a n yas told to Rebecca Carroll personal essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177

T H E M E T H R E E


Between Two Worlds

M o n ke y m a nWalter Dean Myers short story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186

T h a n k Yo u i n A r a b i c Naomi Shihab Nye memoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197

R e a d i n g Po e m s i n P u b l i c Maurice Kenny poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

A m e r i c a n H e r o Essex Hemphill poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

A S h o t a t I t Esmeralda Santiago memoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

A c h i ev i n g t h e A m e r i c a n D r e a m Mario Cuomo essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

T h e W i n t e r H i b i s c u s Minfong Ho short story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Defining Moments

A m e r i c a n H i s t o r yJudith Ortiz Cofer short story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

h a t e Tato Laviera poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262

L e t t e r t o a Yo u n g R e f u g e e f r o m A n o t h e rAndrew Lam letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

N o t Po o r, J u s t B r o ke Dick Gregory autobiography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

A N e w S t o r y Simon J. Ortiz poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

T H E M E F O U R

T H E M E F I V E


Fo u l S h o t s Rogelio R. Gomez article . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276

I T h o u g h t A b o u t T h i s G i r lJerome Weidman short story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

A M a s o n - D i x o n M e m o r yClifton Davis memoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286

Outside Influences

C r o s s O v e rRita Williams-Garcia drama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298

F i e l d Wo r k Rose del Castillo Guilbault short story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306

Ta t t o oGregg Shapiro poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312

f ro m I K n ow W h y t h e C a g e d B i r d S i n g sMaya Angelou autobiography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314

H av e Yo u H e a r d A b o u t A m e r i c a ? D. L. Birchfield poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319

A H a i r c u t I. S. Nakata short story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320

T h e P h o n e B o o t h a t t h e C o r n e rJuan Delgado poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .325

A m e r i c a n s A l lMichael Dorris essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327

Author Biographies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334

Glossary of Literary Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343

Index of Titles and Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347

T H E M E S I X


Ten Thousand Things▲▲▲▲

A Chinese American college girl who struggles with her parent’s expectations. A Greek Americanboy who learns a lesson from a cranky shopkeeper. Two African American friends who get caughtin the crossfire of gang warfare.

In Many Voices, you will hear the familiar sound of English, but in tones and accents thathave a distinctive ethnic flavor. The writers who make up the conversation are primarily AfricanAmerican, Hispanic, Asian American, and Native American, groups that together representnearly 40 percent of all students in the United States. But writers from other ancestries contributeas well, including those of Greek, Italian, Jewish, and Arabic heritage.

An ethnic identity can make life more difficult for people, but it may also contribute muchmeaning and joy. The Chicano poet, Benjamin Alire Sáenz, wrote recently, “I cling to my cul-ture because it is my skin, because it is my heart, because it is my voice, because it breathes mymother’s mother’s mother into me. . . . I am blind without the lenses of my culture.”

Many of us don’t come into contact with people from other ethnic groups in meaningfulways. We may go to work and school with them, but never strike up true relationships. Literaturegives us the opportunity to learn what we otherwise might never know. Against the backdrop ofethnicity, the characters in these stories, essays, and poems raise questions common to us all:Who am I? How important is my family? How do I conduct my relationships with others? Howdoes the outside world influence me? Quality literature may provoke more questions thananswers, but they are the questions that everyone should ask.

You read multicultural literature for the same reasons you read other kinds of literature:out of curiosity and because you want to see your own life reflected back at you in the storiesof others. Most of all you read because you want to be transported to another world and enter-tained. Reading ethnic literature is unlikely to make you unlearn all of your prejudices. But itmay help you to figure out which differences among ethnic cultures actually matter. ThePulitzer Prize-winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks said, “I believe that we should all know eachother, we human carriers of so many pleasurable differences. To not know is to doubt, to shrinkfrom, sidestep or destroy.”

Finally, you should remember that ethnic or not, writers are individuals practicing a verypersonal art. You can’t assume that what they write is characteristic of others who share theirracial or ethnic identity. As the noted poet Elizabeth Alexander wrote in one of her poems: “I didn’t want to write a poem that said ‘blackness / is,’ because we know better than anyone /that we are not one or ten or ten thousand things.”

Just like you know better than anyone else that you are not one or ten or even ten thousand things.


Concept Vocabulary

You will find the following terms and definitions useful as you read and discuss the selections in

this book. Each word is defined and then used in a sentence.

assimilation the process of fitting in to a new culture or becoming like others in thatculture

Learning a language and social customs is important to assimilation.

bigotry prejudice; intolerance

Assuming that people from a certain race have little to offer is bigotry.

bilingual speaking two languages fluently

It was clear to the other students that Miguel was bilingual after he delivered hisspeech perfectly in both English and Spanish.

biracial having a dual racial heritage

Because she was biracial, Stacey celebrated both Japanese and American holidays.

civil rights the freedoms and rights a person may have as a member of a community, state, or nation. Civil Rights, when capitalized, refers specifically toAfrican Americans’ struggle for freedom and fair treatment in the 1960s.

“It’s my civil right!” Bill protested, insisting that he be allowed to make a phone callfrom the precinct.

culture a characteristic set of beliefs and practices of a racial, regional, religious, orother social group

In the Vietnamese culture, members of an extended family often live together underone roof.

desegregation the act of breaking down the barriers that separate ethnic groups

In order to achieve desegregation, some school districts transport students by busfrom the schools in their own neighborhoods to more distant schools.

discrimination a biased attitude or act of prejudice against a group

Barring members of a certain race or religion from a club or organization is an actof discrimination.

diversity variety; differences. In the study of human culture, diversity refers to the differences among individuals and groups of people in society as a whole.

The racial diversity of the yearbook staff mirrored that of the school population.

9

▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲



T H E M E O N E


Daddy...hesitated as if to clear his

throat, then answered,

“When you’re family, you take

care of your own. ”

“The Horned Toad”–Gerald Haslam

The Horned Toad

Gerald Haslam



xpectoran su sangre!” exclaimed Great-grandmawhen I showed her the small horned toad I hadremoved from my breast pocket. I turned towardmy mother, who translated:“They spit blood.”

“De los ojos,” Grandma added. “From theireyes,” mother explained, herself uncomfortablein the presence of the small beast.

I grinned, “Awwwwww.”But my great-grandmother did not smile.

“Son muy toxicos,”1 she nodded with finality.Mother moved back an involuntary step, her hands suddenlybusy at her breast. “Put that thing down,” she ordered.

“His name’s John,” I said.“Put John down and not in your pocket, either,” my mother

nearly shouted. “Those things are very poisonous. Didn’t youunderstand what Grandma said?”

I shook my head.“Well . . .” mother looked from one of us to the other—

spanning four generations of California, standing three feetapart—and said, “of course you didn’t. Please take him backwhere you got him, and be careful. We’ll all feel better when youdo.” The tone of her voice told me that the discussion hadended, so I released the little reptile where I’d captured him.

During those years in Oildale, the mid-1940s, I needed onlyto walk across the street to find a patch of virgin desert.Neighborhood kids called it simply “the vacant lot,” less than anacre without houses or sidewalks. Not that we were desperate fordesert then, since we could walk into its scorched skin a merehalf-mile west, north, and east. To the south, incongruously,flowed the icy Kern River, fresh from the Sierras2 and surroundedby riparian forest.3

The Horned Toad

EPay attention to the role

that place, or setting, plays

as you read the story.

LI T E R A RY LE N S

61

▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲

incongruously inconsistently; not conforming to expectations

1 Son muy toxicos: Spanish for “They are very poisonous.”

2 Sierras: the Sierra Nevadas, a mountain range in the western United States

3 riparian forest: a forest that runs along the banks of a river

spanningextending across


front seat, snuggled close to Daddy, and I heard her whisper tohim, “Thank you, Charlie,” as she kissed his cheek.

Daddy squeezed her, hesitated as if to clear his throat, thenanswered, “When you’re family, you take care of your own.”

The Horned Toad 71

▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲

Why does the great-grandson feel strongly about the place where his

great-grandmother should be buried?

LI T E R A RY LE N S

Responding to Theme One

Responding to Theme One


D I S C U S S I N G

1. The sisters in “The Warriors” learn about Pawnee values from UncleRalph. What values have you learned from your family that you wouldlike to pass on to the next generation?

2. A symbol is something that stands for, or represents, something else. Arose, for example, sometimes symbolizes love. In the last selection in thistheme, what do you think the horned toad symbolizes?

3. Pick two selections from this theme. Identify sources of comfort and con-flict in each.

4. In your opinion, which family in this theme exerts the most influence onits members? Why did you choose this family?

5. If you could spend one week with one of the families in this theme,which one would you choose? Why?

6. To deepen your understanding of the concept of family, use a chart likethe one below to define, or describe, each of the families in this theme.Use one descriptive word for each selection. Try not to repeat the definingwords you use.

Title Descriptive Word

Looking for Work

The Warriors

Nikki-Rosa

from Roots

Immigrant Picnic

Housepainting

The Horned Toad

Using what you have learned, write an informal, one sentence definitionof family.

72

▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲



7. Another Way to Respond Read “Nikki-Rosa” aloud in class, each person speaking a different line. What did you learn from hearing it this way? Did you prefer to hear it or read it silently?

I T ’ S D E B ATA B L E

Divide into two teams, affirmative and negative, and debate the followingresolution. You don’t have to join the team that will argue for the positionwith which you really agree; you may learn more if you argue for the opposite side.

Resolved: Your family has more influence on you than anything else in yourlife.

W R I T I N G

Literary Analysis: Memorable CharactersUncle Ralph in “The Warriors” and the great-grandmother in “The HornedToad” are both strong characters. Pick one and analyze the ways the authormakes this character come to life in the story. You will want to include background, economic class, lifestyle, speech, personality weaknesses andstrengths, and what others learn from the character in your analysis.

Creative Craft: Family MattersUsing “Immigrant Picnic” as a model, write a poem in which family mem-bers talk with one another. You might consider writing about conversationsat a family gathering, a conflict between two siblings, or a comfortingmoment between a grandmother and a grandchild.

Telling Your Own Story

This book isn’t complete until you tell your own story. Begin by writingabout you and your family members.You might consider writing about amemorable family gathering, a relationship you have with another familymember, or relatives who immigrated to the United States. Keep yourwork in a special place as you will be adding to it at the end of eachtheme.


▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲

73

▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲

Glossary of Literary Terms

allusion a reference to an historical or literary figure,happening, or event

analogy an extended comparison of two differentthings that have certain similarities

anecdote a short, minor incident that illustrates a pointin the larger work

author’s purpose an author’s reason for writing: to entertain,inform, express an opinion, or persuade

autobiography a true account of a person’s life written bythat person

character a person being written about in a work of literature

characterization the way in which an author creates and develops a character

climax the turning point or defining moment in awork of literature; some stories do not haveclear climaxes

conflict the struggle between opposing forces that isthe basis of good dramatic writing

connotation the emotional associations surrounding aword

contrast showing something against its opposite inorder to clarify its meaning

defining moment the point at which a character experiences orrealizes something so significant that itchanges his or her life or way of looking atthings; sometimes called a turning point

341

▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲


Multicultural a Reader - Perfection Learning

Documents

Transcript of Multicultural a Reader - Perfection Learning