History

In “From Every End of This Earth”, Steven Roberts recounts the lives of 13 families from different countries. He addresses the issues of what it means to be an immigrant in 21st century America. In many ways it has not changed from what existed in the early 19th century when the Industrial Revolution was sweeping across America. The 9/11 attack and the problems with immigration today appears to us to be new issues but in reality is just a repeat of the past. As different waves of immigration enter our shores and border lines, each culture brings with it different beliefs, values, families structures, religions, and child rearing beliefs and different philosophies towards education. America is more than a “melting pot”, it is a mosaic, with each piece rather ordinary by itself but when put together it becomes a beautiful work of art. The challenges to each of us in the 21st century is to find a way to be that “cultural broker” each child and family needs to help them achieve their “American Dream”. Please select 3 families and compare and contrast their character traits and cultural beliefs and practices. What drove them to be the people they were? Why did they come to America? What were their hopes and dreams for their children and for their families? How did they maintain their cultural identities and yet learn to fit into the beautiful mosaic that is America. How did they learn a new language and why is it important to maintain the native language while learning a second language? Did they achieve their dream? Your paper should be 6-8 pages, (double-spaced, 12-font/Times New Roman/Black.