Junot Diaz's "Drown"

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses Junot Diaz's "Drown," a collection of stories that tell of the contemporary misery and urban despair that can grow from poverty and distance from one's own cultural setting. The paper looks at the intersections of race and immigration in American history and then looks at the protagonists in Diaz's "Drown." The paper argues that the issues faced by the characters - poverty and racism - were quite similar to the ones faced by the earliest immigrants to this country. The paper concludes that the United States has long benefited from this cycle of immigration, assimilation and change. The paper argues that immigration is therefore an intrinsic part of the American Dream and as such, it should be allowed to continue.

Outline:
Race and Immigration: A Historical Perspective
The New Immigrants in Diaz's "Drown"
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"By the 1800s, one-third of the American population was composed of immigrants and their children. These figures show that there was actually much diversity at the dawn of America, and that immigration was an intrinsic part of the American Dream from the very beginning. Even more important, not every immigrant prior to 1900 was considered "white." Variations in European ancestry may seem trivial today, but in the 1790s, there was much tension and dissent among the people of various European descent. Americans who were of English extraction were very critical of how ethnic diversity was threatening the culture of the new colonies. Many even sought to limit immigration and criticized the newcomers for maintaining their own ethnic enclaves and clinging to their own language."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Diaz, Junot. Drown. New York: Riverhead, 1997.
• Edmonston, B. and J. Passel, eds. Immigration and Ethnicity: The Integration of America's Newest Arrivals. Washington, DC: Urban Institute Press, 1994.
• Pagnini, D. and S.P. Morgan. "Intermarriage and Social Distance Among Immigrants at the Turn of the Century." American Journal of Sociology 96(1990):405-32.

More papers on Junot Diaz's "Drown":

• Book Review # 114444 : "Junot Diaz's "Ysrael"
• Comparison Essay # 110379 : "Annie John" and "Drown"
• Comparison Essay # 145359 : "The Role of Fathers in Latino Families"

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