Author: Michael Ritardi

Catch-All/Student Discussion Questions Reading and Film Presentations and Discussion

Who Are We? Ch 8 ERA

In Chapter 8, Huntington discusses immigration and how the composition of American immigrants has undergone drastic changes over the years. At the onset of mass American immigration, the composition of immigrants was relatively homogenous in that people coming into the country mostly consisted of white European Christians. Many people entered the country, but not all stayed. Those that remained and did not return to their home countries truly wanted to be American and embraced the ideals. As time has progressed, however, immigrant groups have varied significantly. No longer do all immigrants coming into America at any given time share the same skin color, religious beliefs, or cultural backgrounds. Traditionally, these groups face some adversity on their route to being fully integrated in society. Events that inspire patriotism like wars help assimilate these immigrants because everyone is fighting under the same flag for the nation. No one can risk more than their life for their country and generally this has caused Americans to be more accepting of foreign immigrants.

One of the largest issues facing American immigrant assimilation in today’s world is the idea of dual citizenship. In the past, people came to America to become Americans and generally abandon past identities, while still retaining cultural values. Today, however, immigrants tend to hold onto their past identities and maintain dual citizenship, creating a fundamental lack of commitment to their country. One can never be truly part of country if deep down they have allegiance to another. Symptoms of this are people not fully wanting to assimilate into a new country’s culture, which will inevitably cause issues down the road. It goes without question that immigration is at a perilous point. Can immigration continue to thrive in a traditional way while the prospect of dual citizenship still exists? Can a person fully assimilate into a new nation while maintaining an allegiance to a past country, or is this impossible?

Reading and Film Presentations and Discussion

ERA McCarth pp1-30

The first thirty pages of McCarthy’s novel are chiefly an exposition for the atmosphere that John Grady and his family are living in. After the death of his grandfather, the family ranch and estate is put up for sale. A hotly debated topic in the household, the grandson of the family wishes to run the ranch himself, while his mother wants to live a life free of the constraints of the ranch. The father of the family, who is of little help in pushing the decision either way, is not very present in family life as he and John’s mother appear to be separated. The harsh realities of ranch life are looming over the story throughout the beginning of the novel. Ranching, a barely sustainable business to begin with, is the only thing that the Gradys’ have ever known. Now the family has to make the difficult decision to give up everything that their former patriarch spent his entire life building. After failing to convince his mother to keep possession of the ranch with him at the helm, John decides to take a trip to get some distance from his mother. Faced with a new journey ahead, it is unknown will come for the protagonist John. All that is known for certain is that his beloved family ranch will not be part of his future and he is going to be left out to fight for himself in the world. What does this excerpt say about the struggles of the American rancher? How are the recurring themes of hope disappointment present throughout the reading?

Short Essays and Responses

Short Essay #2

The very concept of religion implies having a set of values and some degree of a moral code amongst its followers. The Anglo-Protestant religion and the cultural values that came along with it played a significant role in the unity and progression of the early United States; as time went on, however, the dilution of the importance of religion in society has actually served to the advantage of the immensely progressive nation. At the onset of the United States, Anglo-Protestant religious activity helped unite citizens across state lines under common beliefs and values. While this was beneficial at first, diversity is an important element of any progressive society and the dilution of the Anglo-Protestant stereotype has allowed for new, more enlightened thinking to spread throughout the United States.

History has shown that having religious aspects in a society is not intrinsically a bad thing. In many cases, the idea of religion keeps people in line and has the ability to build tightknit communities that are able to work towards common goals. This type of structure can be traced to even ancient civilizations like Egypt, where thousands of people came together to contract religious monuments and improve their civilizations. Religion in the early United States was no different. The common belief in one God and the same belief system united people across state lines. Before the United States came to be and mere colonies existed on the east coast of North America, the Great Awakening was “the first time…the colonies [were brought] together in a common social, emotional, and religious experience” (Huntington 109). Further, the Anglo-Protestant cultural values also promoted hard work and self-made success. This so-called “Protestant work ethic” became ubiquitous throughout the United States. This mentality undoubtedly contributed to the early success of the United States. By uniting an entire people under one well-defined belief system, the Protestant religion was arguably the most powerful and influential force in early America.

While common ideals, values, and beliefs can be advantageous, they also pose issues towards forward thinking and can serve as barriers to progress. The future of America is not one stereotypical, “American man,” but rather a “conglomeration of peoples with different cultures” (Huntington 128). There is no longer a place in America for one centralized type of American man. The United States today is a place where diversity is welcomed, to an extent, and the population is made up of a vastly diversified group of people. If the United States had remained in the past and not shed its Anglo-Protestant identity, it would be failing to maintain its very founding principle of being a nation of immigrants. Keeping the Anglo-Protestant mindset would not fit with the current form of American thinking, where society in general is more agnostic and less committed to serving a higher power. Forcing this type of thinking onto its citizens would restrain freedoms in American society and ultimately harm evolution of the nation. This is not to say that the idea of “Americanizing” immigrants should disappear completely, but rather that it should instead refer to concepts that bring people closer in today’s world, like the ability to communicate in a common language or at the very least interact with each other in a positive and constructive fashion (Huntington 131). America is no longer a nation with any one single mindset or mentality, but rather a diverse place where people of different cultural, religious, social backgrounds come together to proudly live in harmony under one flag.

Reading and Film Presentations and Discussion

Shane ERA

The film Shane is about a lone cowboy, Shane, who is traveling through the Wyoming territory when he comes across a small family of homesteaders. After some initial awkward introductions, Shane sympathizes with the homesteaders and agrees to work as a farmhand for the family in exchange for food and a place to lay his head. Shane quickly becomes aware of an ongoing problem for the homesteaders, where Ryker, a powerful neighboring landowner, has been working towards systematically pushing out homesteaders across Wyoming in order to expand his territory. Shane and the father of the household, Joe Starrett, form a unique friendship over the work they are doing and Shane quickly bonds with the entire family. On one of his runs into town to pick up supplies for the family, he has a violent encounter with Ryker’s men. While no guns were drawn, the conflict was escalated as Ryker stated the next fight would be deadly. Ryker hires a highly experienced gunman to deal with the problem of Shane and Starrett. Ryker invites them into an ambush at the saloon, which the family is tipped off about by one of Ryker’s former men. After fighting about who should go into town to confront Ryker at the saloon, Shane ultimately prevails and goes to the saloon alone, but he is trailed by Starrett’s young son, Joey. After some provocative discussion in the saloon with Ryker and his hitman, Shane draws his gun and fires, killing both Ryker and the hired gun. A third assailant is positioned upstairs and would have taken out Shane, had Joey not shouted to warn him. Shane kills the shooter, but is wounded in the altercation. After a brief discussion with Joey telling him to return home to his mother and father explaining that everything was going to be okay, Shane rides off into the sunset, with Joey pleading with him to come back as the scene fades out.