Discussion Questions

September 23, 2008

The readings this week are very much about attitudes, assumptions, and perceptions.  It is particularly important  with this material to pay attention to language, to what is said and how it is said.

1. Why are the Chinese such an object of derision and loathing?  How do they differ from the mass of other immigrants?  Is there anything ironic in the concerns over, and the descriptions of, the Chinese?
2. What are your impressions of the process of getting into America?  How do the ambitions of the immigrants clash with the expectations that their new country has for them?
3. What insights does Howells provide into the attitudes and assumptions of the of the non-immigrant "established" Americans such as himself?
4. What is the nature of the problem which Howells describes?  What are the solutions?  What impact is that problem having on the group which he describes?
5. What is the perception of the Russian Jew presented in the Chicago Tribune article?