In my American literature class, I’m always looking for opportunities to incorporate greater diversity. In today’s post, I’ve put together a collection of 9 texts related to the immigrant experience in America.
Before we get into the text recommendations, it’s worth discussing how to approach a topic like this. For some students the immigrant experience hits close to home, for some the topic may be distant, and for others the subject might be painful.
To introduce a weighty subject like the immigrant experience, I often turn to writing and journaling. Consider the following prompts and conversation starters for this text collection:
- What does it mean to be an immigrant?
- Why might people want to immigrate to the United States?
- On the other hand, why might people not want to immigrate to the United States?
- How does the American Dream relate to the immigrant experience?
Once you have started this conversation with students, it’s time to jump into these fantastic texts!
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Introducing the Immigrant Experience
Since the immigrant experience may be a difficult topic for some students, it may help students to begin discussing immigration in familiar or positive terms.
For the most part, students are familiar with the idea that the United States is a melting pot. Teachers can capitalize on this familiarity by introducing an excerpt from Letters from an American Farmer by Michel Guillaume Jean de Crèvecœur. In particular, the section “What is an American?” includes de Crèvecœur’s famous comparison.
While this is a challenging text, beginning here allows teachers to frame the conversation. Some questions that might help teachers frame this discussion include:
- What does it mean for America to be a melting pot?
- Similarly, what are the benefits of American diversity?
- If you were to write a letter about what it means to live in America, what would you write?
Since this is a dense text, I have put together a lesson plan and resource. It guides students through an excerpt from “What is an American?” This helps students move through the text smoothly while making inferences and practicing analysis.
Poetry for Introducing the Immigrant Experience
While an informational text is one way to introduce the immigrant experience, poetry is another great way to introduce a new unit. Just as students are familiar with the idea of the melting pot, so too are students familiar with the Statue of Liberty’s cry to “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free….” However, students rarely recognize that this inscription comes from Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus.”
With “The New Colossus,” students have the opportunity to evaluate the Statue of Liberty as a symbol. Comparing the Statue of Liberty to the Colossus of Rhodes allows Lazarus to provide commentary through contrast. This also helps students analyze allusion. All together, this poem is another opportunity to introduce the immigrant experience and help students begin to grapple with the intersecting concepts at hand: excitement, fear, welcome, concern, dreams, and struggle. Grab my lesson plan for this poem today!
Symbolism Related to the Immigrant Experience
In addition to “The New Colossus,” countless poets have taken on the symbol of the Statue of Liberty to explore the evolution of its meaning.
For example, Tato Laviera’s poem “lady liberty” discusses how “the symbol suffered / one hundred years of decay.” In this poem, Laviera seems acutely aware of how the Statue of Liberty’s meaning has evolved. To emphasize the importance of inclusion, he writes:
"if you touch me, touch ALL of my people who need attention and societal repair, give the tired and the poor the same attention, AMERICA, touch us ALL with liberty, touch us ALL with liberty."
Overall, Laviera’s poem provides unique commentary on the immigrant experience. In my lesson plan for this long poem, I emphasize point of view and visualization. Save some money and grab both “The New Colossues” and “lady liberty” along with “Three Liberties” by Julia Alvarez in my Symbolism Synthesis Bundle.
More Poetry Resources
Since the immigrant experience is rich, diverse, and unique, there are a variety of poems that discuss this topic. Here are some more options to check out:
Firstly, “Zapotec Crossers (or, Haiku I Write Post-PTSD Nightmares)” by Alan Pelaez Lopez is an innovative and powerful text that’s sure to engage students. The poem discusses the trauma of migration. Read it here.
Similarly, “Complaint of El Río Grande” by Richard Blanco discusses the sometimes struggle of coming to the United States. By writing from the perspective of the river, Blanco is able to emphasize unity even though discussions of the immigrant experience often turn divisive. Read it here.
Additionally, “The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica” by Judith Ortiz Cofer touches on the immigrant experience by focusing on seemingly small details that can provide enormous comfort. Read it here.
Overall, these poems provide readers with unique insights into the American experience. Since all three texts come from authors born outside the United States, their writing strikes honest notes, provides moving commentary, and earnestly describes the immigrant experience. Reading any or all of these poems in an American literature class would better help students understand how de Crèvecœur’s melting pot continues today.
Grab all three of these resources plus two more poetry lesson plans in my 9-10 Point of View Poetry Bundle.
Informational Texts About the Immigrant Experience
In addition to poetry, students can read informational texts about the immigrant experience. By incorporating poetry and nonfiction, teachers can help students synthesize across media.
Like de Crèvecœur, Walt Whitman valued American diversity. He describes the importance of an inclusive United States in the preface to Leaves of Grass. He writes:
"The Americans of all nations at any time upon the earth have probably the fullest poetical nature. The United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem....Here is not merely a nation but a teeming nation of nations."
Since Whitman’s prose is dense, it’s important to help students read closely to practice making inferences and analyzing the text’s main idea. Grab my lesson plan for teaching the preface to Leaves of Grass.
Similarly, in A Nation of Immigrants, JFK discusses “The Immigrant Contribution.” This text helps students see different versions of the American Dream and also helped them consider the role of privilege in accessing the American Dream. Read it here.
In Conclusion
Overall, choosing and pairing some of these texts brings diversity and authenticity to American literature. Focusing on the immigrant experience can help students broaden their perspectives or even see themselves reflected in literature.
