Chapter 4
What mainstream event did Jose allude to as an example of the racial divide felt in his school?
The O.J. Simpson Verdict
What was the name of Lolo's sister, who helped move Lolo and Lola to the U.S?
Florie!
1965 Immigration and Nationality Act
A stereotype exists against Filipino people where it is believed their ideal role is in the domestic workforce.
Unfortunately true.
Even though Filipino-Americans obviously play a variety of roles in our society (I.e. nurses, lawyers, artists, professors, etc), people still continue to hold the closed-minded belief that people from the Philippines should hold roles of servitude.
Discuss any of the main arguments of this chapter.
Basics...
Nonblack and nonwhite people aren't given a place in American society.
Race is essentially a social construct that doesn't really make sense.
What literary device did Vargas consistently use when discussing his family's immigration?
Name one of the main arguments of Chapter 6.
1. Immigration laws are a major source of the problem when it comes to illegal immigration.
2. The concept of illegal immigration is difficult for people to grasp, especially children.
3. A prejudice is held against the hispanic community where people associate illegal immigration with them.
Filipinos are considered the second largest Asian group in the U.S.
True!
The Chinese are currently the largest Asian group in the U.S today.
What rhetorical device is Vargas using in this excerpt of Chapter 4?
"Where do I go? Do I go black? Do I go white? Can I do both?"
Rhetorical Questions
Explain the author's main argument about America's relationship with racial identity...
Responses will vary...
- Gatekeeping people to choose to identify as either black or white, only creates more confusion for people who wouldn't consider themselves to be either.
- Filipinos struggle to understand their racial and cultural identity because much of their history has been spent adjusting to the cultures of their oppressors.
What juxtaposition is created when Vargas talks about the Proposition 187 advertisement?
A juxtaposition is created as the similarities between Jose's situation and the "illegal immigration" central to Prop. 187.
- Dramatic irony is created because we already understand that Jose is technically an illegal immigrant, but young Jose hasn't come to that realization yet.
An estimated 3.5 million Filipinos in the U.S send remittances to family in the Philippines.
True
The economy in the Philippines relies heavily on these monthly payments.
What's Jose's "stock answer" for why he is Filipino, but has a hispanic name?
Spanish Colonialism
What metaphor does Vargas create when discussing the country's racial demographics? W
*Hint* He compares America to a piece of furniture :)
Wobbly Three-legged stool
(Significance is up to individual interpretation, but maybe think about how forcing unnatural and unnecessary racial divisions creates an unbalanced and dysfunctional society...hence the wobbly stool)
What did Jose's classmate (Jose no.2) ask him about in the beginning of the chapter?
His green card / Where was his green card?
The Philippines spent 370 years under American control and 50 years under Spanish control.
False
370=Spanish
50=American