Hyphenated American Position Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hyphenated American Position make-up - Essay ExampleIn this sort, the Irish-American has found a hyphenated identity through response to American perceptions of his (or her) Irishness. The dogged nature of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century perceptions of Irish-Americans can be examined through a look at Nasts 1871 cartoon, reproduced below devil particular signifiers of Irish-American stereotype are present in this picture. The char guesser holds a bottle in unmatchable hand and a gun in the other. The bottle signifies Irish drunkenness, and the gun, violence. These stereotypes are so strongly inseparable that even a Korean-born man like myself can look at these signifiers and interpret them in the way intended by the artist. Further, the writing on the bottle - Gun Powder, Uncle Sams - signifies that the Irish-Americans support their less than respectable habits with the resources of their modern land. Nast also addressed Irish females in a series of cartoons about a se rvant named Brigid. The authentic cartoons are difficult to locate, but a description can be found of her in Bronwen Walters Outsiders intimate as a clownish Irish maid. (63) These characteristics were among Americas first popular perceptions of the Irish-American. The Irish-American had much to contend with in create an identity. ... The narrator of the song applies for a job and is told, No Irish need apply, and the following occurs I couldnt survive it longer, so a hoult sic of him I took, And I gave him such a welting as hed get at Donnybrook. He hollered, Millia murther, and to get away did try, And swore hed never write again, No Irish need apply. He made a big apology, I bid him thin sic good-bye, Saying Whin sic next you want a bating sic write, No Irish need apply. (Poole, 1862) In this stanza, the narrator reclaims ownership of the violence stereotype, but turns it into an expression of pride. The final business concern signifies the narrators willingness to stand up for his identity. In reclaiming this identity, he also reclaims the stereotype of the Irish-American as violent. He seems to intend an act of physical violence to be read as strength and pride instead of the byproduct of slothfulness associated with the trait in the Nast cartoons. This reclaiming continued long past the 1860s. Over a century later, Irish spring Frank McCourt responded to these cartoons in his 1997 musical The Irish and How They Got That Way. His responses are not verbal but theatrical, as his actors realize Brigid jokes WOMAN 1Mrs. Van Wick said to Brigid, Look at the dust on this sideboard I can write my name in it WOMAN 2 Lord above, Missus, isnt it a great matter to have an education (McCourt, 1997) In performance, as viewable on the original cast recording, the actress portraying the schoolmarm speaks in a high-class accent. The actress portraying Brigid, by contrast, speaks in a high-pitched brogue and rolls her eyeball at the punchline. This action serve s as a commentary on the ridiculousness of the joke