Comparison and Contrast of Two Biographies

Immigration Narratives:
Comparison and Contrast of Two Biographies
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Immigration Narratives:
Comparison and Contrast of Two Biographies
Introduction
Throughout most the different civilizations and settlements of man, literature has always been man`s own unique form of historical documentation. Indeed, literature has always served as a type of record for man`s history, although the ways by which historical data are presented are different. Even though most forms of literature have elements of the author`s imagination in them, they are significant windows into how people lived during their time periods, whether they were delivered in oral, in written, or in other forms. This is especially the case for biographies, autobiographies, and historical novels wherein the said works describe the life of a person, especially in the context of the historical period it was written in.
Certainly, biographies and some novels have served as powerful means of relating accounts of the life of immigrants, of people driven out of their homes by the need to survive, or to run away from tyrants who brought about suffering and pain to people. Two of such literary works include those of Richard Rodriguez and Upton Sinclair. In 1983, Rodriguez published his autobiography entitled "Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez"; while much earlier in 1905, Sinclair published his novel entitled "The Jungle". These two works detail the life of immigrants who came to the United States with hopes for a better future and life, and transferred or driven out by circumstances.
In relation, this paper will then in explore two literary works that speak of the life of the immigrant individual and community, both presented in the works by Rodriguez and Sinclair. This paper will first present a discussion of the context of the two books, as well as a form of background and overview. In the said process, the two books will be contrasted in terms of their historical backgrounds and significance. Afterwards, a discussion on the immigrant experience will be provided. The experiences, thoughts, behaviors, and others of the characters will be analyzed, criticized, and then contrasted to each other. After the immigrant experience has been explored, the next section of the paper will delve on a specific theme common between the two books. The said theme will involve the difficulties of migrating into the United States, especially involving the "high price" that a person has to pay in order to be finally able to live their "American Dream". An overall comparison of the two texts will then be conducted, especially exploring the style, the overall, impact, and other mechanics of the two books. Finally, this paper will attempt to prove that based on the two different accounts of immigration narratives, it can be seen that a significant aspect of the immigration experience involves the inevitable sacrifice of aspects of a person`s cultural and personal identity as part of the needed adjustments to a life outside the one the immigrant is used to.
Context: Background and Overview of the Two Texts
When they were published, both of the books mentioned in the introduction of this paper caused a stir not only in the literary world, but also in the general society. Upton Sinclair`s work in "The Jungle" brought to light numerous horrifying and sickening facts that involve immigrants, as well as the meat-packing industry. The said novel depicts the life of Jurgis Rudkus, who comes with his family to the United States from his native country, Lithuania. Through the experiences and the injustices that Jurgis and his family went through, Sinclair was able to portray the life of poverty and deprivation immigrants are forced to lead upon coming into the United States.
However, in its deepest sense, the books was not truly meant to "expose" the hardships of immigrants, and its original or intended focus may have been different. Indeed, Sinclair`s main aim may have been to expose problems in the meat-packing industry. This is due to the fact that a leading socialist paper had approached Sinclair to write an exposé on the meatpacking industry of Chicago, then teeming with unsanitary and unhealthy practices. Sinclair then entered Chicago`s packing plant and spent seven weeks gathering information for his novel. It is then of little wonder that when his book was published, it stirred numerous actions towards better sanitation and food handling laws. Despite this intention, Sinclair`s "The Jungle" was uncannily able to portray the difficult life of an immigrant.
On the other hand, unlike "The Jungle" which focused on the meat-packing industry, Rodriguez` work, "Hunger of Memory", focused entirely on the experience of the immigrant individual and the sacrifices one has to make. This was achieved through the narration of the transformation of a boy to a man, as he attempted to adjust to the changes brought about by the life of an immigrant, as well as by the implications brought about by being labeled a "minority" student or individual. This series of essays by Rodriguez was published in the light of different government laws and regulations, especially affirmative action, that provided special privileges to minority races and women, who most experienced discrimination.
However, it would appear that in contrast to achieving its goal, Rodriguez related that affirmative action and related laws only served to alienate minority people even more, not only from themselves, but also from others. In Rodriguez` own experience, personal alienation came from the sense of guilt he experienced by being treated "special", and alienation from others came in the form of the negative after-effects of having special treatments not only in his education but also later on, even in his work.
From the descriptions, it can be seen that the two books were written in entirely different contexts, and with entirely different goals. The first one was written to expose the hazards in the meat-packing industry, while the second one aimed to portray the difficulties and troubles of being an immigrant in light of the different laws passed by the government to supposedly protect minority groups. ...