D.P Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

D.P - Essay Example From the very outset, identity is established as a prominent theme. In this way, the story’s setting is a German World War II orphanage. This is a significant setting as it allows Vonnegut to explore the lives of individuals with conflicting identities, most prominently Joe. Vonnegut writes, â€Å"The village carpenter†¦always came out of his shop to†¦speculate, with idlers his shop attracted, the nationalities of the passing kid’s parents† and â€Å"See the little French girl†¦look at the flash of those eyes† (Vonnegut 132). In this way the setting is highly unique. While it is a German orphanage, it is contained in a zone of American occupation. Additionally, the children contained in the orphanage have traits of differing nationalities, such as skin color, accents, or unique hair, however many of them speak German. In this context, Vonnegut greatly complicates traditional notions of identity, as the children in this orphanage exhibit conf licting backgrounds. There is the further consideration of the time of the story occurring in World War II. As such, the atrocities of war can be viewed as creating an existential crisis that demands traditional boundaries of identity be reimagined. The themes of belonging and place are further advanced in Vonnegut’s characterization of Joe. ... Clearly, Joe embodies a highly conflicted identity. While he has been given a notably German name – Karl Heinz – his skin color places him at odds with typical German culture. Additionally, Joe’s position as an outsider has led to his being imbued with a characteristic black American name – Joe Louis. Ultimately, in this characterization Vonnegut is deconstructing notions of identity and forcing the reader and Joe alike to consider exactly what constitutes a ‘self’. The themes of place and belonging are prominently implemented in terms of Joe’s own questioning of his background. While Joe is told by the nuns that his parental lineage is unknown, his suspicions are aroused when a boy Peter tells him that his mother was German and his father was American; notably, this multi-ethnic lineage – American and German – further complicates Joe’s identity. In terms of the theme of place, Joe begins to question the very nature of America and being an American. Vonnegut clarifies, â€Å"’What is an American?’ Joe said. ‘It is a person from another country.’ ‘Near here?’ ‘There are some near here, but their homes are far, far away – across a great deal of water.’ ‘Like the river?’ ‘More water than that Joe. More water than you could ever see† (Vonnegut 133). This dialogue allows Vonnegut the opportunity to construct a meditation on the notion of place. While Joe asks a simple question, one recognizes the nun’s difficulty in providing an objective answer; rather, the nun must resort to a location, rather than an intrinsic form of being ‘American’. Again there is the consideration of the story’s context being World War II. This war featured the deaths of millions of people based largely

Immigration and education- Research report Assignment

Immigration and education- Research report - Assignment Example ounding issues of immigration in United States of America One main issue that has been able to raise question across political divide and all other realm is the issue of education. Mostly, the concern that revolves around this issue is whether the immigration process is usually legal or illegal. Study has revealed that the largest numbers of immigrants usually come from Mexico; this group of immigrants always come in United States and lives in States that are close to their borders such as California, Arizona, New Mexico as well as Texas. However, studies have also indicated that other States such as Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Louisiana have also constantly received immigrants. This raises the question of why this trend has constantly increased. A group member has also tried to explain several reasons as to why this trend of immigrant increasingly continues. Some arguments have suggested that United States a big economy and therefore attracts a number of people all over the world. This desire to be part of United State has also resulted into different types of immigrants, where it is now evident that both legal and illegal immigrant get into the country in equal number. The issue of immigrant has resulted into the country having a number of categories of people who would like to make propositions on the matter of immigration and education. One of the categories that have been developed includes the views of the liberals and the conservatives. The liberals and the conservatives have confronted this matter of immigration and education in different ways. The liberals view the issue of immigration to be liberalized so that people can be regulated. The main argument by the liberalist is founded on the fact that United States is already overpopulated and can no longer sustain any additional immigration. As pointed in one of the papers, onservatives however have tried to approach the issue of immigration and education through a different process of the 2010