Welcome to Ifemelu's physical and spiritual journey from Nigeria to America, and then back to Nigeria again!! You will meet a Nigerian girl who decides to start a new life in the US and her transformation by adapting American culture while trying to preserve her native identity. In other words, we will explore the US through the eyes of a non-American black person. You will feel her excitement, confusion, fears, achievements and struggles as we narrate her story within the context of intellectual analysis. Therefore, we will refer some of the texts that we have studied throughout the semester. So do not need to worry if you have not been able to catch up with the readings.
The book does not follow a chronological order. So you can find our characters in different locations in different times. From chaotic and urban Lagos to intimidating/crowded Manhattan, to welcoming Philadelphia, to Baltimore, to highly academic spectrums of New Jersey, and to Connecticut.
Brief Summary
Ifemelu grows up in a middle class family. Her father is an academic and her mother is a very devout Christian believer who spends most of her time between the church and her home. Her Aunty Uju accompanies her for the most parts of the novel. She is very close to Ifemelu and is one of the most important supporters of Ifemelu that encourages her to pursue an undergraduate degree in the US. Aunty Uju is somewhat controversial that she is the mistress of a Nigerian prominent General. She has a wealthy life till the General’s death and gives birth to his son, Dike. Then, she has to leave her home because General’s kins threaten to hurt her and she decides to immigrate to the US in order to construct a new life.
Obinze is Ifemelu’s boyfriend in Nigeria. Their relationship did not last as they had expected. He loses contact with her after some point of her dwelling in the US. He does not know the reason behind their breaking up. In the case of studying abroad, Obinze has always dreamed of continue his education in the US. However, he could not do so because he fails to attain an American visa. He gets depressed and feels that he is stuck in Nigeria. His mother who is also a professor offers Obinze to join a business trip in UK by showing him as if he was an assistant of her. His life in the UK is not that bright. He faces immigration and deportation problems while struggling to find a job. However, his legal status does not allow him to do so. In the UK, people need to have national insurance number to work and Obinze searches for a way that ends him up to engage illegal activities. He meets with Vincent who gives him his national insurance number in exchange for money while he is trying to set up a fake marriage. The man asks for more money that Obinze could not afford to pay and then he reports Obinze's illegal status to his boss. When the employer asks Obinze to bring his passport, he decides to quit. On the day of his fake marriage, the police officers arrests him before he gets married because his visa has expired and then he was deported back to Nigeria.
After his return, he finds the success in his business that he has been longing for and decides to get married to Kosi. They have a daughter and a happy family life. However, after Ifemelu’s unexpected contact with him he realizes that he still has feelings for her and claims that he was vulnerable at the time of his decision of marriage. Therefore, he files for a divorce. He is also aware that his child is his responsibility and he thinks that his daughter cannot grow up in a healthy environment if he continues his unhappy marriage.
Let’s that turn back to our main character Ifemelu and find out what she had been through in the US. The reason why she leaves her degree in Nigeria is because of the tumultuous political environment that affects the lives in the university campuses. Her family and Obinze supports her to start a new life in America where she could receive better education. One of her friends, Ginika, helped her during the application process suggesting that she can go to a university in Philadelphia because Ginika has already been there. For Ifemelu, where she would in America does not matter because to her “America was America”(P.122).
Her life in America begins with a realization that America is not the same as what she saw on TV. She arrives to Brooklyn to spend the summer with her aunt Uju who had also immigrated from Nigeria to establish a new life with her son. One of the difficulties that Ifemelu faces is the financial problems because she only received a partial scholarship that means she has to work to pay for her expanses. She realizes that she is not the only person who has to work hard to survive. Her aunt Uju also has to work in a couple of jobs while she is preparing for her exams to get her degree. After she settles in Philadelphia by sharing a flat with other students she starts to search jobs. However, finding a job is not an easy task. She gets rejected so many times that she decides to accept an offer of a man who will pay her the money she needs in exchange her body. She regrets her action and decides not talk to Obinze. She feels like she betrayed him and that’s the reason why she breaks up with him. Finally, she finds a job as a baby sitter. Ifemelu, then, meets Curt who is a cousin of Kimberly a wealthy, handsome white American that she starts a relationship with. After a while she leaves him saying that she has cheated on him. She then, runs into Blaine who is an African-American professor at Yale.
American Dream or Deceit?
From the novel, it is observed that establishing a wealthy life in the US is common a dream that has been shared by the many. Take Obinze for example, he reads and studies so many aspects of America. He watches American channels and films. Well, why does he do that? The answer is simple “America is future” (Chap 5) The United States, with its rich resources and prosperous image attracts millions of attentions. The trick is not everybody is able to achieve the so called “American Dream”. Many of the dreamers face this reality and disappointment the minute they arrive in the US or even before their arrival. It is because there are important factors that we tend to ignore : Our racial identity and the political and economic status of our county. Obinze’s not being able to receive an American visa shows that the US is not eager to accept everybody no matter what their qualifications are. The US with its charming representation and great life standards through TV and movies does not show the whole picture of itself.
Ifemelu’s aspiration to be educated in the US is fulfilled. However, it did not occur in the way that she was expected. She had to make sacrifices to survive. She did not know that her financial status would put her so much difficulties. In fact, in Nigeria she had a better life. This is one of the situations that many students and immigrants face when they go to the US. Many of them were actually living in better circumstances than in the US. However, because of their fascination by the US they believed that they can construct a life that they saw on TV through hard work and education. Their failure can end up in depression or turning back to their native countries like Ifemelu.
Adaptation & Assimilation (Language)
The obsession of adapting the host country’s culture can end up assimilation. The theory suggests that if you want to survive and not to be alienated from the host country you should disregard your native culture. It is an extreme approach that does not of course apply to every immigrant group and not everyone is eager to throw away their cultural identity. We can illuminate this by looking at the Aunty Uju and Dike’s relationship in the US. Dike was small when he arrived to the US. His mother does not speak their native tongue with him so that English would be his first language. When Ifemelu speaks Igbo with him, Aunty Uju interrupts her. Ifemelu is surprised at her behaviour because they grew up with multiple languages in Nigeria (Anglophone). So what’s wrong with that? She states that “two languages will confuse him” and “this is America. It is different” (134). In order to fully embrace the US culture, she stops following Nigerian traditions because there is no space for cultural exchange in the process of assimilation.
Adaptation Through Appearance: A Case of Hair
Ifemelu states that some of the African (American) women in the US undergo a physical transformation by relaxing their hair. They believe that by reducing the effects of their African image, they increase their chances of finding jobs. She witnesses this practice when her aunt is preparing for an interview. Then, Ifemelu does the same thing when she applies for a position. Relaxing hair in this context, should not be perceived as a mere change. It not only has a negative impact on the hair itself, but also the on cultural and racial identity. The assimilation occurs in a physical way. Remember how Euro-American authorities at the boarding schools cut Native American kids’ hair to Europeanise and modernise their look. In the contemporary US society, looking Caucasian still preserves its importance. Some of the racial groups are inexplicably forced to change their look. This also corresponds to power relations. The one who has more power determines the way things work or sets up the rules for others. In this case, powerful white American employers are in charge of deciding whom they want to work with or not. The qualifications as it was argued is only one part of getting a job or entering a society. Physical, ethnic and racial factors still have profound influence on the issue.
Racial Profiling
This is another important issue that catches Ifemelu’s attention. She observes that Aunty Uju warns Dike to wear proper clothes before going to church because there is a dress code there. If a black person does not follow the dress code, he/she will be criticised by a white person while whites do not have to impress others through their clothes.
“They will find something to say about. If they are shabby it is not a problem, but if we are it is another thing” (P. 267)
The other example of racial profiling is about people’s becoming “black” in the United States. In her blog: “To My Fellow Non-American Blacks” she says that even though non-Americans do not see themselves as blacks (there is nothing like being a black in Africa as people are differentiated according to their ethnicities) they become “BLACK” when they move to America. Because black people in America are labeled as criminals, they have to careful about anything they are doing. They can easily be blamed for a crime committed by another person just because of the racial identity. Dike, as an example, was blamed for hacking the computers in school although he was not even at school on that day.
“If you a white man and a black man are caught for drug possession, say, the white guy is more likely to be sent to treatment and the black guy is more likely to be sent to jail” (P.429).
Authentic and Exotic Africa
Africa, the wild and rich continent with its great landscape and natural resources. It is the place where animals and humans harmoniously live. However, the safaris and the poor but happy people do not picture the whole story because it is a single story; it is a romanticize story that most of us familiar with. It is the power of white people and their illustration of Africa. Africans with their peculiar culture and names are told what would be their country like. Our hero, Ifemelu, states that some people think that they know all about Africa from the books that they read (232). Another thing that she criticizes is poverty in Africa is glamorized in the sense that it creates peaceful and positive environments and citizens. The selfish non-Africans who do not experience hunger and poverty think that they can empathize with the Africans. According to her, people who enjoy this authentic life in Africa are rich people. They can travel and embark on adventure in the exotic places. However, native Africans do not have such luxury.
Colorblindness
As we already discussed in our previous classes “Colorblindness” is a political and social problem. It occurs when people pretend that they do not pay attention to other people's skin color mostly because they do not want to be seen as “racists.” Ifemelu observes this “colorblind” attitude when she went to the US. When she is shopping with Ginika the cashier asks them which one of the ladies has helped them. In order not to say whether she is the white one or the black one, the cashier tries to distinguish them with their length and color of hair. Ifemelu is surprised and asks Ginika that why the cashier did not just say the black girl or the white girl and Ginika's response exactly shows the idea of colorblindness: “Because this is America. You are not supposed to pretend that you do not notice certain things.” (P.155).
Other examples colorblind practices:
- In order not to say black, Americans say beautiful
- When people talk about something racial happened to them Americans say
- “This is simplistic to say it is race, race is so complex” (P.435).
- When Americans say “Culture” they mean “Race”
- Urban means “Black” and “Poor”
The US and the UK On Immigration, Race and Borders
The US and UK have different perspectives on immigration and borders.
“European countries are surrounded by the countries that are similar to one another, while America has Mexico, which is a really developing country, and so it creates a different psychology about immigration and borders” (P.339).
The people who immigrate to the UK are white Eastern Europeans while the people who immigrate to the US are generally Mexicans. For that reason, RACE is a primary issue in the US while it is CLASS in the UK.
Racial Triangulation
We think racial triangulation is another important subject that we can make some connections with Ifemelu's experiences. The first hardship that she faces in the US is to find a job as an immigrant because some employers are not reluctant to hire her in order not to deal with extra paperwork. In that case, not being a US citizen is an obstacle for her but it is not the only thing that matters. She is foreigner, black and woman… When all of these things come together, she becomes a “black immigrant woman” and nothing must be worse than that. We are not directly informed that there is racial discrimination towards immigrants, especially black immigrants, but it is implicitly up there.
American Tribalism
In her blog, “Understanding America for the Non-American Black,” Ifemelu talks about tribalism in the US and she states that there are four types of tribalism:
- Class: This is the easiest type because it divides people into two a “rich” and “poor”
- Ideology: This is a political division and puts people in groups of “liberals” and “conservatives”
- Region: This is a result of the war between “the North” and “the South”
- Race: This is again related to the racial triangulation that “white” protestants are always on the top and the “black” are on the bottom. (227)
So,
- If you are WHITE, you are ALL RIGHT
- If you are BROWN, STICK AROUND
- If you are BLACK, GET BACK!
Some Questions You May Think About
- What is your interpretation of the book's title, Americanah? What does it mean?
- What are your impressions on race, class and gender issues in American culture through eyes of a non-American black woman?
Additional Videos
Bibliography
Adiche, Chimamanda Ngozi. Americanah. New York: Anchor Books, 2013.Print
Gunier, Lani & Gerald Torres. “A Critique of Colorblindness”. The Miners
Canary: Enlisting Race, Resisting. USA: Harvard University Press: 2003.
Print
Lee, Chisun. “Civil Rights Rollback.” The Village Voice News. Web. 27 Jul
2004.
Hacer Bahar
Tansu Özakman
Tansu and Hacer, thank you for this lovely presentation! It covered many important issues that we have been talking about from the beginning of this semester.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the most central issues of the book is the idea of “home”; as you have also mentioned in your heading. Where is home and how you define your home is very important. To what extend is your identity tied to your identity? I think this complex issue is also very much a part of our lives and that’s why I feel very much close to this novel. “Americanah” is about leaving home and going back home. Ifemelu has tried to make America her home, but she cannot accomplish it. America is home for other people, mostly Whites who think they have the ultimate superiority and right on this land. Identity is something that is forced upon us according to where we live and where we belong. Ifemelu lived in America for a long time but still she does not feel that she belongs to that place. Mostly, it is because America does not welcome her but rather degrade her to a Black identity. She is not seen as an individual but as a Black woman coming for Nigeria, Africa. That’s why she feels estranged and insecure. She at first tries to make America her home through assimilating into the culture but she gives up because she realizes that she really belongs to Nigeria, her real home. She goes back to Nigeria, a big decision to make in my opinion. After all her struggle to survive in America, she returns to her roots. This shows that home is where you belong and where you feel like an individual, not like an alien. It is where you live freely, without worrying about others’ and how will they judge you with your race.
Another issue that comes up in the novel and also ladies brought up is the unreal dream of America: melting pot. Ifemelu proves that the idea of melting pot is not possible because you can never become a true American if you are an immigrant; even if you are a non-White American. When she first comes to the US, she imitates the accent, has American friends, learns American expressions and even has a White boyfriend. Although she struggles much to become a part of this society, she is not accepted as an American. No matter how she looks or talks, she still has dark skin and this will always be an obstacle on her way to Americanization. After she realizes how she is left as an outcast in this society she gives up her fake American identity and starts to freely talk with a Nigerian accent. She says on that “Why was it a compliment, an accomplishment, to sound American?” (215). She sees that all of her struggle is for nothing. There is no way to be assimilated thoroughly and there is no room for ‘melting pot’. Whites show being American as an accomplishment and many men strive to become one; but Ifemelu becomes aware that it is not possible, that American society never makes it possible.
I really liked how Chimamanda reflects her idea by saying “I like America, but it’s not mine”. Yes! I certainly agree with her that it is not hers, not ours in fact not anybodys. It is full of opportunities but today only the privileged (sadly it is mostly White Americans) benefit from it. I believe book suggests that you accept your roots and should not lose your identity in order to become a part of another society. You should hold on to who you are and should not give it up for the sake of being assimilated or adapted.
Hi guys!
ReplyDeleteWhenever I read some part of “Americanah”, every time I notice more that Ifemelu creates a story which is familiar to me. The more I read the more I realize that throughout our lives (at least once) we face similar obstacles even though as a result of different causes that create different effects in our lives. However, I don’t know anybody who has never felt himself/herself like an outcast even once. Thus, it is not so difficult to put ourselves in Ifemelu’s shoes in different cases. Many of us have imaginary dream places in our minds. If one’s life is surrounded by economic and social inabilities, the desire to reach this dream place may become irresistible. Ifemelu experiences a similar occasion in her home country, Nigeria as we all know. However, as Andy Garcia tells us in his movie “The Lost City” ”A place you leave is a place that lives forever.” So, I believe our homeland and its contribution to our forming identities occupy a significant place in our memories all the time. Our homeland – with all its undesirable aspects and unsupportable people in it - is like our family that we carry within ourselves wherever we go. Nigeria has a similar value for Ifemelu and no matter how far she goes away from it; she makes us feel her longing to her hometown in every sentence that was written, despite her desire to adopt an American way of speaking, more broadly, an American way of living. Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche in her interview makes a clear distinction between belonging to a place and liking that place. As she says, she likes America but it’s not hers. And this reason is more than enough for many people who carry their homelands inside with the hope of going back one day.
When our presenters mentioned the lack of a chronological order in the novel, I realized that this non-chronological order represents the inner worlds (mixed with inner disorder) of the characters in it. They form their lives in the natural flow of time but all the time there is something which makes them bound to previous periods of their lives. I mean they go to America but at the same time they live in Nigeria (in their minds), too. For instance, Aunty Uju makes her son internalize the American identity (obviously white people’s language as a part of it) while she finds comfort when she is with people who have more or less the same customs as her.
When we consider some of the main themes in the novel we see that these themes are closely related to identity formations. Language is the most important aspect of forming an identity according to me. Non-native people (no matter whether in real life or in fiction) all the time feel their assumed inferiority because of their non-native accent. Even if they grow up as bilingual (like Ifem and Uju) their fluency will never be enough in the eyes of the dominant culture. So, forming an identity is closely related to language.
There is another issue that I want to mention about using inappropriate words such as Indian vs Native American. We discussed recently (in another class) whether to call someone for example, “negro” – without any bad intention and as a result of our accustomedness which has been structured throughout years– changes our moral perception or not. One of our teachers mentioned that according to the inquiries conducted by distinct scientific research organizations, the way that we adopt in speaking or in our process of thinking has a direct and positive correlation with our way of forming perceptions. The reason of it is, human mind recalls objects or notions together with their implications. So we have to be cautious with the terms that we use. Also it is a matter of respect to the ones that we refer to I think.
So, thanks for the presentation
Deniz
By the way, I especially thought on the second question that Tansu and Hacer posed in our blog. I believe when one has the tendency to make discrimination such as racial profiling, other bias and stereotypes come along automatically. Class is still something rigid in American society I think. For some people, upward mobility is almost impossible. No matter at which economic level you are at, if you are a non-American black - worse if you are a non-American black WOMAN – your class status is predetermined even before you are born, to some extent. Yes, you can provide yourself a better living or you can buy better quality stuff, but most probably if you search for your place in the eyes of some white American, you will find yourself under a label that prevents you go beyond the limits. This is a matter of thinking process. Oprah Winfrey emphasizes a similar experience of her in the interview - when she interested in a bag and when the clerk refrained from showing the bag which was “shockingly expensive for a black woman”.
ReplyDeleteDeniz
Thank you ladies for your presentation and this perfectly detailed analysis of Americanah
ReplyDeleteI think that Americanah is a perfect book to understand the racial profiling and the difficulties which immigrants face in the United States. It does not just reflect the struggles of non-American blacks but also reflects the inner emotions and reactions of these people. It emphasizes America’s race and ethnicity in a larger concept which includes racial profiling, gender roles, class struggle, assimilation process as well as the theme of the American Dream versus reality. Yet it is not just about America, it is also about Nigeria. It is about what it means to leave your country and return and how you look at your home differently and how the people in your country see you differently as well.
The novel reflects the dream versus reality. The United States attracts millions of people with its rich resources and prosperous image. The US movies and television shows charms people with its representation and its great life standards. But they do not reflect the whole picture and deceive these people. Ifemelu understands the reality and faces the disappointment the day she arrives in the U.S soil. She understands that she never thinks about her political and economic status or her racial identity could be important to live in America. She faces the reality that America cares about your appearance, economic strength and political status and these barriers makes almost impossible for immigrants (especially black immigrants like herself) to achieve the American Dream. They believed that they can construct a life which they saw on TV through hard work or education. Yet all their imaginations and assumptions about America were just an illusion and the reality is that the US is not eager to accept everybody even though they get their education, work hard, and change their appearances, clothes and the foods that they eat. We can see it through the experiences Ifemelu has while she tries to survive in America.
The novel also offers a broader perspective on how black people are treated in America. We can understand that race matter because of racism. It is about your appearance, your skin color, the shape of your eyes and nose which makes it an absurd concept. All of these experiences which have shown throughout the book make you get angry. It is not that this anger is new but it widens this anger with the emotions of the characters. The more you read the novel the more you feel yourself close to Ifemelu, facing all the struggles hand in hand with her.
Burcu Karatekeli
Thanks for the presentation.
ReplyDeleteI gotta say, Chimamanda’s point on creating a home in your mind is one that has a strong resonance with me. Due to my father’s profession, I’ve moved more than 10 times (I seriously lost count at that point) and it is the exact same experience every single time. The adaption process to a new environment is quite intriguing. At first, the new place is entirely alien to you and stays as such for a few weeks. Right when you have adapted, however, it is the place you came from that feels distant. If you happen to go back for any reason, it is as if you’ve never belonged there in the first place.
And she mentions a sense of loss due to this. It’s kind of interesting how even that fades away in time. At some point, the distance between you and the place you used to belong to doesn’t really fill you with a sense of loss; you just don’t really feel anything about it. You know you should, and you try to, but it just doesn’t happen.
It was the exact same experience when I returned from Finland. For some reason, I was not “home” here in Turkey; in my actual, physical home. And I only stayed there for 4 months for Christ’s sake, what kind of a bond is that? Nowadays it’s the other way around, oh well…
Taking this slightly further, as you move on and change, so does the place you came from. And the image for that place that you’ve created in your mind simply lacks any of those changes. Moreover, that very image becomes less and less concrete in time. This takes a while to realize but even if very little change takes place “back there”, your mind simply erases some of the elements that make it what it is. To give a romanticized example here, doors –I think- symbolize the transition between the public realm to your own private realm and are quite significant due to this. Yet, truth be told, I wouldn’t be able to draw the door of the house I lived in 5 years ago. That part of the image just disappeared.
And home is indeed a huge part of who we are. In Ifemelu’s case, she’s not the woman she was back “home”, the US has not only changed her but also is a part of her now. Her becoming “black” is a wonderful example of this, even after returning to Nigeria she would find it difficult to just shrug it off. To elaborate, her new home did not merely make additions to her personality but altered it and the way she understood personality entirely.
Yet another thing the US seems to have an obsession with is political correctness, a huge part of colorblindness. As if changing the language used will solve the problem itself. The ironic part is that it is usually Americans themselves that charge these words with the negative meanings that they have. For instance, “race” has the negative connotations that it has due to the way it has been used in the US. But hey, let’s just change the word, it’s the root of the problem. Then they wonder why almost every word offends someone somewhere.
While we’re talking about words and their meanings… just how great of a word is tribalism? It’s one of those words that include a dictionary definition in themselves, the meaning is right in front of you. And the US does indeed seem to be obsessed with every possible form of it. Ironically, Turkey does resemble the US in that case, but I’ll leave it at that.
On the point of “poverty tourism”... Just ironic, isn’t it? Now, I can see how it can be defended with an argument like “Oh but it opens your eyes to the troubles these people go through every day!” Well, it doesn’t do much to fix any of them, does it? Besides, I really fail to see how it would be any different than a documentary or a movie. Not the way it is “consumed”, mind you, but the way it is perceived. You’re only within the slum in its physical form and for a very short period of time. The bulletproof bus going through slums will return to where it came from, the people will be away from that experience the moment the trip is done.
I don’t believe that the immigration is that different in the UK when compared to the US. In fact, I find it really hard to find two other countries that are just as similar. I have this English friend, who I talk to almost every day. I won’t go into much detail as it’s somewhat irrelevant to our field but feel free to Google the EDL or the Terrorism Acts of 2000 and 2006. The targets might change, but racism is still what it is. And whether it is race or class that is the primary issue really depends on the conversation.
DeleteConsidering the second question, it’s been a brilliant experience. I don’t necessarily agree with absolutely every single thing Ifemelu said or wrote but the method of delivery is just excellent. It eases the process of “diving in”, or really understanding the problems we’re studying. An academic writing has its uses but so does a novel like Americanah. All in all, I found the book to be a really helpful companion and a damn good read.
Somewhat related to some of the things I just talked about:
Louie CK on being white (and a man)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CmzT4OV-w0
George Carlin on soft language
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h67k9eEw9AY
-Murat A.
Thank you Hacer and Tansu for this well-prepared presentation! I could imagine that it was hard but very good work.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't finish the book because of the heavy load of work as being a senior student. But the parts that I read even had tremendous criticisms about the concept of race and how it is perceived by different people. Chimamanda is a very successful writer who has unique way of showing the racism, immigration, deportation, the concept of illegal alien, the concept of identity, assimilation, adaptation, racial profiling and power struggle. Chimamanda perfectly shows how the mere appearance of a multiracial person can be a problem or a handicap for his or her life. For example, as we said in the class, "relaxing" hair is a way to ease your way through finding job in USA if you are an African descent person. Power struggle is shown thorough a Nigerian American perspective. As being a part of minority in USA, Ifemelu had to adapt to the culture and her friends to become acceptable in the society.
Appearance decides who you are in USA. As Tansu said what characterizes a person in America is race or skin color whereas in Nigeria it is your ethnicity. For example, in the novel Ifemelu meets Alma who is a pale-skin, tired faced woman with black hair. Is she met Alma in Lagos, she would have thought of her as white, but Ifem would learn that Alma was a Hispanic, which is an American category. After that Ifem writes a blog titled as "Understanding America for the Non-American Black: What Hispanic Means". What makes Chimamanda special is that she not only focuses on the hardships of African Americans, but also criticizes the ill-treatment of other minority groups who become outcasts such as Hispanics.
Another unique aspect of Americanah is the fact that we can see multi-dimensional corruption of race in America. These are about stereotypes concerning other ethnicities, stereotypes of minority groups about each other and prejudice by immigrants about Americans. For example, when Ifem does not enjoy the company of the dog in the house on pg 156, Elena, judges her and questions whether is it a cultural things such as Asian's eating dog meat or not. Here Elena has serious stereotypical perspective about the actions of Ifem. Minority groups has some wrong ideas about each other as well such as the conversation between Aisha and Ifem. Aisha who is also a non-American believes that every Igbo should be able to understand each other and Ifem should have the ability to convince another Igbo man to marry Aisha. But it is not possible for Ifem to be able to communicate with every Nigerian man. It's like expecting every Turkish people to understand and convince each other on every topic; which is certainly not the case. The last example is about prejudice by immigrants against Americans such as Ifem's thought about all American people's being cold and bad before she arrives to America and meets new people. Nevertheless, she realizes it is not the case.
I have a video which is closely related to what Chimamanda tries to show with the concept of identity, assimilation and adaptation. Nigerian Americans are asked would you ever go back to Nigeria and what should change in Nigeria for you to go back:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v5c35YplYI
Bige YILMAZ
First of all, thanks to Hacer and Tansu for this great presentation. Here in this brilliant book, we see the journey of Ifamelu as an outsider to America and since we are also outsiders, I believe we can really understand and make a connection with her to some extend. I always adored immigrant literature and here we see and experience the States through Ifamelu's eyes as a non-white, non-American woman. In previous years we experienced United States from other people's eyes. Anyways, here at first there are push and pull factors that made Ifamelu left her country. But she realizes that the downsides outnumber upsides. At the beginning, it is shiny and glamorous until you hit the rock and realize you're an outsider or alien. She faces harsh conditions like she has to work to live. She's not in Nigeria anymore. I think at first everybody tries to fit in to American culture. This can happen with food, american channels and shows, the way you dress etc. When I first went to Ohio for my exchange year I remember that I tried to memorize the song 'don't stop believing' by Journey. Because obviously every American knows that song! It is a way of trying to fit in but you're never really a 'true American' even if you eat hershey's kisses or Reese's peanut butter cups or drink Dr. Pepper.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to write about the racial profiling that much. I just want to say 'I can't breathe'. I would like to be optimistic about this issue and say U.S. Will get over it but I don't believe it's going to happen.
Also about the hair part, We tend to label people by looking at their hair. Here is a confession, I used to think (or hope :) ) every woman with short hair as homosexual. But it's not true and Life is not that dandy :)
We learned that if a black woman's hair is straight, she is more eligible for work? Well hello social constructions!
Finally, I searched about the title and found out the meaning of Americanah. Appearently, it means pretending to be Americanized. It is a word in Nigeria. Like a wanna-be?
Anyways. Thanks again for the presentation. I really enjoyed it.
selen aytemiz
First of all thank you so much ladies! It was a great and thoughtful presentation. I really liked Chimamanda’s sentence which is “My Home Is Where My Best Shoes Are”. I liked the videos that you showed for us.
ReplyDeleteChimamanda is a great writer and I really admire her. I think that “Americanah” is a really great novel and you informed us about important points about the book. There is a education problem in Nigeria because of that Ifemelu’s journey started. Actually there is “expectation vs. reality.” Her imagination was different than the reality. She thinks that she does not have to get rid of her own identity, traditions, culture as an African-American. She knows that she needs to have an American accent to live in U.S. , then she rejects the idea. Actually I think that this is a big struggle for her bacause it is not easy because getting rid of her own language, traditions, culture, beliefs is like recreating her own identity. She challenges this idea and she does not want a new identity.
I think this novel kinda reflects Chimamanda’s life. Chimamanda says that” My home is my best shoes are.” I think that it means that there is a feeling which is being home and being in your own country is priceless. There is “ the American dream” theme but on the other hand, there is an adaptation and assimilation problem. Adopting the new things such as language, culture and building a new identity sounds really difficult.
Moreover, there is a racial profiling and it is like a prejudice because for example, if a black person wears a “hoodie” people think that he or she is a “criminal” even though he or she does not hurt people. You also talked about immigration, race and borders and in American Tribalism, there are four main problems and they are class, ideology, region and race.
Finally, I think that Americanah refers to people who pretend to be American, trying to be an American. Also I think that black women are so beautiful! Chimamanda’s Americanah can be thought as a feminist novel because I think that because of the “sexism” Ifemelu decided to leave her own country.
-Ezgi Doğan
Hi guys,
ReplyDeleteThank you for that awesome presentation. I enjoyed it so much!! In the beginning of your presentation, you talk about the home Africans had and the home they returned is different. I really like it! It sounds so simple but beautifully used in this context. I just wanted to say that.
Now~ About American Dream or Deceit part, when it is said in the chapter 5 “America is future” as you also mentioned, I remember the whole American Dream ideas of immigrants but also an old Turkish song “Macera dolu America”(Full of adventure America) by Rafet El Roman hahaha I’m really not sure if the translation is 100% correct but it is something like that.
About the assimilation part, I have been wondering if reading the name of Dike as Dee-ke instead of Diyk (or something like that) is a sign of identity crisis on its own. What do you guys think about it? Because I mean the aunt says that learning two languages will create an identity crisis for the boy. However, isn’t she creating this crisis with the name? Or does she just contradict herself? I think it shows that she is the one who is in between and the boy is going to affect from it badly. Like I said during the class, I still do not like relaxing hair idea too. It seems like hair is not relaxed, comfortable and free when it is curly for African Americans/Africans. However, when a white singer got her hair curly then it becomes popular thing to do. Anyway…
“People become Black when they get to USA by white people” you said and I’m quoting. It is same with Arabs after 9/11. Just like W.E.B Du Bois’s Souls of Black Folks: How does it feel to be a problem? turns into How Does It Feel to Be a Problem by Moustafa Bayoumi. With the name of his book, he shows that Arabs are the new problem- new Blacks in the American society. If you guys didn’t read that book, I highly suggest that you read it.
Lastly, I think it is not funny or bad for people to go to a safari. However, the funny thing is the people who think that the wild life they see is the only thing about that place. That what makes them look so stupid. The only thing Americans think about any other country but themselves and the west Europe is they are “exotic”. Sorry guys but YOU ARE EXOTICS! See, it almost looks like a swear word or some kind of degrading word. Yet, it is unacceptable for them to be exotics because they are the ones who put the rules of this world, they are the originals. They are the great, sacred country. They are the chosen one.
I think that was all.
No, Oprha~ That was so hilarious! Thanks again.
-Ezgi ULUSOY
Thank you Hacer and Tansu for your fluent presentation. We have covered and grab up the important points book.
ReplyDeleteI would like to start with your first question which is on your blog; my interpretation for the title of the book is, first, not "American" but "Americanah" like she does not want to give up of herself and as if she does not truely accepted being an American. Second interpretation of mine is that with this title "Americanah" includes love, luck, being an immigrant in America and trying not to forget where your origin is, and Americanah also means that Nigerian people becoming and being an American.
"When people think of African immigrants, they immediately think of poverty. I wanted to write about the type of immigration I am familiar with, an immigration of people who are not starving, who are middle class, who choose to leave because they want more choices." This answer that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie gave is the answer for how did she get the idea of writing Americanah. So Chimamanda knew that there are people who are worse than the middle class people and having difficulties in finding or having better conditions. As a woman who have been through the difficulties of being an immigrant in U.S, with her book she written what she had been through with another character like Ifemelu.
Race, class and gender issues will never end and people cannot find jobs because of their skin color that ends up with the class issues being poor or rich or middle class and having all of these problems plus if you are a "Black" woman in U.S rough times will be ahead. People hold up to the idea of colorblindness, and not seeing any race but that is not true. Racism, class and gender issues will never end unless people change their perspectives and accepting the facts as it is.
Gözde İPEK
First of all, I would like to thank the presenters; it was a very informative presentation.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the first chapters, I love the book and decided to make some research about it besides reading it. By the way, I have to admit that I am planning to read the book during summer more carefully. So earlier I made a little research about the title of the book. Adichie says that Americanah is a word in Nigeria referring to people who pretend to be Americanized or have been Americanized (http://www.artsatl.com/2014/03/qa-chimamanda-ngozi-adichie-americanah/). After learning the meaning of the title, the book makes more sense. There are lots of people like Ifemelu, who came to the USA and pretend to be Americanized or have been Americanized, in America.
After the presentation, Prof. Reimer wanted us to write our thoughts about Americans as NON-AMERICAN people. I think this is very important because I think this book is unique due to the terms it consists in such as American people & non-American people, Black people & non-black people, American blacks & non-American blacks, African Americans & American Africans… etc.
The terms really attract my attention. Are not they so the same and so different the same time? When I first read them, I could not get the difference between them; it just seemed to me a word play. When the difference between an American-African and African-American is asked to Adichie, she says that an American-African is a person who came/emigrated to America while an African-American is a person who brought forcefully to America, generally slaves.
When it comes to American-blacks and non-American blacks, she would like to show us that there is a difference between them. If you are black in America- American black, you are black because you look black. Nobody cares how much you are black- one quarter, half… However, if you are black in somewhere different from America, let’s say Africa, you do not even realize that you are black; you are different than other people. Adichie makes very clear statements about these terms. I just would like to share some of them with you…
Pınar ILGAR
First of all, I want to thank Tansu and Hacer for their informative and explanatory presentation. Their presentation subject includes almost all the things we've done since the beginning of this semester and it functioned like a summary of all subjects we focused on in this semester.
ReplyDeleteThe title attracted my attention "My Home Is Where My Best Shoes Are". Home is where you can feel like you are in safe in terms of racist treatments against you in other words your home means your comfort and safety from extrajudicial execution according to your race by people. Ifemelu can not feel herself in safe and comfort in America because there she was stigmatized as Black women in America although she tried hard to survive in America. Whether living a hard life in America with a racist tag on her or turning back to her own country where she is respected and treated as a human without racist stamps and discriminations. Of course she preferred the second one and decided to go back to her own country Nigeria and abandon America and all its opportunities besides the racist treatments and racist glances that were put on her.
When it comes to the book title "Americanah", i think "Americanah" means or reflects Ifemelu's Americanization process but her failure to realize it in other words her trial in order to Americanize but than her giving up from trying to Americanize and go back to Nigeria where her roots and history are abandon America and all of the things about America also her trial of Americanize, Also I mean that she left her this assimilation or adaption process behind her when she got back to her own country Nigeria.
It must be hard to live as a discriminated, always treated and glanced as an alien woman in America. ıt means having exposed to both racist and gender segregation tratments as a black woman in America. Discriminative treatments because of being a black women can merge with the gender extent of the matter and facing a bigger obstacles and bad treatments can become unavoidable at that point. Illogical thoughts like you are defenceless because of your gender and your lack of rights because of your race and color can lead to more and more pyschological and social pressure on you as a black women trying to survive on the lands of America which is I think doesn't worth to wear off and tire yourself both mentally and physically it is not because you run away or fear of all these rough way and ardous process it is just because for being able to protect especially your mental health(sanity) and being able to safe it healthily.
Özge Başak
First of all thank you Tansu and Hacer for your presentation.
ReplyDeleteYou gave very useful information about ‘Americanah’. “Home” is a very interesting word that you also put in the title. It is not just a word includes 4 letters; it includes happiness, family, tranquility, belonging, special care, confidence and comfort. However, America has not the ‘ability’ to be a home for ‘Non-White’ people. White Americans are the ‘superiors’, most ‘clever’ ones, but unfortunately they do not have humanitarian values; such that they are trying to justify this situation by using racial triangulation or Darwin’s theory kinds of tragicomic things. They are acting like only the whites are human beings or if blacks are human beings, they are different kind of beings that no one knows and can never understand.
Being a woman is very hard nearly in all over the world but if you are black and woman and try to live in America; things are getting worse. Whites are behaving so different that almost they can claim that even they do not even heard about the color black. While creating prejudices, I cannot understand how they do not look in a mirror. If they are that much clever, how come they cannot understand that being black or woman is not a choice.
After all this semester, I noticed that even I became 70 years old, I cannot understand this discrimination. It is impossible for me to rationalize and to say something logical about this racist stand.
Dilan Algan
Thank you ladies for your educative presentation. It was good and the videos were explaining a lot. I really like the video of which about the prejudicies. The world is full of them. Isnt it?
ReplyDelete'You even don't have the chance to look at it, because it is expensive, because you're not white.' I think that, it explains all. When it comes to Americannah, I think that there's no difference between what Ifemelu had experienced and what all of the blacks experienced. I know that there are many books, speechs etc. about these, but I think Americannah is the best because of its explaining style. I can't stop myself thinking about the identity loss. 'It is okay for the non-whites to live in America, but it is NOT okay for them to live as they are.' They may be blamed because of adapation, because of identity loss but no one ask them the question; Are there any other chances?
Nope. Not a single chance. They either have to surrender/ give up or let the identity loss to devour them.
Honestly, I really see NO difference between what Native American's and non white's had faced through the years. Assimilation? Identity loss? Superiority? and more, all of them. Even now, remaining Native's are facing difficulties & discrimination. EVen now, non blacks are facing different treatments.
If America is one of the countries that accepts and welcomes all the immigrants. (I'm saying immigrants, not non whites) they must accept that they're still have different treatment for different skin tones.
Now I'll try to explain the question; 'What is your interpretation of the book's title, Americanah? What does it mean?'
I think it's about Ifemelu's changing life. Not only about assimilation or identity loss but it's also about her way of approaching to all. The name could be only 'Americana' without the 'H'. But it is not. It is Americanah. I think that, H is there for her accent, for her Igbo language. For her mother tongue. No one can expect the right pronounciation from an immigrant, from a non- american. Waiting the right pronounciation is a big fail. Just like waiting for them to become an 'American' in their first step.
Therefore, I think that, the name, moreover only H symbolizes her way of seeing and accepting her new life.
Kardelen İpek
I really enjoyed that book ! I would say that, when it comes to Ifemelu, the story is about how she 'became black' by travelling and living in the US for a quite long period of time. Through the story, we witnessed Ifem's evolvment (I would rather say awakening) concerning race and its consequences upon thousands of people in the USA; from the moment she thought Cristina Thomas was the one having a problem to the moment she figured out the thought of that cleaner who couldn't stand the simple fact that a Black person could own such a propriety.
ReplyDeleteBeing from an 'exotic ancestry' grants you the right to be discriminated, ever more when you are a woman (gender) or a poor people (class); there is here a kind of very well organised hierarchy that simply shape the way society will treat you. That's what Ifemelu experienced.
Being in the US changed her. The US society, even after she got the citizenship, made her feel like she did not belong to it. I think that the moment she was with Curt revealed how uncomfortable she was, trying to fit as much as she could the 'American mould'. All the magazines, promoting, shaping and spreading the criteria of beauty, a "white" beauty, where even the blacks look like the whites (by relaxig their hair for instance), do not allow any 'random' black woman to identify herself here. On the contrary, by looking at this magazine, any black woman would understand that if she wants to fit the mould, she needs to alienate her own self and try to get as close as possible to the white way of living/thinking.
Ifem tried to fit the mould, especially by speaking in a 'proper way'. But at some point, realizing that, no matter the efforts she would make, she would never be (as many of the Black Americans there) totally accepted by the society, she just gave up on the idea of speaking with an American accent and even decided to go back to Nigeria (well, it was also because of Obinze obviously).
That's what "Americanah" is about. If I remember well, in the book, the term "Americanah" define a person who went to the US for some time and then decided to come back to his country, here Nigeria.
As far as I am concerned, I think that we can apply two more definitions to that term.
1. It can describe a person who is American but has some roots 'outside of the country' and maintain them by not denying his 'double identity'.
2. It also can describe the fact that, when you're not a white person, meaning that you can be racialized as an outsider, you won't be considered as true American, no matter your being a citizen (or not).
"[I]f you want to survive and not to be alienated from the host country you should disregard your native culture." I think that the fact of denying our 'native culture' in order to please the majority is the real alienation.
Thank you girls for your enjoyable presentation, important themes were clearly pointed out and well presented.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the idea of the American dream, Ifemelu notices that U.S is much more different then what she had dreamed of or imagined of until she arrived. This is the case for most of the immigrants who come to America. For the notion of a better future, better opportunities but they face the harsh realty once they come to the U.S. Economic status and racial identity that is understood from your appearance is the start of problems. Appearance, language, and the sense of home are the facts make one adoptable to the U.S. For example, Ifemelu's aunt Uju doesn't want her son Dike to learn his own language but only English. Because knowing both languages is only the way both identities clash, so in the assimilation presses one needs to stop using his or her native language. Aunt Uju, doesn't even want her son to hear his native language so that he won't get confused.
Moreover, appearance is another fact o the possess of assimilation. With many other examples like the Asian Americans and Hispanics, for African Americans the natural way of their hair is not just a style but hides many sub meaning underneath. It is political and not many African Americans have original hair in media. Relaxing the hair is a sign of assimilation. There are many examples of racial profiling such as black men wearing hudies is a sign of criminality.
When this is the case for the immigrants, for Ifemelu America is not home. But after trying so hard to assimilate for most of the immigrants there is not a place called back home because they do not belong to both places. In this process of assimilation one either forgets about the origin and has a new identity in the U.S. or keeps his or her original identity and be alienated in the U.S. For Chimamamda; "home is my best shoes are" where one feels like home, where feels best.
Rabia Betul Kubilay
I feel like, in this book, we can get a much clearer picture of what life as an immigrant in the U.S. can be for someone who is in our age demographic. Ifamelu is a smart character who happens to be sarcastic and cynical at the same time. (though, I believe that the association between being smart and sarcastic with the added bonus of cynicism is an universal imperative in the age of Internet) The way she handles her frustrations and the way she thinks about the U.S. in an Internet blog, is something that the readers of our age can relate to a great extent. I think that by reading her blog posts (I'm talking about blog posts in a blog post, trippy) I can relate to her troubles more so than reading what the narrator has to say about her. Of course, I do know that they are essentially the same person, but in the universe of the book itself, Ifamelu herself, gives a better insight to her life than Chimamanda herself. That for me, is a good proof that the author of this book is really successful when it comes to alienating herself from the characters themselves, even though the experiences are somewhat mutually shared. Ifamelu is someone who does not shy away from pointing out the flaws of both her society and the society of the world that she's thrown in. I believe that this aspect of her personality is shared with her original creator. It is not, however, hard to see passive-aggressive (positively) personalities on the Internet, talking about identity crisis, assimilation, love interests and whatnot. It is a matter of portraying that character in a realistic fashion to go with the overall theme of the book itself. Chimamanda, in my opinion, is a successful author who can create an authentic experience for her readers.
ReplyDeleteThank you ladies for your very well prepared presentation.
ReplyDeletethrough the book, through the Chimamanda's perseption and experiences, we have chance to examine American racial history from an eyes of IMMİGRANT BLACK WOMAN. These three terms black, women and immigrant are very powerful and also very dangerous terms for America. Each term embodies different stories. Each term has different connotation that is negative when it is mentioned with America.
We see how hard to be immigrant in America, how hard to be American without losing your identity, without being like everbody,
We see how hard to be assimilated, forced to lose your own language, traditions, appearences, hairs even,
We see how hard to have 2 different life in one country in parallel with two different identities since you are not accepted as a whole,
We see how people are colorblind in America like Polyanna,
We see how the terms home, identity mean for people like Chimamanda,
We see how discrimination still functions not in theory but in pratic,
and we see that while it is hard to be women in America, how hard for black women.
So, I think Chimamanda wrote really great book that literary covers what we have been studied for years and I am really amazed with every chapter.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePresentation and the summary of ideas and themes were so successful that they illustrated everything that I could not understand. Thanks for your hard work.
ReplyDeleteIt is very important to emphasize that the Americanah has an approach to understand America from a non-American perspective. Racism, identity and racial profiling and adaptation are the issues that we are familiar with. However, what was most interesting for me is that Ifemelu’s ideas about the concept of home. The idea that she concerned more about her home “Nigeria”. From the interview we can get the main point of the book that “it is about leaving home as much as it is about going back home, and it is about what home means if you can go back home”. Of course there is struggle for Ifemelu and Obinze after leaving home, and, as it is argued in the theory of adaptation and assimilation that in order to survive and not be alienated from society you should disregard your own identity, their life have changed after leaving home but not to that extend to lose their identity. When they returned back to Nigeria a new perspective occurred and the home is different for them. In other words now they are a kind of aliens for their homeland. It is so interesting for me because after leaving Kazakhstan I have never gone back, and I am so ambitious to visit Kazakhstan. However, I am afraid of becoming an alien in a land that I was born. The Meskhetian Turks who are adapted to Turkish lifestyle in Turkey called as “natives” and it is believed that you are no more original Meskhetian Turks if you would not adopted back to origins. In the same way as Chimamanda says in her interview “I’m afraid that Kazakhstan left me behind, too”.
HASAN BAYRAM
Thank you Tansu and Hacer for the presentation.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I could not catch up with Americanah and the readings at the same time mostly, eventually I read it anyway. So the summary was helpful to understand the context and what I focused while reading is the idea of "single stories". Some of those single stories was telling about Ifemelu, like her mother being religious but she is not or her new life in United States and her exitements achievements and fails. Indeed those words are the summary of the Americanah but there is one story it may seem like a continues action. What I mean is it does not look like a single story. Often ifemelu talks and thinks about Obinze, I did not even heard a name like that before, his legality in America is on a thin rope. He got caugth and deported. on the other hand he is kind of not following the ifemelu but his dream.
Likewise the rest there are some major characters that recognized like Dike, Ginika, Aunt, Doctor as we all listened in the presentation. Major point in book, of course, becoming an American. But how it can be possible if you are not born in America, and being a student and having a student visa does not help you to become one. Ifemelu's effort are meaningless in that sense but the effort she tries to achieve an identity is priceless, she recognizes the "Black" issue in America directly. Hair style, talking, dialect, accent those are on the roof top but most important and major think is what is your color. She is discussing this at the begining and than from last chapters we see Aunt that talks about dressing, cloths "shabby" I cannot understand it clearly but obviously it is a reference to "white" cloths.
The link between Americanah, specially Ifemelu, with the racial triangluation was well put like the presenters explained, ifemelu got visa, than she had some rights. After that she moves on the triangle to the upper parts with dressing, a white boyfriend and more. Yet the fact does not change itself she moved 1 parcel maybe but she cannot reach any kind of whiteness actually. In fact, she kind of assimilated on the road to passify her own culture and leaving the place to the new one, "The American Way".
There are lots and lots of stuff that needed to be mentioned but to answer the discussion question; she feels like American, the country of freedom. Indeed she only and only feel like one, but she realizes in book several times that she is only a black student that immigrated from somewhere in Africa in the eyes of Americans. Americanah because she is assimilated in every sense from culture, language, cuisine and even appereance of her had changed over the time that she stays in America. Of course she had some problems through adaption but yet, did she make it ? did she achieved to be the one that can immigrate and be accepted as a white? I blieve she is still seen like a "poor girl that struggles for her weak identity". I see that look in SanFrancisco, in Turkey even. That cannot be changed. When people become colorbrave, others still think they are superior and they should pity them to have some manner or what.
Sorry its long but that worth to try.
Serhat BAŞAK
Thank you Tansu and Hacer for the lovely presentation. Your blog gave us an insight to the experiences of Ifemelu, and other African immigrants whose lives have dramatically changed after moving across the globe to find their place in an entirely different culture, as a result of certain economic and social conditions, forcing them to straddle between two cultures. Americanah is truly a magnificent book because it reflects on the themes of immigration, assimilation and identity struggle in their full complexity. It is a story that not only Nigerian immigrants moving to U.S. can identify with, but anyone who has at one point of their lives had to leave their home to adapt to an entirely new culture can understand the struggles faced, both internally and externally. The novel shows that leaving behind wherever it is one calls home, either by obligation or for the hopes of pursuing a better future, has many complications and these involve not only legal issues, but also problems arising from racial profiling and prejudice, education and job opportunities, language barriers, and pressure to assimilation, while struggling to preserve ethnic culture.
ReplyDeleteHaving also moved around a couple of times during my childhood, I can relate to a certain extent to some of Ifemelu's struggles because when you spend a significant amount of time in one place, you tend to accept that place as your home whether you grew up there or whether you belong there ethnically or not. You inherit aspects of that culture which becomes an inseparable part of your identity. And when you have to leave that “home”, it is as if a part of your identity is being torn away from you. So what happens is you try to stay in touch with that identity by resisting blending into the melting pot, by trying to balance between cultures, or instead, you just give in to the instinct to socialize and “fit in” in order to not become the “alien” and therefore pretend that the other identity doesn't exist until it finally fades from existence.
Ifemelu's moving to the U.S. to get away from the conflicts in her country, and to get a better education elsewhere, tears her relationship with Obinze apart, something that was really important in her life. This situation represents a dilemma of many who have to choose between staying or going, resisting or assimilating, both of which have their gains and losses. Sometimes leaving home to have other opportunities in life will come with a price which will require one to give up certain values and cultural characteristics one grew up with. For the foreigner, assimilating will make certain things like getting into the social circle or finding a job easier, but there may be no turning back, after culture or language is lost, so are one's ties and relationship to their past. Ifemelu tries to prevent that, this is why she wants to go back. Moreover, Ifemelu realizes that sometimes the price paid is not worth what is gained. What is sometimes idealized and glorified from afar may turn out to have other disadvantages and limitations. Ifemelu who once envisioned and dreamed of America as a land of opportunities, where all her problems will be solved, where she will be free , where her life will change for the better, comes across other sorts of problems that didn't exist in her country like problems arising simply because of her skin color. She realizes that America will never accept her the way she is,she will have to look a certain way and talk a certain way.
....However, the real inner struggle begins when Ifemelu also gradually feels more and more connected to her newly adapted home, America, and the thought of going back doesn't seem as easy as it used to be, because after some time Ifemelu has also formed an American identity along with her Nigerian identity and she becomes accustomed to a lot of aspects of American culture that she'll have difficulty to change if she does go back to Nigeria. This is probably the most difficult part, because in such situation, one gets caught in between, and one either has to keep juggling two cultures at once to keep a balance, which is difficult and frustrating, or has to decide what one feels closer to and then sacrifice the other, which is also difficult. And she does go back to Nigeria, only to realize that going back “home” also doesn't turn out like she imagined either. A lot of things had changed at “home” because she wasn't there. Memories, the time spent, connections formed, and experiences are what make a place “home”, and America was where she spent a significant amount of her time. It wasn't perfect, but it was also her home. But finally, she decides to stay in Nigeria and go back to Obinze, because at the end of the day, one does have to make a choice.
DeleteFirstly, I would like to say thank you to Tansu and Hacer for this great presentation.
ReplyDeleteColorblindness was also me and Ezgi’s presentation topic and firstly I would like to say something about it. In the article “ A Critique of Colorblindness” it is stated that there are three major aspects of colorblindess: a)it assumes that racial inequality is a problem of individuals, b)so, it masks racial inequality and c) it acts as a brake on grassroots organizing. Moreover, we saw that how it “creates” a problem instead of “solving” the problem. In “Americanah” as well, we see different version of colorblindess. For instance, cashier does not say black or girl to distinguish ladies, she uses other descriptions to distinguish them. It is really classic type of colorblindness. It is thought that if you say “black” or “white” then you are racist, but of course the truth is not like that. They think that this will create a problem, but real problem is their seeing someting and pretending like they did not see them. This is the paradox of colorblindess. This is the thing that prevents people from mobilized against racism. Thus, I really liked this part of “Americanah” in which the colorblindess is implicitly ciriticized.
In the book, as Tansu and Hace also pointed out, it is seen that concepts are not used with their “extensive” meaning. (“culture” means “race and “urban” means “black and poor”). The impact of colorblindness is seen here as well. Because they are afraid of saying “race” or “black” or “poor”. If they use these terms, maybe they accept somethings and this will be the first step to solution. Nevertheless, they do not do this, as I pointed out before and the most important reason of it is: fear.
In one of your questions you asked what is the meaning of “Americanah”. I searched about it and I found a interview with Chimamanda on www.artsatl.com. In that interview she says that Americanah is a word in Nigeria referring to people who pretend to be Americanized or have been Americanized. As we consider the whole book, I think this is really great title for this book. It refers to Nigerian people and their journey in America. It refers to how these people “assimilated” in some aspects to live their “American dream” and the most important, it refers to Nigerian people who loses their own identity in this dream world.
Yasemin Öztemür
Sorry for being late, hope I didn't miss the party!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the summary and review as it gives a clear picture of what has happened throughout the book. Because you know how it is with books of this length; you tend to forget the little things as you move on to the later chapters. I was good to be reminded of the things I forgot.
I liked Americanah not because Ifemelu's likable character, as she was naive or judgmental from time to time and I love my protagonists 100% perfect. lol. I liked this book because of Chimamanda. After watching her interviews and speeches I came to realize just how amazing a person she is. and reading her book afterwards gave me a sense of pleasure I did not receive previously. Knowing she wrote Ifemelu the way she is consciously was a superb wake-up call for me. I was able to see the book for what it is when realized I was hanging on details that mattered but not as much as what the book actually stands for.
Ifemelu's, a black woman's struggle in America against all the odds stacked against her. I was able to see all the class discussions we had in this struggle. It was amazing to see them turned into a fictitious work of art. Her struggle would have meant something for me if she was a real person instead of a character but there is no way I would be able to empathize with her. Being a character in a book, a lovable one at that, made the establishment of this connection possible for me. And for that I thank you Chimamanda.
First of all thank you Tansu and Hacer for your presentation.
ReplyDeleteYou gave very useful information about ‘Americanah’. “Home” is a very interesting word that you also put in the title. It is not just a word includes 4 letters; it includes happiness, family, tranquility, belonging, special care, confidence and comfort. However, America has not the ‘ability’ to be a home for ‘Non-White’ people. White Americans are the ‘superiors’, most ‘clever’ ones, but unfortunately they do not have humanitarian values; such that they are trying to justify this situation by using racial triangulation or Darwin’s theory kinds of tragicomic things. They are acting like only the whites are human beings or if blacks are human beings, they are different kind of beings that no one knows and can never understand.
Being a woman is very hard nearly in all over the world but if you are black and woman and try to live in America; things are getting worse. Whites are behaving so different that almost they can claim that even they do not even heard about the color black. While creating prejudices, I cannot understand how they do not look in a mirror. If they are that much clever, how come they cannot understand that being black or woman is not a choice.
After all this semester, I noticed that even I became 70 years old, I cannot understand this discrimination. It is impossible for me to rationalize and to say something logical about this racist stand.
Dilan Algan