Page 88 - ELA_CA_HighSchool_Sampler_Flipbook

2 What attachment can a poor European emigrant have for a country where he had nothing? The knowledge of the language, the love of a few kindred as poor as himself, were the only cords that tied him: his country is now that which gives him land, bread, protection, and consequence: Ubi panis ibi patria,1 is the motto of all emigrants. What then is the American, this new man? He is either an European, or the descendant of an European; hence that strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country. I could point out to you a man, whose grandfather was an Englishman, whose wife was Dutch, whose son married a French woman, and whose present four sons have now four wives of different nations. He is an American, who, leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds. He becomes an American by being received in the broad lap of our great Alma Mater.
3 Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labours and posterity will one day cause great change in the world. Americans are the western pilgrims, who are carrying along with them that great mass of arts, sciences, vigour, and industry, which began long since in the East; they will finish the great circle. The Americans were once scattered all over Europe; here they are incorporated into one
of the finest systems of population which has ever appeared, and which will hereafter become distinct by the power of the different climates they inhabit. The American ought, therefore, to love this country much better than that wherein either he or his forefathers were born. Here the rewards of his industry follow with equal steps the progress of his labour; his labour is founded on the basis of nature, self-interest; can it want a stronger allurement? Wives and children, who before in vain demanded of him a morsel of bread, now, fat and frolicsome, gladly help their father to clear those fields whence exuberant crops are to arise to feed and to clothe them all; without any part being claimed, either by a despotic prince, a rich abbot, or a mighty lord. Here religion demands but little of him; a small voluntary salary to the minister, and gratitude to God; can he refuse these? The American is a new man, who acts upon new principles; he must therefore entertain new ideas, and form new opinions. From involuntary idleness, servile dependence, penury, and useless labour, he has passed to toils of a very different nature, rewarded by ample subsistence. This is an American.
Second Read
• Reread the letter to answer these text-dependent questions.
• Write any additional questions you have about the text in your Reader/Writer Notebook.
1. Key Idea and Details: What are some experiences that define this “new race of men”?
The “new race of men” were all beaten down and mistreated in their old countries, or at least prevented from advancing there. They have come to work and offer their services to improve their lives. RI.11–12.1
1 Where there is bread there is my country.
emigrant: a person leaving his homeland
My Notes
Unit 1 • The American Dream 29
ACTIVITY 1.6
continued
despotic: authoritarian, oppressive
abbot: head of a monastery subsistence: livelihood, earnings
ACTIVITY 1.6 continued
6 Based on the observations you made during the first reading, you may want to adjust the reading mode. For example, you may decide for the second reading to read aloud certain complex passages, or you may group students differently.
7 SECOND READ: During the second reading, students will be returning to the text to answer the text- dependent comprehension questions. You may choose to have students reread and work on the questions in a variety of ways:
• independently
• in pairs
• in small groups
• together as a class
8 Have students answer the text-dependent questions. If they have difficulty, scaffold the questions by rephrasing them or breaking them down into smaller parts. See the Scaffolding the Text-Dependent Questions boxes for suggestions.
SCAFFOLDING THE TEXT-DEPENDENT QUESTIONS
4. Craft and Structure (RI.11–12.4) How does the meaning of the word industry change as the author uses it throughout the text? Scan paragraphs 1 and 3 for the word industry. Look
at how it is used in each sentence. If necessary, consult a dictionary for the multiple meanings of industry. Which meaning best fits the context of each sentence?
9781457304675_TCB_SE_G11_U1_B1.indd 29
10/3/15 12:38 AM
Unit 1 • The American Dream 29
© 2017 College Board. All rights reserved.
© 2017 College Board. All rights reserved.