1. Why has it been so difficult for Hmong refugees to adjust to life in the United States?It has been so difficult for Hmong refugees to adjust to life in the United States because lifestyle was very different from theirs. They didn’t know a telephone, an air conditioner, a light switch, etc.
even existed. They wanted to keep their traditions, their culture. They were empty about new ideas and new experiences. This means that they were full of the past.
Also, because they dreamed of Laos but never of America. So, they were closed to this new life. The customs they were expected to follow seemed so peculiar, the rules and regulations so numerous, the language so hard to learn, and the emphasis on literacy and the decoding of other unfamiliar symbols so strong.2. How do the experiences of younger Hmong compare to those of their elders?The experiences of younger Hmong compare to those of their elders because the young become more assimilated than the elder ones. That’s why the younger Hmong the more they become more individually assimilated the more they loss respect for the elder ones.
3. Why are the Hmong such a popular target of anti-immigrant violence and persecution?The Hmong have the target of anti-immigrant because of their difficulty in adjusting to another life. As the story says, it has been really difficult for them to be in America and adapt to all of those things they didn’t even know that existed. The violence and persecution target because for the Americans they were unsuccessful, they humiliate them and their alternative to violence was to flight. But in other areas such as crime, child abuse, divorce, and illegitimacy, they rated far higher than their American counterparts4.
Why is the U.S. government so unwilling to grant the Hmong their wish to be “left alone”? Why is there such a strong desire to assimilate them into American culture?The U.S.
government are so unwilling to grant the Hmong their wish to be “left alone” to Americanize them. To influence other cultures with their customs and values. Since they are in they territory they want them to follow them and be like them.5. Why is there such distaste in this society when certain ethnic groups desire to retain their traditional way of life?There is such a distaste in this society when certain ethnic groups desire to retain their traditional way of life because what society wants is for them to resist assimilation, to adapt and to culture, as the way they want.
6. Consider the differences that might emerge between different generations within immigrant families?The difference that might emerge between different generations within immigrant families are the loss of respect to older generations, the change of customs traditions and culture. For example, in The Melting Pot as the Hmong children became more individually assimilated to the American culture, the more they loss respect for the older ones. This is simple to understand. Why? Because they know more about culture and other things that the older ones don’t.
Also, they learn faster to use the telephone for example, than a 60 years old man. As families immigrate to another country they may loss their traditions and culture. That’s because they may like it and adapt to it.7. What aspects of culture are the most difficult to maintain through the generations?The aspects of culture that are most difficult to maintain through generations are: specific traditions that the family may have, because as long as the family grows, the tradition that has a grandfather, maybe, the grand-daughters family doesn’t want to continue with it because of a new one or because she got tired or she never liked it.
