The Life of an Immigrant Black Woman Essay - 1114 Words

Hardship and loss of freedom comes to mind as I think about an immigrant black woman. If they had other forms of persuasion other then the â€Å"glamour† or positive side of England that they heard about through tales, would they less enthused and reluctant of being the follower. Would the immigrant black woman still be as naà ¯ve? Once becoming a part of a different society, she has to adapt to the ways that she is unfamiliar with. She has to erase in a form of what she knows and feels is correct to from her true self. â€Å"I am staring painfully at an image. My image? No! – what is left of what once used to be my image†. (Darko p1) The immigrant black woman doesn’t seem to feel whole as she lacks love from her husband, her family and her†¦show more content†¦Her dowry is more if she is an educated girl, but that education will not seem apparent anymore once she is abroad. â€Å"I was given away to this man who paid two white cows, four healthy goats, four lengths of cloth, beads, gold jeweler and two bottles of London Dry Gin to my family, and took me off as his wife from my little African village, Naka, to him in the city†. (Darko p3) â€Å"When those so-called traditional courts ask him what gives him the right, his self-righteous excuse is, ‘I bought her.à ¢â‚¬â„¢ Why, he can even quote the amount! That’s just too much. What is a woman worth, after all? And who has the right to make such audacious calculations?† (Maraire p34) She would only be known to work and provide for her family with no questions asked or help provided. Even the field of work is already picked without knowing or without consent. There is no equality in which she may know from her home. Traditions are left behind as a part of her adapting to the new life and ways even if she tries to follow them, they are considered wrong in that country because they do not understand. â€Å"You must not take the Western anthropologists’ view of our culture. They perceive our customs through their lens. There are terms and customs that cannot be translated adequately into their language and so become distorted†. (Maraire p32) When she arrives at this grand place of opportunity, she is thrown into a glum future.Show MoreRelatedImmigrant Women And American Consumer Culture980 Words   |  4 PagesImmigrant women were susceptible to the American consumer culture as soon as they stepped foot on American soil. One aspect of consumer culture some immigrant women partook in was the consumption of silent pictures, which were accessible to immigrant women who could not speak English. 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