ESSAY CEMETERY

Throughout the twentieth century, the assimilation of Jews in America underwent a transformation. Mary Antin's The Promised Land , written in 1912, shows a young immigrant's desperate struggle to learn English and prove herself worthy of the country, its people, and its language, while repressing every relic of the Old World, its language, and its customs. Lamed Shapiro's New Yorkish shows the beginning of a shift of power relations between non-Jewish American society, but to another, equally unhealthy extreme: the story's protagonist has powerful conflicting feelings toward gentiles, betraying the gap that still exists between Jews and non-Jews. Finally, Grace Paley's The Loudest Voice relates the experiences of a second-generation Jewish American child, in a loving mockery of both gentile and Jewish America that shows that self-aware assimilation in America is entirely possible; the intense emotions and conflicts that surrounded Jew-Gentile interactions are gon

Themes and prominent elements ·        Jewish girl participating in Christian activities ·        Cultural immersion ·        Excessive, childish praising of god ·        Family disagreements over acculturation ·        Spunky little girl Style and devices ·        humor "In that case, don't be silly; I might very well be your teacher someday. Speak up, speak up."           "Yes," I shouted. "More like it," he said. "Now, Shirley, can you put a ribbon in your hair or a bobby pin? It's too messy."   "Yes!" I bawled." People and places ·        Mrs. Abramowitz ·        Mr. Bialik ·        Coney Island ·        Shirley ·        Mr. Hilton ·        Mrs. Jordan ·        Misha ·        Cramer ·        Miss Glace ·        Clara ·        Mr. Sauerfeld ·        Mrs. Kleig ·        Ira Pushkov ·        Jackie Saurfield ·        More kids' names Grace Paley

Shirley's is a very noisy neighborhood. Of all of the noisy elements there, her voice is the loudest, she says, and proudly. Her father too is loud. Her mother on the other hand is desperate for quiet. One morning, Shirley is called in to Mr. Hilton's classroom. He offers her the part of narrator of the school play, due to her extremely loud voice. Shirley accepts. The children take off thanksgiving decorations and put up Christmas ones. They learn carols. Her mother is indignant at all of the Christmas activities in which her Jewish neighbors are participating and about the immersion of her daughter in Christian culture. Her father disagrees, saying it's better than the tyrannical alternatives of other countries. Some parents brag about their children's parts in the play and some parents forbid their children to participate. In the meantime, Shirley is having a blast at the play. She is Mr. Hilton's assistant, shouting at children when Mr. Hilton is we