Third Generation
I hope to expand on this even more someday with more research , perhaps a book.. This topic here is my greatest passion.
My own upbringing and watching the generations before me unfold and turn to dust, told me the story of the immigrants. My theory or hypothesis in this paper is focused on my Italian family specifically, but out of curiosity I researched and found I wasn’t the only Italian with the same observation. Nor was this theory secluded to Italian immigrants I discovered in talking with other friends and researching online. I call this theory the “Generations Unravel”. The definition of unravel is as follows: to free from complication or difficulty; make plain or clear; or to take apart; undo; destroy. There are many Authors I've recently come into contact with who have greatly influenced my writing and thought process on this theory, they must be acknowledged.
Angelo Pellegrini was introduced to me last summer by a family friend. His book "Americans by Choice" has changed my life immensely. In this book the man wrote on various Italian immigrants on the west coast. It was an inside look for me to know perhaps the hardships my own great-grandparents endured when they came to America. I also was able to find the answer to other cousins in this book as Pellegrini had written on some family I had in the Seattle area the Patricellis.[1]
The second Author which I was just made aware of recently by a fellow Italian is John Fante.[2] I picked up the book “Wait until Spring Bandini" a few months back and I have not been able to put it down. I have cried and giggled while reading this, similar experience to what "Americans by Choice" did to me. Again like Pellegrini did in his book, he made me painfully aware of the differences that became of generations. In this book he wrote of an immigrant family who had three boys who were all American born. The father and mother were very poor and spoke little English. In rebellious fate the three boys were very different and slipped as far away from their parent’s as possible.
When I started to look for answers for myself this past year to find out about who I was, it became clear to me that I needed to go to the closest source .My great-grandparents are dead so the main source was gone. My grandfather, their son is dead, so my source on the immigrants and first generations within my family were short. Of my grandfathers nine siblings only one is still alive. She is a woman who scares me. Extremely intimating, but she is the generation who will have my answers. I found old friends of my grandfathers and great Aunts, Uncles and ones that knew my great-grandparents and something became very apparent in the pattern in the way they spoke of their heritage. It was the kind I grew up seeing in my grandfather which brings me into the first generation.
First generation[American born] equaled denial. I had noticed in many of the first generation born American Italians I have met, many were ashamed. To hide this they joke call each other "Wop”,"Dego" my grandfather I recall hearing him on the phone echoing in and out of English and slang Italian with his friends. He never wanted to speak of the past with us ,the newest generations, NEVER. I noticed this with others of his age group; they just wanted to be accepted, sure their parents were born elsewhere but these guys, these guys they were Americans not Italians. They were not dirty like people said they were. Ellis Island wasn’t the only place where name changes happened. They happened right here in Shame. They wanted to be like John Smith down the street who had the nice cloths and toys, and ate something other then Macaroni. This shame and the Denial continued onto generation two.
The second generation[American born] I like to call “We Are American” In this group I observed my father my uncle and their childhood friends and the few I have made contact with since planning for an Italian reunion family picnic. Many spoke of being proud, loved embracing their Italian heritage, some attend "Italian festivals”, many brag of their cooking skills and love of vino. Still some aren't even aware of the town their family came from, know a word in their families tongue, and never knew the pain of being called a "wop" when it truly was meant to be a racial slur. They are American they go to work every day, they pay their bills and life just goes on. This goes into third generation.
Third generation[American born] find themselves asking who am I? This would be me, in all that I have found in this group it’s like a lost sea of people trying to swim to the ship. By now many of us are blended, Irish, Scottish, Native American a little bit of everything maybe. But the few who still identify themselves as an Italian-American like I, struggle for our answers. Many we are hungry for the knowledge the ancestors took with them. Many long for the land their family came from. Some now discovering what their true surname is. How can we truly be recognized by Italians of the native land, if we have lost through the generations everything that made us Italian, and now has turned us American.
[1] "Americans by Choice", by Angelo Pellegrini, (1956)
[2] “Wait until Spring Bandini", by John Fante, (1983)
My own upbringing and watching the generations before me unfold and turn to dust, told me the story of the immigrants. My theory or hypothesis in this paper is focused on my Italian family specifically, but out of curiosity I researched and found I wasn’t the only Italian with the same observation. Nor was this theory secluded to Italian immigrants I discovered in talking with other friends and researching online. I call this theory the “Generations Unravel”. The definition of unravel is as follows: to free from complication or difficulty; make plain or clear; or to take apart; undo; destroy. There are many Authors I've recently come into contact with who have greatly influenced my writing and thought process on this theory, they must be acknowledged.
Angelo Pellegrini was introduced to me last summer by a family friend. His book "Americans by Choice" has changed my life immensely. In this book the man wrote on various Italian immigrants on the west coast. It was an inside look for me to know perhaps the hardships my own great-grandparents endured when they came to America. I also was able to find the answer to other cousins in this book as Pellegrini had written on some family I had in the Seattle area the Patricellis.[1]
The second Author which I was just made aware of recently by a fellow Italian is John Fante.[2] I picked up the book “Wait until Spring Bandini" a few months back and I have not been able to put it down. I have cried and giggled while reading this, similar experience to what "Americans by Choice" did to me. Again like Pellegrini did in his book, he made me painfully aware of the differences that became of generations. In this book he wrote of an immigrant family who had three boys who were all American born. The father and mother were very poor and spoke little English. In rebellious fate the three boys were very different and slipped as far away from their parent’s as possible.
When I started to look for answers for myself this past year to find out about who I was, it became clear to me that I needed to go to the closest source .My great-grandparents are dead so the main source was gone. My grandfather, their son is dead, so my source on the immigrants and first generations within my family were short. Of my grandfathers nine siblings only one is still alive. She is a woman who scares me. Extremely intimating, but she is the generation who will have my answers. I found old friends of my grandfathers and great Aunts, Uncles and ones that knew my great-grandparents and something became very apparent in the pattern in the way they spoke of their heritage. It was the kind I grew up seeing in my grandfather which brings me into the first generation.
First generation[American born] equaled denial. I had noticed in many of the first generation born American Italians I have met, many were ashamed. To hide this they joke call each other "Wop”,"Dego" my grandfather I recall hearing him on the phone echoing in and out of English and slang Italian with his friends. He never wanted to speak of the past with us ,the newest generations, NEVER. I noticed this with others of his age group; they just wanted to be accepted, sure their parents were born elsewhere but these guys, these guys they were Americans not Italians. They were not dirty like people said they were. Ellis Island wasn’t the only place where name changes happened. They happened right here in Shame. They wanted to be like John Smith down the street who had the nice cloths and toys, and ate something other then Macaroni. This shame and the Denial continued onto generation two.
The second generation[American born] I like to call “We Are American” In this group I observed my father my uncle and their childhood friends and the few I have made contact with since planning for an Italian reunion family picnic. Many spoke of being proud, loved embracing their Italian heritage, some attend "Italian festivals”, many brag of their cooking skills and love of vino. Still some aren't even aware of the town their family came from, know a word in their families tongue, and never knew the pain of being called a "wop" when it truly was meant to be a racial slur. They are American they go to work every day, they pay their bills and life just goes on. This goes into third generation.
Third generation[American born] find themselves asking who am I? This would be me, in all that I have found in this group it’s like a lost sea of people trying to swim to the ship. By now many of us are blended, Irish, Scottish, Native American a little bit of everything maybe. But the few who still identify themselves as an Italian-American like I, struggle for our answers. Many we are hungry for the knowledge the ancestors took with them. Many long for the land their family came from. Some now discovering what their true surname is. How can we truly be recognized by Italians of the native land, if we have lost through the generations everything that made us Italian, and now has turned us American.
[1] "Americans by Choice", by Angelo Pellegrini, (1956)
[2] “Wait until Spring Bandini", by John Fante, (1983)
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Tom Verso on -
Thank you for a very excellent note. I am of your parent’s generation. [Parenthetically, may I suggest that there is some ambiguity in Italian American writing about the numbering of the generations. Many writers think of the immigrants as the first generation and others such as you think of the immigrant’s children as the first. Personally, whenever I use a number I make a parenthetical note such as: 3rd generating (i.e. grandchildren of immigrants). In the first part of your note I was not clear what you meant by 3rd generation until you referred to your great-grandparents. Just a thought I hope you don’t mind]
I knew the immigrants as a boy and their children (my parents, uncles/aunts, etc.) But, I don’t know your generation and the most recent one that is high school today. I wonder about them. In my i-Italy blog writings I repeatedly indicate the need for systematic sociological studies for these generations.
Tom Verso
-
Permalink Reply by crystal ainardi on -
Thanks for the suggestion, I want to come across more clear I'll add something in there
I understand this confusion. I have a older second cousin(my fathers cousin) she refers herself as a "third generation" I am always finding myself correcting her. I suppose I was taught it was this way from reading up on legal documents. When looking up information pertaining to Dual citizenship my Generation was always referred by the Italian consulate as 3rd from Italy.3rd from the immigrants.
I have to agree there is a cultural breakdown and studies for high school and college students to find and be able to identify with their roots should be available.
-
Permalink Reply by Tom Verso on
-
Thank you for your reply. I was especially interested in your reference to 3rd generation characterization by Italian consulate. I did not know this before. I can understand why from their legalistic point of view they would see 3rd generation as such. However, from the point of view of the study of Italian American culture and its evolution, the first generation is absolutely the immigrant generation. Because Italian American culture began with them. As soon as the got here the I/A culture began and began to evolve. Tom Verso
-
Permalink Reply by crystal ainardi on
-
That I agree on to a extent, if they had not come here we wouldn't have our cool title "Italian American"!!:)
I was thinking more about this last night and others in general. Comparing it to Mexican Immigrants. I have never heard a immigrant from Mexico call them self Mexican American.(unless of course they become legal) Its only when the next generation, their children, the first born in America, use this title.
Thats another theory in its self. Many say a immigrant to this country cannot receive the "first generation" title unless they are legal.If thats the case well, my family never became legal.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/first%20generation
first-gen·er·a·tion Audio Help /ˈfɜrstˌdʒɛnəˈreɪʃən/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[furst-jen-uh-rey-shuhn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective
1. being the first generation of a family to be born in a particular country.
2. being a naturalized citizen of a particular country; immigrant: the child of first-generation Americans.
From Wiki:
The term First generation immigrant may be used to describe either of two[1] [2] classes of people:
* An immigrant to a country, possibly with the caveat that they must be naturalized to receive this title.
* The children of immigrant parents, first in a family line to be born in the new country.
I think this is a on going problem for us all to identify and understand:
http://www.painintheenglish.com/post.php?id=580
Thanks for the conversation and feedback Tom , its getting my brain working hard and thinking a lot.
Grazie!!
-
Permalink Reply by Tom Verso on
-
If one approaches definitions in a scientific or Platonic way, then looking for absolutes makes sense. Science defines its terms with absolute precision – there is no discussion about meaning of oxygen or gravity etc. And, Platonic philosophy attempts to achieve that type of precision for moral terms. For the rest of us just talk about our experiences, language is highly equivocal and we have to continually make sure readers or listeners understand what we mean by the terms that we use; for those meanings will vary from context to context. For example, here in the States the label ‘Italian’ generally denotes an American of Italian descent. While all four of my grandparents were Italian immigrants, both my parents were born in this country. Accordingly, when I say “I’m Italian” the word Italian is short hand for an American of Italian descent. However, in some contexts, I have to make the distinction between ‘Italians’ (i.e. people born and living in Italy) and ‘Italians’ (i.e. Americans of Italian descent). The point is we should not get too bogged down chasing Platonic absolutes. Rather, just make sure the person with whom we are communicating understands what the terms we use denote. Again, that is why whenever I use a generation number I always indicate what I mean by how far removed from the immigrants (children, grandchildren, etc.). But, even that’s getting cumbersome. Using 20 years as a generation and 100 years since the great immigration, children today are now 5-6 generations removed from their immigrant progenitors; that implies 3 - 4 ‘great’ adjective modifiers in front of ‘grandchildren’. That can get to be confusing. Perhaps the imprecision of our language reflects the imperfections in our understanding of our history and culture. Language follows ideas: if the ideas are clear, then the language about the ideas is clear - maybe? Ciao for now. Tom
-
Permalink Reply by ti on -
Thank you for your post. Just to give an example of what you said can be complicated even further: I consider myself 1st generation (born in U.S. to immigrants)--although I agree with Tom that my parents can be considered 1st generation Italian-Americans (even though my mother has not become a naturalized citizen like my father) since after having been in the U.S. for over 30 years, they are definitely "Americanized". And I know this to be a fact as I can compare them to Italians in their hometown in Italy. As the first generation born in the U.S. and growing up in the 70's--90's I cannot say I felt the shame that 1st generationers felt 40 or more years ago. I can however say that I felt different, at a disadvantage, and struggled with cultural assimilation.
By the way, does anyone know of current areas of research/research questions related to this topic? I am studying literature and would love to incorporate Italian-American studies into my thesis project if possible.
-
Permalink Reply by Tom Verso on
-
To complicate this generation numbering thing further, it is important to keep in mind that in much of the academic discussion about the history of Italian Americans the term “1st generation” denotes the massive immigrant cohort that came here pre-WW I. This group of immigrants is to be distinguished from the post-WW II cohort that came circa 1960. Similarly, the children of the pre-WW I population had a much different maturing experience than the children of the post WW II immigrants.
In short, regardless of the short hand numbering system used, it is important to specifically identify the cohort that is being identified and discussed. The failure to do so leads to much misunderstanding. This of course is true of any historic or social science research.
Best
Tom Verso
About
Music
Badge
A social network for all those who feel like they're "italian" (or would like to be) ;-)
© 2010 Created by NetworkCrew on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
