Melting Pot As a Young Term Paper

One example is found in the lines, "Mr. Scott the retired plumber, and his plump midwestern wife, considered moving home back home where white and black got along and stayed where they belonged." The implications of this, though not surprising for the times, are still saddening to think of. Mr. Scott thought of moving back to a place where races were separated because that is where they got along with each other. This means that whites and blacks were not getting along with each other in Queens where there was no separation. Despite the amount of negativity surrounding Queens in the 1960's, there was an uplifting aspect to it all. A sense of community is always an extremely comforting thing and it seems as if Queens had this in its possession. As part of a melting pot, everyone has to stick together in order to standup against the oppression they face on a daily basis. Gestures of kindness were not always shown due to fear, but people were aware of others' good intentions. In line 57 Alvarez displays an example of the desire to be kind but the fear that overtakes that: "A dark man in a suit with a girl about my age walked quickly into a car. My hand lifted but fell before I made a welcoming gesture." Queens, New York circa 1960 does not sound like it was a particularly nice community, but it had some redeeming qualities of an understanding of quiet respect that reflects the manner in which the immigrants of Queens found s ort of community in their communal disadvantges.

Julia Alvarez has a unique way of writing poetry. "Queens, 1963" is more of a display of information than it is of creativity. However, this is not to say that imagery and interesting language is not used in her poem. She seems to have found the perfect balance between presenting information and exciting imagery. This keeps the reader interested and away from boredom whilst teaching them of the injustices and rough times of the 1960's New York borough (and really all melting pots in America at the time). Alvarez's poem is an important poem in America's history and will hopefully live on forever in order to educate future generations of the challenges immigrants faced, and still face, in hopes that immigrants….....