Multicultural Literature in Contemporary Italy Reading (pg. 77-204) Reflection:

Multicultural Literature in Contemporary Italy Reading (pg. 77-204) Reflection:

“Crossroads Identity”  (pg. 99- 107)

            This is a beautiful story that is most likely the story of many immigrants. Kuami, being born in Italy, he feels like Italy is his country and though Africa is his “home-land” all that he aspires to be and do, cannot be done or achieved in Africa.  The story line was compelling, for a child to speak to their parents the way Kuami started off talking to them was unheard of in my family. I was relieved when in the middle of the story we found out that he was actually just trying to find out how he would bring up such a conversation.  It makes me wonder how many second generation immigrant children feel more connected to the country that they have been in all of their lives more than the one that they “came from.” I find it really interesting because for a long time I considered myself to be from Mississippi but born and raised in Seattle. I would think of it that way because all of my morals and teachings were of the ones my mother learned in Mississippi as she was growing up. Not many people in Seattle answer with “yes ma’am and yes sir” and for that reason, I did not feel like I could “be” from a place that does not reflect the way that I act. Though a part of that is true, all that I have ever known is in Seattle and I now take pride and accept that I am simply different than what is usual.

            Identity is very thought provoking and captivating because it is always more than what you see and initially think. I’m sure there were many Italians who would look and see Kuami and automatically think that he was just another African. But it’s deeper than that. He considers himself to have two homes, his motherland is Africa but he is Italian. He mentions in the story that he doesn’t know how to maintain in Africa because technologies and functions of his world in Italy do not function in Africa. According to the thesaurus, synonyms for identity are the following: individuality, self, selfhood; personality, character, originality, distinctiveness, differentness, singularity, uniqueness. I find it Ironic because as people we always try to make identity about togetherness. We group people together to make “identities” so that we can “identify” who they really are. The dictionary definition is “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is” and my question to that is how do we make a feeling factual? The identity is up to the person and how they feel. That’s why I appreciate this story so much. It’s a sense of relief because it proves that no one has to be what or who they are expected to be. Ultimately, it is up to the people themselves.

            The best part of the story has to be the ending. I was nervous to see how his parents would react to the son’s feelings of not wanting to return to Africa. I’m unsure of where these quotes originated from, but the power in them are awesome. As they conversed and spoke their own piece, each had something wise to say to the other. Kuami said some very profound statements. Starting with “Can’t you see THIS is my country.” Putting emphasis on the “THIS” gave that statement so much power because he meant and even in reading, I could feel it. Then he later says to further explain his feelings, “It is true that an elderly man sitting sees farther than a young man who is standing, and that a child does not put his father on his shoulder to help him see the sky. However, it is true that the blacksmith of a village can be the apprentice of another.” In so many words, I comprehended all of that in him simply saying that his father cannot live and choose his life decisions. Also, that just what he is in Africa, he can be something greater in Italy.  The father once said to the son, “I know that traveling, one finds wisdom and that intelligence is the fruit that is gathered in the garden next door, but nevertheless, even hot water has to remember that is was once cold.” Then the father is trying to tell the son not to forget where he has come from. But I don’t think the son has forgotten at all, he respects Africa that is just not where his destiny is.

            This reminds me of a conversation that I had with one of my older cousins, no matter the closeness to family or anyone as a child. It comes a time when every man has to make a life for himself and do things that will ultimately benefit them and the family that they will build one day. And that is another thing that identity is about, being who you are because that is who you want to be. It’s a process and can also change over the course of time. The story could not have had a better title, because in the story he was definitely at a crossroad.