Carlos Bulosan "America is in the Heart" English Term Paper, FIlipino Discrimination

"We who came to the United States as immigrants are Americans too. All of us were immigrants- all the way down the line. We are Americans all who have toiled for this land, who have made it rich and free. But we must not demand from America, because she is still our unfinished dream…we must give our lives that she might grow unencumbered." (Bulosan 312)

In his semi-autobiographical novel America is in the Heart, Carlos Bulosan makes this statement to a group of immigrant workers following his tumultuous first years in America as a Filipino immigrant. This pronouncement functions as a major realization for him, as he makes the decision to view America not from the perspective of one who has been wronged and abused, and sees this country as something static and unchanging, and so becomes bitter and disillusioned; Carlos concludes that America is an unfinished ideal in which everyone must invest their time and energy, and this outlook leaves us with a feeling of hope for the future instead of bitter defeat. Carlos and the other Filipinos come in search of the ideal America with which we are very familiar - the America of freedom, equality, social justice, and, most importantly, opportunities to work and have a good life.