The passage discusses how immigration to America has changed since the 1960s. The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act eliminated national quotas that previously favored European immigrants. This resulted in more immigrants from Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean who brought new voices and stories. Many newly arrived immigrants were highly educated professionals seeking opportunity. Their children, as second-generation Americans, have transformed the literary landscape with works exploring the clash of retaining cultural traditions while assimilating into American society.

1. Passage to America New Immigrants Tell Their Stories

2. “Coming to America” America is a land of immigrants with stories that comprise a major part of our literary landscape These stories trace the ancestry of early settlements in New England, and the more recent arrivals from all parts of the world More than four centuries of immigration have given Americans a rich cultural mix of stories

3. Recent Decades From 1980 on, there has been a flood of drama, poetry, memoir, and fiction contributed by writers from around the world Young well-educated group of newly arrived Americans have transformed the literary landscape with new and distinctive voices “ Passage to America” theme is still present but the immigrants and their stories have changed

4. 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act Did away with old immigration controls and instituted sweeping changes Old rules limited immigration with rigid national quotas, favoring Europeans 1965 rules gave priority to educated and skilled workers and uniting families Resulted in influx of Caribbean, Central American, South American, Chinese, Indian, Korean and other Asian immigrants

5. First Source of New Writers: Upwardly Mobile Immigrants Many possessed specific skills in medicine, business, computers, science, and education Newly established professionals worked hard to see their children become educated

6. Clash of Cultures Struggle to retain ethnic heritage vs. assimilation into American traditions These contrasts provide perfect material for literature – showing comedy, passion, drama Ready audience of second generation immigrant readers Appeals to wider American audience

7. Second Source of New Writers: South of the Border Mexicans in the United States have been producing literature for generations but have become much more visible as education levels have risen More young people are fluent in English, the major language in the literary market Issues to write about for Chicano and Chicana writers are the same as other immigrants, with additional ones as well

8. Themes of New Writing America as a land of freedom and opportunity America as a land of disappointment because of discrimination and hard economic times Desire to retain original traditions while “fitting in” is difficult Transition from one culture to another is heartbreaking Shock of cultural differences and prejudice

9. Publishing Issues for Multicultural Writers Material for stories is rich and is readily exploited by publishers Writers feel “pigeonholed” as though only ethnic themes are expected Writers do not want to be forced into writing about predictable themes and issues of their culture Should writers honor old traditions or can they strike out on their own with new subjects?

10. What Does it Take to Become Fully American?