America is in the Heart by Carlos Bulosan (intro.)

27 Março 2019, 08:00 • Margarida Vale de Gato

Began our discussion of Carlos Bulosan’s America is in the Heart.  Began with short lecture on the U.S.-Philippines war in 1898 and the subsequent U.S. occupation and anti-colonial guerilla war, which is the historical context that shapes Bulosan’s family story and his subsequent immigration to California. Students read excerpts from Mark Twain’s account of the Filipino War from To the Person Sitting in Darkness. The novel’s title suggests to us that it is going to be a story about the America that sets the captive free; but as you have already seen, it’s also a harrowing tale of poverty and disappointment. So I asked students to think about Bulosan’s title, and its optimism? Why does he love the country so?