Write a reading response pa.per discussing "Breaking the Silence on Angel Island's Immigration Station" by Marisol Medina-Cadena and Ah Hee Lee's "Conversation with Immigration Officer"
Instructions
Ae Hee Lee's poem "Conversation with Immigration Officer" recalls the history of the Angel Island Immigration Station in which officials interrogated immigrants—the majority of whom were Chinese—to ensure that they really were who they said they were.
First, if you have not already, read/listen to the following report, "Breaking the Silence on Angel Island's Immigration Station" (Links to an external site.) by Marisol Medina-Cadena and Ah Hee Lee's "Conversation with Immigration Officer." (Links to an external site.)
Then, in an pa.per of at least 750 words, address the following questions:
First, discuss the treatment of detainees at the Angel Island Immigration Station.
How did Chinese immigrants at the Angel Island Immigration Station take advantage of the 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco to claim exemption from the Chinese Exclusion Act? (In your response, discuss the meaning of the terms "pa.per sons" and "pa.per daughters.")
Finally, describe the conversation between the immigration officer and the female immigrant (who is identified as "you") in Ae Hee Lee's poem. What is your interpretation of the immigrant's responses to the officer?