Remember by: Nathan Goldman

Remember:we weren't all born with dreams like yours.
Back home, when I walked down the street, I had to keep watch for baseball bats and shrapnel daggers out of the corners of my eyes.And when I got home, I ate bread crumbs and peanut butter and went to bed empty and scared.And in the morning I went to look for work, but I wouldn't get work.Just saliva in my eyes.
I dreamt of a home that was better.I dreamt of eating my share,working for a wage,not having to keep watch out of the corners of my eyes.
You say you want to be an artist.That you dream of secret fame of awed faces and huddled minor masses.You dream of creating things and making men cry because yes, this is beautiful.
All right! Dream.
Just remember how I dreamt of filling my emptiness.How I worked, sweated, bled.To rise up and grasp my dream.To earn those seeds to plant in the family's dream scape.
And remember how I tended them for your mother, and for you so those seeds would grow, and bear fruit for you so you could dream things I didn't know could be dreamt.
I don't mean you owe me anything or you shouldn't take things for granted or I envy you or Just remember.


This poem is about not letting go of your heritage if you're an immigrant. It also tells about how bad life was in a country. In the third and forth line, it says "I ate bread crumbs and peanut butter and went to bed empty and scared." This suggests that the narrator is so poor that he has to eat almost nothing and that is scared of the future and what will become of him. This poem is about how hard it is to make your dreams come true and how easy it is to just imagine the perfect life. He says "I dreamt of a home that was better...All right! Dream. Just remember how I dreamt of filling my emptiness. How I worked, sweated, bled. To rise up and grasp my dream." He is talking about how he dreamed of having a better life and having to work, sweat, and bleed for it. I think ultimately, this is about how he hated life back home and dreamed of a better life. He immigrated to another country and is still having some trouble achieving his dream. He is telling people that just because you hear stories of success by immigrating to another country doesn't mean you should believe them. In his case, he believed a story and failed to fulfil his dream. He wants to remember everything he went through to be where he is now.

Germany To America

My name is Karl Germanotta. I lived in Germany before i came to the United States. This is my story of the hardships and life altering decisions i had to make in order to achieve a new life in America.

I love Germany. I love the air, the mountains, the rivers, the valleys, the cities, and the people. Germany is my home and i will love it forever. The only thing i don't love are my chances in fulfilling my dreams. My decision to leave Germany was based on three major factors. Germany's taxes have started to increase over the years, and due to an increase in the German population made it impossible to buy land. The last factor was my family. My entire family was in Germany. Moving to America meant i had to leave them for i don't know how long. I remember my conversation with my father the night before the ship to America left.
"Dad, you know I love Germany but its just to expensive to live here. I still dint have a job and i probably will not find one anytime soon," i said.
"You need to go to America. Find a job, and start your new life. I want you to be happy and successful. Success cannot be found right now in Germany," my dad told me.
"But I don't want to leave you and mom behind," I replied to him.
"Forget about us, we will be fine. I'm living my dream right now and I want you to live your dream," my dad said.
"You know what dad, I think I will. I'm going to America!" i said with a passion.
I was so excited that night. It felt like I was at the top of a roller coaster, waiting, looking down at the track as it dropped to the ground. I was waiting for the near future. Waiting for what would happen. That night I couldn't sleep at all. I kept tossing and turning, thinking about all the different versions of the way my life could turn out.
That morning, I said bye to my parents and was on my way to the dock in Northern Germany. It was the most exciting day of my life. I saw the ship and then saw the complete chaos. People were crowding around waiting for the ship to allow people on board. I couldn't recognize one person. I waited an hour for the door to open. People flooded the boat like a cup a submarine with a hole in it. The boat trip was terrible i had no room to move. I don't want to talk about it. Finally I made it to New York City. The Statue of Liberty was the tallest steel structure i had ever seen.
I walked the streets of this beautiful city and thought that my dream is starting to come true. I walked the street and I heard the wonderful music of a musician. She was amazing. She had blonde hair and wore clothes that women would never wear in public. I thought to myself how someone like this could be so beautiful and talented and not be famous. As she grabbed her hat full of donations, I quickly threw in a dollar. She looked into my eyes and I could tell it was love at first sight. She introduced her self. Her name was Stefani. After a month of dating, I asked her to marry me. She happily excitedly accepted.
I wanted to make her name know, Stefani Germanotta. Her voice and talent was amazing. She started writing songs and I, working at a radio station in New York, would submit the songs to be played on air. One day, my boss loved the lyrics of one song she wrote called "Beautiful Dirty Rich". She came in one day, recorded the song, and it was aired to the City. The song was a major hit. Everyone heard of the song and knew who she was. I made her dream come true and she made my dream come true. We then lived the rich and famous life in America. My parents were so proud of me. I truly lived the American dream. And to think that if I didn't immigrate to the United States I would probably be unemployed and unhappy.

German Immigration

Immigrants from Germany have been coming to the United States since the mid 1800s when the colonies belonged to Britain. I think that the German people have not lost their German culture, especially in major cities like New York City. They have had the American culture thrust upon them and yet they still have and embrace their German heritage. The main cause of their immigration from Germany in the 1800s was in search for religious freedom and freedom from military involvement. Most Germans chose immigrating to the United States over other countries because they were in search of the things they desired and many were persuaded by emigration officers, friends, and relatives. Most German immigrants went on in living in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

German Immigrants chose Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania because back in the 1800s, the land was inhabited by Native Americans so German immigrants settled in those states. Another reason why German immigrants went to the Midwest was because "land was made available to the Northern Pacific Railway," http://www.mnsu.edu/u/ says. They also say, "Land was sold to the immigrants for $2.50-$8.00 an acre in 1872-1873 and could be bought with credit under certain conditions." This was a great opportunity for German Immigrants. Taxes in Germany were rising and as the population increased, the amount of land became less available and more expensive. By immigrating to the Midwest, Germans could cheaply but land whose climate is similar to Germany's. Once they were settled, they tried to get their families to join them in America. In the picture above, the light blue stands for the German population immigrating to the United States. The majority of the Germany Population settled in the Midwest and Pennsylvania. The immigrants coming to America immigrated there because of career opportunities but today it is different. Today, most Americans think that immigrants take American jobs and deteriorate American culture.

"...immigrants do not take away jobs from American workers. Instead, they create new jobs by forming new businesses, spending their income on American goods and services, paying taxes and raising the productivity of US business," Sharon Xu writes at Kean University. I think this statement is true because immigrants do create jobs and pay taxes, immigrants ultimately help the economy. Most Americans don't want to have a job painting windows or mowing lawns, they want to have successful careers. Immigrants hold on to their own culture ans they enrich American Culture.

Immigrants make up the United States and also make up our culture. Food is a major role is American culture. When you are at a party, you usually eat Pizza, which is an Italian food. In the map above, dark blue represents the Italian population and they are concentrated in the New Jersey New York area. The East Coast is known for having the best Pizza. The Pretzel,which is from Germany, is a great snack in American culture. Besides food, immigrants also held on to their language. The United States has no official language. Spanish is the most common language spoken in the United States besides English. Second is French and third is German according to ethnichavrest.org. Immigrants still celebrate their holidays that they celebrated in their country. The holidays aren't celebrated by everyone but that is what makes America unique. Each ethnic group celebrates their cultures holidays such as Cinco de Mayo and Oktoberfest and then there are the holidays that everyone celebrates in Americas short history such as the Forth of July. That is what makes America unique.

German Immigrants made great decisions to immigrate to the United States. They left behind their poor lives to find a land of hope and freedom. They had many opportunities to have jobs and buy land, cheap land that they could afford. German immigrants have also contributed to the economy, by paying taxes and creating new businesses. They have also not lost their culture. German immigrants still speak their German language, cook their German food, and celebrate their German holidays. The German culture is strong in the United States. Many cultures are strong in the United States, all the different cultures from immigrants come together to form the American Culture that I know and love today.