Tag: Group 3

In chapter 23 of Americanah, Obinze makes a deal with these Angolans to set up a green card marriage with a girl named Cleotilde. She was a UK citizen and Obinze’s visa just expired. He decides to marry a stranger to be able to gain UK citizenship. If an immigrant marries a citizen of that country then they are able to obtain citizenship for that country. Obinze goes to the London building to register for a marriage license and woman walks by saying, “Look how crowded this place is. It’s all sham marriages, all of them…” (Adichie 286). This worried Obinze because what he was doing was a scam to get his citizenship and what the woman was saying was true.

I chose this section because it is so interesting how this is very common everywhere. But, Obinze’s case was unfortunate in the end and does happen to other immigrants. There are many options to obtain a green card and I find it crazy how many people cheat the system to be able to obtain green card status. Many immigrants who have American children can sponsor their parents but that’s a long process waiting for the child to turn 21. So, it does make sense for many to go for marriage since it’s a quicker process.

Do you think marriage to obtain citizenship should be allowed? Do you think there should be certain limitations or checks for marriages?

“Chapter 23.” Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie et al., Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, 2017, pp. 281–291.

In Chapter 27 of Americanah, Obinze left the bookshop and made his way to the tube station. When he sat down on the tube, he noticed a woman opposite of him reading the evening paper, which was titled “Speak English at home, Blunkett tells immigrants” (Adichie 320). Obinze notes that many articles regarding immigration in the British Isles were being published, which instilled fear in citizens about asylum seekers trying to come into their country. The text states:

“[S]o articles were written and read, simply and stridently, as though the writers lived in a world in which the present was unconnected to the past, and they had never considered this to be the normal course of history: the influx into Britain of black and brown people from countries created by Britain” (Adichie 320).

These writers were failing to acknowledge that Britain once ruled the countries that these immigrants were coming from, and citizens were acting as if they should be fearful of the immigrants’ attempts to settle into their country. Obinze believes that the citizens denying the history of their country had to be comforting for them because they were failing to acknowledge that these immigrants we once part of British rule.

Why would the citizens rather deny the past and become fearful of immigrants seeking to come into their country, instead of feeling compassion and empathy for the immigrants trying to make a better life for themselves?

Works Cited

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Americanah, Anchor Books, A Division of Random House LLC, New York, 2013, p. 317-321.

I have chosen Chapter 37 of Adichie’s Americanah. In this section, a conversation arises between Ifemelu, along with other characters Shan, Grace, Ashanti, Blaine, and Maribelle. The six discuss novels and the difference between black and white writers. One topic that came up was about having labels in America. Ifemelu then wrote a blog post titled Is Obama Anything but Black? One part of the post that actually stood out to me the most was when she says “In America, you don’t get to decide what race you are. It is decided for you” (Adichie 418).

Many immigrants want to come to America in hopes of creating a better life or themselves. But in terms of race, it can be difficult to do so because of who you are. Do you agree with the quote about having racial labels in America? If, so why do you think it’s like this in our country?

Adichie, Chimamanda, N. Americanah. Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, 2017.

In chapter 30 of “Americanah” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the character Obinze is getting ready to marry Cleotilde for his green card. On the way to the civic center, Obinze is stopped by the police and is told that he can no longer stay in the UK. The policeman put Obinze in handcuffs and take him to a detention center. I chose this section of the book because these scenes demoralize immigrants and make them feel small. When Obinze tells the lawyer in the detention center that he is willing to leave, the lawyer checks off a form that says his client was willing to be “removed”. The text says that the word “removed” made obinze feel, “inanimate. A thing to be removed. A thing without breath and mind. a thing” (Adichie 345). The chapter further describes Obinzes’ experiences being deported back to Nigeria. In the end, he eventually arrives back in Lagos to be picked up by his mother.

Does the fact that Obinze was an illegal immigrant justify how poorly he was treated in the deportation process? Why or why not?

Adichie, Chimamanda. Americanah. Anchor Books, A Division of Random House LLC. New York. 2013. pp. 342-351.

In chapter 31 Ifemelu is at a dinner party in Manhattan discussing politics with Blaine’s friends. At the event, a Haitian woman had mentioned that she was eager to have a black man as the president of the United States because she felt he had the power to end racism. Ifemelu’s rebuttal was “The only reason you say that race was not an issue is because you wish it was not. We all wish it was not. But it’s a lie. I came from a country where race was not an issue, I did not think of myself as black and I only became black when I came to America” (Adichie 359).

Ifemelu then emphasized that interracial dating has not improved throughout time because it’s now legal. Ifemelu wanted to convey to Blaine’s friends that there should not have been restrictions on interracial dating at all.

Although Ifemelu was not entitled to speak on another woman’s experience with interracial dating. We are consciously able to see the racial privilege that Curt has, and Ifemelu doesn’t. To demonstrate, Curt made a few phone calls and found Ifemelu a job. Curt threatened an Asian woman to do Ifemelu’s eyebrows. Finally, Curt and Ifemelu went into a restaurant together and the host asked Curt if he was dining alone. With that being said, when or what age did you notice the racial divide in America?

“Chapter 31.” Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Anchor Books, A Division of Random House LLC, New York, 2013, pp. 355-369.