Bulosan's Words

This paper begins with stating the author’s argument and standpoint, together with his thesis statement. This is then followed by the plot summary of the book America is In the Heart. The different elements that are to be discussed in literary analysis follow closely. These are succeeded by both Personal conclusion to Bulosan’s arguments are made and a closing conclusion

The Author’s Argument. In Bulosan’s words, America is not and should not be perceived to be a monoracial land or a society belonging to one class. Bulosan justifies his standpoint by maintaining that all Americans tolled and suffered defeat and oppression starting with the first Indian in Manhattan who offered peace to the last tea picker in Filipino. As a corollary to this, Bulosan also points out that the US is not bound by geographical latitudes so that it cannot be merely viewed as an institution or a piece of land. On the contrary, Bulosan sees America as land and nation that is in the hearts of men (and women) who died for America’s freedom and those who are struggling to build a new world out of America. Bulosan continues that America is an assemblage of a new society of men who herald a system that transcends sorrow, suffering and strife. The flipside of this standpoint as is held by Bulosan is that America is the embodiment of warning that would befall those who would make an attempt at falsifying the ideas of free men.

Bulosan proceeds to give a wider, more comprehensive definition of America by positing that the US is the nameless foreigner; the famished boy looking for a job; the homeless refugee; and the lifeless black body that is hanging from a tree. Bulosan proceeds to maintain that America is the illiterate immigrant who is morose and ashamed of the fact that from intellectualism and the world of books, he is totally ostracized.  To Bulosan, the nameless foreigner, the lynched black body, the illiterate immigrant, the homeless refugee and the hungry boy- all people, from the first Adam to the last Filipino, make up America.

It is therefore given that as the author, Bulosan’s the Thesis Statement is that being American is not pegged on race, color or class, but positive attitude that embraces benevolent ideals such as egalitarianism, justice and equity.

The flipside of the above standpoint by Bulosan is that the oppressive and inhuman capitalists and segregationists at whose hands the Filipinos suffered are not really Americans since they have neither at any given time stood for America’s ideals, nor harbored the same ideals as virtues in their hearts.