Visions of America by James Baldwin and Hunger for Memory by Richard RodriguezMany narratives of immigrants and minorities focus their efforts on the positive side of the American dream. These particular stories chronicle a person's struggle and rise through the ranks of the American hierarchy while focusing on the opportunities that seem to abound in this country. While these stories are beautiful and beautiful. they seem to gently peddle the other side of the coin of this country's attitude towards immigrants and minorities. America is a land of milk, honey and opportunity, but unfortunately most new officials or reluctant participants in American culture face an American nightmare that leaves its effects on individuals, families and cultures for generations to come . America has its own deeply ingrained prejudices and stereotypes about people outside its walls5 and these prejudices force some immigrants and minorities to abandon previous cultural ties to assimilate or to buckle up the canopy of equality that changes their lives forever . in particular, it will help explore the idea that an immigrant or minority experiencing the trauma of bigotry must somehow attempt to reconcile their cultural heritage with the demands of a new society that opposes their own cultural difference. James Baldwin and Richard Rodriguez experienced this kind of angst from immigrants and minorities about their connections to their cultural and racial backgrounds. Baldwin struggled with the desire to be a writer, not just a black writer, amid the chaos and protests of the 1960s political movement and Richard Rodriguez struggled between the pull of assimilation and the promised success and his feelings of family betrayal... ... middle of paper ......d, because their very words echo the sounds of their communities' cries for equal and peaceful coexistence. However, as both Baldwin and Rodriguez recognize and proclaim, there will always be a need for their kind of experiences because it is only through the loss of their cultural identity that they have realized what a precious gift it is. Works Cited Baldwin, James. "No names on the street." Visions of America. Ed. Wesley Brown and Amy Ling. Persea 116oks: New York, 1993. 284-290.Harris, Trudier. New essays on Go Tell It On The Mountain. Ed. Trudier Harris. Cambridge UP: New York, 1996. 1-28. Leeming, David. James Baldwin: A Biography. Alfred A. Knopf. New York, 1994.Porter, Horace. Stealing fire. Wesleyan UP: Middletown, 1989. Rodriguez, Richard. Memory Hunger: The Education of Richard Rodriguez: An Autobiography. Bantam: New York, 1983.