America Is in the Heart by Carlos Bulosan - 1612 Words

America is in the Heart By: Carlos Bulosan I found the dark hole of the steerage and lay on my bunk for days without food, seasick and lonely. I was restless at night and many disturbing thoughts came to my mind. Why had I left home? What would I do in America? I looked into the faces of my companions for a comforting answer, but they were as young and bewildered as I, and my only consolation was their proximity and the familiarity of their dialects. It was not until we had left Japan that I began to feel better. One day in mid-ocean, I climbed through the narrow passageway to the deck where other steerage passengers were sunning themselves. Most of them were Illocanos, who were fishermen in the northern coastal regions of Luzon.†¦show more content†¦It became no longer her voice, but an angry chorus shouting: â€Å"Why don’t they ship those monkeys back where they came from?† We arrived in Seattle on a June day. My first sight of the approaching land was an exhilarating experience. Everything seemed native and promising to me. It was like coming home after a long voyage, although as yet I had no home in this city. Everything seemed familiar and kind – the white faces of the buildings melting in the soft afternoon sun, the gray contours of the surrounding valleys that seemed to vanish in the last periphery of light. With a sudden surge of joy, I knew that I must find a home in this new land. I had only twenty cents left, not even enough to take me to Chinatown where, I had been informed, a Filipino hotel and two restaurants were located. Fortunately, two oldtimers put me in a car with four others and took us to a hotel on King Street, the heart of Filipino life in Seattle. Marcelo, who was also in the car, had a cousin named Elias who came to our room with another oldtimer. Elias and his unknown friend persuaded my companions to play a strange kind of card game. In a little while Elias got up and touched his friend suggestively; then they disappeared and we never saw them again. It was only when our two countrymen had left that my companions realized what had happened. They had taken all their money. Marcelo asked me If I had any money. I gave him my twenty cents. After collecting a few more cents from theShow MoreRelatedThe Heart By Carlos Bulosan1471 Words   |  6 Pagesthe former belief that America should remain neutral and respect state sovereignty was replaced by the belief that America’s role was to be the world’s policeman. Thus, due to public’s belief that Empire is necessary, America colonized and took over the states of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and The Philippines. 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