America And I By Anzia Yezierska Tone

Tone is the attitude or mood that the writer portrays in their work. In the story, “America and I”, Anzia Yezierska is an immigrant from Poland who has come to America for better opportunities. As she journeys through America, she reveals to the reader her feelings about America using certain images and word choice. Her tone evolves in the narrative as she soon realizes that with the opportunities also comes hard work and determination. Her tone throughout her story changes from ambitious and determined to understanding and sad by the end.
In the beginning, all she wants is to be understood. She aches for the land of living hope, woven of dreams, aflame with longing and desire. She has finally found what she has been looking for. She arrives …show more content…
On the first day she asked about her wages, and the family gave her a cold look. She didn’t know what to do and shrank back into herself like a low-down bargainer. They told her not to be so grabbing of wages, that she should be thankful and enjoy being apart of the American society. She was to stay at their home, and for the first time, she felt like an American. When her month was up, she was so excited and anxious to get paid. She waited to ask as breakfast and lunch passed, but she couldn’t take it anymore when dinner came. When she nervously asked scared about what happened the first time, she was denied any money. She was so angry and disappointed that after a month a hard work, she had nothing to show for …show more content…
Even though they beat her down, she decides to persevere and keep looking for her dream. She got a new job, sewing on buttons, but she never saw daylight. The money she got was barely able to afford rent in a room full of a dozen other immigrants, she was always really hungry too. She kept thinking “her” America was out there. After standing up to the old witch after abuse, she was fired for being a “clock watcher”.
She was now out on the streets again with nothing, but was still determined. She gradually became a trained worker, working in a light, airy factory, only eight hours a day. She still wasn’t satisfied, so she went to her English teacher in the factory for advise. She told her to learn English first and then go from there. She cried out “I already know how to speak and read the English language, but I can’t put it into words what I want.” The teacher advised to join one of the social clubs of the Woman’s Association. This group will help a working girl like her find