our dreams were all established by immigrants and then passed on to the future generations, but as time progresses the past is lost. Tony Bardolino is the second generation of a family of Italian immigrants. He considers himself Italian, however he has distanced himself from his family and its culture. Personally, I am a direct descendent of an immigrant. I consider myself to be in touch with my culture, but yet I am not connected to the traditions my parents and grand parents participated in when they were children. In addition, I can speak little of our native and I am more concerned about today and the future than I am about my family. Bardolino feels the same way, and recognizes the strong ties between family background the key to the future (Rubin 143-151). The history of an individual’s family is very important to the future of the family and its tradition. With the rate of speed society is traveling at today it is hard to find a family that is connected to each other on many levels. Geographic mobility is easier than it has ever been before. Instead of families living near each other and growing up in the same neighborhood their entire lives, families will move several times depending on job availability. This puts a strain on families without the funding to keep their children connected with the past. On the other hand, families with a high social stand could be able to connect themselves much easier with their family and see them on a more frequent basis. Thus, a family without history could be much like a house without a strong foundation; it looks good from the outside, but deep down inside the essentials are missing and this is directly connected with social class and wears thin on family relationships. “I lost my faith at the age of thirteen when my parents separated and God cheated me out of family,” nineteen year old Daniel Martinez explains to me about his families bitter divorce and how i...
