"As someone long prepared for the occasion,
In full command of every plan you wrecked --
Do not choose a coward's explanation
That hides behind the cause and the effect.
I would like to share this personal story about my family that my Grandmother shared with us years ago. After reading Christ in Concrete, I thought of it.
v In 1931, after a long time without work, my Great-grandfather, Carmine Colasacco, and my Great-uncle, Victor Morosco, were hired to work as laborers on the construction of the Empire State Building. Both men were very excited, as there was so much hype regarding the erecting of this "sky scraper." Obviously, during the Depression, a job of any kind was difficult to come by. My Great-grandfather not only had a wife and five children to feed, but his parents as well. My Great-uncle had a widowed mother, Grandmother, and younger siblings that depended on him to bring bread to their table. My Great-uncle had some experience as a small time boxer, but no regular paying gig. This job in NYC was a gift from Heaven!
As the story goes, both men worked long and hard hours under not the safest of circumstances, as we well know from Christ in Concrete. Finally, after a long month, it was payday! Their heads were filled with dreams of how they would spend their paychecks. Suddenly, the Straw Boss appeared and demanded $5.00 from each man. That sum may seem paltry in this day and age, but to both men, it was a fortune! My Great-uncle could not control himself. He punched the Straw Boss in the mouth, knocked out his front teeth, and the rest is history!
Later, my Great-grandfather had a Hero Shop in the Bronx of some renown…Joey's Heros, in case you were ever there. My Great-uncle had a small Italian restaurant, first in the Bronx, and then in Stuyvesant town. Neither man ever returned to the construction business.
Just a funny incident that happened over the weekend, it relates to discrimination against Italians.
I drove my car into my backyard to wash it, and my cousin who happened to be there asked me what i was doing. When i told him i was going to wash my car, he asked me "When did you become an Eyetalian?" I told him off in a nice way and explained to him what we were learning in this class and how the stereotype wasn't nice. Yesterday, while reading the Godfather, i was reading the part where Clemenza was talking about how he loved his Cadillac and how he enjoyed washing it, and i started laughing because that exactly how i feel about my car, and turns out i am an Eyetalian!
My personal story is about an friend's family member that i recently met and she has a minimal amount of teeth. At fist i didn't notice she had dentures but she for some odd reason removed them. When i saw her i didn't know what to do, i didn't want to stare but couldn't help doing so. I explained to her that i found this to be interesting because i recently watch a movie for class where some guy had to sell his teeth to be support himself. I asked her if it was OK for me to ask her question about how it has changed her the way she is perceived and level of comfort...It seem like a coincidence that this happened a few days after watching L'Emigrante. Not intended to repulse anyone.
I would like to share this personal story about my family that my Grandmother shared with us years ago. After reading Christ in Concrete, I thought of it.
ReplyDeletev In 1931, after a long time without work, my Great-grandfather, Carmine Colasacco, and my Great-uncle, Victor Morosco, were hired to work as laborers on the construction of the Empire State Building. Both men were very excited, as there was so much hype regarding the erecting of this "sky scraper." Obviously, during the Depression, a job of any kind was difficult to come by. My Great-grandfather not only had a wife and five children to feed, but his parents as well. My Great-uncle had a widowed mother, Grandmother, and younger siblings that depended on him to bring bread to their table. My Great-uncle had some experience as a small time boxer, but no regular paying gig. This job in NYC was a gift from Heaven!
As the story goes, both men worked long and hard hours under not the safest of circumstances, as we well know from Christ in Concrete. Finally, after a long month, it was payday! Their heads were filled with dreams of how they would spend their paychecks. Suddenly, the Straw Boss appeared and demanded $5.00 from each man. That sum may seem paltry in this day and age, but to both men, it was a fortune! My Great-uncle could not control himself. He punched the Straw Boss in the mouth, knocked out his front teeth, and the rest is history!
Later, my Great-grandfather had a Hero Shop in the Bronx of some renown…Joey's Heros, in case you were ever there. My Great-uncle had a small Italian restaurant, first in the Bronx, and then in Stuyvesant town. Neither man ever returned to the construction business.
Just a funny incident that happened over the weekend, it relates to discrimination against Italians.
ReplyDeleteI drove my car into my backyard to wash it, and my cousin who happened to be there asked me what i was doing. When i told him i was going to wash my car, he asked me "When did you become an Eyetalian?" I told him off in a nice way and explained to him what we were learning in this class and how the stereotype wasn't nice. Yesterday, while reading the Godfather, i was reading the part where Clemenza was talking about how he loved his Cadillac and how he enjoyed washing it, and i started laughing because that exactly how i feel about my car, and turns out i am an Eyetalian!
My personal story is about an friend's family member that i recently met and she has a minimal amount of teeth. At fist i didn't notice she had dentures but she for some odd reason removed them. When i saw her i didn't know what to do, i didn't want to stare but couldn't help doing so. I explained to her that i found this to be interesting because i recently watch a movie for class where some guy had to sell his teeth to be support himself. I asked her if it was OK for me to ask her question about how it has changed her the way she is perceived and level of comfort...It seem like a coincidence that this happened a few days after watching L'Emigrante.
ReplyDeleteNot intended to repulse anyone.