Mary Antin
Mary Antin
================
Full Name and Common Aliases
---------------------------
Mary Antin was born as Miriam Antin on June 4, 1881, in Polotzk, Russian Empire (now Polotsk, Belarus). She is often referred to by her pen name or the anglicized version of her first name.
Birth and Death Dates
------------------------
June 4, 1881 – April 16, 1949
Nationality and Profession(s)
---------------------------------
American writer, essayist, and autobiographer of Russian Jewish descent. Her experiences as an immigrant to the United States greatly influenced her writing.
Early Life and Background
------------------------------
Mary Antin was born into a family of Jewish immigrants in the Russian Empire. In 1894, at the age of 13, she immigrated with her family to Boston's North End, where they settled amidst a thriving community of Jewish immigrants. Her early life experiences had a profound impact on her writing and worldview.
Growing up in poverty, Mary faced significant challenges as an immigrant child in America. However, her love for learning and reading provided an escape from the hardships she endured. She devoured books from the Boston Public Library and eventually landed a job at a local textile factory to support her family.
Major Accomplishments
-------------------------
Mary Antin's most notable accomplishment is her bestselling autobiography, "The Promised Land," published in 1910. The book chronicles her life story from childhood in Russia to adulthood in America, offering a poignant portrayal of immigrant experiences during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Notable Works or Actions
-----------------------------
Mary Antin's writing career spanned over two decades, with notable works including:
"The Promised Land" (1910): Her memoir detailing her journey from Russia to America.
"They Who Knock at Our Door" (1922): A collection of essays that reflect on the immigrant experience and the challenges faced by newcomers to the United States.
Mary Antin's contributions extended beyond her writing. She was an active advocate for social justice, women's rights, and immigrant welfare. Her voice and perspective helped shape public opinion and policy regarding immigration and social reform.
Impact and Legacy
------------------------
Mary Antin's impact on American literature is undeniable. Her work humanized the experiences of immigrants, challenging stereotypes and misconceptions prevalent at the time. As a writer, she paved the way for future generations of immigrant authors.
Her legacy extends beyond her writing to her tireless advocacy for social justice and immigration reform. Mary Antin remains an important figure in American literary history, with her work continuing to resonate with readers today.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
---------------------------------------------
Mary Antin's quotes and writings are frequently referenced due to their timeless relevance and insight into the immigrant experience. Her stories of resilience, perseverance, and hope continue to inspire people from diverse backgrounds.
Quotes by Mary Antin
We are not born all at once, but by bits. The body first, and the spirit later; and the birth and growth of the spirit, in those who are attentive to their own inner life, are slow and exceedingly painful.
The world is so busy, too, that it cannot afford to study any man’s unfinished work; for the end may prove it a failure, and the world needs masterpieces.
There was one public school for boys, and one for girls, but Jewish children were admitted in limited numbers – only ten to a hundred; and even the lucky ones had their troubles.
A little instruction in the elements of chartography – a little practice in the use of the compass and the spirit level, a topographical map of the town common, an excursion with a road map – would have given me a fat round earth in place of my paper ghost.
I was at a most impressionable age when I was transplanted to the new soil. I was in that period when even normal children, undisturbed in their customary environment, begin to explore their own hearts, and endeavor to account for themselves and their world.
It is only that my illusion is more real to me than reality. And so do we often build our world on an error, and cry out that the universe is falling to pieces, if any one but lift a finger to replace the error by truth.
Such creatures of accident are we, liable to a thousand deaths before we are born. But once we are here, we may create our own world, if we choose.
Among the liveliest of my memories are those of eating and drinking; and I would sooner give up some of my delightful remembered walks, green trees, cool skies, and all, than to lose my images of suppers eaten on Sabbath evenings at the end of those walks.
A characteristic thing about the aspiring immigrant is the fact that he is not content to progress alone. Solitary success is imperfect success in his eyes. He must take his family with him as he rises.