Question

What does addams mean about her initial naive attitude (she uses the word fatuous. great word!) about the "common destiny" she hoped to experience by living in immigrant neighborhoods? why was this notion of a "common destiny" actually false?

Answer 1

Jane Addams's initial 'fatuous' notion of a 'common destiny' with immigrants was based on sharing living conditions. She later realized the complexity of immigrants' struggles, highlighting the divide between her intentions and their realities.

Step-by-step explanation:

Jane Addams, a pioneer in the field of social welfare, moved into an immigrant neighborhood in Chicago to live among those she wished to help. Her naive attitude, described as 'fatuous,' was based on the assumption of experiencing a 'common destiny' with the immigrants. Addams thought that by sharing the living conditions, her and the immigrants' life trajectories would converge and they would face common challenges and accomplishments.

However, Addams soon realized that her notion of 'common destiny' was false because the lived experiences of immigrants were much more complex and challenging than she anticipated. Despite her goodwill, as someone from a wealthy background, she did not share the same struggles of low wages, poor sanitation, or the acute sense of dislocation and discrimination faced by the immigrants. The 'common destiny' she envisaged did not account for the profound social, economic, and cultural divides between her and the residents of the Hull House neighborhood.