Assimilation Richard Rodriguez Summary

People wouldn’t like Japanese, Chinese, Italians, Irish, etc. As for assimilation, many people come to this country with no intention of ever becoming Americans. They want to be known as Americans. A lot of the immigrants didn’t want to pay taxes or learn English, except work at a really low wage and steal jobs.

Gutiérrez’s analysis spans almost a century worth of history between Mexican Americans and Mexicans and how their relationship developed. Throughout his discussion he argues that the root of the conflict between these two groups long existed. He argues that “although most Mexican Americans retained their Mexican cultural orientations and maintained strong affinities to Mexico,” factors of American assimilation and essentially ideals of nativism

Rodriguez offers a different standpoint on bilingualism, and an argument he presents is that one must be willing to give up part of their native ways when learning a language to fit into the public. Rodriguez considered Spanish a private language and English a public one. This perception made him reluctant to learn English, but at the same time, it motivated him to become a part of the public by learning its language. Rodriguez uses his family life as an example of his native identity. He was not an English speaker when he was young, but upon learning the language, he drifted away from his family, and describes it rather frankly: “I was an American citizen. But the special feeling of closeness at home was diminished by then. . . . No longer so close; no longer bound tight by the pleasing and troubling knowledge of our public separateness . . . . When I arrived home there would often be

Richard Rodriguez in the article “Blaxicans’ and Other Reinvented Americans” is suggesting that instead of America having a Canadian model of multiculturalism they should adapt to the Mexican or mestizaje model. He then gives examples throughout the article of different cultures assimilating with one another, and how whether or not we like it, it is going to happen. He being a Hispanic man, assimilates to the Chinese culture because he grew up in a Chinese neighborhood and it had an effect on him in a way to where he felt that he himself was Chinese not by race but by culture. A survey was then conducted in 1997 that based the race relation in America and was only concerned with the white and black Americans. It is no longer about the race you are, it is about the color of your skin. He gives examples on the different types of multiculturalism among other cultures.

Rodriguez’s main point is to strongly encourage children of immigrant parents to adopt English, the “public language” as their main language in order to become assimilated in the

To begin with, racism in America towards immigrants is a strong factor that perpetuates the non-acceptance of immigrants in society. “‘In The Psychology of Skin Color’(Gaborro, 2008) Rondilla and Spickard contend that it was at the time of the American colonial occupation that ‘racial marking of a biological sort’ was intensified ‘in support of United States colonial domination.’”

He states that assimilation happens whether one likes it or not. “It is something that can not be helped. Rodriguez recalls a time when Loatians and Mexicans lived together even though never having gotten along. Loatians were complaining about the Mexicans when Rodriguez realized they were speaking with a Spanish accent” (91). The Loatins had developed an accent from their neighbors without meaning too. When assimilation happens, it is usually because you have grown up with something that you consider home.

Language is not the only factor affecting the assimilation of people into American society, but one?s traditions also have an effect on the willingness and on the degree to which one assimilates. Some people have found that certain customs they have are not accepted in American culture and might

Segmented assimilation combines multiple elements and because of this is able to provide a different perspective. Zhou discusses how this theory recognized the fusion of immigrants in America but acknowledges that the complete assimilation of becoming American is not always beneficial (999). Giving the diverseness of America to retain what culture and values one was raised on can benefit the migrant in various ways. Especially giving the many cultural organizations established to assist immigrants. I enjoyed the article and agreed with a majority of it. Zhou understands the benefits and consequences of maintaining and losing any cultural values you migrated with. Her perspective on Gordon’s theories were clarifying in some sense. However, I believe the assimilation process for second generation is a difficult thing to narrow down. Zhou’s theory that where an immigrant is placed in system describes success and assimilation. This perspective is new and frighteningly eye opening. Where you are “placed’ in system would have dramatic effects on one’s assimilation and ability to

Richards essay describes how he has to “ trade” his Spanish language identity to find his “public” language identity . He remembers his parents trying their best to speak more English in their home to help their kids fit into society . He talks about how the fact that he lost one identity was worth the gain of the other identity he so longed for . “At last, seven years old, I came to believe what had been technically true since my birth: I was an American citizen” (454-455). It was at that moment that he knew for a fact that his whole life he was already an American citizen . To him beign an American citizen meant having an English language identity and being able to speak the public language. As a boy Rodriguez was able to only speak and understand the Spanish language . To him it was the only real identity he ever had growing up . He also discussed that because the Spanish language identity is developed among his family members. That the language is somehow responsible for how they were able to identify themselves

Dr. Jason Richwine discusses the Latino’s absorption and integration into the American culture. He compares the Latino nation with other countries’ immigrants that has rose out of poverty, while the Hispanics have not been rising up out of the lower class after several generations have passed. Richwine mentions that American prejudice might be influencing the Hispanic immigrants not striving. For example, he states, that “popular explanations from the

Immigrants are an important part of the United States economy and are still looked down upon. While immigrants pay about “$11.6 billion to the economy annually, including nearly $7 billion in sales and excise taxes and $3.6 billion in property taxes,” the United States still charges several thousands of dollars to become a citizen (Chen). Citizens contribute to their country to

Firstly, cultural differences are easily argued to have been the greatest cause of fear in America towards immigrants. Many immigrants had been sold the idea that America was a 'Melting Pot' of cultures, but upon arriving in America, they'd realise this was not the case.

Most immigrants weren’t able to socialize as well as others could. They have the choice to either develop the American culture and forget their own or stay true to what they were born into. Cultural assimilation is fitting into a new culture that is a dominant culture in a certain country that everyone follows.

Immigrants that are oncoming into a new country need to be able to assimilate, slowly adapt to a new culture of a nation. Coming to a country and being utterly foreign to it all can be difficult; a person will see traditions that have never come across their culture. Moreover in America, we have the freedom to exercise our rights and be able to be a multiculturalism country even though some may be ignorant. Multiculturalism is being able to express your culture in a new environment. Assimilation and multiculturalism are held at two ends of the spectrum: assimilation is having one culture and growing into a new one, while on the other hand multiculturalism is existing cultures within a region.