I’m Not Chinese Anymore and I’m Never Going to be an American

Our identity is comprised of inner qualities and outer representations of self. It consists of innumerable defining characteristics that make up the whole of who we are in any given moment. These fragments of self include our sexuality, gender, and sense of belonging to a particular culture, nation, religion, family, or some other group. Our identity includes our looks, personality, beliefs and fears. Each individual in society assigns themselves a particular role, whether it be as a mother, brother, retiree, performer, sportsman or as a part of their occupation, a doctor or lawyer. Often one’s entire sense of self is consumed by

We must look inside ourselves and deconstruct our own identities piece by piece, and gain new understanding about the

Acclaimed author, Dale Maharidge, sets out to explore the transition of a small rural town that began as a homogenous community descended from Western European immigrants and how it transformed as immigrants from South and Central America moved in. The relationship between the growing Hispanic population and the established European citizens consisted of mixed feelings. However, through Maharidge’s work, he is advancing the suggestion that the future of this small Iowan town depends on its ability to welcome immigration. Using kairos, Mahridge seizes the historical significance of the strike at Farmland, a meatpacking plant, to show how immigration may as well be Denison’s only hope. The Latino immigrants were willing to perform grueling work

In Pat Mora’s two poems, “Legal Alien” and “Immigrants”, she is expressing the crisis of identity from which Mexican Americans suffer. On one hand, Americans view her (and Mexican Americans in general) as “perhaps exotic, / perhaps inferior, and definitely different” (9-10) while on the other Mexicans view Mexican-Americans as “alien” (11). Caught in between two cultures, and not being fully accepted by both, is the source of tensions in the author’s poetry. Both cultures with which they identify ultimately reject the persons in the poems which causes distress and conflict. The tension seen in the writer’s work

El norte and “let America be America again” shows the difficult situation the immigrants pass by being in a new country, immigrants face many social, economic and ideological barriers, the struggle to learn a new language and the inequality of opportunities this contradict the hopeful vision Emma Lazarus puts forward in “the new

Who I am? Personally, I believe that a person’s identity can take only one of two routes. One, a person’s identity can change within that person’s life. Who I am now, is not necessarily who I was when I was younger. Experience can and will likely modify our identities. Therefore, experience can solidify our personal identification or it can weaken our personal identification. And as such, individuals and their perspectives are always evolving, or at the very least, they should evolve over time. Although there are some identities that evolve throughout one’s lifetime; there are some identities that remain consistent. Two, some identities cannot and will not change. So identities are socially and/or politically forces upon you, some identities are genetically assigned to you, and some you choose to keep. No matter the reason or reasons, these identities have been and will be consist within your lifespan. But, how you deal with them is up to you as an individual.

In the United States of America immigration has become one of the most highly controversial topics to talk about. Helena Viramontes happens to be one of the many immigrants that immigrated from Mexico to the United States, more specifically, Los Angeles. Having lived in the barrios of Los Angeles Viratmontes’ work reflects the theme while expressing her thoughts on treatment on undocumented immigrants trying to better their lives. In the short story “The Cariboo Café”, Viramontes shows how immigration effects everyone as told from three different perspectives.

Change in life, and in every essence of the word, is inevitable. From the moment a person is born, they begin undergoing physical and psychological changes, as they develop, grow, and become their own individual. While many of these adjustments are subtle and prolonged, there are indeed others that are sudden and extreme—the latter of which may result in a nearly flipped version of the person’s original personality, producing a physical “other.” This grotesque “other” aspect of the human being has been represented in studies and media for centuries, fascinating ordinary citizens with the sheer concept that, with the possibility of a dual identity, then, perhaps, there is indeed much more to everyone than what initially meets the beholder’s

With “American Born Chinese,” I felt I wanted to highlight the issues within the stereotypes that have been created for Asians. For example, to describe the Monkey King character to someone through a standard text, I don’t think it would have the same sort of emotional impact as seeing him visually on the page.

Since we live in this biological culture, identities appear potentially to be explicable in biological terms and increasingly in terms of the genetic makeup. The sickness of humans, which includes their personalities, capacities, passions, or the forces that mobilizes us, this is what creates our identifies.

Robert Smith’s Mexican New York explores the transnational nature of Mexican migration through an extended cast study of migrants and their children from Ticuani, in Puebla, Mexico. This book covers the many ways that migration influences social, political, and economic pattern in both New York and Mexico. Smith begins by describing how Ticuani has been transformed by migration, changing the town into a sort of holding place for the very young and the very old. Next, he discusses how Mexican migrants fit into the racial, ethnic, and economic hierarchies in New York. I found the discussion of Mexican/Puerto Rican relationships particularly interesting because I was reminded of the simultaneous distancing, community, and competition evident in

“As we journey through life, identity and belonging must be consistently renegotiated.” Each person’s identity goes through a process of stages in order to be fully developed and be a whole identity. Some people needs more time than others to attain a full, whole identity. There are many factors which play a role in sharpens people’s identity such as the environment that the people love in and the experiences that they went through. Undoubtedly, immigrants, especially those form two different cultures, need more time to achieve a stable and whole identity as they become trapped between two cultures, unable to categorize themselves with a particular one. For instance, it is very hard for Asian Americans, especially the first and second

Can we, as American citizens, really understand the struggles of immigrants coming to our country? What they lose and what they gain? How our offensive and insensitive words affect them? The answers to these questions can be answered through the photo album created in this text, full of images from the life of Pablo Salazar, displaying his experiences as an American immigrant from Guatemala. This poem explores the questions presented by utilizing Pablo’s own words and views as answers. Through an intensive interview with him, I sought to understand his struggles and how the stereotype of an immigrant has shaped his identity and placement in American society. From there, I created a creative piece that I felt properly encompassed how he sees

An aroma of freshly baked empanadas filled my nose as I walked through the kitchen of our family restaurant. “Regina,” Papa yelled from across the bustling kitchen, “be sure to try one of those churros on you way out. I tried out a new recipe today!”. I replied with a big thumbs up as I stuffed the warm bread down my throat and fumbled to put on my sandals as I scurried out the door. I quickly glanced at my watch on my way to my vespa and realized I was already late, typical me. The motor to my battered baby blue vespa hissed as I turned the key in the ignition and sped down the cobblestone street. Our restaurant is on the east side of the hispanic quarter, and Linda, my best friend, lives on the west side. On the trip across town I pass hundreds of nearly identical houses adorned with white stucco and roofs of terracotta. I know of nothing different than the Spanish lifestyle. Our society thrives because we are able to communicate with those of the same background and history as ourselves. We speak the same language, wear the same clothes, eat the same food, and believe in the same religion. Disagreement and change is rare because of this brilliant lifestyle installed by the government.

Our lack of identity, feelings of insignificance and all other miscreated human emotions, were created by some of our greatest human abilities. Abilities that would lead us down a very different path from the one we were originally on.