Rhetorical Analysis of "Cultural Baggage" Essay

As one is passionate towards their heritage they will not identify or label themselves something there not. They will show pride and courage by showing they are willing to fight for their cultures independency. In the story “Borders” by Thomas King, King illustrates the idea that one should be proud of their heritage and to never give up. The story expresses this through the mother’s pride and her personal identity.

“Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott, is a hilarious must read for junior high school students and any other aspiring writers. Her essay inspires comfort and confidence in writing a first draft. It concretes that all writers experience the “shitty” first draft. Anne Lamott wrote this instructional information in 1995, but it is timeless information. She blows the idea of writing an immaculate first draft out of the water. Anne supports the idea that bad first drafts will almost always lead to better second, third and final drafts. She symbolizes the first draft to be like a child. Where you put all your thoughts and emotions out there in words on paper, you go all over the place, you say all kinds of ridiculous things, and all with the

She is against multiculturalism and it comes through with her blatant sarcasm throughout. Ehrenreich says that is violates and takes away our rights like freedom of speech and our right

Cultural Diversity “Ancestors- The Genetic Source” and “Why My Mother can’t speak English” are two both entirely diverse cultural up in immigrants. In both stories there are similarities and differences. In both stories how people who migrated to Canada bring their language, beliefs and cultural background or tradition. In the story “Ancestors-

In the essay, “What You Eat is Your Business”, Radley Balko writes to tell his audience about how the government is trying to control people’s health and eating habits by restricting food, taxing high calorie food, and considering menu labeling. Balko includes in his essay that government restricting diets and having socialist insurance is not helping the obesity problem, but it is only making it worse because it not allowing people to take their health in to their own hands so they have no drive to lose weight or eat healthy. In his essay, Balko is targeting society, including those who may be obese, he is trying to show them that the laws our

Many people in today’s society tend to believe that a good education is the fastest way to move up the ladder in their chosen. People believe that those who seek further education at a college or university are more intelligent. Indeed, a college education is a basic requirement for many white collar, and some blue collar, jobs. In an effort to persuade his audience that intelligence cannot be measured by the amount of education a person has Mike Rose wrote an article entitled “Blue Collar Brilliance”. The article that appeared in the American Scholar, a quarterly literary magazine of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, established in 1932. The American Scholar audience includes, Company’s , Employees,

Every individual has traditions passed down from their ancestors. This is important because it influences how families share their historical background to preserve certain values to teach succeeding generation. N. Scott Momaday has Native American roots inspiring him to write about his indigenous history and Maxine Hong Kingston, a first-generation Chinese American who was inspired by the struggles of her emigrant family. Kingston and Momaday manipulate language by using, metaphors, similes, and a unique style of writing to reflect on oral traditions. The purpose of Kingston’s passage is to reflect upon her ancestor’s mistake to establish her values as an American

Leslie Marmon Silko’s novel, Ceremony, reveals how the crossing of cultures was feared, ridiculed, and shunned in various Native American tribes. The fear of change is a common and overwhelming fear everyone faces at some point in their life. The fear of the unknown, the fear of letting go, and the fear of forgetting all play a part in why people struggle with change. In Ceremony the crossing of cultures creates “half-breeds,” usually bringing disgrace to their family’s name. In Jodi Lundgren’s discourse, “Being a Half-breed”, is about how a girl who struggles with understanding what cultural group she fits into since she is a “half-breed.” Elizabeth Evasdaughter’s essay, “Leslie Marmon Silko’s “Ceremony”: Healing Ethnic Hatred by

As the novel progresses she starts to realize that it doesn’t matter where you come from, you’re as special as anyone else, she says “I’m an Australian with Italian blood flowing rapidly through my veins. I’ll say that with pride, because it’s pride that I feel”’ (By using repetition of the word ‘pride’ demonstrates her change in self perception and her confidence in her cultural identity, it also re-enforces that she has pride in herself).

Well known president, Ronald Reagan, in his address to the nation, “Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger,” expresses grief for the explosion of the Challenger. Reagan’s purpose is to commemorate the seven men and women, who lost their lives and offer hope to those who will continue to explore space. He creates a sad, yet hopeful tone in order to convey to America, we all mourn the loss of the Challenger Seven, but our space program will continue.

Through contrasting family members and views in "Everyday Use", Alice Walker illustrates the importance of understanding our present life in relation to the traditions of our own people and culture. Using careful descriptions and attitudes, Walker demonstrates which factors contribute to the values of one's heritage and culture; she illustrates that these are represented not by the possession of objects or mere appearances, but by one's lifestyle and attitude.

Melina Marchetta’s Looking for Alibrandi compared and contrasted to Simone Lazaroo’s The Asian Disease exhibited in Alice Pung’s anthology Growing up Asian in Australia both explore the cultural expectations which subsequent to behaviours of detachment from tradition evidenced in the children of migrant families. Since complying to such unreasonable conditions is arduous for the protagonists in both texts, teenage girl Josie and the ill father are both victims to the loss of their individual identity in consequence to their traditional expectations. Such bereavement of personality is depicted throughout the texts when both characters undergo the harsh criticism of others which defines racism, the lowering of their self-esteem in result of the oppression they endure and the substantial struggle of Josie and the father having to establish a fulfilling life for themselves.

The Kite Runner focuses on the journey of Amir as he struggles both mentally and physically to make up for a horrible wrong that he committed in his past that continues to haunt him to this day. He encounters many difficulty, fear, and happiness. Hosseini teaches his readers that it is necessary to channel one’s guilt into a means of redemption because although forgiveness may not be granted right away, as long as moral actions are taken, atonement will eventually ensue.

In contrast to the idea of race, Ethnicity refers to ethnic affiliation, or the “cultural practices and outlooks of a given community of people that set them apart from others” (Giddens, 1997:210). Members of a particular ethnic group see themselves as culturally distinct from other groups of people in a society or culture. There are different characteristics which serve as a way of

While all the immigrants in the text must confirm in some way, only Ifemelu questions the rationale behind immigrants caving to societal rules. Although Ifemelu still believes the only way to be taken serious is to conform, she is conscious of her identity is being skewed. When she arrives at university, she finds herself uncomfortable that her english level is questioned, and “she shrank like a dried leaf.” Despite the fact that Ifemelu had spoken English al her life and led the debating society, she “cowered and shrunk”, and began to practise an American accent (174). Even though Ifemelu knew should have spoken out and claimed her fluency of English, but the fact that her English was even questioned made Ifemelu believe she must practice an American accent so she will never be questioned again. Ifemelu desires to seen as an intellectual as the people in which she is surrounded by, and in efforts to be seen this way Ifemelu is willing to compromise her own identity and fabricate one suited towards America. Not only does Ifemelu face her own personal