Short Story : ' Melting Pot '

Growing up with parents who are immigrants can present many obstacles for the children of those immigrants. There are many problems people face that we do not even realize. Things happen behind closed doors that we might not even be aware of. Writers Sandra Cisneros and Amy Tan help us become aware of these problems. Both of these authors express those hardships in their stories about growing up with foreign parents. Although their most apparent hardships are about different struggles, both of their stories have a similar underlying theme.

I am a U.S. born citizen. My parents moved to the United States in 1984 without knowing anything about this country. Looking for a fresh start and new opportunities, my parents settled in Houston. With hardly knowing any English, my parents knew this was the place to make dreams become a reality. Luckily, I had older siblings to look up to whenever I needed help. Like Lahiri, I was trapped in between two different cultures while I was growing up. At home, I only spoke Spanish, but in school it was English. My habits and customs were different than others. Life as an immigrant’s offspring can be very difficult. As I grew older, I allowed myself to open my eyes and see the beauty of being an American from Hispanic descent.

It is not uncommon to hear one recount their latest family reunion or trip with their cousins, but being a first generation immigrant, I sacrificed the luxury of taking my relatives for granted for the security of building a life in America. My parents, my brother, and I are the only ones in my family who live in the United States, thus a trip to India to visit my extended family after 4 years was an exciting yet overwhelming experience. Throughout the trip, I felt like a stranger in the country where I was born as so many things were unfamiliar, but there were a few places that reminded me of my childhood.

In Forging a New Vision of America 's Melting Pot by Gregory Rodriguez the author expresses support for a heavy Mexican influence in the United States and integration of races. The author made some points about how legislatures have tried to stop Mexicans from entering the country and have repeatedly tried to keep them down as second class citizens. It seems that he wants Mexicans to have more influence in mainstream media, but I feel as if he 's pushing it too strong. I 'm all for equality, but it seems that he wants Hispanics to take a very large piece of the pie. I prefer an equal amount of the pie for all. It seems that the issue the author is stating about discrimination and legislative action against Hispanics comes from issues stemming from the old days. He mentions the Nineteen-twenties Texas representative John C. Box and his controversial views on immigration of Mexicans, but then he states a strong support in the Nineteen-nineties and their “Latino issues are American issues” mantra. I see why some people may be worried that Mexicans are taking over, because they may lose a little of their culture. Although change isn 't always bad, we cannot just barge in and force a change. America is a diverse country and we have a piece of the whole world here, so for one social group to complain and want their influence to be on a grand scale is just preposterous. We all need to share this melting pot of stew.

Ideally, immigration to America has been noted as a step in the right direction for several years. The concept of the “American Dream” has been one of the main reasons behind immigrants choosing to leave their hometown and in other cases, changes in government and enslavement has led immigrants to the States. It is no wonder why they fight through battles most would have never known existed. Asian American Thuy Lee, is daughter to immigrant parents who escaped Vietnam during the communist takeover. Her story in particular, was a very detailed experience with words that helped me perfectly envision her family’s hardships on

Growing up in America has been one of the most unexpected and surreal experiences. I am only twenty three years old but being from the Big Apple, New York and being raised by single parent, nothing in my life has ever been a walk in the park. I am considered a minority because I am Puerto Rican and African American and it has always been tough for me living in such an urban area. Not having the best financial status is what made thing even harder. My mother had to struggle to make ends meet for me, but we made it and are still making it. I have always seen my neighbors, friends, and family also experience the same hardships as me. Many of the people I know had to fight to

The process of assimilating to a new culture, environment, and language is never an easy task for immigrants settling in America. Whether forced to make such decisions to relocate to America or doing so by their own desires, all immigrants have had to survive the physical and psychological challenges encountered along the way. Foreigners are not only challenged by having to adapt to the physical surroundings, but they are also challenged by the unfamiliar social and cultural environment. The academic report “Living in America: Challenges Facing New Immigrants and Refugees” edited by Katherine Garrett, identifies a variety of problems foreigners encounter according to conducted studies and interviews with immigrants in ten cities across the United States. The narrative essay “Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood “by Richard Rodriguez tells a story about the troubles Rodriguez and his family faced while first

It is easier to determine if there is a winner in a story if there is an internal conflict. The internal story of “Seventh Grade” by Gary Soto has a clear winner. In contrast, “The Melting Pot” by Anna Quindlen is an external story that does not have an obvious winner because it seems to be no winner in particular; everybody seems to be a winner.

With the increase of violence in Mexico and the decline of economic opportunities, my aunt Celia had no other  choice, but to leave Mexico and come to the United States. It's a familiar story, the struggle of being an immigrant in a foreign country and the hardships of starting from scratch; however, you seldom hear this story told by those who are affected by the immigrants search for their own slice of the  American Dream.

After reading “The New Second Generation,” by Protes and Zhou, the understanding of grow up in an immigrant family has been hard for most people, and some individuals are divided by the struggles of cultural demands and new unfamiliar environment. The second generation immigrants had a different experience than the first generation immigrants, whereas the second generation often time will be confused of what pathway they should follow, such as pleasing their cultural background yet trying to explore a new society. Even the second generation had dealt with conflicts due to the nature of their skin, such as descendants of European immigrants were treated better than the descendants of Mexico, Asia, or

My sisters and I are the first generation of our family to be born in America. Our parents were unhappy with their lives in the Philippines and courageously desired to better themselves and seek opportunity in the United States. Their older siblings, forced to drop out of junior high and toil in rice farms in order to make a living, were wholeheartedly supportive in ensuring better lifestyles for their younger siblings. Therefore, the groveling labor of both of my parents’ families was greatly rewarded when my parents became the first to graduate with Bachelor’s degrees. With their degrees in engineering, my parents were able to enter Canada. The maple leaf country became the setting where my parents’ resilience was to be tested to the extremes. In Canada, they worked past the apprehension and disapproval of their own parents and their own best friends in the Philippines who constantly called them to come back home. They worked past the absurdity and foolishness of the countless jobs they were forced to take in Canada in order to avert abject poverty, such as my father’s graveyard shift at the 7-Eleven gas station. My father worked past the utter humiliation in staring at a mirror which reflected him wearing a McDonald’s uniform. My mother worked past the uninterrupted concern and distress as she clutched her first daughter in her arms and stared

The US: a self-proclaimed melting pot, or cultural quilt of the world. Yet, the general population know very little about the different cultures, or the stories of the immigrants who bring these cultures. An in a micro-ethnographic study, Maria, an immigrant from Colombia, shared her experiences with the cultures of Colombia and the US, and some stories about her life. Please note that the informant’s name has been changed to protect her privacy and wellbeing.

Soon enough preschool was over and here came our elementary school days. Everyone met many people in kindergarten. Many will be my friends throughout high school and beyond. Kindergarten was filled with arts and crafts, my portfolio, 2008 handprints, and stamped tee shirts. Suddenly kindergarten graduation was here, everyone was paired up and danced with a partner. First grade flew by and then came second grade with Ms. Foisy and Ms. Okabioshi. Ms. Okabioshi was one of the best teacher assistance we have ever had. Third and fourth grade with Mrs. Schuler and Ms. Ittes. These years were filled with warm fuzzies, a lot of reading and writing, and a lot of fun playing on the playground. The class watched Shilo and everyone hated the evil father. After that came fifth grade with Mr. Sifferman, also known as Millie’s cousin, he gave the hardest tests we have ever taken, but the most fun and memorable times we have had. After that year many people changed schools, I moved to California.

Immigration and assimilation is a divisive topic that has been heavily debated in America ever since we became a country. There are two stories that explore the assimilation issue from different viewpoints’; in Mary Pipher’s story; “The Beautiful Laughing Sisters – An Arrival Story”; provides the viewpoint of immigrants leaving a hostile home for America. Elizabeth Wong details her journey to break with her culture and become Americanized in, “The Struggle to be an all American girl.” and (McWhorter, 2010 pp522-529). At debate today is whether immigrants and their families should blend into American culture even if it means breaking with their past. Once cultures intermingle, they are forever changed.

America is a melting pot of culture. The statue of liberty at Ellis Island has welcomed hundreds of thousands of immigrants into this country since the early 1900s. Although the immigrant families knew it was important to learn the American language and American culture, they also wanted to keep alive their rich heritage and pass it onto their children. This was often a struggle as their children attended American schools and picked up on the American culture ways quicker than their elder parents. Often these children, especially the teenagers, would struggle with embarrassment over the ways their family was different from other American families. One author who wrote about this struggle was Amy Tan.