In “We Need the Diversity Visa Lottery” by Machmud Makhmudov, the author explored the necessity for the State Department’s diversity lottery visa program. Makhmudov generally spoke about how the eradication of the visa lottery program would be detrimental for immigrants around the world and for United States relations. Makhmudov utilized specific rhetorical devices to convince his audience and inspire empathy. Personal anecdotes thus compiled the op-ed piece. Makhmudov began by descriptively describing the years of his youth where he mostly noticed the impact of his immigrant background.
America: The Beacon of Hope To many, America is considered the greatest country in the world; a place where anyone’s dreams can come true, a beacon of light in a world of oppression. Open doors give everyone the chance to enter, with a chance at a better life, with the mentality that working hard will let you succeed, building America up from the original 13 colonies to the 50 states we have today. However, in recent times there has been a change in people’s frame of mind, and as a result America has started to slip from its number one status.
One of the most recurring problems for Sikhs after 9/11 has been profiling at airports. On November 26, 2002, as Hansdip Singh Bindra sat in his respected seat, a stewardess told numerous passengers that their may be “trouble,” and then told Bindra to keep a low “profile” and to “not cause any problems.” Sikh
We are not perfect and have a long way to go in terms of accepting entire groups of people who differ from us in only an ascriptive way. At the same time, we’ve come a long way since the beginning of the New World. We have a government with a separation of church and state, we accept people of all (most?) religions and colors, we have much more that bonds us than just a conscious contract to create a minimal government, and most importantly, we have a national community we call our home, America (Bellah, 1985, p.
In the book, Black Like Me, by John Howard Griffin you will realize his backgrounds from October 28, 1959 to December 14th 1959. Griffin was a white man who was from Texas who needed to carry on with the life of an African-American man from the south. The reason for Griffin doing this was to see what African American people experienced when they are segregated. In his own particular words, "In Black Like Me, I attempted to secure one straightforward truth, which was to uncover the craziness of a circumstance where a man is judged by his skin color, by his philosophical "mischance" – as opposed to by who he is in his humankind. I think I demonstrated that..."
The United States has always had a lot to be proud of. With features like beautiful landscapes from deserts and forests to mountains and snow, the infamous title of ‘land of the free,’ and of course there hard won independence-which they have always found worth celebrating. The United States serves as the world’s melting pot, where the traditions of different races, cultures, genders, social classes, and any other difference can all be found in one place, though maybe living their lives in many different ways. The United States had always shown promise for so many people.
Prior to 9/11 Muslim Americans faced little to zero discrimination in the US because of their race or religion. Muslim Americans are targeted and stereotyped against. In the years 2001-2003 the number of hate crimes throughout the Muslim community
Ronald Takaki a renowned pioneer in the field of ethnic studies has over the years authored numerous books on diversity in American society. As a grandson of Japanese immigrants who became the first black studies professor at UCLA, Takaki for many years has continually tried to bridge cultures and ethnic groups in the United States. In his book “A different mirror: A history of multicultural America”, Takaki addresses the idea of multiculturalism in our society, and also talks about how for many years we have been told to acknowledge the notions that the core principles of our nation uprooted only from one group rather than a contribution from other various cultures as well. The ‘master narrative’ posed by Takaki describes the growing
For generations, many Americans have seen their country as a haven for immigrants, a “melting pot,” of different cultures. These different cultures and traditions brought from countries across the world shaped the modern American identity, some would argue. While it is true many cultures from Europe, Africa, Latin America, etc. have contributed to molding the modern American society, immigration history is marred by resistance. Patterns in immigration throughout American history have created a culture de jour that is at the center for the most ardent opposition. From the Irish, to the Asians, and now Hispanics, it is easy to interchange the culture or race, while keeping the hysteria in any given decade from America’s past.
Culture is easily influenced and is constantly shifting as it passes through various racial and ethnic interactions and exchanges. “With your liberal minds, you patronize our culture, scanning the surface like vultures, with your tourist mentality, we’re still the natives. You’re multicultural, but we’re anti-racist. We ain’t ethnic, exotic or eclectic” (Prashad, 56). This refers to when cultures are commodified and picked apart without taking both the negatives with the perceived positives.
Accordingly, the ideals of America used to be we were many ethnicities, all blended into one, but now we are a bunch of discordant ethnicities living in one country under one name just with different groups. Two essays on this topic are A Quilt of a Country by Anna Quindlen and The Immigrant Contribution by John F. Kennedy. JFK regarded that “everybody is an immigrant or the descendant of an immigrant” (JFK page 23). Quindlen characterized that “America was held together by a notion that all men are created equal and that America is made up of bits and pieces” (Quindlen page 13-14). America transpired a unique nation made up of different parts.
On May 14, 2017 I interviewed Pouneh Sanaee about what it means to be American to her. She’s an immigrant that moved here two years ago from Iran. she wants to be a pharmacist, start to play basketball basketball like she used to in High School, and be able to help her family. The reason that she moved here was because she is Baha'i and the government in Iran says that it’s crime to be Bahai. The government used to jail her family just because of what they believed in which is really sad.
Equality in America America and its people have worked hard to create a home in which everyone is treated, and feels equal. We’ve fought wars, held protests, and lost many lives in situations where we were fighting for fair treatment. After all of these sacrifices, it's safe to say that Americans have the right to love, and cherish the equality that their home presents them with, but to an extent. Equality in society, government, and basic human interactions should always be kept, and held with great importance. However, we also need to keep in mind that we are not the same people.
In the essay “Two Ways to Belong in America,” from 50 essays, Bharati Mukherjee contrasts the different views of the United States from two Indian sisters. The author distinguishes her American lifestyle to her sister’s traditional Indian lifestyle. Both sisters grew up in Calcutta, India, moved to America in search of education and work. Bharati adjusts to the American society very quickly, where her sister Mira clings to her Indian traditions more strongly. Despite both sisters living in America, only Bharati is an American citizen, while her sister Mira is not.
American Studies Journal, 2008. Web. March 17, 2015. 2- “Ameen Rihani.”
