Chinese In All Of Us Richard Rodriguez

Richard Rodriguez’s essay “Blaxicans and other Reinvented Americans” portrays that a person's identity does not depend on where the person is born, but where they feel most connected to. Richard Rodriguez states “Culture is fluid. Culture is smoke. You breathe it. You eat it.”

In Richard Rodriguez’s essay, “Blaxicans and other Reinvented Americans,” Rodriguez’s use of irony is effective because he wants everyone to know that your culture is what defines you and not your race. For example in the essay, Rodriguez states, “I am Chinese and that is because I live in a Chinese city and because I want to be Chinese” (163-165). This shows that since Rodriguez lives in a predominantly Chinese city, ultimately made him know so much of the Chinese culture. Even though Rodriguez is Hispanic, he does not define himself Hispanic just because of his race his Hispanic, but he does define himself Chinese due to the fact he grew up the Chinese way which is a totally different culture from the Hispanic culture. Also the fact that

“An American to Mexicans/a Mexican to Americans” (Pat Mora). This is a quote from a poem about being Mexican American immigrant and all its struggles. In America immigrants will always be seen as immigrants, even if they are American citizens. Immigrants have trouble being successful in the the U.S. because of the way they are treated by U.S. born citizen - especially xenophobic people. This causes them unable to obtain freedom because they are undermined as citizens.

was an animal.” (Ryan, P.g 2) With Compadrazgo it is assumed that if Marcos’s father had been related to his boss these cruel actions would never that taken place. In a country where family ties dominate education and experience, there 's no room for advancement thus giving the residences who fall victim only one option. Leave.

One of the articles I read was titled, “Symposium Introduction: Immigration and National Identity”. It discussed what one’s national identity means in the modern age when immigration is such a frequent occurrence. Florida Senator Mel Martinez spoke 3 sentences of Spanish in his opening address to the floor. This event proves how integrated and commonplace hearing Spanish is in modern America. However in Samuel Huntington’s latest book, Who Are We?

Pigeons also makes a point to talk about the inequality of the work environment and how it is hard for Latinos to get jobs in America compared to other ethnic groups. Hernandez says, blatantly, that, “Nobody wants to give pigeons a job” (15). It can clearly be assumed that this is due to the color of their skin and that the “nobody” he is referring to are racists. This point can be further construed when Hernandez goes on to say that, “Parakeets, canaries, and parrots / have the market sewn up” in reference to the job market (16, 17). It can be assumed that the other species of birds are metaphors for people of different races just as pigeons are a metaphor for Latinos.

Prolouge As I took a deep breath in, smoke entered my lungs and I could barely hear my mother saying, “Go. Go to America, get a job and send us money and one day” she coughs and when she can function, she continues, “ one day, we will join you.” he grabbed my trembling hands in her own soft, warm ones as I asked her, “ What about the kids, it’s not safe here for them?” She motioned for me to bend lower to her and she whispered gently into my ear, “They will be fine, I will protect them.

The essay “Asian Problems” presents the struggle that an asian in America encounters because of the many differences these cultures posses. The author points out how moving to the United States was a big transition. He also exposes how his americanization led to problems with his parents. The fact that they are traditional and their views are based on their culture creates a difference among him and his parents. The liberty in America caused many issues with the way they saw his son’s actions.

Throughout history, America created a reputation for being a nation that fought for what it believed in, one where people could go to have freedom, to find jobs, and to live the life they have always wanted. America, partly, has more opportunity than many other third world countries; however, the idea of the “American Dream” is far from reality. According to the article Paradox and Dream, Americans are never satisfied. They push everything to its extremes, “...we eat too much when we can, drink too much, indulge our senses too much…” (1). Americans are a prime example of a paradox.

America The Land of opportunity, still being said by many but is it really true? Many people even today leave their home countries in search of better life for themselves and their children so they come over to America. This was true during early 1900’s also called an Era of Industrialization when thousands of people of Mexican descent migrated to America from Mexico to find opportunities that they didn’t have back in Mexico. America was the land of opportunity to mexican people to an extent since it provided them with jobs, but along with the job they were handed with racial segregation, discrimination and exploitations. There were more cons than pros that came along with the opportunities.