assimilation

assimilation


Is it Assimilation or the American Dream?

Why is it that people change their true self and create a false identity to fit in and be “normal” in society. In the essay written by Manuel Munoz, “Leave Your Name at the Border,” Antonio had to change his name to Tony so people will hire him. He feels that society associates his traditional Mexican name with illegal immigration. America is known as the “melting pot.” The melting pot refers to people changing their own cultures to fit American culture. Which is called Assimilation. Assimilation is defined as a complex process in which immigrants fully integrate themselves into a new country. Munoz is right when he says that assimilation is bad because people are afraid of being who they are due to cultural differences and project an identity that doesn’t show who they are in the interior.
A good example of assimilation is when an adult moves to a new location that has a completely different culture and language. They pick up the culture and the language through trial and error. It is similar to how a child would do it but it is less effective. Another example on assimilation is when the Soviet Union required Armenian children to adapt to the Russian lifestyle and was not allowed to celebrate Armenian holidays. A simple example of Assimilation is when children attend a new school. In order to fit in, many change who they are in fear of rejection or of being deprived of activities that they could participate in. But choose not to, due to the fact that they might be excluded. Another example is here in the United States; pretty much all immigrants assimilate to American society within 2 or at most 3 generations.
Just being born and raised in the US, they will speak English like any other native-born American. It doesn't matter if their parents were immigrants or their great, great, great grandparents were immigrants - you really can't get any more American than simply being born and raised here. Third...

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