Cruz 1

Jeanine Cruz

Ms. Osman

English 3P

17 October, 2018

The Merger

“One doesn’t walk down the street and decide to be 40% Mexican and 60% American”

(Rodrigues 46). Here, Rodriguez explains how no one chooses who he or she is but he or she can

choose how they act. Rodriguez uses a condescending tone to demonstrate assimilation is

inevitable. I agree with Rodriguez’ claim that assimilation happens everywhere and people

assimilate themselves into the American culture for a variety of reasons. Assimilation is when

immigrants change to become part of a new community, minimizing the variation between

immigrants and Americans, In the stories “ Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan and “ Blaxicans” by

Richard Rodriguez you can how people often assimilate themselves into a new culture, beliefs,

religion, etc. when they are in a foreign country.

In the essay “Blaxicans” the author emphasizes that in order to assimilate into the

American culture the variations between races must be eliminated. To further support his

argument Rodriguez states “some Hispanics have too easily accustomed themselves to

impersonating a third race, a great new third race in America” (Rodriguez 102). The author uses

a direct tone when he provides evidence on how immigrants are changing This shows although

there is multiculturalism in America all races are similar because all the immigrants have

assimilated themselves into the American culture. The author also states “I am in favor of
 Cruz 2

assimilation. I am not in favor of assimilation. I recognize assimilation” (Rodriguez 151).

Rodriguez is trying to say that assimilation happens regardless of whether we want it or not.

Families that migrate to the United States often find it difficult not to adopt American

customs. In the story, Tan states “As I was walking down the street with her, I again found

myself conscious of the English I was using” (Tan 22). The author uses an astonished tone to

demonstrate how she loses track of the Englishes she uses to show how she has adopted the

American language that she often forgets her mother tongue. Tan also shows how not only she

accustomed herself to the American culture but her mother also adopted the “American ways”.

To show how her mother has assimilated she states “she reads the Forbes report, listens to the

Wall Street Week….all kinds of things I can’t begin to understand” (Tan 5). Even the small

changes are still considered assimilation, people assimilate in many different ways and for

different reasons.

To conclude, assimilation happens everywhere, it is inevitable. Immigrants assimilate

into the American customs by changing certain things such as language, beliefs, language, etc.

Although many will say acclimatization doesn’t happen overnight, they are right assimilation

does not happen overnight but it does happen. People need to learn how to accept one another

whether they may be similar to you or not, people should be embraced not changed. The

adaptation of a different culture can play both a positive and negative role in how society is

shaped in the present day.

 Cruz 3

Works Cited:

Rodriguez, Richard. “Blaxicans and other Reinvented Americans” ".1992. ​McGraw-hill

reader Edition​. Bartholomae, David and Anthony Petrosky. New York:Bedford St. Martin's,

2008. 545-563.

Tan, Amy. "Mother Tongue." [​Threepenny Review​ 1990.] ​The McGraw-Hill Reader:

Issues across the Disciplines.​ Ed. Gilbert H. Muller. 11th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill ,

2011.,76-81. Print.