In On Being a Mexican American, Joe Mendoza tried to forget his past and upbringings as a Mexican by becoming anglicized. The act of becoming anglicized means to accept the English culture and language. He states that when he was anglicized, he felt “accepted”. I do not agree that this is what America or being an American is about. I believe that Joe Mendoza really wanted to appear and believe he was American because of the way he was treated, both as an adult and a child, as a Mexican. He states that once he joined the U.S. Army, he was “completely removed from Mexican culture” and that he had “arrived”. America is known for being a huge melting pot or a salad bowl as others like to call it. America is the home to thousands upon thousands of immigrants and legal citizens with different backgrounds, cultures and beliefs. If everyone became anglicized like Joe Mendoza, America would not be what it is today. Being an American is about embracing who you are and where you come from and in this essay, Mendoza wants to disregard his Mexican upbringing.
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I like how you said we shouldn't become anglicized. People think that living in America means acting like an American, but it's about bringing your culture.
ReplyDeleteNice job.
I think America is made of different cultures, but Mendoza's experience as a child "frighten" him so that's why he Americanized.
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