ipl-logo

An Essay On Spanish And Me

758 Words4 Pages

Vincent Oblitas Professor Ryan Garcia English-1A 13 April 2023 Spanish and Me Growing up as a Latino in the US, I initially struggled to embrace my heritage due to the conflicts and traumas that plagued my family. However, my experience of learning Spanish and discovering the rich history and cultural traditions of Latin America allowed me to appreciate the beauty and usefulness of being bilingual. While I do not feel a personal or cultural attachment to my heritage, I am proud to be part of a society that welcomes and celebrates people from all backgrounds and cultures, including Latinos. Through my journey of reconciling my Latino heritage with my American identity, I have learned to appreciate the richness and complexity of my cultural …show more content…

Reluctantly, I started learning Spanish and gradually began to appreciate its beauty and usefulness. By my second year, I could hold basic conversations with my parents and extended family members who spoke primarily Spanish. I also discovered the rich history, literature, and cultural traditions of Latin America, which truthfully fascinated me. I continued to study Spanish throughout high school, got a 5 on my AP test and attained my seal of biliteracy on my …show more content…

In the continuous process of the construction of cultural identity, the human being seeks to find the place and moment in which he will feel totally and fully 'at home'" (Porto da Rocha and Strehlau, 196). This resonates with my own experience of grappling with my Latino heritage and American identity. While my cultural background has certainly influenced my identity, I don't let it define me. I see myself and still identify primarily as an American, someone who values the ideals of diversity, and innovation that make our society so great. At the same time, I am proud of my roots and the multiple influences and experiences that have shaped my life. I don't see my American identity as a contradiction or a rejection of my heritage, but rather as an acknowledgement of the complex nature of my identity. I believe that being American means being true to oneself and embracing the diversity of cultures that make up our nation. I am grateful to be part of a society that welcomes and celebrates people from all backgrounds, including Latinos, and I am committed to working towards a future where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and

Show More
Related
255 Words | 2 Pages

In Richard Rodriguez’s article, “Blaxicans and Other Reinvented Americans”, he states using race as a basis for identifying Americans is not valid, culture should be what defines a person. For example in the essay Rodriguez states, “I am Chinese and that is because I live in a Chinese city” (91). This indicates that just because he is categorized as Hispanic it does not define who he really is, since he is saying that since he grew up in a Chinese culture and he knows more about Chinese cultures than he knows about his own family culture. Rodriguez defines himself Chinese also because he grew up the Chinese way and not the Hispanic way, but deep down Rodriguez knows his race is actually Hispanic but he rather define himself as Chinese because

Read More
214 Words | 1 Pages

Richard Rodriguez essay “Blaxicans and Other Reinvented Americans” reveals Rodriguez’s attitudes towards race and ethnicity as they relate to personal identity. An evidence to support Richard Rodriguez’s claim in this section is when he says “ I am chinese, and that is because I live in a chinese city and because i want to be chinese”. (163-165) This evidence reveals, rodriguez point that ethnicity has nothing to do with race . He says that a person can choose their ethnicity based on the way they want to act and on things they want to be value. Rodriguez got used to the differences and actually started to like them.

Read More
145 Words | 1 Pages

Richard Rodriguez’s claim about a person's identity is the using race as a basis for identifying Americans is not valid; culture should be what defines a identity. Richard Rodriguez says that newcomers were being “welcomed within a new community for reasons of culture. “ (136-137). Richard Rodriguez says that newcomers were welcomed when they were identified by their culture. Richard Rodriguez also says “I am Chinese, and that is because I live in a Chinese city and I want to be Chinese.“

Read More
565 Words | 3 Pages

On one hand, she is proud of her Mexican roots and is frustrated by the way her family and community are treated in America. She is constantly reminded of the prejudice and discrimination that Mexican-Americans face, and this fuels her desire to challenge the stereotypes and expectations that are placed on her. On the other hand, she is also excited by the opportunities that America offers and is eager to explore the world beyond her family and

Read More
407 Words | 2 Pages

All my life, my identity has been influenced by the people that share the same ethnicity, culture, and living style as I do. For me, being Hispanic means something bigger than just coming from a specific ethnicity that puts me in a certain category from the moment I was born. It’s a way for me to stand out from the status quo and be part of a group that connects back to great moments in history. Being an AB540 student, I connect to my Hispanic community by being an immigrant. By sharing the struggles and obstacles that countless people in my community face, I have become inspired to try and help others and change the way people think of undocumented immigrants.

Read More
705 Words | 3 Pages

I am very proud of my Hispanic heritage. Even though, I am an United States citizen, I am always going to belong to my Hispanic backgrounds. There are so many reasons that I am proud to be Guatemalan and American that I could write a whole book about it. However, I regularly participate in my Hispanic culture and community through my family, traditions, and by being bilingual.

Read More
496 Words | 2 Pages

Throughout the course of history, Mexican Americans have had a burdensome experience in how to identify in the United States. Beginning from the American colonization to the span of our current time period, Mexican Americans had been brutally shun from society and labeled inferior to the white race despite all effort to assimilate into the American ways. Spanning from 1846 to 1848, the Mexican American war resulted in the seizure of Mexican land thus changing the lives of thousands of Mexicans living on those lands. These lands, now American soil, were inhabited by Mexicans and through the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, there inhabitants were granted an option of American citizenship or the movement back to Mexican territory. Through these terms those who stayed to gain the citizenship were to be categorized as legally white yet socially tagged inferior.

Read More
336 Words | 2 Pages

I believe the term, hispanic, itself does not define who I am. I define who I am and who I want to become. However, I do come from a Mexican heritage. Coming from a Mexican heritage has influenced and deeply impacted my life. My heritage has taught me a lot.

Read More
500 Words | 2 Pages

Spanish was my first language and neither one of my parents knew english. I would go to school and just listen and try to learn every little thing I could get my hands

Read More
630 Words | 3 Pages

Identity in our current times can be a complex conversation to have, especially in the United States. This is something that Latinos struggle with especially when it comes to the conversation of the United States census. The United States census asks, “all Americans to identify their race and separately, whether they are Hispanic” according to John R. Logan in his text “How Race Counts for Hispanic Americans”. The census is distributed to identify the race of and ethnicity of Americans, but this survey misunderstands the Latino population in America. On page 471 Logan states “Hispanic Hispanics are the fastest-growing segment, and very likely they will soon be an absolute majority of Hispanic Americans”, while about half of the Latinos that

Read More
750 Words | 3 Pages

I’m the first generation of my family to be Mexican -American, but I have been introduced to the Mexican culture since I was born. I appreciate the difficulties my parents have faced to make me the person that I am today even though I wasn’t born in Mexico my parents have taught me the language and the culture which I’m so proud of being part of. For others being Hispanic is actually being born in any Latin American countries which is not true at all. Being Hispanic is much more than my cultural background it actually describes how much I appreciate my culture and how I get to experience things other people don’t. I fit into the Hispanic community through the experiencing the culture first hand ,participating in traditions and planning to include my culture in my future.

Read More
328 Words | 2 Pages

One of the toughest adjustments, having been born to Mexican parents, is migrating to an unknown country where traditions and languages differ from one 's own. Though many pursue an education and strive for a better life, the purpose behind an immigrant, like myself, differs from the typical American. Immigrants strive for a life that was once impossible, going to school is not only to attain an education, but to better prove that we can also become successful regardless of our traditions and skin color. I lived in a country for over fifteen years, fearing deportation, not only losing a home, but potentially saying goodbye to a bright future. Although many feel empathy for Mexican-Americans, it is undeniably difficult to truly comprehend the immense trauma children and even adults undergo  upon experiencing racism and prejudice.

Read More
1044 Words | 5 Pages

She articulates the concept of one’s cultural identity as comprising more than one culture in a single crossbred word. While directly addressing her audience, Sotomayor also creates a profound emotional connection between herself and her audience. She differentiates some of the unique tastes she has acquired throughout her life, before speculating, “I bet the Mexican Americans in this room are thinking that Puerto Ricans have unusual food tastes.” Sotomayor calls upon members of the audience directly in hopes of making her message about existing outside of either a culturally homogenous or heterogeneous society more relevant and insightful to listeners. After pointing out that Puerto Ricans have unusual food tastes, she then emphasizes that “Some of us, like me, do” to use her food palette as the subject to show that just because she is Latina and like those foods, does not mean that all Latinas like these foods, too.

Read More
440 Words | 2 Pages

I identify as a Latina. I have always considered myself as a Latina, but throughout time, I believe that I have assimilated more into a white individual because of the privilege that I hold and because I have lived in the US most of my life. I have received mostly negative messages from those who are not from my ethnicity. My peers and I were told we wouldn’t graduate high school and be laborers for the rest of our lives. With the current politics, I believe that this still holds true where some people still hold stereotypes and give oppressing messages to Latinos.

Read More
810 Words | 4 Pages

The “Ice Queen,” as coined by an analyst at her great debut into Olympic figure skating, where her triumphant four-year reign until her retirement began. Following the Olympics, the “Ice Queen” continued to fuel her passion for ice skating and her thirst for perfection. She has never ended a tournament off the podium, making people call her a figure skating genius. This genius and so-called “Ice Queen” is South Korean Yuna Kim, who was nineteen during her debut into the Olympics.

Read More

More about An Essay On Spanish And Me

Related Topics

Open Document