Assimilation: the process of taking in and fully understanding information or ideas. This is a common topic throughout both "Response to Executive Order 9066" and "Mericans", two stories about other cultures blending into American culture. Both stories focus on the toxicity of American culture and the racial divide between people. Even though the main characters in both texts have completely assimilated into American culture, they are still treated like outsiders and considered foreign, whether they grew up in the US or not. Although the stories diverge in terms of circumstances, tone, and mood, both generally reflect on the negative impact of American culture and how it has affected the lives of immigrants. "Response to Executive Order 9066" takes a very innocent tone through-out the story. The narrator speaks in a pure, honest way, describing her life with lines like "I am a fourteen-year-old girl with bad spelling and a messy room," and "I tell [Denise] she's going bald. She tells me I copy on tests. We're best friends." These sentences help create an naive tone, which establishes a sense of pity for the narrator; she seems too young to …show more content…
This is quite noticeable in "Response to Executive Order 9066", as the narrator loses her best friend due to the stigma of Asian immigrants at the time, and is taken away to an internment camp based solely on her race. Although more subtile in "Mericans", the narrator also faces struggles due to the beliefs of American culture. The narrator is taught by her brothers that being a girl makes her weak, so she tries to reject her emotions in order to appear stronger. Although the stories are told in very different ways, with "Response to Executive Order 9066" having a child-like innocence to it while "Mericans" creates a melancholy mood, they both represent issues with American culture that need to be