On Being Told I Don T Speak Like A Black Person Essay

The Profound Impact of Assimilation Hundreds of thousands of people immigrate everyday, perhaps leaving a piece of their identity behind. This essay compares two poems as well as explores the negative effects of immigration and assimilation. The poem “On Being Told I Don’t Speak Like a Black Person” by Allison Joseph expresses people sound different for many reasons and never to assume what someone sounds like before they speak. It explores themes of identity and race. The poem “Nani” by Alberto Ríos reflects upon the life of a young adult growing up speaking both English and Spanish and explores themes of family and sacrifice. Both poems deal with a younger generation who have culturally assimilated due to growing up in a different culture

A study conducted to investigate Mental health among Latinx emerging adults by the Department of Educational Psychology at Texas A&M University found that “higher familial accusations of assimilation were associated with higher symptoms of depression and anxiety” (1). There are many reasons why this is the case, but it is most likely due to pressures from older generations on younger generations to pass down the cultural values and identities that they have brought from their home country. Due to assimilation the younger generations have gone away from their cultural identity in order to fit in with the different culture and it was much easier of a transition for them since they grew up around the culture. This family tension can easily lead to depression and anxiety for many members of the family. Another reason may be the lack of uniqueness, Patel explains that “losing cultural identity to join the majority culture does not enhance one’s uniqueness but can lead to misery due to lack of cultural identity in one’s existence.” (6) Having different unique values and culture is what makes people special. When that is taken away from them by being forced to assimilate it can cause depression and anxiety because they no longer feel special. Lastly, bullying due to the way someone talks or acts is very common. Therefore immigrants may be bullied after migrating because of their culture. This is

Immigrants usually go through phases when it comes to migrating to a new country and this essay was an attempt to outline those phases with an emphasis on the negative effects of assimilation. Firstly, isolation. Nearly every immigrant finds themselves isolated at first, but this tends to go away as they become assimilated with the new culture. As this happens, they start to lose touch with their cultural identity and start to change in order to fit in with the new culture. Sometimes this is forced, other times the immigrant knowingly assimilates. In many cases, the end result is sadly anxiety, depression, or a combination of both. Many immigrants move because they are forced by war, natural disasters, living conditions,etc. Whereas others are moving for better opportunities, to study, to reunite with family, or many other reasons. Before immigrating they should deeply consider what has been discussed in this essay. In terms of forced immigration there should be plans in place to ease the transition to the new culture better and create a way in which old traditions and ideas should be respected and passed on to future