Mericans” Vs” in Response to Executive Order 9066
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American culture greatly influenced writers Dwight Okita and Sandra Cisneros. Both of their writings show the topic of American identity evidently. The two text both contain the same theme as appearence and heritage do not determine what it is to be an American.
In Okitas work “In response to Executive Order 9066” , shows a letter from a young girl. In the letter, she goes on about how she identifies with american culture by saying her favorite food is hot dogs, and she isnt fond with using chopsticks. She has chose to adopt an American Identity instead of her cultural heritage. Her friend Denise used to play with her like any other set of friends would, until after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Denise began to believe the narrator was a spy for the japanese. Although she was of Japanese descent, she couldnt possibly be a spy. A possible theme could be that culture is experienced, rather than personal heritage.
The narrator in Cisneros work, “Mericans”, shows a very strong connection to the United States, rather than to Mexico. American identity was shown first when the narrator refers to family members in a traditional way, such as “Auntie” and “uncle”. Due to the narrators strong connection to American culture, it conflicts with the grandmothers view. The grandmother believes the United States to be a barbaric place, as the narrator sees it as a home. Another point in the short story that identifies as American identity would be how the boys and girls play. Girls were seen as “just a girl”, so they would play harder to keep up with the boys. “Mericans” has the theme of appearance and heritage does not choose what it means to be an American.