Mericans By Okita Cisneros: Poem Analysis

The exact idea on the American identity differs from each person. In Okita's poem, "Response to Order 9066," and in Cisneros's short story, "Mericans," they both touch on their own ideas on what makes an American. The poem tells of a young Japanese girl's experience as an American before and after Order 9066. It describes how the girl and her friend's relationship broke due to the negative views on Japanese-Americans soon after the order. In the short story, a young Mexican girl doe not enjoy or embrace her own culture and would rather do activities other Americans do for fun. Later in the the story, the girl and her siblings surprise an American photographer that they could speak English soon declaring that they are "Merican." Both Okita's poem and Cisneros's short story show that cultural heritage and physical appearances do not determine what it means to be an American.

For example, in Okita's poem, the speaker describes her experience as an American as opposed to just being a Japanese; she also includes, "If it helps any, I will tell you that I have always felt funny using chopsticks and my favorite food is hot dogs" (Okita). The speaker indirectly tells the reader that despite being Japanese she also associates herself as being an American through her experiences. In the last portion of the poem, the speaker gives her friend a package of tomato seeds and tells her "when the first tomato ripened, she'd miss [her]" (Okita). When the speaker does this, she references to the beginning of the poem where her friend calls tomatoes "love apples;" thus, it is also a reference to their memories of being friends together rather than being torn due to differences in cultural heritage. This shows that despite people's cultural heritages, their American identity is ultimately determined by their experiences as an