An Analysis Of Langston Hughes's 'Growing Up Asian In America'

What does it mean to be American? Is it just living in America? What other qualifications are there? To put it simply, an American is someone who expresses the ideals of the American Dream: freedom, equality, and justice. But what is meant by the “American Dream?” The American Dream differs for everyone, but usually revolves around being happy, healthy, and wealthy. So why aren’t we all living in a beach house with a private jet? While the American Dream is available to everyone, some of us have to work a bit harder than others to get there. A good example of working hard to achieve the American Dream is Langston Hughes’ statement in which he writes, “But I laugh” (Hughes 5). By saying this, Hughes is showing that we don’t have to let the

Kesaya Noda, the author of “Growing Up Asian in America,” provides an example of this when she says, “And we are Americans. Japanese-Americans…” (Noda 23). This particular statement shows the speaker realizing that being an American is not about a person’s ethnicity or heritage, but rather about the actions a person takes, and the ideals that person expresses. Thus, a person can be Japanese-American, German-American, or any other heritage by blood, but still live as an American. Because a person can be American, seperate from their heritage, they do not have to hide their heritage from others. On this note, Noda writes, “But now I can say that I am a Japanese-American” (Noda 23). By saying this, Noda shows the ability to freely express one’s heritage in America, without being considered alien or foreign. The other side of the argument must not be forgotten, though. Claude McKay, an American poet born in Jamaica, makes the following statement: “Yet as a rebel fronts a king in state…” (McKay 7). By stating this, McKay conveys the feeling of power a person experiences when standing up to someone of higher social or economic standing. This feeling of power encourages people to try and force their way into the American Dream. This approach works well for the people who successfully pull it off, but for the ones who don’t it often leaves them worse off than they began. It is better to try to achieve the American Dream, but be happy with a little less, than to only be content with the very