Analysis Of The Poem Steps By Naomi Shihab Nye

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The poem “Steps” by Naomi Shihab Nye, is a piece about Arabic immigrants and the effect of their differing levels of assimilation. Nye describes how the immigrants absorb the new culture. In the New World, America, different people can adapt in a myriad of ways. According to the author, some non-natives may assimilate to the American culture more than others, but overall, if someone forgets their original culture and does not teach the next generations, the culture will die. In the poem, the author states, “A man letters the sign for his grocery/in Arabic and English” (1-2) which means English is not the first language of the people, yet since it is the predominate language of America, the immigrants will assimilate to how the Americans

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