America is a very diverse place to live in, and everyone has their opinion on what an American is. Everyone identify "being American" as many things, from the way you look to the way you talk. American culture is very different from most cultures, In “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan, she had a specific idea of what's being an American is outside of her Chinese culture. She identified being an American as having a traditional dinner with all of the common foods, having certain table manners, and dressing like everyone else and I totally agree. The Chinese culture has many different kinds of dishes of holiday food that differs from American culture.Unlike the usual turkey and dressing that Americans eat on holidays like Christmas, the Chinese culture …show more content…
With being an American we have many different table manners and etiquettes from table setting to showing appreciation, which also have its own meaning. With being an American you are considered to know how to properly set the table, which fork goes where, what spoon is used for what and where to place your napkin. Where in Chinese culture they do not prefer to use forks and knifes, but chopsticks. Along with proper use of utensils, an American passes each dish around the dinner table for each guest to get a serving, saying please and thank you, as well as belching and saying excuse me. Although Chinese tradition includes belching and leaning back to show satisfaction & appreciation. Those action are usually seen as disrespectful and usually frowned upon in America. To Americans belching is a sign of eating too much where someone belches and we respond by calling them a “pig”. “Proper etiquette is very important to traditional Chinese people, who feel good manners invite luck, and boorish conduct brings shame. Although many Maoist programs aimed to curtail traditional social practices, today table etiquette is again taken as an indication of educational status, so that (for example) a child misusing their chopsticks at a formal dinner might embarrass their family, who are responsible for teaching the child”(Dobsons, Richard
Americans can cherish their freedom of expression and are part of a diverse culture. An American is someone who would embrace freedom and liberty. Overall, to be an American, it is crucial to embrace the culture and become a part of it disregarding where you were born.
An American is someone who is free to do whatever whenever he wants. He is someone who doesn't care about who judges him or what people think. All he cares about is his version of the American dream. His version may be different from everyone else's but an American has the freedom to be different in whatever way he wants to. This is what an American is.
Around the world, being American means many different things ranging from ignorant to arrogant. However, in America we have our own ideas of what it means to be American. There are three values that make any person American: freedom, opportunity, and equality.
The definition of an American, is someone who is a citizen of the United States. Many African Americans, and immigrants struggled to become actual Americans in their lifetimes, because others didn 't see them as actual people; and based it on the color of someone. In today 's world people who live in America consider themselves as Americans, but to me there is certain qualities that make a person an American. To me being a true American is not based off of what Country they were born in, or what race their parents are, or even if they were immigrated to the United States. People from all over the world would say that maybe people could base this off of someone 's family heritage, or where they were before they came to America. If you were asked what makes an American an American what would you base it off of? To me there are four specific characteristics that make a person a true American; those three things would be, freedom, individuality, belief in the country, and happiness.
According to Dr. Isaac Berkson, the definition of Americanization is "adaptation and adjustment". He further explained his statement by saying that the concept of Americanization happens "When an immigrant has adapted and adjusted himself to the American conditions and surroundings" (Berkson, 1891). There is a gap of the understanding of Americanization between Berkson back then and the concept of Americanization now. Berkson statement somewhat implied that Americanization could only happen in the land of America, or to individuals that come and stay in a sufficient period of time to be able to get accustomed to the culture. However, nowadays, the meaning indeed has changed into something more
Amy's family is Chinese, and her mother is planning to cook all the family's favorite dishes for their Christmas Eve dinner. In addition to their family for dinner, friends will be attending. Amy is concerned that their guests will find the food that has been prepared strange, and may be embarrassed of what the guest will think of customary practices of her culture, Amy is nervous about the etiquette during the eating experience and traditions of her family will be viewed by their guest, to the extent that when they begin eating, she is concerned that the guests will find her older relatives rude because of the noise of the chopsticks and because they reach across the table into different dishes, rather than just passing them to each other. Another family custom is “burping”. In the Chinese culture, burping is surprisingly acceptable behavior because it shows appreciation for the meal and condolences to the cook. Having cultural acceptance on Amy’s behalf is needed because she doesn’t accept her cultural traditions and feels that she has to explain traditions to non-chinese guests to make them feel better about themselves, rather than Amy being proud of her own
The United States as a country has always been an entity unique amongst the world’s myriad of nations: a conglomeration of cultures, ethnic groups and religious backgrounds from around the planet, all fused together to yield something entirely new. Since its very inception, those who dwell within its borders have attempted to ascertain the makeup of the American identity, in order to pin down how exactly one can come to be considered as an American themselves. This is inherently quite a subjective issue, but the conversation primarily boils down to three core factors that make the American people who they are: a dedication to preserving the natural rights of every human being, a belief in the importance of the individual in deciding their own
A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and souls of its people. Many countries have been influenced by various things such as immigration, media, news, as well as trends and fads from both in and out of the country. However, in the 1950s and 1960s, there was mainly news and word of mouth. Many had argued that Canada should establish its own culture to have an identity separate, later growing into a concern of the government. Most would think that the cultural influence was negative as the influences of other countries would take away from the country’s own culture and identity, but it was not the case. The influence of American culture in the 1950s and 1960s in Canada was positive. American music, Hippie culture, and the impact the American
In the essay " Rice for Thanksgiving " by Jocelyn Fong who is a full american, partial asian young girl is a young girl who admires her untraditional thanksgiving, and meaning. Fong loves thanksgiving, due to her Grand mothers special dish " Rice and Gravy " as said in the essay Her Grandmother always celebrated the American way, She even never got around to teaching Fong's father their native language. " I believe in rice and gravy, I am half Asian and completely American. " by Fong saying that, she completely accepts the mix she is by referring to the mix of food that is a tradition. You should celebrate holidays the way it makes you happy, with your very own culture regardless the fact if it is different.
Being an American is more than just living in America, or being born in this country. Many people talk about being American’s and they aren't even in this country. Being an American is a way of life that people adapt into by seeing how we act. People all over the world eat the same things that we eat, so that can't really be a way of being an American. To me, being an American is embracing our ways of life, not fighting for the other guys, and loving our anthem and the flag.
On the other hand, China and America are two societies with different history, different ways of thinking, different lifestyles, and different education systems. Here are some of my observations:
The tradition of making large quantities of food runs through Christmas and Chinese New year backgrounds. On Chinese New Year they have a reunion meal with family. From reading the story Fish Cheeks there is evidence showing that family and friends get together to have Christmas dinner: “When I found out that my parents had invited the minister’s family over for Christmas Eve dinner, I cried” (Tan 184). Chinese food is symbolized during the weeks of Chinese New year just like some dishes in the story. On Chinese New Year the dumpling dish jiaoz can be compared to the squid dish the main character Amy is served: “A plate of squid, their backs crisscrossed with knife markings so they resembled bicycle tires” (Tan 184). The story’s food is not as symbolic as Chinese New Year, but can be related or translated back to the Chinese idea of symbolizing food. The fourth of July can also be related to the Fish Cheeks short story because the fourth of July celebration also revolves around food and family. The burping that is produced by Amy’s father is a form of respect, gratitude, and happiness: “At the end of the meal my father leaned back and belched loudly, thanking my mother for her fine cooking” (Tan 185). Chinese New Year envelopes that are red also mean happiness and can be easily compared through the traditions practice of one’s
What does it mean to be an American? “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty” (President John F. Kennedy). America is a country founded on faith, hope, and freedom. Although many modern day Americans believe in the future and change, it is important to remember American culture and its foundation. America is undoubtedly privileged with freedom, is composed of a wide range of people who share one culture, and has given citizens a reason to be proud and patriotic toward their country.
With a new wave of music, art, and design redefining the melting pot of diversity in America, contemporary cultural appropriation is taking the national limelight in the generation of millennials. Cultural appropriation originated from a scholarly exposition on colonialism in the 1970s-1980s, yet the term is still being widely used by the culture cops of today. So what is cultural appropriation? Culture is the customs, arts, and achievements of a nation, race, or ethnicity whereas appropriation is the action of acquiring something for one’s own use without the owner’s consent. Because of America’s increasingly globalized nature, it strengthened cultural singularity resulting in cultural appropriation as the everyday norm.
Being an American is much more than passing a citizenship test or simply being born in America. Being an American means speaking up when you disagree, it means contributing to the success of yourself and the nation as a whole, and most importantly it means being the best example you can for other Americans and future generations of Americans. There are an endless number of things that can represent being American, but what would be the defining lifestyle, characteristics, or morals of being an American? In simple terms, being an American is pursuing happiness, taking advantage of the freedoms you have, and appreciating the work and sacrifice that has contributed to the development of this great country.