Rios 1 Isabella Rios Ms.

McLean English 11 Period 1 30 September 2013 American: In Many, One It has happened to all of us. Youre in a group of friends and colleagues, sharing stories, and enjoying yourself when, naturally, the subject of heritage arises. My mother is Chinese, but her family has lived in France for generations. If you follow my family line into the 1800s, youll find that my last name came from the Dutch. We all love to brag about our racial uniqueness, but it makes one wonder: Am I American? Everyone would agree that the United States is a country, but an ethnicity? Its almost unheard of, something that has begun to change in recent years. The people of this nation come from such varied backgrounds that it is difficult for anyone to identify with American. It has been a subject elaborated upon by a growing number of writers, a group that boasts famous author John Steinbeck as one of its own. John Steinbecks essay, E Pluribus Unum, presents three explanations of American that I identify with for me, to be American is to contribute to the nations ethnic and cultural diversity, to accomplish change when it is needed, and to take advantage of the many opportunities given to me through my own hard work and determination. Understanding where we come from and who we are as Americans is vital to discovering where were headed as a country and as a people. Steinbecks primary argument is centered on the extreme variances among American people in terms of race and culture; this is something to which I, as a Brazilian American, am no stranger. He writes, Our land is of every kind geographically and

Rios 2 climatically, and our people are of every kind also of every race, of every ethnic category and yet our land is one nation, and our people are Americans (Steinbeck, 1). Here, Steinbeck lays the foundation for the entire work of E Pluribus Unum that, in many, Americans remain one. The United States is distinctive in that there is no race that constitutes the entire country. I, as an American and a Brazilian, am defined and represented by a conglomeration of the races and cultures of the whole world; in the last two generations of my family, I can find Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and African blood, a mixture difficult to find outside of the States or Brazil. It is also worth mentioning that it is nothing short of a miracle that America is still intact despite our endless differences, we still have one like intention: the betterment of the nation and of ourselves. Much later in the essay, Steinbeck revisits the theme of diversity: The new generations wanted to be Americans more than they wanted to be Poles or Germans or Hungarians or Italians or British. They wanted this and they did it. America was not planned it became (Steinbeck, 3). The beauty of this selection lies in its startling truth. By experience alone, one can say that immigrants are often struck by how far removed their children are form their culture of birth. I know that I am no expert of modern Brazilians customs and culture; such information is of no practical use to me. I eat Brazilian food and speak Portuguese words, but my life revolves around Thanksgiving, around English, around Northern Hemisphere seasons and the politics of the White House. The children of immigrants have no reason to old on to the country their parents willingly left behind they are something new and different, and the name we give to that difference is American. As Steinbeck so eloquently paints, America was not planned it became.

Rios 3 Another strong theme of E Pluribus Unum is the insatiable American appetite for change, something quite clear in our nations history. This appetite does not necessarily mean we are always instituting change, but that we know that if something isnt the way we want it, something can be done. The essay reads, This land was no gift. The firstlings worked for it, fought for it, and died for it. Steinbeck makes certain that readers understand the barren, hostile, and unforgiving lands that was the American continent. When Europeans first arrived on the Eastern shores, more often than not, it was because they were unhappy in some form and were taking this step towards change. They created communities that differed greatly from those they left in the Old World. America, however, did not welcome them with open arms in fact, its harsh climate and conditions nearly drove them out! Rather than allowing themselves to be chewed up and spit out by this unfriendly continent, they sought to change it through hard work and unwavering perseverance. They approached their daily lives in the same way we approach ours: if something was wrong with the community, they would change it. As an American, I know that if there is anything I am unsatisfied with, if there are enough people who share my sentiments, things can change. This is especially true in a small environment like my school. I am not ruled over; I have say in my projects and am able to communicate any dissatisfaction I have. Americans have always had the remarkable trait of turning their discontent into action, and I sleep assured with the knowledge that if I wanted to change something, I would be heard. Steinbeck also writes, With our history, every law of probability forecast a country made of tight islands of ethnic groups held together by a common language and by the humility heaped on them by their neighbors (Steinbeck, 3). Here, he connects the subjects of the American propensity for both change and ethnic

Rios 4 variety. Again, it is nearly impossible to believe that such a diverse collection of peoples grew to be the United States, and the answer, in part, lies in this quote. Steinbeck writes of the bullying done to each new and coming ethnic group, and the truth is that these groups became assimilated into American culture through a painful process of change. To cease the incessant bullying and bothering, each culture sought to change itself to become what was perceived as the ideal (one of the crowd). The children of immigrants and the immigrants themselves changed their clothes, languages, and customs in the same way, I was born speaking Portuguese and it was only when I first attended preschool that I began to learn English. To this day, there are still some words I mispronounce because of the Brazilian environment I go home to. It is this difficulty, found in every immigrants home, that has created a country unafraid of change and accustomed to being reshaped all of us, as Americans, have the ability to adapt and adjust to anything. Finally, as Americans, we have always made great use of the abundant opportunities available to us by simply carrying this title. A portion of Steinbecks essay reads, Four centuries of work, of bloodshed, of loneliness and fear created this land. We built America and the process made us Americans a new breed, rooted in all races, stained and tinted in all colors, a seeming ethnic anarchy (Steinbeck, 1). Again, he returns to the idea of the racial melting pot that is this country, something especially evident in how he implements imagery in quick, short bursts words like stained and tinted bring to mind a spectrum of skins, and the way he rapidly lists his points illustrates the disorganization of races that we know as America. The opportunity of our land can be read between the lines of this passage. First, the early European settlers made the harrowing journey across the Atlantic not for amusement, but because they, like countless immigrants after them, smelled

Rios 5 plentiful opportunity and came here in pursuit of it. They sacrificed everything because they knew they could gain everything. These pre-revolutionary colonials are very similar to todays immigrant population in that they want a different life for themselves and for their children. Americans are the types of individuals who put their foot in the door before it closes; people who know that success and a healthy life years down the road will be worth every ounce of hardship. I know what I want from my life here and Im determined to get it I know what opportunity looks like and I know to take advantage of it to be successful, whether it be in school, work, or life in general. Steinbeck also writes, The surges of the new restless, needy, and strong grudgingly brought in for purposes of hard labor and cheap wages were resisted, resented, and accepted only when a new and different wave came in (Steinbeck, 1-2). This almost perfectly illustrates the tribulations new immigrants must endure; they withstand hard labor, low wages, resistance, and resentment. They continue to live despite the overwhelming difficulty because they have their eyes on the prize of opportunity. Any child of immigrants, myself included, has heard a thousand times over from the lips of their worked and weary parents: You are so lucky to have been born in this country. If only I had the opportunities you have when I was your age. Do not take your privileges and your possessions for granted. Much like virtually every American, I grew up with full knowledge of the opportunities granted in this nation, and through work and dedication, I will utilize them to the best of my ability. What it means to be American is what one would call a gray area a place where lines are blurred and opinions are thrown and mixed in the wind. Every American will have his or her definition and explanation. It is here that the beauty of our country lies: we are each so unique and different in so many ways, and yet we are able to come together as one

Rios 6 to create the United States of America. I am Steinbecks E Pluribus Unum in that I am so racially and culturally different, I recognize and take advantage of the possibility of change, and I appreciate the boundless opportunity available to me; I know who I am and I know where I fit in this huge piece of clockwork that is the nation. Every individual will have a different view of what it really means to be American, but we are all still American and that is where we are, in many, one.

Rios 7 Works Cited Steinbeck, John. E Pluribus Unum. America and Americans. Handout. English 11. (Ms. Molly McLean.) Da Vinci Science. August 2013. Print.