Marquez 1

Kimberly Marquez

Miss Kibbey

English 1H, Period 5

4 November 2014

Effect of Social and Cultural Identity on a Persons Life

Some people infer that social and cultural identity affects a persons perspective on life.

They suggest this because the world criticizes us about things we cannot control, such as race,

sex, ethnicity, age, religion, and more. In the stories/poems A Raisin In The Sun, Legal Alien,

and Internment, they all reflect the following theme: whatever environment youre exposed to,

affects how you perceive your life.

Linder, a man from the story A Raisin In The Sun, says , and I quote,Its is a matter of

the people of Clybourne Park believing, rightly or wrongly, as I say, that for the happiness of all

concerned that our Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities. Linder

is a businessman that believes that African Americans should live in their own communities,

meaning that they should be living in a community that consists of African Americans rather than

Whites. The story, A Raisin In The Sun, is about an African American family living on the

south side of Chicago in the 1950s. The family receives a $10,000 check in the mail and are

unsure how to spend it until Lena Younger, or Mama, discovers a beautiful house that is perfect

for the whole family, but the problem is that the house is located in an all white neighborhood.

This statement by Linder is important because it expresses the diversity of African Americans

and whites and how the African Americans were not accepted by whites.

The story Legal Alien, also includes the concept of not being accepted. ...a Mexican to

Americans a handy token sliding back and forth between the fringes of both worlds... This
 Marquez 2

quote from the poem Legal Alien, is about how people have to disguise themselves to fit in and

be, normal. The poem Legal Alien is about a girl who is forced to live a double life of a

Mexican and American heritage. She is forced to put on a mask and live a fake life because if

she doesnt, she will face criticism and judgment. This poem is significant to the theme because

it describes how the world can manipulate others to see themselves negatively.

Not wanting to, not meaning to see beauty in this stark landscape... This portion of the

poem Internment means that even though the girl was stuck in an internment camp she was still

able to see beauty in the littlest things. It also means that even though you are put down by

negative occurrences you can still rise above the situation. The poem Internment is about a

Japanese American girl who is thrown into an Internment camp and is forced to live through the

horrors of the everyday life of this prison. This poem impacts the theme by showing, even

though youve been caged up like an animal, theres nothing from stopping you to see the beauty

within. It is important to have this kind of out look if you are to get anywhere in life.

In conclusion, the world manipulates young minds into thinking that they have to change

their perspective and personality in order to fit in. Many different experiences and environments

can determine how much grit someone has and how willing they are to succeed. The key portion

that a reader should take from this essay is that it doesnt matter where you start in life, what

matters is where you end.