Families of the Melting Pot

Paper Summary:

This paper provides a brief discussion of the diverse ethnic groups in America. The assumption that assimilation and "Americanization" occurs, is examined in relation to the two books. The paper illustrates the reality of the racial and ethnic division in America. The theme of family is emphasized throughout the paper, portraying an awareness of the power of family to make differences seem trivial.

From the Paper:

"America is often characterized as a melting pot, a term meant to show that the country is one in which many different kinds of people have come to join American society. These people are supposed to be assimilated, but this is not always true. Even if the first generation is not completely assimilated because of differences in language or customs, though, it is thought that their children would be fully assimilated and "Americanized." James McBride in The Color of Water and Richard Rodriguez in "Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood" point to an America where the melting pot may be a reality, seen in the degree to which members of the family accept each other and their different heritages, but where they must also contend with the many examples of racial and ethnic division defining an America that remains separated by ethnicity and color."

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