Aiken
AP English Composition
25 July 2013
"Blaxicans" and Other Reinvented Americans In "Blaxicans" and Other Reinvented Americans," Richard Rodriguez points out that America has become a place that is fully populated by immigrants from around the world. He asserts that there is no way to assign race names to citizens because everyone can be multiple races. According to Rodriguez, Americans create labels (e.g. Hispanic) in a ridiculous attempt to classify people in the simplest form; a plan doomed to fail. Rodriguez continues by describing his idea of "ethnicity," which is ultimately based on the way people act and the things they value. The article describes the way in which all races are intertwined within the country, and within the world. The idea of "diversity" is also mentioned in the article when discussing the topic of interracial marriages. Rodriguez goes on to describe the false "Hispanic" category much of this country has fallen into. Ultimately, Rodriguez explains that "Hispanic" is a term used only in America for colonization purposes. Hispanic is a false idea because upon going to Latin America, one would encounter black Hispanics, white Hispanics, etc. and that is factual. By 2003, Hispanics became the largest minority in the world (whatever that means).Rodriguez goes on to share his views on assimilation: "ASSIMILATION HAPPENS." Assimilation is the act of people of different backgrounds viewing themselves as a part of a larger national family. This article acknowledges the vast array of racial possibilities within the world. Rodriguez ends the article by saying he, a man of Mexican descent, is Chinese because he enjoys Chinese culture, and that is how ethnicity should be decided.
Vocabulary
* incomprehensibly: adv: inarticulately (aimlessly, franticly, confusedly) * mythic: adj: make-believe (storied, imaginary, folkloric) * rind: n: covering (epicarp, hull, husk) * aforementioned: adj: previous; come before (precedent, former, prior) * demythologizing: v: reinterpret a subject or text * mulatto: n: a person of mixed white and black ancestry
Rhetorical Strategies * Anecdote: "On his interview show, Bill Moyers once asked me how I thought of myself. As an American? Or Hispanic? I answered that I am Chinese, and that is because I live in a Chinese city and because I want to be Chinese." (paragraph 19) * Paradox: "I come to you as Chinese. Unless you understand that I am Chinese, then you have not understood anything I have said." (paragraph 25) * Imagery: "My eye has taken on that palette, has come to prefer lime green and rose reds and all the inventions o this Chinese Mediterranean." (paragraph 19)
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