Israel Zangwill's The Melting Pot
First used by Israel Zangwill in a 1908 play, the term “Melting Pot” considers the American Dream, the incorporation and Americanization of immigrants in the American society. The melting pot derives from a process called assimilation, which consists of adoption of a host country’s cultures. This may imply sometimes the abandoning of some aspects of the ethnic culture of an individual (Zanca). The melting pot is an idea of “individuals of all nations melted into a new race of men,” as J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur paints it in Letters from an American Farmer. It is a sculpture and the very representation of assimilation. This concept implies that immigrants should adopt the culture and institutions as well as the beliefs of Anglo American middle class; in other words, they need to Americanize themselves for a successful integration in society. Critics stressed the fact that Anglo-conformity presumes the superiority of the American culture over other cultures ("Melting Pot.”).
Multiculturalism, on the other hand is an ideology that encourages immigrants not to assimilate to their host …show more content…
This concept is only true if the melting pot exists. For one to admit that the melting pot has helped America in achieving its dream, one needs to remember what happened to Canada. In the name of multiculturalism, Canadian leaders have been giving in to all kinds minorities’ requests. Some years ago, a Sikh (adept of Sikhism religion), who was a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) requested to exchange the Stetson hat, a hundred-year-old Canadian heritage for a turban, a traditional hat wore by Sikhs. Naturally, because of senseless multiculturalist laws, he won the case. Obviously, his diversity was more important than “l’esprit de corps” of thousands of other members of the RCMP (Williams
Multiculturalism, on the other hand is an ideology that encourages immigrants not to assimilate to their host …show more content…
This concept is only true if the melting pot exists. For one to admit that the melting pot has helped America in achieving its dream, one needs to remember what happened to Canada. In the name of multiculturalism, Canadian leaders have been giving in to all kinds minorities’ requests. Some years ago, a Sikh (adept of Sikhism religion), who was a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) requested to exchange the Stetson hat, a hundred-year-old Canadian heritage for a turban, a traditional hat wore by Sikhs. Naturally, because of senseless multiculturalist laws, he won the case. Obviously, his diversity was more important than “l’esprit de corps” of thousands of other members of the RCMP (Williams