The Puzzling Culture of America

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Today America is a different world than it was when Michel-Jean Gulliume de Crevecoeur wrote his interpretation of what an American is in “Letters from an American Farmer”. The bland America that he illustrates in his essay is not a truly accurate representation of the America that presently exists. De Crevecoeur mentions in his essay that “individuals of all nations are melted in one race of men”. The validity of this metaphor is debatable. Immigrants who have arrived to this country have assimilated into America, but have they really melted into one similar culture to create this so called “Melting Pot”? What then is America, if not a melting pot? America consists of many different and unique pieces of a puzzle that come together to compose a larger picture. Each puzzle piece is different in color and shape, yet all the colorful pieces unite to create a picture that is America. The difference between a melting pot and a puzzle is that a puzzle is not just one piece. There are several, perhaps many, pieces that fit to create something larger. Even though the pieces all fit together to compose the picture of America, there are still the lines that separate each piece. One culture does not define the entire whole of America. My mother, who is of Cambodian descent, used to tell me stories of what it was like to be an immigrant in the diverse world of America. One specific story I can recall is when she went to a restaurant in America for the very first time, and she ordered a steak. The waiter then asked if she wanted it rare, medium, or well done. Not knowing the meaning of these words, she responded “rare”. I assume she didn’t enjoy her dinner that night. Needless to say, it took her some time to eventually assimilate to the lifestyle and customs of America. When she first came to America, she was that one piece of the puzzle that didn’t seem to fit in with the

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