George Bournazian

UWRT 1102

February 10, 2017

American Identity

A person living in the U.S, can only be considered an American if they

have legal documentation showing that they are a citizen. If someone comes

to the U.S in the hopes of becoming a citizen, they are not considered an

American, in my eyes, until they receive full citizenship. The use of the

English language is how I show my American identity through writing and

conversation. I assume people, who are in the U.S and do not speak English,

are not American. Though the U.S does not have an official language, English

is primarily used in the countries courts and official documents. A life-long

friend of mine, who was born in Colombia, went through years of the process

of obtaining a U.S citizenship. He spoke English fluently and did not have an

accent, you would only know he was from a different country by his looks. My

friend knew he would not be considered an American, until he had received

his papers saying that was a citizen. So, if someone is residing in the U.S

without having legal documents to prove that they are a U.S citizen, why

should they be considered an American?

Americanness is always referenced in discussions I have with my

friends. Most of my friends families come from different countries, and we

always bring up our ways of living that differentiate from normal American
ways. American parenting is a topic that is frequently paired with our views

of American identity. Any time we see American parenting displayed out in

public, we would always make comparisons as to how our parents would

handle the situation. From a parent letting their kid yell and scream, to

letting them run around ramped, American parenting is certainly different

from other countries. American identity is taken into consideration when I am

speaking with someone, as being able to speak English is the only factor that

I look for when distinguishing if someone is American. Accents can also be

taken into consideration, as some are stronger than others, which might

ensue that they are new to the country. These are the subjects I think about

when discussing the topic of American Identity.

Americanness has been the same for hundreds of years, and my

understanding of American identity is unchanged from what Americans have

been over the past centuries. Immigrants from mainly Ireland, Italy,

Germany, and Poland emigrated to the U.S and learned to fit in, creating a

new melting pot. These immigrants spoke different languages, and did not

get along most of the time. However, they conformed to the rules and

learned the common language so they could work and live together. This

type of Americanness made for a stronger America, to which seems to be

lost in todays society.

I come from an Armenian-Italian heritage in which my Armenian great

grandparents and Italian grandparents immigrated to the U.S. Both my great

grandparents and grandparents could not speak English when they arrived
and had to learn the language to succeed and survive. Along with learning

English, they got jobs, paid taxes, and embraced the American culture. My

family came to this country agreeing to abide by its laws, and learn its

history. This process has made up a solid foundation of what this country

continues to be, but why do certain immigrants have to abide by certain

rules but others dont? My great grandparents survived the Turkish genocide,

and were fortunate enough to arrive safely in America. The U.S offered no

sympathy, no handouts, nor understanding, but the opportunity to live freely

and start a new life. They had to follow the rules.

Everyone who is American has an alternative identity, that is why I

think U. Ss identity differs from other nations. Other nations identities are

not as diverse as the U. Ss, since the U.S was established and developed by

immigrants. Having an alternative identity does not mean that people do not

have to adapt and conform to the American culture, way of life, and way of

working. The more immigrants, that come to the U.S with a motive to adapt

and abide by the rules, the stronger the U.S will turn out to be. Currently, the

country is separated, as people have different views politics, especially on

refugee and illegal immigration. We seem to have lost the American identity,

by allowing illegal immigrants to stay in this country, and not adapt to the

culture, nor abide by the rules. People argue that since English is not the

official language of the U.S, it is not required for people to learn the

language, but one integrating factor that created the Americanness in the

1900s, were the immigrants learning how to speak, read and write English.
The U.S would not have been successfully diverse if it were not for

immigrants conforming and learning the common language, which is English.

I am a native north Carolinian, but I do not speak with any kind of

southern accent, similarly to my parents, who are both from the northeast

and do not have an accent. I speak English clearly and naturally so that I am

easily understood. I sometimes use the term yall when I talk, in which

most people see the term as southern slang. Since I was born in this country,

and both of my parents speake English fluently, it was easy for me to learn

the language, whereas others, who immigrated to the U.S, might have had a

harder time. With no accent, and a fluent speaker of the English language, I

would easily be considered an average American by anyones standards.

Overall, an American is someone who has legal documentation

showing that they are a citizen of the United States. Any immigrant who

illegally resides in the country should not be considered an American,

especially if they have no intention to abide by the rules. The U.S was

developed by immigrants who were willing to adapt to the American culture,

and that is what I think the American Identity is all about.