As many have stated previously, America isn’t necessarily restricted to being described solely as a salad bowl or melting pot. True, immigrants may come here in search of new opportunity, culture, and life but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they will completely abandon the beliefs, traditions and values they held prior to immigrating. And the opposite is just as valid: immigrants living in America most likely do not live exactly as the way they did in their home country. American culture permeates the home of every type of immigrant, be it American cuisine, entertainment, technology, literature, and even morals. ( Just as you might see an American family sitting in front of the television screen while eating Chinese take-out or the Chinese teenager a few blocks down immersing herself into one of Dicken’s novels.) It is inevitable that some type of “diffusion” will occur, both ways.
Michael Walzer in his essay “What does it mean to be American” delves into the meaning of the adjective American. He states “[it] provides no reliable information about the origins, histories, connections, or cultures of those whom it designates.” In a way, I think that is something truly special about being American. For people who are coming to America to start out with a fresh identity, all they have to do is say “I’m American.” But even though the only binding force between Americans may be that we live in the same country and that we all value the fundamental principles serving as the foundation for this country, I think that is enough of connection; that is an adequate amount of unity that we can call both the fellow next door and ourselves American, in spite of our completely different backgrounds.
Building on Praveena’s analogy (which I liked!) I think that America is sort of like a tossed salad whose incredibly varied vegetables release flavor to one another. Although each one may have began as a rigid, perfectly sliced article, they loosen up over time and give off color to their surroundings. There is something uniform about this image: though all the parts seem so different, they essentially make up a whole. And, as Walzer remarks, “perhaps this adjective of ‘American’ describes this kind of oneness.”
