Essay 2

Cheyanne Barba
Mrs. Bosch
Honors English 10
15 August 2007

Me
A person’s family history is usually very important to them, it tells them who they are and people should be proud of that. Not only does your family history shape you into being the person that you are, your memories from living with your family and celebrating different events shapes you too. These events can be everything from old stories that are passed down from generation to generation or from experiences that happen in your lifetime. Though, these experiences vary from one person to another since everyone is so diverse and has their own traditions. Not everyone has just one ethnicity so more than likely they will celebrate many traditions and holidays.
I have many different ethnicities and I am proud to be each one. I am Mexican, Spaniard, German, Swedish, French, and Native American. So I have a broad respect for all races and I don’t like to discriminate against any. Even though some people tend to judge me before they understand that no, I am not lying about being Mexican and Spanish, even though I am lighter skinned and do not speak the language. Those accusations tend to irritate me just because I don’t see why anyone would lie about being some other ethnicity. No race is better than the other; everyone is equal in my eyes. Since I am a combination of so many cultures, I get to experience many different stories from all sides of my family and also take part in many traditions. This knowledge of so many various ethnicities has shaped me to be unreligious, not racist, I know only one language, and I was a variety of different friends who are from different cultures.
Religion is a huge and very controversial subject in the world, especially America since it is so diverse and contains people from all over the world. There are so many different religions out there that it can be confusing to understand all of them. One of the most popular religions in America is probably Christianity (but what do I know, I’m only fourteen). Although, in my house my grandparents are both Catholic and I think both of my parents are too. My other grandparents I’m not positive what beliefs they have but they’re probably Catholic too. Me and my brother, that’s a different story. My mom and dad never pushed a religion on either of us, we went to church only a few times, and we were never baptized. It’s not that my parents are heathens or regular church goers; they’re more in the middle. So how could you expect children to become very religious in a household that tells you to be anything you want? You can’t really and neither my brother nor I have a strong faith in any religion. Some people think it’s sad, others just get angry with me (I don’t really know what my brother has to go through), and some don’t care at all. Personally, I don’t mind religions, you can believe whatever you want, it does not affect me, as long as you don’t try and push anything on me we will become great friends. Then again, life isn’t a piece of cake and there are those out there that judge too soon and consider me a dirty sinner who has no morals and will go to hell. Well, I’m not hurting anyone, I try not to voice my opinion on religion openly, since I’ve learned at a young age that it just back fires and I end up feeling like a disgusting person. I can’t help these beliefs, and some people don’t believe me, but it’s hard for a person who asks too many questions and grew up in a semi religious childhood to become the next Pope. Please excuse me if I have offended you in any way.
Racism has been around since the dawn of time and will most likely never go away; some people just have no respect towards others. There have been wars, mass murders, and discrimination all over the world. This is one reason why many people deny that their families are from different countries and also why people are ashamed of whom they are. Being racist I think depends on how your parents raise you, I’m not saying that’s the only reason, but it is a large part of it. Since I am so many cultures mixed into one it’s hard for me to understand why people are so racist against others who are different from them. I am a very open minded person so I try and be considerate of others and respect their beliefs and race, that’s just how I was raised and what I learned from books and television. I myself have been discriminated against and I know it hurts so I try to be open to everyone and I do not like to use discriminating words or actions. I can share the credit with my parents since they are both from different backgrounds and have never been racist towards other people. My very diverse background has given me a respect for many cultures and made me understand that everyone is different, and it’s a beautiful thing.
Language is a way of expressing yourself and to give people the sense that you are proud of your culture and that you respect it. There are many different languages in the world and we learn the language by others and by our families. A language is passed down from generation to generation and people can be bilingual or even know more than two languages. You would think since I’m a mix of different ethnicities that I would be able to speak a language other than English, but you thought wrong. My father speaks fluent Spanish but never taught my brother or me and my mother does not speak fluently in any language other than English. It makes me angry how my father never taught me how to speak Spanish; it would help out so much now, especially with school, my future careers, and the fact that some of my good friend’s parents only speak Spanish. It would probably help me to prove the fact that I actually am Mexican/Spanish if I spoke the language, since it’s a popular saying around people who I meet that I am lying about my ethnicity. In California it’s such a benefit to be bilingual. It’s also a helpful trait when you are trying to find a job, since there are so many people in California that are from different countries that have not yet learned English yet, so it you are bilingual the business rate will increase since you have a employee who can talk to a broad range of people. Unfortunately, I was not so lucky in the bilingual department and I don’t know any fluent languages other than English.
Some people believe that a person should only be friends with people that are their own race. This is truly a hard rule to follow since everyone is so diverse and no one really believes that anymore, since the younger generations embrace being different. Again, since I myself am diverse I have many friends who are of different races than me. I have many friends who are Mexican, Caucasian, Indian, Filipino, the list goes on I assure you and I really enjoy having all these different people in my life. Back in my grandparents day I don’t think having friends of different races was a popular thing, even in my parents day people were still getting used to the fact that you can have friends who are different from you. My uncle has friends who he’s been friends with since high school and they are all different races. One is Japanese, another Caucasian, and the other is Italian. Along with him both of my parents grew up having African American friends who they are still close to. They themselves are married and are from different cultures. They have raised my brother and me to respect everyone and to have as many friends as we can and who are from different cultures. We did too; we each have many friends who are from different races. I believe that a person can be friends with anyone from a different race mostly because my memories with so many diverse people has taught me that I can be friends with people outside my culture. My family also plays an important role in this because they are the ones that raised me and taught me to be respectful to everyone.
A person’s family history is every aspect of themselves, along with their family’s traditions and memories. These traits are what make everyone in the world different and people should emphasize this more. There are so many different ethnicities and beliefs that people have it can be overwhelming, especially in America since almost anyone can live here. There are also people like me whose family comes from many different backgrounds and beliefs. I mostly consider myself Mexican and Caucasian since I am mostly both of these, but I also have other ethnicities. Altogether I am German, Swedish, Native American, Spaniard, Mexican, and French. Since I am such a cornucopia of ethnicities I have learned to respect other people who are of different races them myself. I may not be able to speak any of the languages other than English but I am still proud of being so different. Many of the cultures that my parents are have different religions but I do not, this does not make me a complete heathen, it just means that I don’t believe in the same faiths as others. I am still very respectful to everyone whether they are of a different religion or race than me; I believe that everyone is equal no matter what. I consider the credit for all my knowledge to go to my parents and grandparents since they are the ones that raised me to be like this. I am very proud of who I am and of my many cultures, beliefs, language, my respect towards others, and of my many diverse friends that have accumulated over the years. All of these traits have shaped me into the person I have become and I believe continue to shape me.