Combination of cultures
The short stories, Mericans by Cisneros and The Red Convertible by Erdrich, have a lot in common and both of their purposes are to show the combination of different cultures. Both stories convey how different people deal with having a combination of two cultures. The combination of different cultures can be seen through the plot, symbolism and the story's' simple writing style.The purpose behind the short story Mericans, is to show the combination of Mexican and American cultures. In the story the grandmother expects the children to participate in her religious traditions instead of playing American games outside. There is also a culture clash when the American tourists believe that the children cannot speak or understand English but it turns out they are tourists themselves and they know English very well. The children show their acceptance of both cultures through the games they play; Lone Ranger and Flash Gordon. In the short story, The Red Convertible, the main characters in the story are two Native American brothers named Henry and Lyman. Lyman, is trying to define who he is and what is important to him
Lyman separates himself from the native culture and try's to succeed in the American world; buying the red convertible which is a sign that he is making this change. These are the most important symbolisms because they represent two different cultures. A symbolic reference to the American culture is seen in the games the children are playing. The visual imagery the author gives is very strong and it pulls that reader into the actual scene. The red convertible went from taking these two brothers on the journey of a lifetime to coming to a tragic end. Before Henry leaves to go to war he is an outgoing young man and the red convertible is described as, "large as life, as if it was alive" After returning from the war, Henry is messed up mentally and for a while is not connected with anything other then a television. Henry is associated with blood and with the color red, and he eventually chooses to drown in the Red River. This is a indication that the Mexican-American children are losing some of their Mexican cultural background while adapting to the American culture. In conclusion both authors write these stories in order to advocate a change for people from a different culture and how they are treated. Lyman begins by favoring the more well off white culture or the American culture. The church symbolizes the strong religious background typical of Mexico. This is also where the title to this short story derives from. For example, Lyman said the fact that he didn't really "hang on to the details" of the road but when he remembers the place with the willows, the reader can put themselves into his shoes. In the Red Convertible Louise Erdrich's simplistic writing style helps make every detail stand out and allows the reader to visualize the situation.
Common topics in this essay:
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Louise Erdrich's,
Red Convertible,
Mexican American,
Convertible Erdrich,
Red River,
Gordon American,
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Flash Gordon,
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color red,
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american culture red,
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Acceptance Essays
