McLawhorn 1

Alan McLawhorn
Aaron Kashtan
UWRT 1102
10 February 2017
The American in Me

American identity is the basis for all Americans or Americanized people. To have an

American identity means to be from or live in America. However, living in the U.S. is different

than being born in the U.S. Living is sometimes more important than being born here. For

instance, I was born in Japan, but have been in America ever since I was a one year old.

Therefore, I am Americanized. Since I am Americanized, I show ways to communicate my

Americanness, in everyday life.

In some ways, I show my American identity through conversations. My family and I

sometimes talk about American identity. My mom has lived in America for almost eighteen

years, but she had lived in Japan her whole life before that. She can be considered an American,

but I think she does not want that, and instead embraces her Japanese heritage. My mom is also

a Buddhist, as has been all her life. While some Americans are not accepting of other religions,

most accept but do not understand other religions. These examples are why we contemplate on

what it means to be an American. My dad, however, is an American and he knows the truth

about Americans, or just the Americans in the southern states. He thinks that they are not the

smartest of the bunch. My dad is an American because he was born in the states, and has lived

here for ninety-five percent of his life. He has raised me in America, which in turn has made me

realize I am an American. My dad is not religious at all, and is in fact an Atheist. Although he

was raised to be a Christian, he eventually realized that God was not real, or that is his belief.

Since neither he and my mom are Christians, there was a zero percent chance I would become a

Christian. I am an Atheist, and this definitely makes me an American, since Atheists seem to
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exist strongly in the Us, or places like the UK. I could have become a Buddhist, and that would

have not taken any of my Americanness from me. The fact that we talk about it shows that we

care about American identity, and therefore it represents me. If I grew up in Japan, I would

probably be smarter, or I think I would have definitely care more about school, but my life is

mine, and I am somewhat proud to be an American.

When I was speaking to my granddad, the topic of America came up. My granddad was

born and raised in the US. He even fought for this country in the Vietnam War, but he is not

patriotic. He seems to only care for veterans, and not necessarily for America, or the thought that

if you do not like America, then leave. He is extremely accepting of other cultures, and races,

and tries his best to influence me. I have come to respect veterans because of my grandad, and

become accepting, thanks to his influences.

I also show my American identity through writing, like essays, articles, or even

comments. My writing for school is always in English since I do not know any other language.

Therefore, writing shows how I am American. Growing up in the U.S. is the basis for being an

American and learning English. Most Americans from the south do not know a second language,

so writing in a different language would be hard for them. However, Americans up North are

more culturally accepting, and many of them know two languages. There is a lot more diversity

around other parts of America, and it is wise to learn a new language, like Spanish or even

Chinese.

Being an American also affects the way I speak. Being from the Southern part of the

United States has made my voice have a small amount of southern drawl in it. However, being

from the South is no different than being from other parts of America, in that most young adults

use slang, and keep up with todays pop culture. I, personally, have been affected by the African
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American community, because of Kinston, the town I was raised in. The high school I attended,

Kinston High School, was ninety- three percent black, and this influenced me. I started to sound

black as some of my friends put it, but they did not have a problem with it, since people adapt

to their surroundings. Therefore, being from the Southern United States has affected the way I

speak. Actually, the Southern states gave me the southern drawl, while growing up in Kinston

exposed me to black culture. Technically, many white Americans like to sound proper, and many

think less of people who choose to use slang. While I admit, I am not the most educated, I am

not an idiot because I speak using slang. Like many Americans, I do curse a lot, but this seems

accepted, which honestly, is bonkers.

However, most people do not talk about our American Identity, and that is, ironically a

part of being an American. America as a whole is progressing, even if we just elected Trump as

our president. Still, the Southern states seem a step behind, and the Trump supporters in this

region are not helping to show that America is accepting of everyone. Honestly, America is not

supportive of people who are different. America is not progressing in intelligence levels,

especially in the Southern States. American identity is not talked about because of many

Americans do not think like that, but that is not necessarily a bad thing, it is just that our

priorities have turned to social media, and technology. Being an American is not always a good

thing, because some Americans are idiots, and try to spread their ideals. While I am not the

brightest, I know the difference between right and wrong.

In conclusion, being an American means living in the US or to be from there. However,

many factors influence my Americanness, such as the way I speak, write, and the conservations I

have about America. In every day, I show my Americanness, and for better or worse, I am an

American.
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