Mericans By Sandra Cisneros

The authors of both, "Response to Executive Order 9066" and "Mericans" establish a theme that American doesn't mean born in the US. Okita's text, "Response to Executive Order," talks about a fourteen year old girl and how she experiences and connects to American culture on a daily basis despite her Japanese descent. Cisneros' text, "Mericans," focuses on a Spanish family set outside the US and speaks of how "barbaric" America is, yet they feel a connection to it. The thing that both these texts have in common is that they both address the basic theme that place of birth doesn't determine if someone is American or not. Dwight Okita's story, "Response to Executive Order 9066," is told from the perspective of a fourteen-year old girl of Japanese descent whom lives in America. She is being affected by the Executive Order 9066 that states that, "All Americans of Japanese Descent Must Report to Relocation Centers." In the text the girl is demonstrating how her daily life in America means she is American. It is showing that even though she is of Japanese descent she is accustomed to American culture and ways because she was raised there.
The grandmother also prays for her family and grandchildren. The text takes place in a Spanish place outside the US. Tourists, or Americans, have come to visit and engage with the children speaking basic Spanish trying to make sure they understand. When one of the boys speaks English, the Americans are taken a-back, exclaiming, "But you speak English!" The brother responds with "Yeah, we're Mericans." This shows that despite living outside of America and speaking another language he still felt he was an