Response to "On being a Mexican American"

               I have a lot in common with the author. Not only am I Mexican American but my last name is Mendoza like his :). Well besides the obvious I had similar experiences growing up. I, like the author, was born in the U.S but born a Mexican. 
             My childhood experience was very similar to the authors. As a child I didn't see the differences of me and other people. I was always around my family and I always thought everyone else must be like us. The way I spoke is the way I thought most people spoke. At that point I thought being Mexican was no different from being American. It was not until school when I began to realize we are not all so alike. 
            According to the article and my own experiences, school is one of the first places you begin to notice being different. You see that not all the kids around you look like you, some children begin to tease you for being different, the things around you begin to unfold. In many cases you begin to become the thing your not.
           My father is very proud of his heritage and he strongly believes in maintaining it. My little brother and father would sometimes get into little quarrels where my brother says "I'm not Mexican dad I'm American" and my dad would just lecture him on how wrong he is and how he should be proud of being Mexican. So my little brother was being "Anglocized" as the author would put it.
       Knowing how much my dad does to maintain our heritage comes the question from the author "DO WE Mexicans ever totally integrate?". In my opinion I will never truly be "Anglocized". Despite how much I have changed to better fit this new society I will never forget my culture. I am proud to be Mexican but also an American. That is why I am Mexican-American.

King Still King?

         Martin Luther King Jr. was a great man then but what about now? As we all know he was a man who fought for his people. No, for all people, to live amongst each other in peace and harmony. Not to be distinguished by the color of their skin but by the actions they have committed. MLK fought with the belief in his mind : All men are created equal.
         From the very day he began fighting for civil rights to the day of his death, his actions will forever echo in eternity. His actions will be passed down from years to come serving as a great example of human accomplishment. To this day his words live on to inspire future generations to fight for what they think is right. Such as Cesar Chavez, a civil rights inspired by MLK's words, to fight for his rights. So MLK's voice has not faltered over the years. Do we not study the past to improve the future?
         Not only has he inspired the future but improved it as well. To this day we can see examples of his success by simple going to school. Our school is so ethnically diverse and we could thank MLK for that. He allowed us to all be under one roof where no one is inferior then the other. Instead we can see each others as equals.
        So King is still King. He shall remain a role hero to many and a role model to all. His words and actions will never go unnoticed and will forever be a part of our lives.

"The Sacred Soil" by Chief Seattle Response

             After reading this I feel a sense of respect for the author. He doesn't try to refuse that fact that his people will be gone soon. He accepts it. Yet he doesn't say it as a bad thing. More of an eventuality. He explains how all people in time will fade away in time so instead of blaming the white men of his peoples leavings he sees it as nature taking its course. The author stated "Tribe follow tribe, and nation follows nation, like the waves of the sea. It is the order of nature, and regret is useless."
             Yet he does feel some remorse over their land becoming desecrated. However his people will truly never be gone after they have left the land. Much like the author has said "There is no death, only change of worlds." So there "spirits" remain to roam the land they once inhabited. So despite the fact that the white men have cleared the land of their people, the white men will never be "alone."
            It is really sad though how the author and his people never really had a choice to go to the reservations or not. His people are few but the white men are many. So the author states "The white Chief says that Big Chief at Washington sends up greetings of friendship and goodwill. That is kind of him for we know he has little need of our friendship in return." So it was not much of an option.
            I wonder if "the white men" ever thought of the possibility of not taking the land that didn't belong to them. The author's people have been theres for hundreds of years so whats gives these foreign people the right to commandeer it? So none the less this story was a good read.