rrect diction. Here a child has a positive experience and is able to assimilate with ease. On the other hand, an elderly person will find the learning process a challenge and to a certain extent the situation might even be so burdensome that one loses interest in learning. In Amy Tans speech My Mothers English, she explains the difficulties her mother faced because she (Tans mother) was unable to clearly express herself. She (Tan) also felt the effects of this as a child. Not only did Tans mother find speaking English a barrier in the process of assimilation, but Tan herself felt her mother limited her perception (Tan 45). Since Tans mother was unable to speak English properly people would not give her good service and would not treat her seriously even to the extant that people pretended not to understand her or even acted as if they did not hear her,(Tan 45). This is just one example of many that shows how some people have had negative experiences assimilating into American society. Language is not the only factor affecting the assimilation of people into American society, but ones traditions also have an effect on the willingness and on the degree to which one assimilates. Some people have found that certain customs they have are not accepted in American culture and might even be condemned. According to Richard Rodriguez, America is a place where people are joined by a common culture, but also are reluctant to exalt the assimilation process (Rodriguez 184). As a result of this, people have negative experiences. An example of such an experience is a person who has different traditions than Americans is frowned upon and may be discriminated against because of the difference. In Curanderismo: A Healing Art by Cynthia Lopez, curanderismo is herbal medicine, which is used to heal peoples ails. Since curanderismo is neither accepted nor understood in the U.S., people characterize it as witchcraft, although it is far from witchcraft. On...
