Compare and Contrast Between Hispanic Culture and American Culture I. Introduction The Hispanic population has experienced an incredible growth in the past decade in the United States of America. In 2006 it was estimated that the Hispanic cover 11 % of the population in North America. Their Origin is in Mexico and the few Spanish speaking countries in the Caribbean. American culture is derived from people who originated from the European nations like Italy and the Great Britain. Cultural identity is very important for every ethnic group as it shapes the culture of that particular faction and therefore, a certain culture cannot realize its own values until it is exposed to another one. II. Nationalism Nationalism revolves around the attitude that people have about their national identity. It is the national days, symbols, music and the anthem among other values that bind a nation together. The Hispanics are nationalists who are proud of their traditions and history. On the other hand, Americans are proud of their way of life and they always have the assumption that everyone shares their materialistic values. Language is an important value for the nationalistic identity of a nation. Hispanic culture is the way of life of people from Latin America and Spain, and their main identifying factor is the fact that they speak Spanish as their main language. Therefore, Hispanics are not necessarily Spaniards but other groups like Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans who speak Spanish are also part of this group (Shaw and Dennison 207). American culture on the other hand is mainly comprised of the people who speak English as their main dialect. Therefore, the Spaniards have Spanish as their native language while the Americans use Englis... ... middle of paper ... ...is composed of many subgroups. This assimilation has caused the erosion of most cultural differences among the Hispanic and the Native Americans (Arreola 13). Therefore, these two cultures only compare in terms of their traditional aspects rather than their modern settings. Works Cited Arreola, Daniel D. Hispanic Spaces, Latino Places: Community and Cultural Diversity in Contemporary America. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2004. Print Campbell, Neil, and Alasdair Kean. American Cultural Studies: An Introduction to American Culture. New York, NY: Routledge, 1997. Print. Marger, Martin N. Race and Ethnic Relations: American and Global Perspectives. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning, 2012. Print Shaw, Lisa and Stephanie Dennison. Pop Culture Latin America: Media, Arts, and Lifestyle. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company Publishers, 2009. Print.
In the years following the Spanish conquests, the southwest region of the United States developed into Spanish colonial territory. Indians, Spaniards, and blacks occupied this territory in which the shortage of Spanish women led to the miscegenation of these cultures. The result of mixing these races was a homogenization of the people of various cultures that came to be called mestizos and mulattos who, like present day Mexican Americans, inherited two distinct cultures that would make their culture rich, yet somewhat confusi...
When it comes down to comparing and contrasting Native American and Spanish civilization, there is actually a variety of things that make each one stand out from one another. When looking into both the Natives and the Spanish there was more to be found different then there was to be similar in any way. Both societies struggled, but one did have more of an advantage which is why there was such conflict between the two.
The way of behaving or thinking, beliefs, custom, or arts in a particular society is known as culture. There are many different cultures in todays society, however some parts are alike while other parts are more diverse. American culture versus Hispanic culture has some similarities and differences. Whether its food, religion, language, politics, marriages, sports, family, hobbies, or technology; Americans share some of the same things as Hispanics.
Upon initial research of the rich heritage of California the two minority groups that stood out as especially influential in historic California and today’s society are the Native Americans and Hispanic Americans. To better understand and identify with these minority groups we must identify the common themes within their day to day life. By researching each culture’s common family traditions, religious beliefs, arts & entertainment, and language one can gain a greater appreciation of many different kinds of people, and in turn have more effective relationships in a multicultural society.
Another struggle for identity with Latinos is their struggle with the Spanish and English languages. While some Latinos may speak Spanish in their homes, the language may not be conversationally used in their schools. Some Lat...
Child rearing and family structure within the Hispanic culture is noticeably different than what is present in the mainstream Western culture of today. One apparent difference is in gender roles. There exists a vastly different expectation in Hispanic culture for males and females. The male is considered to be the independent breadwinner, and the head of the household. Accordingly, the female role is one of submission and provider of childcare. In contrast, it is more than acceptable in Western culture for a female to maintain a non-traditional role. Hispanic culture additionally differs from Western culture in the traditional makeup of the family. Within Hispanic culture the extended family plays a huge role
Hispanic America language has some strengths and weaknesses as observed in the article and this makes it one of the influential groups in the United States. It is also important noting that those who belong to this group originated from various parts of the world. The strengths in the pattern of communication make this language one of the most adorable languages in the world as many people feel respected whenever they talk to someone from this particular group. The weaknesses that can be identified only show how people tend to believe they are shy, but it is as a result of respect for
“Where Latinos live greatly depends on when they came to the United States and one their economic class (Rodolfo Acuna 6).” The Latino community is rapidly becoming the most populated minority group within the United States. Latino is a diverse term for Spanish-speaking population often referring to Hispanic or Latino origin. A vast amount of Americans have Hispanic backgrounds among the United States population. The varied Latino cultures planted inside the United States society, population, and government now play a big part in the day to day life of the nation. The United States Latino community is beneficial as it provides a rich cultural diversity, contribute to the nation’s education and form profound influences within the society.
Latinos have struggled to discover their place inside of a white America for too many years. Past stereotypes and across racism they have fought to belong. Still America is unwilling to open her arms to them. Instead she demands assimilation. With her pot full of stew she asks, "What flavor will you add to this brew?" Some question, some rebel, and others climb in. I argue that it is not the Latino who willingly agreed to partake in this stew. It is America who forced her ideals upon them through mass media and stale history. However her effort has failed, for they have refused to melt.
A large number of people in the Hispanic community whether Hispanics are not able to get the English literacy skills that they need not because they want to keep born in Latin America or the United States, speak Spanish primarily. This is basically because in present day time, Hispanics are more likely to pass Spanish to their kids now than they have done in the past. (Ortiz, P.149) This is seen as a social problem, especially because of the fact that there is an increasing demand that English should only be taught in public school and it should also be spoken within the Spanish community. Even though Hispanics do speak a lot of Spanish most of the time, they still do learn English also, especially the young. But, because of the large flow of immigrants, the use of Spanish is used more often because they are constantly encountering immigrants who speak no English. (Ortiz, P. 150) Before hand there has been said to have been lower achievements when Hispanics make frequent use of the Spanish la...
Hispanic Americans are one of the biggest culture groups in California. Hispanic Americans have very strong ties when it comes to their culture background and food. Food represents a strong symbol for Hispanic Americans, bringing the family together by providing a plate of rice and tacos with rich protein. Hispanic culture also comes with religious background that calls for time with family and praying a lot to Jesus. In Florida, the Hispanic culture is also major. Especially with the Cuban Americans living in south beach, Miami over more than 75 years. Hispanic American culture has changed Florida in significant ways. What is more, Hispanics have a very beautiful and inspiring way of representing their culture. In Florida, they celebrate national Hispanic heritage month through September 15 to October 15, and this event happens every year. The Hispanics who celebrate this culture, start it by kicking it off with music, dancing and a lot of delicious food from a variety of Hispanic countries. Also, one of the biggest well-known festivals is celebrated during national Hispanic heritage month that goes well throughout Miami and through specific streets like Calle Ocho and three
To help me understand and analyze a different culture, I watched the film Selena. The film tells the life story of the famous singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez. Not only does it just tell personal stories from her life, it also gives insight to the Mexican-American culture. Her whole life she lived in the United States, specifically in Texas, but was Hispanic and because of that both her and her family faced more struggles than white singers on the climb to her success. Even though the film is a story about a specific person, it brought understanding into the culture in which she lived. Keeping in mind that these ideas that I drew about the Mexican-American culture is very broad and do not apply to every single person in the culture, there were very obvious differences in their culture and the one that I belong. Mexican-American culture identifies with their family rather than individualized or spiritual identities and the culture has gone through significant changes because of discrimination and the changing demographics of the United States.
Americans and Mexicans perceive masculinity and feminism differently. Some examples in Mexico would be that females tend to stay at home and men tend to be more familiar with labor. In the United States women are used to working for themselves and learning how to save and earn their own money same as men do. Traditionally Mexican men are to be independent and dominant and Mexican women are more dependent and submissive. Americans play the same role whether they 're women or men. Another way how these two countries differ is in education. Young teenage hispanics usually stop going to school or don 't go at all. They normally get taught to work at young age while in the United States teenagers continue their education, it 's rare for one to drop out. They are more successful in life.
Latino’s spoke Spanish had their ways in raising a family. We celebrated all the holidays with the whole family and if you were not present you would be basically disowned. Every major holiday you would eat the same kind of traditional food. My parents always said if theirs not rice, beans and roasted pork we weren’t celebrating anything. Also when we all sat down to eat make sure you thank god for the food you was about to eat, if not someone will be yelling across the room maybe even get up and slap you for eating without thanking god. Where I grew up everyone knew my family because we were
All cultures celebrate common life cycle events; such as birth, passage from childhood to adulthood, marriage and death. These are times of intense emotion and call for a significant celebration for those directly involved with the person experiencing the life cycle event. Most people appreciate some gesture of recognition that such an event has occurred. It is also an occasion for making positive connections with coworkers and friends, and teaches others about the various ways in which people approach and observe significant life events. In the Latin American and Hispanic culture, a major life cycle event is celebrated when a young girl turns fifteen years old; the celebration is called a quinceañera. In the Jewish culture, when a young girls turn twelve years old she becomes a “bat mitzvah” and is recognized as having the same rights as an adult. These two life-cycle events are major coming to age ceremonies that are celebrated within the cultures.