Response to "The Struggle to Be an All-American Girl," by Elizabeth Wong

This was a short essay that reflected on a young girl's past. She wanted so badly to be just like everyone else. When she was in elementary school, she would have to learn Chinese at a night school by her mother's request. Her mother wanted her to learn the foreign language associated with their Chinese heritage. However, the girl just wanted to be a kid and play. She also did not want to be affiliated with the culture. She described it as "humiliating," and referred back to her grandma's awful, "unbeautiful" voice in the supermarkets. After two years of Chinese school, she and her brother had finally convinced their mother to stop making them go there. This was a decision she clearly regretted.

At the end of this essay, the author shows how she wanted to fit in so badly at a young age. However, she reflects upon it now as saddening that she is more like a normal American, not by association, but by choice. Had she not gone the route of quitting Chinese school, perhaps she wouldn't have given up a piece of herself just to fit it. Being an American does have strong affiliations with our slurred English language, and it seems like this pushed her over the edge. She did not want to be unique, but later in life, everyone (at least I do) does.

I'm sure we can all think of a time when we did something for the wrong reasons. We may have even conformed to society's ways on something we objected to. This is what Elizabeth Wong did, and it appears that she regrets her decision everday. This story teaches us to hold on to our backgrounds and our unique habits, because they are the only thing that separate us from the neighbor next door who is your average American.