The Road We Decide To Take

Growing up you tend to assimilate or try to blend in with other people. But what does assimilate mean and why do people assimilate?

Assimilate means to absorb into a specific culture or customs of a population or group. Which describes Beneatha in Raisin in the Sun who is the one assimilating in the play, because she acts like a white person from her boyfriend who‘s black but also acts like a white person. But through out the play the one who worries about the most about assimilation is Beneatha’s mother. Through out the play, it shows assimilation as a strength in some aspects like for Beneatha, because she much bigger goals than the rest of her family which most likely came from the white society.

Assimilation happens all around us. At school, at work, at church, anywhere. People are always trying to “fit in”. People assimilate by embracing the culture of their new surroundings - to fit in. They learn the language. They do this to become a part of a group that they’ve chosen to join, otherwise they would not have made the move. They do it because they want to be accepted by a certain group. I can say that, I too have assimilated. The only time I did assimilate is when I moved schools my freshmen year and I wanted to fit in and make friends so I tended to assimilate my freshmen year. But after that year I decided just to be myself and not to assimilate.

Eric Liu’s view of assimilation is that he views it as a way to open and to start New Paths, but it’s also a way to separate yourself from who and what you really are.

Everyone tends to assimilate in their lifetime just to fit in and to feel accepted. Sometimes they do it for good reasons and sometimes they do it just to not feel left out. But overall aren’t we all trying too fit in?