FREE ESSAY ON THE MELTING POT

THE MELTING POT

The Melting Pot.
In our society today America consists of a lot of different people. All of these people
are of different cultures, race, and religions. Even though they have many differences
they all live and work together. Bringing together these people from diverse
nationalities and making them conform to an idea or a group of ideas and still remaining
an individual is my understanding of what a melting pot is. This takes place all over the
United States. Based on my high school and different family observations I feel that
America is a melting pot.
I feel that my hometown, which is Powder Springs Georgia, is a good example of what I
consider the melting pot to be. I attended a very culturally diverse high school. Many
different people of many different cultures and beliefs attended this school. There were
whites at the school that separated themselves because they did not like blacks. They
even had there own bench and tree. In another section of the school the Trench Coat Mafia
would gather together. Hispanics also had a place to communicate amongst themselves. That
then left the black and the whites. Most blacks and whites hung out together, but we had
different parts of the campus where we would stay. We all were from different
nationalities and had different beliefs but we all attended the same school. Even though
we all were separated at school, the event that brought everybody together took place on
Friday nights. Everybody from the school would come out together and watch these football
games. No matter how everybody separated at school, everybody came together to cheer for
their high school. Having all these beliefs and being the individuals that the people
were, everybody still worked together. My football team consisted of players from all
these different groups. While at school people had all of these different beliefs, but
when it was time to practice or play a game, everybody set their differences aside. It
did not matter what each individual believed in, everybody came together and we played as
a team. We lived together, worked together, and played together and with all the
differences we had we were still like a family. So actually we "melted together". Another
example of the melting pot took place in a couple of my classes. There was this boy who
was associated with the Trench Coat Mafia. We had projects and group assignments, and he
was my partner on many different occasions. Even though we had different beliefs and
cultures, we put our differences aside to work together. There was never any animosity
among us. We had an assignment and we knew we had to work together to get it done. After
we communicated and worked together on this project peacefully, things went back to the
way there were. He very seldom talked and never really had anything to say to me outside
of the class. This is a good example of the melting pot because we came together
regardless of our background and worked together while remaining individuals. This is how
my hometown is. Of course since our school was culturally diverse so were our
neighborhoods. So while living in this neighborhood I observed families and they act
under the definition of a melting pot also.
My neighborhood consisted of many families with different cultures and beliefs. Our
street consisted of a lot of people with different nationalities. At the end of the
street there lived a family that was of Mexican decent. Inside their house they only
spoke Spanish. Even though they are not living in Mexico, they still spoke their
language. At the same time while outside or talking to any neighbors they would speak in
English. This is an example of a family that is maintaining its cultural identity, but
are living together with the majority of the people, who are from an English background.
My street also consisted of a family that was Jewish. This family had different practices
and different beliefs about many things. All throughout the year they would put up
different flags and celebrate their own cultural belief and holidays. But at the same
time they were nice people and always helped out in the neighborhood to make it better.
Every time you walked by the house they would gladly greet you. So they set aside their
differences to interact in the community. Their neighbors next to them were from Africa.
They also put up different flags and celebrated different holidays and there was never
any conflict between the two families. They have learned to accept that everybody is not
going to believe in the same thing and that it does not make you any less of a person if
you have a different belief.
Next door to me lived another family that had a different belief. They did not like
blacks. I have lived there for about six years and the family has never spoken to my
family. They tend to stare and give mean looks but they never speak. I guess this is
something they believe in. Even though my neighborhood consists of all these different
people with these different understanding and beliefs it is still a good neighborhood. I
feel safe living there even though everybody is different. It's just an example that
people with different backgrounds, race, cultures, and religion can live in the same
community and work together while still maintaining their individualism.
This new immigration wave will have an effect on the school and neighborhood in my
hometown. I feel like the effect will not be a negative one. It is a positive effect
because everyone is accepted and looked at as individuals. With this new immigration wave
there will probably be more Spanish people living in the town. Gradually as time pass the
majority of the school and town will be minorities. As it has been for a number of years
in my school and neighborhood this will be accepted and everyone will still work together
while maintaining their individualism.
In conclusion, I believe that America is a melting pot. Over the years things have
gradually changed and now many different cultures are living together. Whether it is in
the school system or in the neighborhood, everybody has come together in our society and
found a way to live and work with each other. Every now and then there is a dispute
between neighbors or students at my school about an issue, but it is calmly resolved. We
as individuals have learned that our neighbors are not going anywhere. They have the
right to be there just like the next person. So over the years people have learned to
accept this and go on. A community would not be safe if a melting pot did not occur. So
therefore many different types of people must be willing to work and live together. These
are examples of how America has