Part 1 of Essay
After various writings by Richard Rodriguez and Octavio Paz, I have come across several realizations. Who am I? Should I be a part of a nation and a “system” that does not value me, or should I be a part of a nation that does not acknowledge my existence? The United States as a nation does not value me, and ....

Part 2 of Essay
.... I am denying in some way my heritage and my culture by saying that I am. I am denying my parents. I say that I’m Mexican because in a sense I am. I am also an American. I am a Mexican-American. What do these terms put together imply? They should imply that the person is Mexican and American. The term “Mexican-American” is the very reason why I find myself confused about who I really am. I need to search for my own identity, which leads me to the purpose of this essay. Rodriguez and Pa ....