Sandra Cisneros's "Mericans" and Janice L. Okita's "Response to Executive Order 9066" both grapple with the complexities of dual cultural identities, but they do so from distinct perspectives and with different emotional registers. Cisneros's short story, presented as a child's poignant observation, captures the subtle, often humorous, yet ultimately painful negotiations of being Mexican-American. Okita's poem, in contrast, directly confronts the trauma and injustice of Japanese American internment during World War II, articulating a profound sense of displacement and the struggle for recognition. While Cisneros uses a child’s innocent voice to expose the societal pressures on a bicultural identity, Okita’s poem, through stark imagery and direct address, highlights the violent erasure of identity and the enduring search for belonging in the face of systemic discrimination.
Cisneros's "Mericans" introduces us to a young narrator who, along with her siblings, is navigating the everyday realities of being Mexican-American. The story revolves around small acts of defiance and cultural pride, like the narrator’s insistence on wearing her brother’s military uniform, a symbol of loyalty to a country that doesn't fully reciprocate it. The children question the adult world's pronouncements about patriotism and belonging, especially concerning their grandmother's rosary beads and the veneration of saints. Their grandmother, steeped in tradition, represents a connection to their Mexican heritage, while their father's story about his service in the war signifies their place within the American narrative. The narrator's internal conflict is palpable; she desires to be "Americans," but the very act of defining what that means highlights the in-betweenness she experiences. The story's power lies in its understated depiction of this liminal state, where the children’s innocent pronouncements reveal a deeper societal tension. Their grandmother's gentle reprimand, "I don't want you to think you're less than anyone else," underscores the constant undercurrent of potential prejudice they face.
Okita's "Response to Executive Order 9066" offers a more direct and emotionally charged account of a specific historical injustice. The poem is framed as a "response" to the 1942 order that led to the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans. Okita uses powerful metaphors, such as being "a Japanese-American" and "an American," to illustrate the forced dichotomy imposed upon her community. The poem’s opening lines, "I am an American citizen, born / in California," immediately establish her legal and national belonging, yet the subsequent lines reveal how this identity was brutally challenged. The imagery of being "given an order to leave my home" and the description of her father’s shame and her mother’s tears convey the deep emotional wound inflicted by the internment. Okita’s poem also touches upon the internal conflict of assimilation versus heritage, expressing a desire to be seen solely as "an American" to escape the stigma, yet acknowledging the inherent loss this entails. The final lines, "I am an American citizen, / I am an American," repeated with a sense of desperate assertion, reveal the enduring struggle to reclaim and affirm an identity that was unjustly questioned.
Comparing the two texts reveals how different literary approaches can illuminate similar themes of identity and belonging. Cisneros's narrative, through its child's perspective, highlights the subtle, ongoing process of negotiating a bicultural identity in everyday life. The "Americanness" she describes is not a given but a constantly negotiated space, influenced by family history, cultural practices, and the implicit prejudices of the wider society. Her characters find moments of pride and self-definition within their Mexican heritage, even as they yearn for full acceptance as Americans. Okita's poem, on the other hand, uses a historical event to demonstrate the devastating consequences of racial prejudice and the forced negation of identity. The internment was not a subtle negotiation but a violent act that stripped individuals of their rights and dignity, forcing them to confront the stark reality that their American identity was conditional. The poem articulates the pain of being othered, even when holding legitimate citizenship, and the profound sense of loss that accompanies such erasure.
Ultimately, both "Mericans" and "Response to Executive Order 9066" serve as powerful testaments to the challenges faced by those navigating multiple cultural affiliations within the American context. Cisneros offers a nuanced portrayal of the everyday psychic labor involved in maintaining a bicultural self, while Okita provides a stark reminder of how easily such selves can be attacked and fractured by systemic injustice. Together, these works illuminate the persistent human need for recognition and belonging, and the enduring strength found in asserting one's identity, even against formidable odds.