Hernandez 1

Jose Hernandez
English 115
Professor Lawson
11 December 2014
Final Draft of Project 1 Essay Revised
Word Count: 1108
The Latino I Am
In the lives of many people, something meaningful and materialistic usually defines
them. Whether it be a sport, a specific type of music, or an ordinary object these belongings hold
a deep meaning for them. I truly believe that a wide-ranging type of ethnic culture defines me.
More specifically, I feel that my Latino culture is what describes me and I proudly accept it. In
the United States, that Latino culture may have its negative or positive perceptions, depending on
different people. I view it as something good, like an extra perk. Regarding my Latin culture, and
my experiences with it, I feel that I have the ability to see things in ways that many cant. Being
part of the Latin culture defines how I view sports, how my family operates, and how I view the
rest of the world.
In my household, ftbol, or soccer, is one of the many things that essentially symbolizes
happiness. I do not know if Hispanics/Latinos always watching their favorite game of soccer is a
stereotype, but that stereotype does apply to my family. Every time our favorite team plays on
TV, my cousins, aunts, uncles, and other relatives come over to each others house to watch the
game. It becomes a world of fun and laughter. However, any other sport, such as basketball or
American football, we would not even bat an eye. I think that this is because most Latinos,
especially ones that do not speak English, do not even understand how those other games work.

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Soccer, or how the rest of the world calls it football, is the most globally watched and
understood sport. Also, considering that many Latinos dont originate from the U.S. but another
country, Soccer, is one of the only few attractions there for them in their home country. So
having carried that passion for soccer, my parents and other relatives transferred that passion
down to my generation. Since we watch with family and friends, it brings us closer together and
we are all overcome with happiness. Soccer is our escape from everything else and is a way we
have a great time.
Another aspect of the Latino culture that defines me is seen through how my family
operates. Growing up in a Hispanic household is different than what most people would imagine.
As a child, no one in my family spoke English. My parents only associated themselves with
whom they felt comfortable with. Back then, when my parents were younger, they only talked
with people who only spoke Spanish and that was basically just family. As a result, we all grew
up around only very family orientated and ended up not meeting new people, except if they
spoke Spanish. Also, since my parents are old school, that also contributed to the fact that they
werent really trusting of the white community. My siblings and I were very sheltered from the
outside world to the point where we never got to really fully grasp what was happening around
us. Our parents shelter you so much that to them, even if you are a mature teenager or 18, if you
are Hispanic, you will be treated as if you were 10. It is something that we all dislike very much
but I believe that in a weird and unique way, this shows that Latinos are very, very family
orientated. Since we grew up only with family, we are obviously more comfortable with them. In
my opinion, other families arent so much. For example, many Americans put their elders into
retirement homes. Whereas in the Hispanic culture we would never even think of putting our

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abuelitos, (grandparents), in one. They stay with us until sadly, they leave us. Hispanics are
extremely family orientated and my family is a prime example of that.
Lastly, being a young Latino male makes me see things that no one else could ever see. I
realize that we are categorized as a minority in the U.S. but why? I am fairly certain that in
most areas we are now the majority. So does this minority label mean we are inferior?
Regardless of why we are called the minority, my Latino people do have to work hard to be
successful here in the U.S. and the way I grew up justifies just that. We were always a relatively
below average family when it comes to financial status, so growing up not in the ghetto, but
somewhere along the lines of it, makes me see the struggle of every Latino and Hispanic out
there. In my opinion, the language is our biggest downfall. Not knowing English makes us miss
out on many wonderful opportunities. On the other hand, for those who do get somewhat of a
grasp of the English language, they usually leave their native language. They forget how to speak
it and then are frowned upon by other Hispanics. But if we dont speak English we are frowned
upon by the Americans. As a result, we need to be twice as good when it comes to speaking a
language so that we satisfy everybody. Another hardship that I notice is that when immigrants
migrate from their home country to the U.S., they start from nothing. They come here for a better
life and to do that, they work. Immigrants, not just Latinos, are one of the hardest working group
of people in our country. When people say that immigrants are a disease to our country, they are
instead people who contribute the most to this country. I see that through our struggles and
hardships, the Latino people will continue to try and reach that dream of having a better life.
Overall being part of the Latino/Hispanic culture is what truly defines me. All of my
experiences and how I viewed and allowed them to affect me are what formed me into the young
man I am today. Our culture is what contributes to the development of our values and beliefs that

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anyone can plainly see. We all have those good and bad memories but its all up to us and how
we view and learn from them. For my culture it goes from the sport that we watch that brings us
joy, the way our families are all connected to each other, to the way we are seen by others and
the way we see them. Hispanics and Latinos will always be proud of who they are, and I am very
thankful that I was fortunate enough to grow up in an enviroment where everything I came into
contact with, formed me into the Latino that I am today.