This year, I am taking a course in school about world geography and it’s cultures. My teacher, very passionate about the subject, asked us whether we would compare the United States to more of a “Melting Pot” of cultures, or a mixed “Salad Bowl”. Well, I have a mixed opinion on that question.

I believe a “Salad Bowl” is just a mix of different cultures, living side by side. An example would be in one house is a Jewish Bachelor, next to a South African family of 6, behind a family of Practicing Protestants, who live across the street from an old German couple. Yet, they celebrate all their traditions separately, upholding their history. The “Melting Pot”, on the other hand, is sort of a group of people who leave behind most of their former culture. They adopt the “new culture”, or new-world ideas.

The United States really seems to be a combination of both. The older generation philosophy is to “Be American” and join the new world. Although, today it seems to be kind of different.  New immigrants seem to embrace their culture very much, and bring it to America.  We see a combination of both in today’s world, and that is actually really wonderful.

I, instead, have another analogy to describe America and its cultures. In my opinion, the United States is like a symphony orchestra. We have our “continents”, the brass, woodwinds, percussion, and the strings. And each instrument is like its own country. Very definitive sound, range, instrument operation, and beautiful tone (the culture). And it goes even farther, as each instrument has its own unique qualities, like the wood of a violin or the different metals used to make a horn. This can be compared to different states, or regions of a country.

That is how different, intriguing, and diverse I believe culture can be, and actually is, in the United States of America.

If you have any questions or comments, e-mail me at bcmakidsview@gmail.com.