American Like Me

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. America Ferrera takes issue with the concept of what it means to have an “American” identity.

• How does Ferrera redefine the term “American” throughout the book? (topic sentence)
• Why was Ferrera confused about the term as a child? Offer and discuss at least three examples.
• In your conclusion, describe what the term means to Ferrera now; also explain how it has influenced her drive to debunk the idea that America is a Melting Pot. 

2. Many of the essays in American Like Me grapple with what it means to identify as both an American and an immigrant.

• Select two essays and compare the authors’ different approaches. (topic sentence)
• Does each author use humor to make their point, or does the author use a more serious tone? What other literary techniques are evident in conveying tone?
• In your conclusion, explain how, regardless of tone, the essays share certain common core themes—for example, the Stigmatization of immigrant communities.

3. Frank Waln uses the term alchemist when referring to his grandmother's and his survival in the US.

• What does the term alchemist mean in the context of Waln’s essay? (topic sentence)
• How are Waln and his grandmother both alchemists?
• In your conclusion, discuss how Waln’s portrayal of having to be an alchemist is connected to and extends the book's theme of Survival as a Catalyst for Immigration.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Entertainment media plays a large role in many of these essays. Using examples, explain how movies and TV affected the book's contributors—or the people Stereotyping and Stigmatizing them—while growing up. How have these contributors challenged those media portrayals since? As you compose your essay, pay special attention to Ravi V. Patel’s chapter (Essay 20), which describes his experience on the opposite side of the table (that is, being a creator of media entertainment, rather than simply a receiver of entertainment). Describe the various considerations he had when creating the documentary about his family, the Patels.

2. Liza Koshy mentions the terms “Melting Pot,” “mosaic,” and “salad bowl.” Explain what she means by these terms and be sure to provide examples. Which of the other contributors would agree with Koshy’s definitions for each of these three terms? Which contributors might take issue with them? What term do you prefer most and why?

3. In the Conclusion, Ferrera hopes others will add their unique voices to the stories told in this collection. Write your own essay about what it means to be American. You can also include responses to questions like: Have you faced stereotypes? Prejudice? Doubts? How have you overcome expectations or others’ perceptions? Be sure to craft your responses in a way that correlates to the major themes (The United States as a Salad Bowl, Not a Melting Pot; Survival as a Catalyst for Immigration; and Stigmatization, or Perception Versus Reality) and motifs of the novel.