Elston 1

My heritage language, if I have one, is English. My moms side of the

family lived in England for generations, until my grandparents immigrated to
the United States in 1958. My paternal grandmothers ancestors came to the
United States around 1912, and I dont know how long my paternal
grandfathers ancestors lived in the U.S. My dads ancestors came from all
over Europe. I dont feel that I have much of a connection to my heritage on
my dads side. On my moms side, we connect to our English heritage
through food and traditions. We eat some English foods on any occasion,
such as fried bread and tomatoes, but I feel my family members and I mainly
acknowledge our heritage at Christmastime. We follow the English tradition
of opening Christmas crackers: decorated cardboard tubes, which, when
pulled on either end, pop loudly. Inside the crackers are paper crowns, which
we all wear at dinner, riddles or jokes, and small toys. Our dinner
incorporates aspects of the traditional English Christmas dinner, such as
Brussels sprouts and potatoes, or other English foods, like Yorkshire pudding.
I feel quite a bit connected to my English heritage, particularly compared to
the rest of my heritage, but even so, it is not a very large part of my life. I
sometimes wonder if I get more enthusiastic about my English heritage than
I have the right to, considering my limited experience of the culture. Or, to
put the feeling another way, I sometimes feel I identify with an aspect of
English culture, but then I wonder if I am doing so because I have English
heritage or because Im a bit of an anglophile, as many Americans are.
Though my heritage is important to me, it doesnt impact me that much. I

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think that is partly because English culture and other European cultures are
so accepted and common in the United States; English immigrants have
been here since the Mayflower, therefore English culture, which is often
synonymous with white, privileged culture, has always been normalized. I
dont notice my heritage or culture very much because it blends in so well
with American culture and its deeply ingrained influences from the U.K.
English culture and American culture have a lot of overlap because the
U.S. was/is so influenced by the U.K., because both are Western cultures,
and because the two countries share a dominant language, therefore English
literature and other aspects of culture have influenced U.S. culture more
easily and more deeply. Though English culture is valued and accepted, I
think it is also somewhat invisible because a fair amount of it is synonymous
with American culture. I am not complaining or indignant about this
invisibility. Though I havent heard much about events celebrating English
culture, it is quite possibly because English and American culture have so
much in common and share so many holidays. The English language, as the
dominant language in the United States, is highly valued. The texts I read in
school are in my first language and include the literature of my heritage
country. I have the privilege of always being able to access any information I
need in my first language or speak to anyone I need to in my first language. I
have never had my heritage, culture, or language ridiculed or scrutinized.
Compared to other cultures and heritages in the United States, I think
mine is more accepted, and thus in a sense more valued, but perhaps more

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taken for granted. Perhaps other U.S. residents who feel more connected to
their English or European culture feel that their culture is not taken for
granted because they celebrate their culture in more ways than I do. But I
think I can say with certainty that my feelings toward my heritage and
culture are very much shaped by the fact that since the U.S. was colonized,
English culture and heritage has been dominant and never called into
question. This contributes to its acceptance, but also, perhaps, the lack of
attention to it.