McGoff

Jessica McGoff
English 115
Professor Lawson
17 September 2016
Rhetorical Analysis
830
BEING AN OTHER

Melissa Algranati wrote Being and Other. Her Purpose for writing this essay is to express what
brought her to being an other. She speaks mostly of her parents who had a rough time adapting
here. Algranati also speaks about how this affected herself growing up. She writes about over
coming tough obstacles. From these tough situations she learns and grows with them.

Algranati could be responding to some of the negativity shown to others with similar
ethnicity. Algranati looks like a typical white American girl, when in fact she is a Puerto Rican
Egyptian Jew. She is constantly being seen as Italian or having some other ethnic background.
She is very proud of her heritage and thinks everyone should be proud of their heritage as well.
Her intended audience is for everyone. She wants to inform people who are not seen or dont
identify as other to understand the hard ships that can and may have already happened to those
who do identify as an other.
Algranatis position in this essay is with being an other. She supports it partially because
she is one and she understands the separation form everyone else. She sets out to show how
much hard work it is being an other and show you can even look the part but still be treated

McGoff
poorly. Alranati doesnt want to prove anything to people she wants others to understand what
troubles come with it. Algranatis claims are that in this country they say its good to be different
but in reality they dont want you to be. Not only was my mother given a new name when she
began school, but a new language was forced upon her as well Immigrants come here expecting
open arms but instead are greeted with a cold shoulder and this idea that if you dont adapt you
will never be accepted. No matter how hard my mother tried she could not stop rolling her Rs.
After several similar exchanges Mrs. Walsh . grabbed my mothers cheeks and squeezed.

I didnt find this essay to be persuasive. I found it to be more like it wanted me to

understand something. I believe that Algranatis parents or any other immigrants shouldnt have
to force themselves to change who they are to feel accepted. People should be accepted as they
are not as we want them to be. I personally find it interesting when someone has an accent. Their
accent is part of makes them who they are and makes them unique.
I feel like there is more to the fathers story than what was told. I doubt he had such an
easy time moving from Egypt all the way to New York. From the reading it sounds as if the the
father had no problems going to a new country and adapting to a new language. Also that the
family that canceled a birthday all because she invited Hispanics. I will always remember how I
felt when I heard they made one of their daughters cancel a party because she had invited
Hispanics This is so unreasonable it hurts. Now that little girl is going to grow up judging
peoples ethnicities. Algranati noticed at a young age the difference between herself and other
Hispanics. She looked white while they did not.
I dont think there were any problems with the way it was written. The tone of the essay
changes as you read through it. At the beginning it was clam in a way then when she started

McGoff
talking about her parents it felt almost sad. Sad because what they have been through and that
she wants to hold their hands and tell them it will all be okay.
My thoughts are that of confusion, frustration and compassion. Confusion because I dont
know how anyone can be that discriminating with other ethnicities. I have friends who are the
same and different ethnicity than me. I honestly could care less what they were because to me
they are my friends. Towards other people I just see men and women who look happy, sad or if
they look nice while I am walking on the sidewalk. It never crosses my mind that they are
different ethnicity than me. When I judge someone it is based on their personality and their
actions. Their personality can help you understand who they are by their actions speak louder
than any words they may say. Those are my frustrations along with some others. I get so
frustrated that people like this and it makes no sense. I feel compassion for people who have had
a hard time because of their ethnicity. I find it to be not fair and I kn0w life isnt fair but
shouldnt we all try to be.

Works Cited
Algranati, Melissa. Being an Other. Pop Perspectives: Readings to Critique Contemporary
Culture. Ed. Laura Gray-Rosendale. San Francisco: McGraw-Hill, 2008. 144-148. Print.