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Jessica Bui

Dr. Cruz Medina

English 1A

23 October 2023

Lens Analysis Draft 2

Meritocracy is one’s belief in a system or society where individuals' success, status, and

opportunities are mostly decided by their own abilities, talents, and efforts rather than by factors

like status in society, family history, or inherited privilege. However, many people including first

generation students including Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez who is the author of For Brown

Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts: A Love Letter to Women of Color may believe the

opposite. She reveals how “gatekeeping” and segregation are one of the main factors of not being

able to succeed as well as your peers. In Capo Crucet’s book, My Time Among the Whites, the

harsh reality on the American Dream and racial and social enforcement during her education in

Miami and Nebraska at a deeper level through Rodriguez’s lens of meritocracy revealing how

meritocracy is a myth showing how people of color may experience discrimination from

education due to racism and class. The American Dream is inaccessible due to segregation that

keeps POC from the resources they need.

Capo Crucet’s realization that her being a white passing latina gave her privileges in the

world relates to Rodriguez’s view of privilege and opportunity is greatly influenced by her

realization that institutional barriers could not be solved by “hard work” and “luck” alone. Crucet

came to the realization during her experience in Nebraska that having pale skin had been a

privilege that she had abused and that it had kept her out of difficult situations throughout the

years. She mentions, "White people who misread me as also white sometimes display the kind of
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pervasive racism usually reserved for white-spaces" (Crucet, 52). Crucet's comment essentially

challenges us to evaluate the American Dream critically by looking at it through social

perceptions, racial identity, that exist in America. In explaining how meritocracy is a myth,

Rodriguez brings up how class plays a role in having advantages and opportunities. "This system

benefits white, wealthy parents because their kids are isolated in a bubble of privilege, and it

benefits schools because they get more funding.” (Rodriguez, 77) Crucet's experience with

“pervasive” prejudice when misidentified as White puts into doubt the idea of meritocracy. It

implies that racial bias may have an impact on how people are perceived and evaluated, which

may limit their chances of developing according to their true ability. Crucet demonstrates how

white people are valued higher in society, and she had to blend in with her peers in order to feel

like she was treated fairly which is what Rodriguez wanted to do when she said how this “system

benefits white wealthy parents.” While Rodriguez's quote explores the systemic elements of

privilege and segregation inside the school system, Crucet's quote focuses on how her racial

identity affects how she is treated. When taken as a whole, they show how complex and broad

racial inequality and privilege are in American culture, and how they affect people's experiences

as individuals and as students.

Furthermore, Capo Crucet recalling her mom dealing with racism due to language

barriers and expectations of teachers can be related to Rodríguez's perspective that there are

certain expectations and characteristics that individuals must possess to achieve success,

highlighting the shared theme of overcoming social and educational challenges in the pursuit of

personal and academic advancement. Crucet recalls her mom’s unpleasant childhood recollection

of a teacher who refused to let her use the restroom despite her pleading in this quote: "That

suffering is what earns us the right to call ourselves Americans! It made us stronger, you will
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someday tell these two children of yours after relating horrific stories of how in first grade you

were made to pee in your chair for not having the English words to ask the teacher—who shook

her head at your begging in Spanish and said, ‘Maria, you must ask in English,’ her directive not

even hinting at the noun you needed to say—to use the bathroom, the word bathroom a key you

were to conjure from nothing" (Crucet 28). The story of Crucet's mother serves as a metaphor for

a First-generation American child who is fed the "American Dream" idea against their will, with

suffering like Crucet's merely to be weaved into the concept without acknowledging its many

flaws and logic gaps. Rodriguez explains that success requires a set of expectations and qualities

that one must possess in this quotation: “Gatekeeping taught these adults which traits were

indicative of success, and they perpetuated them onto us,” (Rodriguez, 69). Rodriguez makes it

clear that working hard won't cut it and will only wear you out. This is a result of your diligent

efforts to attain something that has never been within your grasp. Maria's story brings to light the

hardships and misfortune encountered by non-native English speakers. According to the passage,

going through this hardship is seen to be necessary in order to claim an American identity and

that it might actually make people stronger. Maria's experiences in the school, particularly her

language barriers, are a moving example of this pain. Rodriguez talks about the concept of

"gatekeeping," in which some people decide which characteristics are successful. This suggests

that in order to succeed, people have to stick to specific standards and traits. Those who fall short

of these standards will have more difficulty succeeding. Maria's difficulties in the classroom,

where the teacher's insistence on asking questions in English is an example of enforcing such

expectations which might be linked to the gatekeeping process.

Crucet’s acknowledgement to how most first-gen students come from rural backgrounds

and families who worked in agriculture relates to how Rodriguez talks about for students to
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succeed, they needed parents who had a stable career. Crucet highlights how she and her

“first-gen” students have a common identity. She acknowledges that they are all born from

first-generation parents. She says, “I had this in common with them, but there was a key

difference: Many of these first-gen students came from rural backgrounds, from families where

work centered on cattle and corn. I'd grown up in Miami, had gone to a high school whose

population rivaled that of some entire Nebraskan towns. With the last few weeks of summer

ahead of me, I decided that to be better at my job, I needed to see the real Nebraska, whatever

that meant.” (Crucet, 100) In explaining the different privileges students face, Rodriguez brings

up the ideal type of parents you need to succeed. She says, “This was not a competition for who

could work harder to get an A; this was about whose parents had provided their kids with enough

access to succeed at this academic level,” (Rodriguez, 80) The examples provided essentially

show that first-generation students, who experience differing degrees of privilege and access to

resources depending on their familial histories, may find it difficult to achieve the American

Dream and meritocracy. They challenged the idealized story of equal opportunity in American

culture by bringing attention to the differences in educational outcomes. Crucet and Rodriguez

emphasize the significance of pursuing a higher degree while having parental support and

financial resources available. It emphasizes how crucial availability and guidance are to the

academic success of first-generation students.

Lastly, Crucet’s recalls when Trump ran for president, he made his campaign revolve

around Mexicans threatening to deport them relates to Rodriguez’s mention of gatekeepers that

deflect blame onto the working-class and working-poor. Crucet refers to Trump's derogatory

remarks regarding Mexican immigrants made during his announcement of his presidential

campaign in this quote: “This was the summer of 2015, and this call took place just days before
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Trump announced his run at the Republican nomination by slandering all Mexicans as rapists

and murderers” (Crucet, 99). Rodriguez uses the concept of gatekeepers to demonstrate why

meritocracy is false. She mentions, “Gatekeepers use the myth of meritocracy to distract busy

working-class and working-poor folks with so much self-blame when they fall short that they

will not think to revolt against their oppressors” (Rodríguez 63). In Rodríguez's quote, the topic

of gatekeepers is addressed more thoroughly. Though it doesn't specifically mention Trump, it

does apply to his style of politics. Trump's presidential campaign and administration frequently

promoted the idea that success depended only on an individual's ability and hard work. This in

turn led to a culture of self-criticism among marginalized communities by shifting the blame for

socioeconomic gaps onto those who did not succeed. Trump's immigration restrictions and other

policies were perceived as gatekeeping tactics that further discriminated against and excluded

vulnerable groups, like the Hispanic community.

In conclusion, the idea of meritocracy, in which people think that their own abilities and

efforts—rather than outside variables like social standing or family history—determine their

level of success. Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez argues that segregation and gatekeeping are

significant obstacles to achievement, especially for people of color. In Jennine Capó Crucet's

book "My Time Among the Whites," racial inequities in education and the harsh reality of the

American Dream are discussed. Rodríguez's viewpoint emphasizes that meritocracy is primarily

a myth.

Work Cited:
Crucet, Jennine Capó. My Time Among the Whites: Notes from an Unfinished Education.
Picador, 2019.
Mojica Rodríguez, Prisca Dorcas. For Brown Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts: A Love
Letter to Women of Color. Seal Press, 2021.