Child of the Americas Essay

In the poem, â€Å"Child of the Americas,† Aurora Morales uses the literary element of repetition to illustrate how different cultures around the world can come together and become one as a whole. â€Å"I am a child of the Americas†¦I am a U. S. Puerto Rican Jew†¦ I am not Africa. Africa is in me†¦ I am not European. Europe lives in me†¦ I am new. History made me†¦ I am whole,† (Morales). Morales’ use of repetition illustrates all of the different characteristics she feels in her life. By using â€Å"I am†, Morales shows how she actually is a child of the Americas and a U. S. Puerto Rican Jew, however, she uses â€Å"I am not† to explain how she is not Africa nor European, but she believes Africa and Europe are part of the person she has become. The different ethnicities and locations mentioned show how each part of the world has influenced her way of being. Morales states that history has led her to becoming the person she is today. The conclusion of Morales’ poem ends with â€Å"I am whole† demonstrating that everyone has a piece of a culture in them that make them whole, no matter where they come from. Throughout, â€Å"Child of the Americas† Morales exemplifies how one person can have numerous cultures, be different ethnicities, or come from several locations, and still come together with other parts of the world and be a whole. Citations Morales, Aurora. â€Å"†Child of the Americas† by Aurora Levins Morales. † Child of the Americas by Aurora Levins Morales*. (2011): n. page. Web. 23 May. 2013. .