Read the paragraph from a student’s essay comparing Sandra Cisneros’s “Mericans” and Dwight Okita’s “In Response to Executive Order 9066.” (1) Sandra Cisneros’s “Mericans” is about a young American girl of Mexican descent who is struggling to find her own cultural identity. (2) Cisneros illustrates this through a number of images and ideas. (3) For example, the speaker, Micaela, calls her grandmother “awful,” and seems to resent the woman’s strict views and religious ideals. (4) The speaker also mentions how she and her brother emulate characters from popular American television programs when they play make-believe. (5) Lastly, she describes physically standing outside her family’s church, an act that symbolizes the fact that she feels like an outsider to Mexican culture. (6) Although Micaela is of Mexican descent, she seems to feel a stronger connection to the United States. Which is the best thesis statement for the entire essay? While the speaker of Okita’s poem feels strongly about her identity as an American citizen, the speaker of Cisneros’s short story identifies more closely with her Mexican family. Though the speakers in Okita’s poem and Cisneros’s short story have strong roots in foreign cultures, both of them feel more connected to their American identities. The family members in Cisneros’s and Okita’s works play a significant role in the lives of both narrators as they contemplate their place in hostile environments. Cisneros and Okita rely on imagery to convey their ideas about American identity.