The United States is often described as a “melting pot” where many different cultures coexist in one unified country. Over time, many people immigrated to the United States, bringing their culture with them. Immigration occurs for reasons such as religious acceptance, economic opportunity, security, and the pursuit of a better life. The many immigrants who now reside in the United States often settle together in areas that form their own mini-cultures, in neighborhoods such as Little Italy, Chinatown, and Boston's North End. Although many choose to maintain their culture, some immigrants choose to assimilate, or adapt fully and completely, to their new culture. Others compromise and maintain a balance in the middle. The question then becomes whether or not the United States should force immigrants to assimilate into American culture, or whether it should allow them to retain more of their own culture. In Richard Rodriguez's memoir “Aria,” Rodriguez describes his childhood as tense primarily due to the discrepancy between his private Spanish-speaking home life and his public English-speaking outdoor life. His choice was to assimilate completely, completely abandoning his native language and culture. But ideally, our culture should push immigrants to maintain their own culture, while also encouraging them to learn to adapt to current American culture, so that they are able to communicate within the private, intimate, family culture as well as within 'outside public environment. en.Assimilation, or the blending of one culture with another, is highly encouraged for several reasons, including the ease of living in a society with similar beliefs and traditions. Tomás Rivera, author of “Richard Rodriguez's Hunger for Memory a...... medium of paper...... cultural heritage.Works CitedRivera, Tomas. “From 'Richard Rodriguez's Hunger for Memory as a Humanistic Antithesis.'” Arguing Literature: A Compact Guide and Anthology. Eds. John Schilb and John Clifford. New York: Bedford/St. Martin, 2005. 523-524. Print.Rodriguez, Richard. "Air." Making arguments about literature: A compact guide and anthology. Eds. John Schilb and John Clifford. New York: Bedford/St. Martin, 2005. 512-522. Print.Saldivar, Ramon. "From 'Chicano Narrative.'" Making Arguments About Literature: A Compact Guide and Anthology. Eds. John Schilb and John Clifford. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005. 523. Print.Villanueva, Victor, Jr. “From 'Whose Voice Is This Anyway?'” Making Arguments About Literature: A Compact Guide and Anthology. Eds. John Schilb and John Clifford. New York: Bedford/St. Martin, 2005. 525-526. Press.