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The quote, "a handy token, sliding back and forth, between the fringes of both worlds" reminds me of the time I invited friends over to my house for my birthday. I was speaking another language with my mom and they asked me a lot of questions.

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The phrase, An American to Mexicans, a Mexican to Americans, reminds me of being someone else when I have to babysit.

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The phrase, "by masking the discomfort" invokes a upsetting feeling in me because a lot of people m ay face the challenges of having to hide how they feel to show a face of perfectness.

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The phrase (their eyes say, “You may speak Spanish but you’re not like me”) makes me empathize with how the speaker is distanced from their own culture, and reminds me of how I feel myself of being a part of two cultures but not being “qualified” enough to fit in

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The phrase, "an American to Mexicans, a Mexican to Americans", invokes a feeling of rejection and exclusion by both of these groups.

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"An American to Mexicans, a Mexican to Americans" reminds me of the times in my life when I spent time with relatives and people who share my ethnicity and culture, because those times make me realize that I don't just feel disconnected from the world I live in physically, but culturally as well.

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The word pre-judged reminds me of when people judge you before getting to know you and how this is a problem for many people.

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The phrase "by masking the discomfort of being pre-judged" reminds me of times when I had to cast aside judgements and derogatory comments of others by their presumed opinions of me, based on how I look.

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Being bi-laterally judged reminded me of times when all my friends have taken a different opinion as me and have othered me. I feel like I am not heard on all sides. Like my truth is the objectively false. But it is not.

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By masking the discomfort reminds me of a time in my life when I felt uncomfortable because I did not know anyone at my summer camp.

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When I think of "Mexican to Americans, American to Mexicans", it makes me wonder about how being a part of two groups actually results with you feeling a sense of belonging in either.

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The phrase "a handy token, sliding back and forth" invokes a feeling of empathy in me because the idea of being divided by both worlds and trying to blend in while failing to do so is really upsetting.

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The phrase, "sliding back and forth between the fringes of both worlds" invokes a feeling of pride in me because I am very proud of my cultural backround and love living in both worlds.

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When she is described as a "handy token", it makes me fell sad because people take advantage of immigrants.

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When I think about the line “able to sit in a paneled office drafting memos in smooth English” it reminds me of how many opportunities are only accessible if you conform to the popular culture

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the word bi-cultural has a certain meaning for me because i also have two different cultures that i celebrate and sometimes they differ alot from one and other which makes life difficult sometimes.

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The word alien makes me have sympathy because I feel bad about the fact she can't have a place to belong with her cultures. Because me personally I love my own culture and trying to put myself in her shoes it would be very harsh to not even belong.

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The phrase, "by masking my discomfort" relates to me because when I was younger and I was uncomfortable or feeling down, I would try to hide how I was feeling to get out of receiving the unwanted pity or attention.

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The word bi-lateral invoked a feeling of judgement in me. I felt like Mora would is judged by both sides. I felt othered, I felt different.

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The phrase in the fringes of both worlds invokes a feeling of empathy in me because everyone should have a place where they feel they belong

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The word fringe invokes the feeling of curiosity because you are exploring two different worlds.

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between the fringes of both worlds reminds me of when I had to be more formal while I worked in a toy store and help little kids choose things out while at home and with my friends I feel more relaxed and I can be more myself.

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The phrase "an American to Mexicans, a Mexican to Americans" invokes a feeling of cultural displacement as it is hard balancing the cultures of my family and feeling like I belong to each of them.

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The phrase "an American to Mexicans, a Mexican to Americans" somewhat resonates with me because I myself often don't feel entirely connected to either of the cultures I grew up with, which makes me feel like I don't really fully belong in either community.

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When I think of "sliding back and forth," it makes me wonder about how she is viewed as two different types of people she may be and how she does not feel like she cannot be both at the same time.

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The line about Americans and Mexicans both viewing the author as a part of the other ethnicity makes me feel like the author is alone and doesn't belong on either side. I am sure this is what the author intended.

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The phrase "by masking my discomfort" invokes a feeling of uncertainty and discontentment because I feel as though most people have to put on a mask for other people.

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When I think of the word alien it makes me wonder how the people feel and what we can do in order for people not to feel this way.

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I feel like I understand code switching and having different vocabulary is something I can relate with heavy especially with how diverse this school is.

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The word inferior invokes a feeling of sorrow and loneliness in me because it is used in a negative tone to bring the author down and make them feel bad about themself.

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When I think about "handy token", it makes me wonder about how people who come from multiple cultures may be used.

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The phrase "a Mexican to Americans, an American to Mexicans" makes me wonder about if there is ever a world where one can truly belong in.

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When I think of American but hyphenated, it makes me wonder about how accepting America is and it's American people

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When I think of "a Mexican to American", an American to Mexicans", it makes me wonder if every half cultured indivdual has the the same culutral division an problem.

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The phrase a mexican to americans and americans to mexicans invokes a feeling of thought in me because I am not bi-cultural and I wonder how people must feel and how I can help make them feel comfortable if they don't.

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When I think of "an American to Mexicans, a Mexican to Americans," it makes me wonder about whether people who are in two groups like Mexican Americans will be able to feel enough of a sense of belonging among each other to live like pure Mexicans or pure Americans.

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When I think of the word "alien," it makes me wonder if every immigrant has a feeling of a disability to belong. It makes me think that coming from a different place and having to acclimate to a new one is harder said than done as you are an outlier in both worlds/cultures you come from.

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the word alien to me makes me think about how someone can feel like such an outsider which can make them feel like an alien.

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Bi-laterally was my word. Bi-lateral connected with the two words in the beginning to create and impactful and potent end "Legal Alien". It showed that not only are people bi-lingual, bi-cultural, but there are also judged, not just by Americans and not just by Mexicans, they are judged from both sides. How can one feel like they belong?

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When I think of "by masking my discomfort", it makes me wonder about how many diverse people have to hide their uneasiness and put on a face that covers what they're really feeling.

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The lines when she talks about speaking in English and in Spanish reminds me of when I totally change my vocabulary when talking with my friends and family vs. the wider population of people at school so I don’t get as many weird looks.

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When I think of how she is viewed from her Mexican side and her American side as completely different. I wonder how much other people could relate to that and also feel a sense of not being able to belong.

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When I think of the word "Alien", it makes me think about how the narrator feels like an outsider who does not belong in either of her worlds.

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When I think of between the fringes of both worlds, it makes me wonder about which world bi-cultural people feel more comfortable in. I wonder if they ever feel completely accepted somewhere.

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The phrase "between the fringes of both worlds" has a certain feeling for me because I am also an immigrant which makes me sometimes feel like I'm in two different worlds

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Write about how your chosen word/phrase has invoked a certain feeling for you.

BONUS: How do you think the author might have intended to make you feel while reading the poem?

Sentence Starter:

"The word/phrase ________ invokes a feeling of _______ in me because _________"

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Write about how your chosen word/phrase connects to you. Think about your lived experiences and how they connect to the poem.

Sentence Starter:

"'________' reminds me of a time in my life when ________ because _______"

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Write something that your chosen word/phrase has made you wonder about. Make sure to indicate what your chosen word/phrase is in your answer.

Sentence Starter:

"When I think of [word/phrase], it makes me wonder about ______"