In reference to his racial identity, Tizon comments: "I [am] both Asian and Asian American" (180), which shows a change in his thought process. . In his youth, he believed he could only be one or the other; however, as an adult, he realizes that he does not have to give up one to become the other. In response to his other newfound identities, Tizon cites the poet Walt Whitman, who wrote, “I am great, I contain multitudes” (194). Whitman implies that humans cannot be classified into a single group. To this statement, Tizon responds: “Recognizing that I contained multitudes meant that I did not have to place the burden of my worth on any of my identities” (194). The use of the word “recognize” (194) implies that he is not entirely satisfied with his place in the world, but he recognizes that he will always have multiple identities to reassure him. Growing up, young Tizon, eager to fit into the "all-American" image (3), viewed himself solely through an American lens, or the "prism of race" (48). However, once he realized that he could be more than his race and that he could connect with people through his writing, the "burden" (194) he had placed on himself was been removed. Tizon now recognizes that people can have more than one identity and still feel like they belong to the same identity.