Analysis Of Being Un-American

1101 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Important of Mother tongue

Being Un-American? When Marquez argues that “being and American has very little to with what language we use during our free time in a free country”, she is completely right (207). The language that you speak at home or with your family should not matter, as long as you’re not rude and do not speak that language to people who do not understand, there should not be a problem (Marquez 208). People need to understand that when you speak Spanish to your family it’s not an attempt to be rude, but it’s a matter of respect (Marquez 208). Although it may appear to be rude to speak Spanish in public, that was never the intention of the speaker. Marquez conveys that when they speak Spanish it is meant to be respectful and not rude. It is meant to show …show more content…

That shows that speaking another language has absolutely nothing to do with being “less American”. Being American means living here, being part of a community as a whole and not being singled out just because in your free time you speak Spanish with your family. This is a free country and you are free to speak your native language in your free time, but know that outside of your free time many people wont understand you, and may think you are being rude if you do not speak English. Just as Marques says she does not tolerate when bilingual people start speaking Spanish and leaves out the English-only speaker, that’s an example of being rude and what not to do …show more content…

Its their free time let them speak whatever language they want, it’s not like it’s personally affecting your life or the lives of anyone around you. The whole point to speaking that language is so that they have something to hold onto from their heritage. A little something that shows respect for their culture and ethnicity. Its not impeding onto your own rights, as long as what they do has no negative effect on the lives of other people, there shouldn’t be any actual

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of George Lopez: Brown Is The New Green By Jose Jiminez

    1051 Words  | 3 Pages

    This can be seen by multiple youth interviews through the documentary. An excellent example is the teen girl who talked about her relationship with her mom and her use of Spanglish. When talking to each other, her mom would talk to her in Spanish and she would respond in English, which in turn made her mother angry because she was not using her traditional cultural language. Although having a traditional language is nice, being able to speak multiple languages can be very beneficial to young adults. In the Hispanic culture today, it has become even more common for young adults to use spanglish. Like the B.E.T. star, many teenagers today intertwine English into their Spanish speaking homes so it can help to better their families’ English skills if they are not so great. By the interviews we can conclude that teenagers and young adults are eager and excited to implement the idea of making television shows that include actors using Spanish just like they do in their everyday life. In some cultures, this can be offensive as well because they are changing their ways to try to fit into society better. The documentary is full of evidence that supports this conclusion as each of them tell stories about how they consume culture from English and Spanish networks. With shows available in different languages it allows people from

    Read More

  • Gloria Anzaldua's How To Tame A Wild Tongue

    575 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gloria Anzaldua, wrote the essay “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” communicating and describing her adolescence in a society brimming with sexism, cultural imperialism, racism, low self-esteem, and identity formation. The reason one comes to America is to finer themselves academically, and intellectually. One must learn to speak English to live among the American’s, because that is the language they speak. Though, no one has the right to deprive you of your familiar tongue. At a young age, Anzaldua was scolded, even mistreated for speaking her native “Chicano” tongue. Anzaldúa described this ignorance, cruelty, and discrimination when she states: “I remember being caught speaking Spanish at recess – that was good for three licks on the knuckles with a sharp ruler.” She overcomes this hostility throughout her life.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Se Habla Español

    1063 Words  | 3 Pages

    In “Se Habla Español,” the author, Tanya, talks about her personal experience with dealing with language issues. Tanya was born in Guatemala and moved to the U.S when she was only three years old. Tanya’s mother did not want her to speak Spanish, because they believed that when they moved to the U.S speaking only English would help her blend in. For so long Tanya believed that speaking Spanish went hand in hand with being poor and speaking only English made her feel superior. After many years she has tried to learn Spanish but has found it quite difficult because although that is her native language it was like trying to learning a whole new language for her. In “Mother Tongue,” Amy’s explains how she has come to the realization that she speaks more than one “English,” meaning that the way she speaks in front of a crowd is different than the way she speaks with her mother. The way Amy speaks with her mother is still English although it is not proper. Amy expresses how she does not really like the phrase “broken English,” because if something is broken it needs to be fixed and she does not feel that her mother’s English needs to be

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of El Corrido De Juanito

    1085 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many of their fans have crossed the border illegally, or have relatives that have done so. The song goes into saying, “Mis hijos son grandes y no les entiendo-- no hablan español,” translating into “My children are grown but I do not understand them-- they do not speak Spanish,” (1:14). A study done by the Pew Research Center reveals that the number of Latinos in the United States that speak Spanish is slowly decreasing (Krogstad and Lopez), which shows that this is an all too real issue facing those among the Latino community. This particular occurrence is becoming too common for many families because as they push to fit into the American way of living, their roots may sometimes get lost in translation. It is one thing to not be able to properly communicate with your children, but it is another to not be able to talk to them because of a language

    Read More

  • Analysis Of From Hunger Of Memory: The Education Of Richard Rodriguez

    1079 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout Richards early childhood development he quickly understood that in order to succeed in America he would have to learn to confidently speak in English. Richard is Hispanic American and although he was born in America, Spanish was the only language that he was exposed to as a young child. He grew up in a home where Spanish flowed freely, but he soon realized outside of his home the language that he primarily knew was foreign. His parents spoke fluent Spanish along with all of his relatives. The brief encounters he experienced of his parents speaking English were only in public places and the proficiency was very poor. Rodriguez’s home was as a safety net for him and his Spanish speaking family with they are his only real connections to the outside world. It wasn’t until Richards encounter with his teachers that he and his family was heavily impressed on the importance of developing a public language. After the encouragement of the visit home from a teacher as a family

    Read More

  • Analysis Of White Privilege The Invisible Knapsack

    1023 Words  | 3 Pages

    America is a presumptuous country; its citizens don’t feel like learning any other language, so they make everyone else learn English. White Americans are the average human being and act as the standard of living, acting, and nearly all aspects of life. In her essay “White Privilege: The Invisible Knapsack,” Peggy McIntosh talks about how being white has never been discussed as a race/culture before because that identity has been pushed on everyone else, and being white subsequently carries its own set of advantages. Gloria Anzaldua is a Chicana, a person of mixed identities. In an excerpt titled “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” she discusses how the languages she speaks identify who she is in certain situations and how, throughout her life, she has been pushed to speak and act more “American” like.

    Read More

  • Gloria Anzaldua's How To Tame A Wild Tongue

    1209 Words  | 3 Pages

    Not only were they chastised by their English speaking teachers, but also by their Spanish speaking parents. Chicanos often times speak English to Latinos when conversing. Anzaldua implies this has to do with their linguistic differences of the Spanish Language through dialect, regions, and how they translate/perceive it. Anzaldua was very fortunate to grow up in America and have Mexican descendants. Being bilingual can have many advantages, such as being able to communicate with two different cultures and to make up a subculture or group that has speaks both English and Spanish.

    Read More

  • Se Habla Español Analysis

    675 Words  | 2 Pages

    When it comes to languages- language is a major role that helps us communicate. Whether it's solving an issue or informing one another. In society, language can either make you feel as if you're apart of a civilization or it can make you feel isolated if you don't speak it the proper way. In the article, Se Habla Español, by Tanya Maria Barrientos, Barrientos talks about how growing up Hispanic and not being able to speak her native language (Spanish) was very challenging. Barrientos came to America from Guatemala in the year of 1963 at the age of three. Since then, Barrientos wasn't able to speak her language due to her parents assimilating into the American culture. Back then, America wasn't the most accepting country. Anyone who identified themselves as Mexican American or Afro American was viewed and considered dangerous radicals. Barrientos parents just wanted Barrientos to grow up, living outside of the American stereotype of minorities. Another writing that supports my accusation about how language and physical appearance can make a person feel isolated is Mother Tongue by Amy Tan. Tan expresses that her mother is Chinese and she speaks what Americans called "Broken English". According to http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=broken+english "Broken English is a "Incorrect or awkwardly structured English, usually spoken or written by non-native speakers." "Broken+English." Urban Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.

    Read More

  • Hispanics: English, Barriers, and Challenges

    1927 Words  | 4 Pages

    A large number of people in the Hispanic community whether Hispanics are not able to get the English literacy skills that they need not because they want to keep born in Latin America or the United States, speak Spanish primarily. This is basically because in present day time, Hispanics are more likely to pass Spanish to their kids now than they have done in the past. (Ortiz, P.149) This is seen as a social problem, especially because of the fact that there is an increasing demand that English should only be taught in public school and it should also be spoken within the Spanish community. Even though Hispanics do speak a lot of Spanish most of the time, they still do learn English also, especially the young. But, because of the large flow of immigrants, the use of Spanish is used more often because they are constantly encountering immigrants who speak no English. (Ortiz, P. 150) Before hand there has been said to have been lower achievements when Hispanics make frequent use of the Spanish la...

    Read More

  • Response To 'How To Tame A Wild Tongue'

    582 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the passage “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by Gloria Anzaldua, the author exposes her feelings about cultural and social that Mexican immigrants (Chicanos) face when being raised in the United States. She does comparisons among English and Spanish. Also the influences on why people prefer to speak one language rather than the other. In the passage, there is a debate between social problems like sexism, racism, identity and cultural imperialism. She explains how the first amendment is being violated when she uses the term “linguistic terrorism”when a form of expression is being censured. Mexican Americans or Chicanos would be embarrassed by their culture and of speaking Spanish especially outside of their homes. Like the author who was criticized in school for speaking Spanish even though she was teaching them how to say her name.

    Read More

  • Public And Private Language Summary

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the beginning of the article, Richard started out by mentioning how his public language which is Spanish will not get him nowhere in life, however by learning a public language which is English will help more in life and make stuff way easier for him. He mentioned being scared and hard for him to learn a public society language. When I came to America 11 years ago, it was hard for me to learn a second language and I doubted myself all the time, however I had family members, teachers and friends pushing me to learn and telling me to not give up even

    Read More

  • Mother Tongue And How To Tame A Wild Tongue

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to Anzaldua, “ Chicano Spanish is considered by the purist and by most Latinos deficient, a mutilation of Spanish”(Anzaldua 32). The Chicano Spanish versus Spanish conflict that occurs in Latino society is a prime example of people considering themselves to be right in a situation where there is not a right answer. The Latino’s who speak Spanish that they believe to be normal are disturbed by the Spanish language changing. They believe that their own views are being challenged, they believe that they are correct, and they believe that anyone who challenges their views is inferior. The people who view all other views are, in reality, just trying to make themselves look more powerful. Like in Tan’s essay, people demeaned others in order to promote their own views, therefore, gaining power over the others who they demeaned. According to Tan, “ She said they would not give her any more information(...) And when the doctor finally called her daughter, me, who spoke in perfect english-- lo and behold-- we had assurances the CAT scan would be found”(Tan 2). The doctors treated Tan’s mother differently due to her use of what they considered “broken language”, leading to her being treated inadequately. People have an image of what they consider to be the right English, anyone who does not speak the right English is usually considered to be uneducated. In both Tan’s and Anzaldua’s essays, the lack of open-mindedness is one of the reasons that people want to become more powerful than others. People fail to realize that what they believe in is not always the right answer, like with stereotypes, the people are trying to gain power over others in order to make themselves seem more

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Internalized Racism In America

    1183 Words  | 3 Pages

    Because of internalized racism, Latinos and Hispanics distance themselves from the Spanish language to support the English only movement. They are embarrassed of their inherited language and rather choose English to complete assimilation. “Almost 40% of Latino/a respondents prefer English as their dominant language…” (Padilla 20). Where I currently live, I always see on the day to day basis Hispanics and Latinos that immigrated to the United States from other countries sounding “white.”

    Read More

  • Summary Of Pat Mora's Immigrants By Pat Moa

    922 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lorna Dee Cervantes said that: “the children run to me, laughing, spinning me blind and silly. They call to me in words of another language.” (lines2-4) I can feel her loneliness through her poem. Because she doesn’t feel she is American or Mexican, even though she doesn’t know who she is. The Native Mexicans call her a prostitute because she gets the influence from America for a long time. Cervantes thinks isn’t her fault, is her ancestor’s fault because she can’t control that. So that’s why I think immigrants should keep their “old language” alive. If we learn English and don’t know our own language, we won’t be able to communicate with our cousin. Even when we came back to our home country, we can’t communicate with other people. I don’t want to feel like I am a stranger in our home.

    Read More

  • How To Tame A Wild Tongue

    1071 Words  | 3 Pages

    However, what the man said that it did hurt me it was like my culture was not welcomed, but I just got my brother and told my dad for us to go somewhere else. In How to Tame a Wild Tongue, it stated, “if you want to be American, speak American.’ If you don’t like it, go back to Mexico where you belong” (34). After reading that I could relate to how she must have felt when being told something like that. When Someone tells you that it kind of makes you think of how the rest of the world would react to someone that speaks Spanish, or to be kicked out just for speaking your native

    Read More

More about Analysis Of Being Un-American

Open Document