In the article “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” the author, Gloria Anzaldua, explores her cultural identity, as well as, explains the struggles she has faced due to her native heritage. Anzaldua is a native Chicana who believes that “Ethnic identity is a twin skin to linguistic identity” (Anzaldua 2951). She explains that there is a distinct tie between the language a person speaks and the way he/she is treated. She also explains that language is a reflection of one’s self; if one is not confident in language, then he/she cannot be confident in life. These accounts by Anzaldua show a different side of an issue many Americans are facing, yet, like the life of the author, this article seems to have no resolve. Anzaldua shares that she speaks eight …show more content…
languages, six of which are variations of the same language. Although the latter seems as though it would be a simple transition, the author tells that it is a very difficult and embarrassing challenge. She states that she “may switch back and forth from Spanish to English in the same sentence or in the same word” (Anzaldua 2949). Understandably, this could become very confusing. However, being able to adapt is one of human’s greatest evolutionary traits; without it the human race would not have survived. In every culture there is an aspect of conformity. When speaking to an elder, one does so with respect and does not use slang or slander. When speaking to a friend, a person usually loses the sense of formality and speaks freely. Anzaldua states that the different variations of Spanish that she speaks are differentiated by their influence of English words, as well as, their formalities. That being said, there is not much difference between the language variations and the multicultural acceptance of the rules of formality. The author believes that because she has to speak English when she is around English speaking people, her culture is being rejected.
She states that humans use their “…language differences against each other” (Anzaldua 2950). Though this can be the case, Americans are becoming more receptive to different cultures. America was founded on cultural and religious freedom, therefore, there will always be many different ethnicities. The issue does not lie in the fact that some Americans are judgmental based on language, it is that learning a very small population’s language does not yield much benefit. The population of Chicano Spanish speakers is minute compared to the amount of English speaking people. The author believes that the racism is even more pronounced in the Latino community. Because Chicano Spanish is a variation of the more common Tex-Mex Spanish, the Latinos have frowned upon the Chicano’s saying that the Chicano Spanish “is illegitimate, a bastard language” (Anzaldua 2950). This is very similar to what people from the south deal with when speaking to someone from the northeast. The slang terms are very different and the pronunciation is extremely different. Chicanos are not the only peoples who have to cope with “Linguistic Terrorism” (Anzaldua …show more content…
2950). Anzaldua found a small amount of reprieve when she stumbled upon a bit of Chicano literature. This reprieve spread in to an adoration for the subject. But even with this huge self-confidence boost, she had obstacles. When she tried to teach Chicano books to students, she was reprimanded by her superiors; her culture was deemed unworthy of being taught. This is not completely unheard-of in any culture. Though unfortunate, there is always censorship in education. Whether it be due to language, content, or relevance, groups of educators decide what pupils will read. This is not a direct insult to the Chicano culture, there were, more than likely, other factors at play. This article describes the feelings of the author in very vivid and repetitive detail.
Though many different issues are introduced, only two solutions are offered. One of these solutions, “Wild tongues can’t be tamed, they can only be cut out,” (Anzaldua 2947) lends itself to be taken metaphorically, rather than literally. The author is suggesting that the Chicano people will just have to be silent and repress their feelings of rejection and alienation. This solution could be attained, but it could result in robust therapy bills. The second option is to wait until all other cultures become extinct and only the Chicanos are left. This is the most unattainable solution of the two. Near the beginning of the article, the author mentions that there are very few Chicano Spanish speakers, and the ones that she gets the pleasure to converse with have integrated more English into their jargon. So, realistically, if all other cultures have died off, then the Chicano people would have evolved to speaking a much looser version of their language. Neither of these will aid the authors objective, therefore, this article is lacking in a true
purpose. Gloria Anzaldua has repressed many emotions and has censored her speaking most of her life. Although she has felt invisible, she loves her culture and claims that “Chicano Spanish is as diverse linguistically as it is regionally” (Anzaldua 2951). If this is true, then how can it not be linked in a strong bond? The Chicano language is constantly evolving and changing, never the same. Since it is so diverse regionally, it is to be expected that the language will be spoken differently. There are many languages spoken on this Earth; it can be assumed that at least one is in the same position as the Chicanos. Anzaldua has struggled with a lack of true identity, and has felt alienated since her childhood because of her “Wild Tongue”(Anzaldua 2947). This article seems to be an explosion of these stifled feelings. Works Cited Anzaldua, Gloria. ""How to Tame a Wild Tongue"" Borderland/La Frontera, The New Mestiza (n.d.): 2947-955. Print.
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.
“Se Habla Español,” is written by a Latin author, Tanya Barrientos; and Amy Tan, a Chinese author, wrote “Mother Tongue”. In both literate narratives the authors write about their experiences with language and how it impacted their lives. In This essay we will be discussing the similarities as well as the differences in the stories and the authors of “Se Habla Español” and “Mother Tongue”. We will discuss how both authors use a play on words in their titles, how language has impacted their lives, how struggling with language has made them feel emotionally, and how both authors dealt with these issues.
Anzaldua grew up in the United States but spoke mostly Spanish, however, her essay discusses how the elements of language began to define her identity and culture. She was living in an English speaking environment, but was not White. She describes the difficulty of straddling the delicate changing language of Chicano Spanish. Chicano Spanish can even differ from state to state; these variations as well as and the whole Chicano language, is considered a lesser form of Spanish, which is where Anzaldua has a problem. The language a person speaks is a part...
Have you ever felt like you didn’t belong somewhere? Do you know what it feels like to be told you don’t belong in the place of your birth? People experience this quite frequently, because they may not be the stereotypical American citizen, and are told and convinced they don’t belong in the only place they see as home. In Gloria Anzaldúa’s “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”, Anzaldúa gives the reader an inside look at the struggles of an American citizen who experiences this in their life, due to their heritage. She uses rhetorical appeals to help get her messages across on the subliminal level and show her perspective’s importance. These rhetorical appeals deal with the emotion, logic and credibility of the statements made by the author. Anzaldúa
Immigrants have helped shape American identity by the languages they speak from their home country. Richard Rodriguez essay “Blaxicans and Other Reinvented Americans” reveals Rodriguez’s attitudes towards race and ethnicity as they relate to making people know what culture really identifies a person rather than their race. For example, in the essay, it states that Richard Rodriguez “ is Chinese, and this is because he lives in a Chinese City and because he wants to be Chinese. But I have lived in a Chinese City for so long that my eye has taken on the palette, has come to prefer lime greens and rose reds and all the inventions of this Chinese Mediterranean. lines 163-171”.
Language is an important part of who we are. It influences the way we think and behave on a great scale. However, sometimes it is forced upon us to go in different directions just so we can physically and mentally feel as if we belong to the society in which we live in. Just as we see in Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” and Richard Rodriguez’s “A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood”, both authors faced some challenges along the way by coping with two different languages, while still trying to achieve the social position which they desired.
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.
Although our society is slowly developing a more accepting attitude toward differences, several minority groups continue to suffer from cultural oppression. In her essay “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” Gloria Anzaldúa explores the challenges encountered by these groups. She especially focuses on her people, the Chicanos, and describes the difficulties she faced because of her cultural background. She argues that for many years, the dominant American culture has silenced their language. By forcing them to speak English and attempting to get rid of their accents, the Americans have robbed the Chicanos of their identity. She also addresses the issue of low self-esteem that arises from this process of acculturation. Growing up in the United States,
Language is an important value for the nationalistic identity of a nation. Hispanic culture is the way of life of people from Latin America and Spain, and their main identifying factor is the fact that they speak Spanish as their main language. Therefore, Hispanics are not necessarily Spaniards but other groups like Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans who speak Spanish are also part of this group (Shaw and Dennison 207). American culture on the other hand is mainly comprised of the people who speak English as their main dialect. Therefore, the Spaniards have Spanish as their native language while the Americans use Englis...
Like many Chicanos, she developed a strong sense of cultural belonging. This is primarily due to discrimination amongst neighboring Mexicans, whites, and anyone in between. Latinos and latinas would attack her, saying “...cultural traitor, you’re speaking the oppressor’s language, you’re ruining the Spanish language” (Anzaldua 412). It was this ethnic struggle that drove her to latch onto her cultural background so strongly. In the personal narrative “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by Gloria Anzaldua, Anzaldua states “When other races have given up their tongue, we’ve kept ours. We know what it is to live under the hammer blow of the dominant norteamericano culture” (Anzaldua 419) when referring to the resilience of her native people. She states this in response to other cultural groups having abandoned their language, meanwhile they retained theirs. The Chicanos are aware of the harsh standards of North American society. By saying “When other races have given up their tongue, we’ve kept ours,” she means that even when other ethnicities have been pushed to eliminate their languages, her ethnicity stayed strong; they refused to cave in. Likewise, when Anzaldua states “We know what it is to live under the hammer blow of the dominant norteamericano culture,” she draws pride from her culture’s ability to fend off even the most suffocating adversities. In this way, Anzaldua conveys
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...
In the essay, “How To Tame A Wild Tongue”, by Gloria Anzaldua and the essay, Mother Tongue, by Amy Tan, the ignorance shown by many people is highlighted. Amy Tan’s essay focuses on how some people look down on others who do not speak English without an accent. Anzaldua’s essay focuses on how people do not have a broad view of language and often look down upon others who do not speak the language that they speak. Both of the essays address language, but the broader topic that they acknowledge is more important. The essays both acknowledge how humans feel uncomfortable around people that are different from them, and often demean others. People demean others due to people wanting to look more powerful by giving their views correctness while discrediting
Another struggle for identity with Latinos is their struggle with the Spanish and English languages. While some Latinos may speak Spanish in their homes, the language may not be conversationally used in their schools. Some Lat...
Hispanic America language has some strengths and weaknesses as observed in the article and this makes it one of the influential groups in the United States. It is also important noting that those who belong to this group originated from various parts of the world. The strengths in the pattern of communication make this language one of the most adorable languages in the world as many people feel respected whenever they talk to someone from this particular group. The weaknesses that can be identified only show how people tend to believe they are shy, but it is as a result of respect for
...xpressing her Chinese culture. Mastering a second language allows her to articulate her and her mother’s thoughts; it is a foundation for her pride and a foundation to express herself. For Gloria Anzaldua, instead of choosing one language over the other, she chose a mix of the two and fights for it. She realized the value of her language when she lost it and now treasures it. The kind of Spanish she speaks is neither English nor Spanish, but both. It is overflowing with culture from Medieval Spain, France, Germany, etc., just from the origins of the words. It is her pride and a representation of herself, fighting and living. In conclusion, in addition to Lera Boroditsky’s article proving that the structure of language affects how we think, the articles by Eric Liu, Amy Tan, and Gloria Anzaldua show how language is a foundation for a person’s culture, pride, and self.