In the extract of Gloria Anzaldua’s “How To Tame a Wild Tongue” the author conveys to the reader how strongly she feels for her language through her use of repetition, her word choice, her punctuation and her imagery. The author appears to link her text to the events that happened between Mexico and Southern USA around the year 1987 where people, (mostly Americans) discriminated against Latinos who moved into the USA illegally thus giving all Mexicans a bad Image and putting Spanish in the position of a “lesser language.” The text is written in a way which would make the readers feel empathy for the writer’s situation and that is caused through her 1st person style of writing. In the article the reader is given four paragraphs, with ellipses …show more content…
in between the second and the third; throughout the text the author describes to the reader the unfairness and prejudice that Chicana culture has to suffer through over the decade and links it to the ellipses by making them a divider of the writer’s personal feelings and the general facts. The use of ellipses is smart because it gives the reader a view from both sides- the personal and the political and thus conveys the author’s view better. The sudden switch from fact to feeling impacts the reader strongly and makes them experience the writer’s sadness. Gloria Anzaldua also begins her text with a untypically long introduction paragraph which involves a lot of repetition in order to make the reader understand the point of why this text was written and what the feelings were behind it. An important stylistic device that Gloria Anzaldua uses in order to affect the reader more is her choice of the use of her own language throughout the first paragraph of her text, “agrigandas,” and “y”, which while making the reader curious of what they mean, also show the strong connection that the author has to her language. The authors’ unique word choice is displayed in many ways, for one the fact that she calls English a “neutral language,” while afterwards telling us what it means. The word choice of neutral gives of a kind of war vibe as to be neutral means to not take sides thus being safe. This makes the reader think that despite the fact that English is not a friendly language it is necessary to use in order to stay safe where the author lived. Throughout the text, Gloria repeats the word “Chicano” in order to emphasize its importance. This repetition allows the reader to assume that the author’s identity is that she is a Chicana herself and that she has had to suffer through all of this prejudice against her ethnicity. The author also uses an oxymoron, “The Biggest Minority,” when speaking about Spanish speakers in order to emphasize how many people hide their true identity in order to not be segregated against. It makes the reader feel really bad about the Spanish ethnicity at that time because of the unfairness and lies that they have to live with. After the ellipses the author’s tone completely changes as she begins to explain her own feelings and through her word choice makes the reader understand her really well- “I am my language.” The use of this sentence, the fact that it is so short, the fact that it is a hyperbole and somehow a form of personification completely displays the importance of the Spanish Language in the author’s everyday life and how she cannot live without it because it is a part of her.
The author then uses a repetition of the words “Until I” and “I cannot,” which makes it seem to the reader that the author is giving a motivational speech to both herself and to both her fellow Spanish speakers. This word choice and sentence structure would make the reader, if Spanish, feel motivated and ready to fight for a good cause, thus clearly conveying the author’s message. The author’s word choice in the end for “Serpent’s tongue” is truly unique as it appears to be linked with the word “Wild” in the title of the text thus conveying in the form of imagery that at that time, Spanish was a Wild language, something that not very educated people would use, it kind of made the Spanish seem like animals which the reader understands and would find unfair as wild animals were usually chased out. This conveys to the reader that the Chicanas were clearly discriminated against and makes him feel the author’s feelings of unfairness and
sadness. In conclusion the author, Gloria Anzaldua conveys her feelings to the reader through her use word choice, repetition, punctuation and imagery. The text’s structure gives the reader the view of both the author’s feelings and of the actual facts of the prejudice against the Spanish speakers during the year of 1987 thus making him/her feel empathy towards the author and the whole situation during that time.
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.
Is it possible to make vital life changes to become a better person at heart? Who’s the one that can help you? The only person that will get you up on your feet is yourself, and you have to believe deeply to make those changes. In this essay there are many main points that are being brought across to explain the problems and wisdom that arose from Baca’s life as an inmate. It talks about how he was grown up into an adult and the tragedies that he had to face in order to become one. Later I fallow steps that lead to the purpose and rhetorical appeals of Baca’s essay. The purpose dealt with the cause and effect piece and problem/ solution structure.
“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.
I enjoyed reading Disciplined Hearts by Theresa O'Nell because i find that many people today do not know a lot about the Native American culture and what they have been through. Their cultures history is not talked about as much the African American or Hispanic's are. Most Americans know about the hardships that the African American and Hispanics had to overcome to assimilate to the level that they are today. I think O'Nell is trying to talk about the history of the Native American culture because, she believes that the reason that their culture is not well-known because of the fact that they have chosen to keep living like their ancestors and not assimilate to the American culture.
The fear the Spanish unleashed to the Natives was immense. The armor the Spaniard’s whore terrified everyone who saw them. The loud clamor they made as they marched also installed fear into the Natives heads.
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
Torres, Hector Avalos. 2007. Conversations with Contemporary Chicana and Chicano Writers. U.S.: University of New Mexico press, 315-324.
of the native tongue is lost , certain holidays may not be celebrated the same , and American born generations feel that they might have lost their identity , making it hard to fit in either cultures . Was is significant about this book is the fact it’s like telling a story to someone about something that happened when they were kid . Anyone can relate because we all have stories from when we were kids . Alvarez presents this method of writing by making it so that it doesn’t feel like it’s a story about Latin Americans , when
In “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” Gloria Anzaldúa explains the implications of living under the influence of two cultures. She begins with a story of how she was punished by a teacher for correcting the pronunciation of her name. Anzaldúa gives the reader anecdotes about her life in a dual culture society, explaining the trials of accepting her heritage, fighting to find her place in Mexican or American society, and establishing herself as a proud Chicana.
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.
While reading this article one of the most shocking sections were when the students were talking to Monzó and sharing their outlook on their place and their language’s place in society. These students even at this early age are feeling how devalued their first language has been. They feel like they have to speak the right* English, only use English in public places, never their first language, and that they must assimilate to the American culture as much as possible. This reminded me of a chapter in Lippi-Green (2012)’s text. Within this chapter Lippi-Green (2012) discusses how in the United States Spanish speakers are not only expected to learn English but they are expected to learn and utilize the right* English determined by the majority and assimilate entirely to American culture. Throughout Monzó and Rueda (2009)’s text the children in conversations expressed their observation of the social order in relation to language and race. This was surprising to me since they are only in 5th grade. During a conversation with one of the children Monzó and Rueda (2009) recorded an alarming statement, “He said that his mother could not be considered American because she did not...
At the beginning of the essay, Anzaldúa recounts a time when she was at the dentist. He told her, “We’re going to have to control your tongue” (33). Although he was referring to her physical tongue, Anzaldúa uses this example as a metaphor for language. The dentist, who is trying to cap her tooth, symbolizes the U.S. who is similarly seeking to restrict the rights of minority groups. Nevertheless, the tongue is preventing the dentist from doing his job. Likewise, there are several minority groups who refuse to abide to the laws of dominant cultures and are fighting back. Anzaldúa also touches on a personal story that happened at school. When she was younger, she was sent to the corner because apparently, she spoke back to her Anglo teacher. The author argues that she was unfairly scolded because she was only telling her teacher how to pronounce her name. Her teacher warned her, “If you want to be American, speak American. If you don’t like it, go back to Mexico where you belong.” This short story provides an understanding of what Anzaldúa’s life was like. It demonstrates how even at a young age, she was continually pressured because of where comes
Agosin, Marjorie. "Always Living in Spanish: Recovering the Familiar, through Language." The Norton Field Guide to Writing. By Richard H. Bullock. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2009. 21-24. Print. 11 Nov. 2013
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