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. …show more content…
As Tan was growing up, she struggled with what people thought of her mother and later in life she became comfortable with the way she and how her mother spoke. In both writings, it is evident that people will make assumptions based on the way you look and how you talk. For example, in Mother Tongue, Tan states, that one time her mother went to the doctor's office and her mother was complaining to the doctors that they lost her CAT scan results for a benign brain tumor that was there a month ago. Not only were the doctors apathetic-due to the fact that it takes time to out of person's day, but not to get any information, how absurd? It could've been something way more severe. In the article, Tan say that her father and brother both suffered and passed away from brain tumors, if that was the case the doctors should've been more empathetic to Tan's mother due to consciously knowing that it may have been hereditary but instead the doctors just brushed it off. Lucky Tan advocated for her mother and resolving the confusing by speaking her best English. In Se Habla Español Barrientos registered herself for Spanish class and the guy asked her for her full name ( Rolling the double "R" perfectly she heard a silent snag and momentary hesitation. I'm pretty sure he felt that if she could that and that her last name was Hispanic why do she need to learn Spanish. Later in the writing Barrientos states that " Not all Poles speak Polish, Not all Italians speak Italian," which is true. Just because you're naturally born into a race doesn't make you apart of it unless you say believe it and know it. Another idea that is significant in the writing Mother Tongue, is Americans tend to believe that they speak English perfectly and there's only one way to speak it. If that's the case, why slang used to communicate. As tan was growing up that she became very cognizant to the fact that she could divide the englishes she spoke. One way of speaking she was able to do was the "proper English" this is speaking as if she is writing for her SAT or speaking to a large group of people.
The other way of speaking English was the "limited English" the way her and her mother communicates On the contrary, In Se Habla Español, Barrientos struggles with self identity and not what people think of her mother.
In Conclusion, Both authors has struggled with self identity and/or confidence growing up; but they did not let negativity ruin the path to success and becoming comfortable within the skin their
in.
Genaro Padilla, author of the article Yo Sola Aprendi: Mexican Women’s Personal Narratives from Nineteenth-Century California, expands upon a discussion first chronicled by the historian, H. H. Bancroft and his assistants, who collected oral histories from Spanish Mexican women in the 1870’s American West. Bancroft’s collection, however, did not come from this time period, but closer to the 1840s, a time where Mexican heritage still played a strong presence throughout most of California. These accounts, collected from many different women, in many various positions and lifestyles, shows just how muted the Mexican female voice could be during this era.
Tan’s essay on Mother Tongue depicts a story of a daughter who grew up learning different type of “Englishes” (510). The latter described as the kind of English wherein on may regard as “simple”, yet she fondly refers to as her “Mother’s English”. In addition is the “broken English” or Tan’s mother’s communication style with her. Lastly is Tan’s own translation of her mother’s English that she described as “watered down.” An impression that is distinctly different from Tan’s loving description of her Mother’s English, Rodriguez connotes feelings of detachment. Rodriguez’s childhood consist of traditional catholic educators who expected a non-native speaker communicate in English. As a result, the young Rodriguez socially withdrew which prompt the nun teachers to approach the parents regarding the language issue. Since then, life has changed for Rodriguez, thus the beginning of what seem to be a detachment from his own family. Unlike Tan’s warm story of her Mother’s broken English, Rodriguez’s childhood experience connotes feelings of
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
The article shows her ideas with a specific focus on the Latino community in English-language country. The writer said “After my first set of lessons, I could function in the present tense. Hola, Paco. De que color es tu cuaderno? El mío es azul”. (Barrientos, Tanya p.64). This is evidence throughout the article that she said such as this sentence and writes some words in Spanish that she don’t know. The writer was born in a Latin American country, and feels like a Latina (the brown-skin) even if she was raised in the United States and does not speak Spanish anymore. In addition, this article also serves as inspiration for people with different backgrounds that suffer from the same problem, helping all the people that face the same problem. I’m also have same experience. I’m growing up in Shandong province, but born in Guangdong province. It is so far from Guangdong to Shandong. And China is an old country, the culture and habit is not similar from place to place. If there are a few mountains between two cities, the language is total different. So every time when I come back to my hometown, the citizen, especially my grandparents, which growing up in tradition, will call me “yuasangia”, which like the writer’s struggles in American. However, the different is that this noun just for others province people who live in or travel to my hometown. Every time when I say my hometown language
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”.
“Trying to merge into mainstream society and cover her brown skin with makeup, of having no sense that she had her right to her own opinion”(Shierly) The journey to finding yourself is approached in many different aspects, which varies from person to person. As a child children we see a blurred image of ourselves not knowing exactly who we are, however as we grow older the blur becomes more apparent to us and eventually a reflection of who we truly are, is revealed. This is evidentially shown in the novel Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson, where Lisamarie discovers her new identity as an empowered and strong woman through the positive motivation from her family, role models to whom she looks up to and her acceptance to her own culture.
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...
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
In this short story “El Papá Siempre Tiene la Razón,” author Hans Christian Andersen quiet humorously tells a childhood story he heard over and over continually when he was little. He starts telling the story of how the Farmer and his wife lived in a really old farmhouse with moss and weeds on the roof, slanted walls, a stork nest decorated on the chimney and they owned a horse which was their prize possession. The farmer traded away their horse for a sack of rotten apples in a number of endless gains of bargains. A couple of Englishmen made a wager with the farmer knowing his wife will not like any of his deals. Then the wife agrees with her husband the farmer. Of course the Englishmen’s were amazed and paid up. It all started when the farmer
As you walk down the street, you see posters and billboards surrounding that one person you think you may want to be. In a society that is filled to the brim with persuasion and propaganda, it is common that people forget who they are and become someone else. The desire of popularity causes misconceptions and a sense of self that is not sure of itself, leading to the question “Who am I?” Being yourself can come easier than you think just by recognizing that it is you. Not by being someone you see on the billboard, your friends, or who you see on television. Yourself is who you really are. In the story “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan, conflict between a mother and daughter causes identity and individualistic problems. A mother tries to relive her life through her daughter by pushing her to do things she may not be capable of doing. The mother believes that her daughter will have it all in America: success, fame, and wealth. The daughter loses herself and identity by focusing on becoming the person her
“It’s a blessed thing that in every stage in every age some one has had the individuality and courage enough to stand by his own convictions.” The part of me that sums up my identity best is not the adjectives given by family, or the faults I find in myself. My identity is my desire to better myself, and my passion for children. My identity is who I want to be and what I do to accomplish my goals My identity is the feelings and emotions I pour into my journal every day, and the way I feel when I do something right. My identity is not what others thing of me or what I think of myself after a bad day. My identity is the love and confidence I have in myslef, and the beauty inside.
In “It Seems to Me: Speaking Spanish in America” by Walter Rhein, the author explains to inform a write about the issue by using Pathos, Ethos, and some Logos. The author was born in America to American parents; also, he has a U.S. passport and a Bachelor of Science in English. He is learning Spanish in Lima, Peru. Some reason because claims that are daughters being the prominent family in a member of the community. How to know that he is speaking Spanish in America about effective as a second language in their daughters for bilingual. The author wants us to people living in a different to their kinds of speaking in Spanish and English in America, but he can believe it is a better improve. Sometime he knows to experience with speak in Spanish to help people in speaking don’t know of the American dream to all.
Biological influences combined with societal and social expectations contribute to how well people learn to adapt to their environments (2013). According to Erikson, there are eight stages of development. Within these states, there are different psychological, emotional and cognitive tasks. In order to adjust, individuals must learn to develop these tasks. During adolescence, Erikson states that each person needs to navigate through the development task of ‘‘Identity vs. Identity confusion ’’ (2013). He defined this task by stating that adolescent children must learn to develop a sense of self and establish independence. Prior to this stage of development, a person’s parents largely influence their identity. In this stage the adolescent children begin to explore and develop their identity outside of their parents’ influence (Hill, Bromell, Tyson, & Flint, 2007). Adolescents are generally more egocentric at this stage and have an increased sense of self-consciousness. They also have a strong desire to conform to peer influence and develop concerns regarding their appearance. They develop concern about their level of competence in relation to their peer group as well. As peer influence increases, during this stage, parental influence decreases (Ashford & LeCroy, 2013; Hill et. al, 2007). Conflict generally increases between parent and child at this stage of development (2007).
“Lo cortaron con la misma tijera!” is a saying we have in Puerto Rico when we are saying, “they’re all cut with the same pair of scissors” - which really means they all follow the same pattern. It’s so easy to say that about the incumbent. “He’s a big fat loser!”, or “Get that bum out of office!”, or “I don’t like his feet!” But it’s not really practical to use that to base our decisions on, is it? When it comes to the realities of our lives, we have to base our decisions on something with a little more substance
Boroditsky concludes that “Language is central to our experience of being human, and the languages we speak profoundly shape the way we think, the way we see the world, the way we live our lives.” (Core reader p. 49) I would like to add that language is also the foundation of a person’s culture, pride, and self by exploring articles written by Eric Liu, Amy Tan, and Gloria Anzaldua. In his book, The Accidental Asian, there is a chapter called Notes of a Native Speaker: Growing Up Across Racial and Cultural Divides, where Eric Liu describes his assimilation. His parents “didn’t tell [him] to do anything except to be a good boy,” C.R. p.62) so there he was, at a fork in the road between being the typical Asian and the atypical Asian.