Hope for a Future
Hope for a Future
In today’s society, Chicano Spanish speaking people are targeted to conform to the standard Spanish speaking language and culture. Gloria Anzaldua was exposed to this conformity at a young age when her teacher did not appreciate the way Anzaldua pronounced her Spanish name and said, “If you want to be American, speak ‘American.’ If you don’t like it, go back to Mexico where you belong” (Anzaldua 374). Gloria Anzaldua who was a sixth generation Tejana and prolific writer wrote the essay “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” which is about her experiences dealing with being told to conform to the “right” language or culture throughout her life. Anzaldua gives the reader historic background of her rich culture which helps the reader understands why Anzaldua wishes to keep her cultural roots. Anzaldua uses rhetoric to make the reader feel what most Chicano Spanish speakers have felt in America.
Chicano Spanish is not like standard Spanish, Anzaldua explains how it is a variation of languages and also how it was created when she states, “For a people who are neither Spanish nor live in a country in which Spanish is the first language; for a people who live in country in which English is the reigning tongue but who are not Anglo; for a people who cannot entirely identify with either standard (formal, Castilian) Spanish or standard English, what recourse is left to them but to create their own language?” (Anzaldua 375). This quote shows how Chicano language isn’t the ‘right’ form of Spanish which makes people unsteady about the language; however it also shows how important this language is to the people that speak it because it gives them their own identity and ownership of their own culture. Anzaldua explains the history of the Chicano language and the differences it has with standard Spanish. She aims to show the reader how this evolved language is a mixture of other languages and how it all wraps together to create Chicano Spanish. Many people have believed
In today’s society, Chicano Spanish speaking people are targeted to conform to the standard Spanish speaking language and culture. Gloria Anzaldua was exposed to this conformity at a young age when her teacher did not appreciate the way Anzaldua pronounced her Spanish name and said, “If you want to be American, speak ‘American.’ If you don’t like it, go back to Mexico where you belong” (Anzaldua 374). Gloria Anzaldua who was a sixth generation Tejana and prolific writer wrote the essay “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” which is about her experiences dealing with being told to conform to the “right” language or culture throughout her life. Anzaldua gives the reader historic background of her rich culture which helps the reader understands why Anzaldua wishes to keep her cultural roots. Anzaldua uses rhetoric to make the reader feel what most Chicano Spanish speakers have felt in America.
Chicano Spanish is not like standard Spanish, Anzaldua explains how it is a variation of languages and also how it was created when she states, “For a people who are neither Spanish nor live in a country in which Spanish is the first language; for a people who live in country in which English is the reigning tongue but who are not Anglo; for a people who cannot entirely identify with either standard (formal, Castilian) Spanish or standard English, what recourse is left to them but to create their own language?” (Anzaldua 375). This quote shows how Chicano language isn’t the ‘right’ form of Spanish which makes people unsteady about the language; however it also shows how important this language is to the people that speak it because it gives them their own identity and ownership of their own culture. Anzaldua explains the history of the Chicano language and the differences it has with standard Spanish. She aims to show the reader how this evolved language is a mixture of other languages and how it all wraps together to create Chicano Spanish. Many people have believed