Every other immigrants that comes here to America , no matter what type of race . Chinese Mexican African Asian Spanish Brazilian Australian etc. All these Immigrants come to America for one thing and one thing only . To live the American dream or to live a better life . Just like Ms.Chen from the amazing story Disguises by Jean Fong Kowk . Ms. Chen is a Asian Buddhist immigrant who comes to live the American Dream for herself and he family . She has struggles like every other immigrant in this country , but the main struggle for every immigrant is to speak a different language . Not just any language but the language they speak in that certain place . Which is hard for Ms.Chen because she has already mastered the language she spoke back home . In the story Ms.Chen gets lost while trying to go home and she doesn 't want to get help from any one because she is to embarrassed to speak English . That 's common right here in America . Most of the people here who are immigrants are the same as Ms.Chen . Either they cant speak that language or they 're to embarrassed to speak it because they have that back home accent and they think there going to make fun of them . As you can see moving into something new is not so easy for an immigrant.As language comes along , you actually need it because every immigrant that comes to America comes to find a better job to give there family a better living . There are many jobs in this country no doubt about that , but immigrants who don 't speak English have a hard time doing most of the high paying jobs . Instead , they have to take jobs that pay the minimum wage and if the boss is mean take all that cruelty there going give them . in addition , they cant do anything about it due to that they know they can get fire and have no job to maintain the family . Just like Ms.Chen with her supervisor . The supervisor is so mean and cruel to Ms.Chen just because she did a little mistake to a shirt . Then she said she wasn 't gonna pay her for…
Those who are not native language speakers, but who have mastered the native language, are still made to feel shameful of their heritage. Like Amy Tan, Tanya Barrientos was embarrassed as a child by the stereotype that her native language carried. Although she was Mexican, she didn’t like the stereotype that came with being Mexican. Barrientos’ parents were well educated people. They were both bilingual, speaking fluent English and Spanish, but chose for themselves and their children to only speak English when they immigrated to…
Gloria Anzaldua in How to Tame a Wild Tongue and Amy Tan in Mother Tongue both share a similar message in their essays, they argue that every single culture faces different language obstacles when learning the english language. Both struggle to develop the correct form of english, the one considered acceptable by society. Both Tan and Anzaldua teach us about their ethnic backgrounds, in an effort to better help us learn of their struggles. Amy Tan, is of asian descent, and tells us how growing up with a mother who spoke “broken english” influenced the person she became and how she approached the world. Gloria Anzaldua, considered herself a Mexican American but mainly Chicana, and she tells us of her struggle to accept her roots and to find a place where she belonged. Ultimately, this also influenced who Anzaldua came to be. The…
In Gloria Anzaldua’s article, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” she demonstrates her experiences of overcoming ethnic identity. From personal exposure, Anzaldua describes her observation of linguistic terrorism throughout her life. The article begins in a school setting where the author reveals an unacceptable atmosphere for being caught speaking Spanish. Communicating meant speaking American, and avoiding any Mexican accents. Violation of the First Amendment is expressed through the author feeling attacked for expressing her roots. Anzaldua’s emphasizes how people who have experienced alienation should not be ashamed of their native tongues.…
Although I do not have any experience growing up in a household that used a “broken” language, I can relate to Tan’s mother. In my attempt to learn Spanish, I struggled with every aspect of trying to not only speak it but also read, write, and comprehend the language. Through the understanding that learning a new language can be like trying to navigate your way through a dense jungle, I fully believe Tan’s point was for the good. I think that too many people discriminate in many different ways against anyone that dare not use perfect English. I feel that America has a “fast food” mentality. By that I simply mean that if one little thing slightly inconveniences someone they are too quick to be mean, judge, or even be rude by saying something uncalled for or even ignoring people. For example, I work in a grocery store, and many times I have examined my coworkers and have seen a sudden attitude change when someone comes through their line and speaks a “broken” form of English. I have seen the customer fight the pain of…
“We gotta prove to the Mexicans how Mexican we are, and we gotta prove to the Americans how American we are, we gotta be more Mexican than the Mexicans and more American than the Americans, both at the same time. It’s exhausting,” this is a quote from the movie Selena. Throughout my life, I’ve dealt with a lot of obstacles, but one I seem to continue to deal with is knowing my cultural heritage. I am a Mexican-American. Every day I have to deal with the struggles of not fully understanding what being a Mexican-American means. There are days I’m with family and they speak to me in Spanish. Of course, I respond, but I respond with Spanglish. They look at me either laughing or angry and say “Que? No eres Mexicana? Hablame en Español! What? Are you not a Mexican? Speak to me in Spanish!” It is frustrating because they know my parents do not Spanish-speaking to me in Spanish 100% of the time, not even 50% of the time, yet I’m to blame. This quote is every Mexican-American struggle. They are faced to choose who they are based on what they Every day. The reality is, I can’t choose one side because I am both.…
Richard Rodriguez writes this essay in order to inform people of the racism that he has experienced. Since Rodriguez was the one experiencing the racism, his essay coincides nicely with the rhetorical devices that he chose. Rodriguez is of the Mexican culture and he recalls times when he was a kid where he was being discriminated. Rodriguez writes that as a young child he was insulted and name called for being of the Mexican culture. He writes how he would never retaliate with another insult back because he would be so embarrassed. The reason as to why Rodriguez was being discriminated was because of his…
I met my mentor as I opened my front door on a brisk fall Friday night, November 11, 2011 to be exact. He stood at about 5’3,” which made me laugh a bit because I was taller and I would be calling him my mentor. The style he had was that of a preppy college student. The voice he had was so loud that it echoed throughout my house as we first chatted. Out of all the attributes that make up Francisco, the one that will forever be stuck in my brain will be that of his enormous smile. Francisco always figures out a way to keep his big bright smile on his face, despite the situation he is facing. Francisco San Miguel’s dedication and hard work are two things that have led him towards his success…
Nico. They call me Nico. Well my full name is Nicolas Santiago Chavez. I live in Inglewood, California with my mama and papa. We are very family oriented for “la familia es amor.” Growing up in Inglewood, life hasn't always been facil. We live in a neighborhood known as Sunnyside Park, though it isn’t the sunniest place to live in. I didn’t have many friends growing up except for the kids on the cross country team. Also, I would play with the neighborhood kids, we called ourselves los chicos malos. We had been together since we were seven. Everyone knew who we were, we were like brothers. Growing up my papa always taught me two important lessons “never forget where you came from , when you make it big one day” and “Inglewood isn't the safest place so survive with instinct not heart.”…
When people are young, they are always told, “your childhood years are some of the best years of your life so enjoy them while you can.” Children typically spend their hours watching interactive shows and playing with toy, yet I have a very hazy memory of doing those things. Coming from a deprived, immigrant family did not permit me to have this joyful childhood experience, but instead led me to grow up faster than customary and shaped me into the person I am today.…
In the story “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan her mother was a Chinese immigrant who didn’t speak English correctly. Amy touches upon the subject of language barriers creating societal monsters. Amy Tan’s mother not being able to speak great English consistently…
Many people come to the U.S. hoping for a better life, but are faced with tough challenges. Of all the challenges they are faced with, the language barrier is one of the hardest to break through. Tan's mother has gone through many experiences that shows how hard it is for immigrants to communicate with fluent English speaking officials. For example, people in department stores, banks, and restaurants did not take her mother seriously. Even in serious situations professional officials, which are looked up to, are still rude to her due to her limited English. Like her incident with the stock broker and the doctor. It is a shame how these highly educated officials in which we think so highly of can be so low.…
The author describes the hard times immigrants have because they speak imperfect or broken English through the use of rhetoric. In some instances not all needs are catered to, but I believe this is one where they should be met. I will analyze the logos, pathos, and ethos of the author to determine his feelings on the subject. The writer's audience is anyone who has experienced a situation similar to his family. His purpose is to get…
storyline.” Through his photography artwork fashion and character design he creates a complete branding. Ortiz wants to continue on cultivating this project as a sci-fi big budget cinematic movie. Setting up his standards very high as he would like to work with the renown film producer George Lucas. He mentions that he says his goal at the top so that he would never give up until his script turns up on the big screen.…
Likewise, official English violates the constitution of United States that says all people inside the country, even undocumented immigrants, have the right to freedom of speech and religion, the right to be treated justly, the right to privacy, and the other essential rights U.S. citizens enjoy. But unfortunately, there are people who, even knowing all that, do not respect it. In an article in The New York Times, Verhovek, Sam H., reports the words of Samuel C. Kiser, a judge in Texas, to a mother of a 5-year-old girl to whom she speaks only Spanish, "you're abusing that child and you're relegating her to the position of housemaid”. Certainly, this mother spook Spanish with her daughter expecting that she would not abandon her first language since she would obtain English. So, the judge’s act was drove by pure racism, and was not under the law. Even though, proponents of a national language assume it will provide a common means of communication among people, when a common language is imposed by force of law, it not only contradicts the country’s own laws, but also stimulates disagreement, disunity and…