Gloria Anzaldua And Amy Tan

Martin Espada also argues that cultural aggression causes diversion amongst communities and that Spanish speakers receive unfair treatments due to suspicion and fear from non-Spanish speaking people. Between the communities of Spanish and Non-Spanish speakers the presence of violence and bullying lingers and affects both of the involved parties. Espada writes about one of his encounters with an

Many Minorities have been faced with constant stereotypes throughout their lives. Not only has this always been an issue for an extreme amount of time, but it has also negatively affected many people and how they live their lives. Judith Ortiz Cofer beautifully encompasses how Latin Women experience these stereotypes in an informative way by using specific rhetorical devices. However, her main purpose is to expel the negative experiences that she has with stereotyping, so all can understand the impact of it. Some of the rhetorical devices Cofer uses in her essay are ethos, pathos, and anecdotal evidence.

In her passage, Anzaldua claims that language is an identity. She stresses the importance of how people who speak Chicano Spanish are viewed as inferior due to it not being a real language. Anzaldua reveals that “repeated attacks on [their] native tongue diminish[es] [their] sense of self” (532). Being criticized by the language one speaks causes a low self-esteem and a misconstruction of identity. It can lead a person to stop or hide the usage of their language thus suppressing one’s self. She highlights the discrimination of Chicanos, so people are aware of it therefore encouraging tolerance and social justice. Anzaldua argues that “until [she is] free to write bilingually and to switch codes without having to always translate. . .[her] tongue will be illegitimate” (533). This shows how truly she

Language is much more than a method of communication. Permeated within it are traditions, customs, and legacies of one’s culture. The identity of an entire population is in the distinct vocalizations of their native language. Unfortunately, as a wave of immigrants enters the United States at young ages, many face language barriers that pose significant challenges. Language barriers affect a multitude of immigrant populations to different degrees. This, in turn, causes many of them to abandon not only their native tongue but a piece of their ethnic identity, as well. In Maxine Hong Kingston’s personal narrative,“The Language of Silence,” she describes the difficulties she experienced throughout her childhood with a language barrier as a

People who are different are consequently viewed differently. It is human nature to judge others by the stereotypes that have been ingrained into our minds for however long. Stereotypes, however, may not encompass the whole story. Sometimes, you are only getting the discriminatory side of the story--a single story. Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” focuses on the discrimination towards broken English compared to Standard English and the stereotypes that evolved from such discrimination. Similarly, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “The Danger of a Single Story” presents the idea that the “single story” is the reason for biased stereotypes that, more often than not, are untrue. Tan’s life in America was seemingly difficult due to the fact that her life and education were dependent on the language barrier between English and her “mother tongue”--the latter being seen as inferior and embarrassing. She initially felt that her mother’s fragmented English was something to be ashamed of since that was the “single story” that her peers have been spoonfed their whole lives. Adichie, however, denies these views by explaining that such stereotypes are incomplete and do not relay the person at hand’s true identity. In both “Mother Tongue” and “The Danger of a Single Story,” the speakers express how a person’s native language influences their identity through rhetorical devices such as ethos, diction, and metaphors.

United by the obligations of the law, yet entirely divided by society, welcome to America. Patriots chant “equality” one moment, and “deport them” the next. Cruel, unaccepting, and uncompassionate, American society of the majority often appears to view itself as sovereign, turning a blind eye to, and often contributing to, the struggles of minorities. In “Mother Tongue”, Amy Tan (1990) does an excellent job of sharing her experience with similar issues as she tells her readers about the struggles her mother encountered due to being an immigrant who only spoke “broken” English. Society often put no weight into what Tan’s mother had to say, believing her ability to express her thoughts reflected the quality of said thoughts, which are of absolutely no correlation (Tan, 1990). This often led to Tan having to intervene for her mother, especially during serious situations that required resolution (Tan, 1990). Immigrants, no matter how intelligent or talented, may be plagued by continuous struggles because of a lack of understanding of English or American culture, stereotypes encouraged by the media, and discrimination, especially in the workplace.

“If you want to be American, speak ‘American.’ If you don’t like it, go back to Mexico where you belong” (280). The individuality of Anzaldua has almost been erased because others tell her that she needs to fit the ideals of an American. When people say speak American, they are stating that the person needs to conform to their culture. To do this, a person must forget or ignore previous values to fit into a new place. People may want to desperately remove others from what they believed before because they view the outsiders as a danger to their own culture. Therefore, the sense of danger comes from the idea that the uniformity they have in their country might shift to follow the needs of others. The fact that punishments and reformations were used to change Anzaldua show how people assume the cultures of others are harmful to their own and need to be corrected. Moreover, people are also told to go back to their country, which further proves society cannot accept the individuality of others that are not like them. Another example can be seen when the Latinos from Anzalduas original county go against her. She states that, “Even our own people, other Spanish speakers nos quieren poner candados en la boca…Chicano Spanish is considered by the purist and by most latinos deficient, a mutilation of Spanish” (281). The negative connotation of mutilation gives people the

Some people prefer to stay connected to their customs and language from their homeland. For Gloria Anzaldúa, a Chicana, who strongly believe to keep her culture and native language alive in America. She written a short essay called “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”. It discusses about her going to the dentist appointment, and the dentist saying she can't control her tongue. When he said that, it made Anzaldúa wonder how do you tame a tongue. You'll either try to make it silent or teach it how to be calm. To do fact that many immigrants and their children living in USA for a better living, yet their acceptance isn't appreciate. So the USA tried to ease of who

In “Mother Tongue” essay by Amy Tan, Tan shares her discoveries about the different variations of English she learned growing up in an Chinese-American household, and then reflects on these findings. Tan shows the reader that racial profiling still exists, even in a time where every person is promised freedom and equality in the world. Tan talks about not only does the profiling exist and occur, but that it is also done incorrectly and inefficiently, as Tan clearly demonstrates it by surpassing any test that suggested she study medicine or engineering. In her essay it is noticeable that all the evidence used to support Tan's arguments are past experiences she had as a child growing up, speaking what was considered "broken" English. I can definitely relate to Amy Tan’s essay because I too came from a bilingual home and Like Amy Tan, I had intelligent immigrant parents and I was their main avenue of communication with people who didn’t understand them.

Being a latino in the U.S had been and still is the reason for suffering discrimination against one's aspirations and goals in life. Not only that but as an ESL life was far from being the American Dream most people come to this country looking for. The truth is that for those that had not escape from the category of ESL, prejudice will be a stigma that would follow them through high school and life. From these tumultuous waters I rose. Expectations were low and many assume that I was either stupid or incapable to compete with my classmates. My attitude and determination were the floating devices for my sicking life.

The teenage years and transition to adulthood is in itself a very difficult period. Blending or fitting in are omnipresent issues that must be dealt with. For children of immigrants, this difficulty is only intensified through language. Both Amy Tan and Khang Nguyen strategically use narrative anecdotes and employ several rhetorical devices to illustrate this struggle in their works, “Mother Tongue” and “The Happy Days,” respectfully. Amy Tan chooses her childhood home as the primary setting of her work. This allows her to focus primarily on her conversations and interactions with her mother. However, she also gives several anecdotes in which her mother’s background and improper English negatively affected her, outside the home. Through

In the essay, “Mother Tongue”, Amy Tan lays out examples of noticing the different Englishes in her life and how she incorporates them into her writing. She also breaks down the different versions of English that have taken root in her life. Tan notes that she includes all the Englishes of her life in her book, The Joy Luck Club. Tan, the daughter of immigrants, learned to navigate between the “perfect” English of her professional life and the “broken” English of her youth. The author’s main claim of there being no perfect way of speaking English is one that can be easily recognized because Tan gives clear examples of the diverse versions of English in her life, she pinpoints moments in which she sees the differences and discovers how to accept and acclimate these differences to her life and career.

People who can speak a certain language, but only in ‘broken’ form, are generally looked down upon by native language speakers. In her writing, Mother Tongue, Amy Tan writes about her

Discrimination is an ongoing problem that has been prevalent since the beginning of human existence. With discrimination though, there are subtopics and these subtopics will always direct a certain type of person. A subtopic of discrimination is the abusement towards people of a second language. Discrimination in the perspective of the discriminator may consist of undermining, restricting, or humiliating the victim; and as the victim, one has to endure this kind of abuse. There have been countless scenarios where second language discrimination occurs including in cultural literature like “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan. In result to acknowledging the recurrences of discriminatory events, I firmly believe there may be a solution to the daily abuse.

Anzaldúa grew up along the U.S. and Mexican border, and her native language is a mixture of English and Spanish languages called Chicano Spanish. After she grew up and left home, she found that those who speak Standard English and Standard Spanish look down on her when she speaks “Spanglish” because they view it as a bastardized version of a “pure” language. On the surface, influencing someone to assimilate sounds innocuous but the ramifications are deep. Anzaldúa says that language is identity, and the