Richard Rodriguez's Coming To America

Carl Gustav Jung was a famous swiss psychiatrist that once simply said: “Thinking is difficult, that’s why most people judge”. To clarify, we as humans have this constant need to know everything about everything; to understand something is to think in every aspect; who, what, when, when, where, and why. Consequently, people judge because making assumptions about who an individual is, is way more efficient than actually getting to know the person. It is said to never judge a book by it’s cover, but we often sway from that idea to gain any type of information. Like essays “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan and “Dumpster Diving” by Lars Eighner, this idea is deflected. In both essays and through personal experience, it is evident that everyone is judged by the way we speak, act, and look thus affecting how we are treated.

Everyone views language in a different way. Some think that one is superior over the other and thus everyone should speak that language.

In order to see the world through the eyes of another is to truly learn as much as possibleabout different cultures and ethnic backgrounds of Americans. Learning about a culture broadens your exposure to that culture. When we know about different cultures, we learn to understand the differences and similarities amongst us. This in turn helps us to learn to get along. The balance between language and culture contributes in significant ways to the relationship with others. In Amy Tan=s article AMother Tongue,@ Amy talks about the rudeness her mother encounters in stores, banks, and restaurants because she does not have a good command of the English language. Tan writes, AI believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say. That is, because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect.@ Later, Tan realizes that if her mother could express herself in her native Chinese tongue, her thoughts and her language would be brilliant.

With the United States being on the most diverse and most populated countries in the World, the ability of speaking a foreign language can be beneficial. The United States Population is estimated at 321 million and 41% are of another ethnicity, according to the United States Census Bureau. Most that have migrated to the US, speak another language other than english and it comes in handy when it is needed. Such as for translating for others that are in need or helping with directions. The more people communicate with other the more knowledge and different perspectives they can gain of of others. The ability of communicating with others in a different can change people’s point of views of others by helping them understand one’s

With the many different cultures in the world comes many different languages. While languages are very interesting, they can make communication between two people of different backgrounds difficult. There have been multiple instances in my life where I could not effectively communicate due a language barrier.

His desire for learning was baffling to his family. Rodriguez says “I devoted myself to my studies. I became bookish, puzzling to all my family. Ambition set me apart” (195). Even from an early age, the defining characteristic of Rodriguez’s unusual education displays itself. That characteristic is isolation. Isolation is what enabled Rodriguez to have such an exceptional education, and started him on the path to believing that through hard work anyone could receive a good education. Rodriguez is isolated from his family by his very desire to become more educated. At first he shunned his heritage, and isolated himself further. As his education continued, so did his isolation, until eventually he realized what had happened, and returned to his family, and found that the isolation and education had changed him in such a way that he could not relate to them anymore. He says “…after the early relief, this return, came suspicion, nagging until I realized that I had not neatly sidestepped the impact of schooling. My desire to do so was precisely the measure of how much I remained an academic.” (205). Because of his education, he realizes that he has become different, and that realization is what makes his difference real.

Speaking another language is like being a part of a secret club that only people who can speak your language have a membership to. When you run into a person who speaks the same language as you in public, you get excited and converse with them because you have found another member of the club. To people who are non-bilingual, bilingualism may be used to classify those who do not belong in your country. To English language learners, bilingualism is one’s identity and their connection with their culture. The different opinions on bilingualism have created conflict and struggles for non-native speakers.

Language, and how we choose to use language to communicate is taken for granted every day by a substantial number of Americans. We do this because, we don’t completely understand how important language is. We take for granted how it’s used to fit into society, influence others, or even stand up for ourselves, and until we can put into perspective what it’s like to have limited access to it, we will continue to take part in this central way of thinking. The best way for a person to truly value language as a tool is by putting oneself in the shoes of a person visiting/ living in America from another country with a limited common language. I came to this realization by mistake. By making friends with people from different parts of the world I

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart,” said Nelson Mandela. I noticed how important this saying is during my stay in South Africa, when different people responded in a more friendly manner whenever I attempted to speak to them in their different languages. This ranged from me getting a discount for a haircut after I greeted the storekeeper in German, to receiving a free bottle of orange juice at the Chinese restaurant when I introduced myself in Mandarin Chinese, to being the only person in a hotel’s reception at the moment to receive a genuine smile from the receptionist when I replied her question in Spanish. While some may see these things as great achievements, others regard them as insignificant feats, thus, their reason not to bother acquiring a language in addition to whatever they already speak. Unsurprisingly, there are many justifications posed for one’s abstinence from language learning, as well as many reasons why one would not hesitate to do so.

Another main point in Richard Rodriguez 's essay was the fact that people should not give up their culture to become educated. Throughout his essay, he states that he must sacrifice his nationality to accommodate to the ideal of being educated. Rodriguez grew up in the 1950s and he believed the image of being educated required him to sacrifice his nationality and embrace the white American culture portrayed in the media at the time. In his essay he appears to greatly regret the fact that he sacrificed his culture to become educated. One sign of this is when he begins to talk about his parents after he won an award “A few moments later, I heard my father speak to my teacher and felt ashamed of his labored, accent words. Then felt guilty for the shame” (22). Rodriguez does not clearly express why he feels guilty, but the reader can come to the conclusion that it is due to Rodriguez finally realizing how far he has strayed from his culture and how he discarded it to become educated. However, he then realizes that his father still grasp his culture and he still has joy in his life; while, he feels guilty for judging his own father for not abandoning his nationality and it appears that he came to the conclusion that people do not need to give up their culture to

People in the United States should learn how to understand and speak a foreign language because it can limit the barriers between different people. Each day we come across various people, which is why we ling in a “melting pot,” a diverse nation with different ethnic groups immigrating or traveling. Since the United States is a part of a global economy, the relationship we have with other countries will improve.

Nelson Mandela quotes “Without language, one cannot talk to people and understand them; one can not share their hopes and aspiration, grasp their history, appreciate their poetry, or savor their songs. I am bilingual which means I speak two different languages one is my native language which is Amharic while the other one is English. I learned English since I was in kindergarten. Language is something that is learned by putting all your effort in it, learning a language never stop it, allows you to think outside the box which means you get to see someone else's point of view. I learned English in kindergarten but it was still difficult for me to speak to different languages in the house.

Prior to explaining bilingualism, the concept of language must be understood. At a fundamental level, language derives off one’s self expression and culture. Language does not only hold a function to communicate with another person; instead, language gives people an outlet for “not self expression alone but to make oneself understood by others.” (Rodriguez 50-51)  Furthermore, one must not forget Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion, which simply translates into ‘each reaction has an equal and opposite reaction.’ that helps denote scientific and psychological views alike.’ Regarding language, as the positive reaction is to the negative reaction, culture and self expression is to ignorance and cultural oppression. Language takes the form as a double edged sword, with the initial edge building connections and the opposite pushing a gap between

Although many people take it for granted, being able to speak one or more languages is an ability to be grateful for. We use language in our commutes, in our jobs, and at our homes. Some people are able to speak only the language of their native country while some are able to speak multiple languages from around the world. Most of the languages are interpreted and spoken by our senses. However, there are some people in the world that are not able to speak the language for multiple reasons. In most cases, the reason is because the person was born with a disorder that inhibits them from either hearing or speaking. For example, a deaf child is not able to speak the language because they are not able to hear any sounds. This results in them being force to learn a different kind of language that is not universally known. However, all languages in the world serve the same purpose in everybody’s life, and that is to be able to communicate and socialize with each other.

Language is a means of communication. It is the code we use to express ourselves and communicate with others. Language represents thoughts and ideas and it can be communicated through spoken, written and signed forms. Conventional symbols or sounds are also used to communicate. Language is an important part of our being, and English is one of the most important languages to learn. English is a global language that allows us to connect with people from all over the world. Billions of people speak and write English to a basic level. It is one of the six authorized languages of the United Nations. English is an extensively spoken and transcribed language. Numerous books, manuals, journals, letters and emails are written in English. If we don’t know how to speak, read and write English, we are dividing ourselves away from almost half of the world’s information. English is used in different expert fields such as business, information technology, medicine, science, entertainment, aviation and negotiation. English language aids in commercial transactions throughout the globe and it is the language of business in the world. “English has become increasingly essential for inter-state commerce and communication” (Swovelin 64). In today’s world, the position of English cannot be overlooked because English is one of the most shared languages and it is spoken universally. With