IWA Introduction While examining the packet of resources, two pieces caught my attention, “Vanishing Voices” by Russ Rymer and the Self Portrait Between the Borderline of Mexico and the United States by Frida Khalo. In “Vanishing Voices”, Russ Rhymer explains, “Parents in tribal villages often encourage their children to move away from their insular language … towards languages that will permit greater education” (Rymer 7). This demonstrates how isolated ethnic groups abandon their culture in order to pick up the global language for economic prosperity. Likewise, the bottom of the self-portrait of Frida Kahlo clearly displays how plants are converted to provide energy for modern technology. The plants represent the developing countries while the technology serves as the most-developed countries which are eliminating remote cultures, and are using those countries’ resources for their own commercial advancement. These sources interested me as I had been accustomed to an Indian culture for 7 years, before assimilating into the American culture. I understood that I must learn the English language while preserving a part of my Indian heritage. I spent my 10 years in the U.S. learning English while slowly losing grasp of my Indian language. It related to my life as both sources centered around the theme of discarding one’s native culture to help learn the new language. Lori Hale is currently the associate professor of the department of religion at Augsburg college with several
In the story “Coming to America, Finding Your Voice”, journalist Hinojosa illustrates that being powerful means having the courage to speak up and trust who you are. The author shares the story of how her mother came to the U.S. from Mexico, describing her mom’s reaction when immigration agent in Texas told her that Hinojosa, her baby, couldn’t come into the country. “The super-tall Texan immigration agent with the super-thick accent towered over my five-foot-tall mom who also had a very thick accent--a Mexican one,” she states. How frightening this situation must have been for her mom is clearly conveyed through intimidating words such as “towered”. In addition, she stresses the comparison between the agent’s accent, a common one in Texas, and her mom’s Mexican one, which most likely made
In this article, “ From Rez Life: An Indian’s Journey Through Reservation Life,” by David Treuer, he talks about the struggles that Native Americans have gone through. Mr. Treuer brings to the reader’s attention the struggles that most people don’t even realize have happened. Mr. Treuer has one big struggle that is still happening today that needs help to change, which is the lack of Native American language. This is such a high priority struggle due to the fact that without Native American language, there is a loss of heritage.
According to studies performed by Puncky Heppner, a professor at the University of Missouri, learning about other cultures positively affects communication with others. Although it is important for one to understand his or her own culture, it is equally as important for one to stay informed about other cultures. In the speech “Language and Literature from a Pueblo Indian Perspective,” Silko compares and contrasts the cultures of the Pueblo Indians to the cultures of those in the audience. In this reminiscently informative speech, Silkoś credibility, examples, and diction help her to introduce the way of life of the Pueblos to an audience who is not familiar with their traditions.
Gloria Anzaldua’s short essay, Towards a New Consciousness, begins with the description of her mixed culture, a mestiza, and the conflicts she faces in being torn between being Mexican and Native American. Anzaldua expresses her struggle of her torn heritages by describing herself as being caught between two cultures and their values. Instead of being able to love and respect both cultures, Anzaldua feels as if we people feel the need to take up one side of our heritage and end up hating the other part. She paints an image as standing on an opposite side of a riverbank, yelling back and forth answers and questions showing that we eventually end up favoring one side and only getting pieces of the other
The film “The Linguists” follows linguists Gregory Anderson and David Harrison on their journey to learn about and document endangered languages in Bolivia, India, Arizona, and Siberia. Through their quest, they are able to interact with some of the few remaining speakers of languages that are near death and they manage to make an impact on how these communities view their heritage language. Focusing on the moribund languages of Siberia and Arizona, it becomes evident that speakers of the heritage language feel a love for the language and the culture it represents, but went through periods of oppression and embarrassment for being speakers of a minority language that ultimately shaped their attitudes on the language.
Leslie Marmon Silko's essay, "Language and Literature from a Pueblo Indian Perspective," and Amy Tan's essay, "Mother Tongue," share similarities and differences. Both authors discuss the challenge of language, each from their own perspective.
In the nonfiction/ autobiography, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” Anzaldúa is able to show her personal experiences of how she learns to accept that she is her language. She is able to incorporate her audience of other Chicana women who are still struggling with their identity throughout the nonfiction/ autobiography through the use of code switching, personification, and synecdoche. Through this she is not only to precious experiences to show her audience how she become who she is today through them, but show her audience how they are not alone if they are struggling as she was to find her identity through her language.
I thought that Silent Ears, Silent Heart was an excellent book. It really gave you a full prospective of what a family and a person has to go through living a life without being able to hear sound it also helps you realize what someone has to go through that can’t hear what is going on around them. The book starts off with a couple named the Clines there’s Mr. Cline who is Jack who runs his own multimillion dollar business in a glass production. His dream is to have his son at his side and follow in his footsteps and run the family business someday. Then there’s Mrs. Cline who is Margret who is a stay at home wife that is waiting the arrival of their child.
While examining the packet of resources, two pieces caught my attention, “Vanishing Voices” by Russ Rymer and the Self Portrait Between the Borderline of Mexico and the United States by Frida Khalo. In “Vanishing Voices”, Russ Rhymer explains, “Parents in tribal villages often encourage their children to move away from their insular language … towards languages that will permit greater education” ( Rymer 7). This demonstrates how isolated ethnic groups abandon their culture in order to pick up the global language for economic prosperity. It indicates that remote societies are conforming to globalization for a greater economical gain. Likewise, the bottom of the self portrait of Frida Kahlo clearly displays how plants are converted to provide energy for modern technology. The plants represent the developing countries, while the technology serves as the most-developed countries which are eliminating remote cultures, and are using those countries’ resources for their own commercial advancement. These sources interested me as I had been accustomed to an Indian culture for 7 years, before assimilating into the American culture. I understood that I must learn the English language while preserving a part of my Indian heritage. I spent my 10 years in the U.S. learning English while slowly losing graph of my Indian language. It related to my life story as both sources centered around the theme of discarding one’s native culture to help learn the new language. Lori Hale, who is
Culture affects people’s perspectives of the world and others through their upbringing and how, when, and where they were raised. In the essay, “An Indian Father’s Plea,” Robert Lake writes about how his Indian child’s traditional way of learning is different from those in western education systems and that he's not a “slow” learner but learns in a different way from his peers. In the personal essay, “Two Ways to Belong in America,” Bharati Mukherjee describes her differing views of living in America with her sister, despite both being raised in India. In the poem, “My Mother Pieced Quilts,” by Teresa Palomo Acosta, Teresa how this quilt that her mother made for her involves all these pieces of her past that are stitched together. In the
Violence and crime have a large influence on the short story, “The Disappeared” by Charles Baxter. Throughout the story Anders, the protagonist, is often affected by the crime in Detroit. He is unaware to how dangerous the city is because of his short time spent he has spent in the United States. “The Disappeared” does well in reflecting what Detroit was like in 1990, specifically in terms of violence and crime. The short story is shaped by how Anders and the other characters are affected by the violence and crime in the city.
“My people are few. They resemble the scattering trees of a storm-swept plain...There was a time when our people covered the land as the waves of a wind-ruffled sea cover its shell-paved floor, but that time long since passed away with the greatness of tribes that are now but a mournful memory.,” Chief Seattle Speech of 1854. The culture of the Native American people has been deteriorating ever since the Europeans arrived in the Americas. The impactful and immense loss of lifestyle that they faced is one that can never be recovered, what the United States has given them are generations of trauma and blatant suffering. However, the U.S. did not stop there, a multitude of cultures have been broken to help keep America pure. For instance, one of the most significant cultures that have been dismantled by the U.S. other than the Natives and their music were the languages and music of the African slaves. The apparent likeness of these two cultures in the ways in which their deconstruction impacted them is in more of an abundance, such as the dominating influence of the Christian religion and the gravely vital role of maintaining what little heritage they could through language. In contrast to this, the two groups had an opposing difference pertaining to how the Natives and slaves tried to compensate the immense loss of their culture through the generations.
What is the meaning of language? How big the role of language in your life? Have you ever realize the impact of language in your life? In my opinion, language is not as simple as people seen in general. Usually the way people see language just as a tool for communicating with others. For me, behind the general usage of language, it also has a big role in our life because a language has the power to stand and show each person’s identity. Inside the Gloria Anzaldua’s essay “How To Tame A Wild Tongue” and Amy Tan’s essay “Mother Tongue” claim that language is an identity. Because they show that language which they commonly use to communicate since the day they were born, showing who are they really are. Language as identity is very arguing phrases, it can be approach from a different perspective. This thing is exactly what are both of these essays are trying to do by approaching differently and using a different tone. Their life and experience give an impact to the way they interpret that language is an identity, and it also seen in each of their essays.
Is silence really an important factor in ife? Silence is described as complete absence of sound, however is there more to it? In The Chosen the theme is taken on with great significance. In the book “The Chosen” by Chaim Potok, silence isn’t ordinary, for it can teach various lessons, and can be looked at in a good way.
The Voices is directed by Marjane Satrapi and written by Michael R. Perry released in 2015. The movie was focusing on the importance of mental illness, crime and even romance. It touches comedy to horror. There were mixed reviews in the public getting both good and bad reception.