week 2 wed

Suggestions for discussion p. 550 #2

Most sections begin with a narration of either a part of Gloria Anzaldua’s life or with a piece of history concerning the Chicanos. These brief stories bring you into the environment of what you are reading. The first two segments are much different than the following five segments. In the beginning Anzaldua writes almost completely in a first person narrative. As the chapter continues she starts to bring into the paper a more informational context while still inserting short narrative clips that go along with the topic of the section. Each section after the second tells a part of her development and her people’s development with the Chicano dialect. Throughout the segments pieces of the language are discussed but they vary from each part to the next. Anzaldua repeats through various sections some of the specific and distinctive differences in her original dialect compared to that of what is considered standard Spanish. Anzaldua even distinguishes between slight fluctuations among the Chicano language in different areas. The idea of having an identifying language is pronounced throughout the sections. She speaks of no longer being ashamed of her language despite the fact that some see it as a desecration of Spanish. Her language is her access to her distinction. When she was young she felt like she was in the proper place as she watched movies at the Mexican drive-in. The flow through the piece is well crafted with the addition of Anzaldua’s narration in each section. The fractions of her life inserted along with the information set up a well balanced article. In particular her growth of acceptance not with only the language but also the culture generates a powerful force to continue reading.



Suggestions for writing p. 551 #1

Starting out reading “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” I stopped at the first sentence in Spanish. Was I supposed to know what this said; I felt as though I would miss a general part of the piece if I couldn’t read the occasional Spanish phrase. As I continued reading the worry of interpreting the Spanish faded from my mind. Gloria Anzaldua narrative fragments made the reading enjoyable enough that I did not distract myself to much from the assignment. Continuing the reading I wonder what it’s like to be able to speak more than one language. The idea of knowing an entire other language seems so incredible to me. Both my parents can speak multiple languages and I wish they had used them at home when I was a child so that I would have learned them. The varying language in the paper can throw the reader for a loop. A reader may need to understand the fact that he or she can’t or is not supposed to understand what is being said in some sections. The reader can become overly concerned with deciphering what is being said or they can simply not worry about it; the reader doesn’t need to comprehend the Spanish to read and appreciate the paper. If the reader has any experience with learning another language such as French or Latin then the reader can relatively easily figure out what is being said. With reading the paper and coming upon the two languages we are set in a situation like that along the borderland where two different languages are being spoken at the same time. The English is unaware of the Spanish and at the same time it goes the other way around. It is up to a reader to take in what he understands as much as a person listens to the language they speak, but with it all happening in the same place at the same time it can become more difficult. Reading a piece where the writer uses different languages creates for me a realization of the how easily two languages or cultures can be mixed together to produce something as clear and beautiful as if it were done only with one language. In a nation where multiple cultures coexist it is necessary for people to be able to accept others for who they are and what beliefs they hold. Through daily encounters we may meet someone that was raised in a different environment than us, but most people treat them just the same as if they were another American.