As a Mexican American I was raised acknowledging both of my cultures, but as I got older the concept of being Mexican American became more complicated. I remember watching the movie Selena when I was younger and being able to relate to one scene that involved the discussion about how tiring it is to be Mexican American. The characters discussed how Chicanos have to prove that they are American enough for America and at the same time being Mexican enough for Mexico. Additionally, if they are too much of one or the other, they are faced with constant criticism. An identity crisis builds up for Chicanos because of the uncertainty of who they are and where they belong. The balance of being both Mexican and American has made it difficult for Chicanos …show more content…
Most Chicanos have a weak connection to Mexico. A way parents establish a connection between Mexico and their children is by teaching them Spanish. Often students with similar Hispanic backgrounds use Spanish to communicate with each other and this has caused issues for schools. Teachers have started to reprimand students for speaking Spanish and forbidding the use altogether. Teachers’ reasoning has been that by doing so, it creates a fair environment for students who do not understand the language, but this has an effect on Hispanic students. As Gloria Anzaldúa describes in, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” “In childhood we are told that our language is wrong. Repeated attacks on our native tongue diminish our sense of self” (210). When teachers tell their students to stop speaking Spanish, it affects the way those students perceive their culture. Teachers are indirectly telling students that their culture, which is tightly associated with their language, should not be expressed. I was in ninth grade when my teacher told me and the rest of my Chicano classmates that we should not speak Spanish in class. It felt like we were being stripped away of a special quality that made us stand apart from the rest of the class. After we were not allowed use Spanish, that attribute that made us unique individuals was gone. When someone’s culture is dismissed as a nuisance, …show more content…
More and more Chicanos are acknowledging this new form of communication, as seven out of ten first generation Mexican Americans have confessed to using Spanglish. Spanglish is when a Chicano speaks and seamlessly transitions between English and Spanish words in their sentences. Not only has Spanglish made it possible for easy exchange between languages, it also makes communication for Chicanos that have difficulty speaking either of the languages. Spanglish allows them to speak Spanish sentences and insert the English translation of some words in Spanish that they have difficulty pronouncing or remembering, and
Se Habla Espanol is an essay by Tanya Maria Barrientos, whom discusses her struggles with learning her native language as an adult after years of discrimination for the color of her skin, regardless of being raised in America. Initially when I read the essay, I believed that it could only apply to Latino women, due to it being published in a magazine directed towards Latino women, but before I finished reading the passage I realized that her story could apply to anyone struggling to learn their native tongue or a language in general. So I quickly discovered that you can’t judge a passage by the periodical it’s published in. Her social development and sense of belonging were greatly influenced by the way she perceived stereotypes against her
Rocio describes her classes being very basic and taught in Spanish which made her feel very comfortable. But after realized that she wished the system would have challenged her in English so she could be prepared for further education instead of simple catering her language. She hopes they challenge other students because, in the long run, it’s worth
Primarily, the idea behind bilingual education is that ““primary and secondary school students who do not speak English well or at all should be taught in some or all subjects in their native language while they learn English” (Skrentny 179). The law targeted limited English proficiency students and especially the Hispanic community who had the high rate of dropouts at schools. While Gann, Duignan, Moore and Pachon insist on the role of Hispanic movement in supporting bilingual education, Skrentny's analysis of bilingual education demonstrates that Hispanics claimed bilingual education as a civil right issue after the emergence of bilingual education. He does not deny the role of the Hispanics but does not put the merit of bilingual education on them. In fact, Skrentny explains that the strongest support for bilingual education came from organizations such as the National Education Organization which argued that forcing immigrant children to give up their mother tongue and native culture in order to assimilate might cause important damage on the self-esteem of the children.
Gloria Anzaldúa, in the essay “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” (1987), claims her experiences as a Chicano taught her that her culture was not looked at highly in comparison to the English language. Anzaldúa argues her view about her Chicano language by giving examples of both cultures Chicano Mexican and American cultures. Anzaldúa’s purpose is to inform her audience on how it is to grow up in a Chicano speaking family. Anzaldúa writes in a frustrating tone throughout the story of her life experiences. Thesis: Anzaldúa use of her personal experiences, and Music, Film and Literature are relevant sufficient and
Children come to school with a particular mind set each according to their culture. For example, a Hispanic child might find very common to eat tacos, beans and rice very often. On the other hand, a European student might not find constantly eating Mexican food very common. Also, in a traditional Hispanic household it might not be too normal to eat out more than once a week or in special occasions. With this in mind, it is important to remember that students need to keep learning their home language and talking about it in order to relate and identify similarities and differences with other languages.
At home it’s all about Spanglish growing up Mexican your first language was Spanish and starting school that’s where I and my sister learn English at home we always spoke Spanglish without even knowing my parents wouldn’t allow my sister and I to speak English but as we got older and are first language was beginning to be English we would say “orale pues” meaning ok but still spoke little Spanish so we mix languages without even thinking about it. When I arrive at home from work I always greet my son with “Hola bebe how are you” which I don’t even think when I do that. In an article Fount and Hella(1952)
My Rhetorical Analysis Language is a part one’s identity and culture, which allows one to communicate with those of the same group, although when spoken to someone of another group, it can cause a language barrier or miscommunication in many different ways. In Gloria Anzaldua’s article, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”, which was taken from her book Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza, she is trying to inform her readers that her language is what defines her. She began to mention how she was being criticized by both English and Spanish Speakers, although they both make up who she is as a person. Then, she gave convincing personal experiences about how it was to be a Chicana and their different types of languages. Moreover, despite the fact that her language was considered illegitimate, Anzaldua made it clear that she cannot get rid of it until the day she dies, or as she states (on page 26) “Wild tongues can’t be, they can only be cut out.”
I grew up in a two-parent household with my parents being married before they had children. My father has always been the one that provides finically, while my mother was the one who took care of my siblings and I throughout my childhood. Being that both of my parents were born in Mexico, I consider myself Mexican American. I am proud to be Mexican American. Culture plays a huge role in shaping your identity.
Instead of supporting why the teachers should have spoken Spanish to him, he then presents a statement that goes against the wishes of his non-bilingual self, saying “I would have trusted them and responded with ease. But I would have evaded- and for how long could I afford to delay?-learning the great lesson of school, that I had a public identity.” Although the process of learning English had caused discomfort, it was the pressure to learn a language that ultimately lead him to learn the public language English and become a member of
For instance, she states, “…we don’t identify with the Anglo-American cultural values and we don’t totally identify with the Mexican cultural values. We are a synergy of two cultures with various degrees of Mexicanness or Angloness” (85). This quote exemplifies what many Mexican-American think and that is, that we aren’t a part of just one culture, but rather a mixture of both. Furthermore, there are obstacles that a Mexican-American may face, such as discrimination from one or both cultures. This is seen when Anzaldúa says, “Pocho, cultural traitor, you’re speaking the oppressor’s language by speaking English, you’re ruining the Spanish language…” (77).
Choosing to be a Mexican over American Today I feel more like a Mexican than anything else even though I was born in the united states. I may have papers and be American but hearing other ethnicities call my people immigrants and illegal makes me feel more like an immigrant myself. I feel this way because although I am considered an American I would much rather stand by my people and my culture. I would label myself as a Mexican-American, Latina, person of color, and as a minority. I describe myself as a Mexican-American because I was born and raised in Chicago and from Mexican descent.
Rodriguez would speak English in school because to him it was a “public language”, while Spanish was a “private language” (72). Rodriguez
Although the two ethnic groups which make up the Mexican Americans are similar, each group possesses different traits which differentiate them from each other. One clear difference between the two groups is that Mexican Americans oppose the influence of Anglos and their view of being having a superior standing above that of the Mexican Americans. Also, Anglos view the furthering of the educational levels of the Mexican Americans as being as having a detrimental impact, which would be pushing Anglo’s out of jobs and then hiring the Mexican Americans to replace them, often at lower paygrades. Geographically speaking, there are differences as well.
I’m the first generation of my family to be Mexican -American, but I have been introduced to the Mexican culture since I was born. I appreciate the difficulties my parents have faced to make me the person that I am today even though I wasn’t born in Mexico my parents have taught me the language and the culture which I’m so proud of being part of. For others being Hispanic is actually being born in any Latin American countries which is not true at all. Being Hispanic is much more than my cultural background it actually describes how much I appreciate my culture and how I get to experience things other people don’t. I fit into the Hispanic community through the experiencing the culture first hand ,participating in traditions and planning to include my culture in my future.
societies in the world. These sub-cultures include Whites, African Americans, Asians, Irish, Latino, and European among others. Chicano refers to the identity of Mexican-American descendant in the United State. The term is also used to refer to the Mexicans or Latinos in general. Chicanos are descendants of different races such as Central American Indians, Spanish, Africans, Native Americans, and Europeans.