Analysis Of The New Bathroom Policy At English High School By Espada
Espada is a Spanish speaker forced to speak English. Rodriguez is also a Spanish speaker forced to speak English. I am an English speaker that isn’t forced to speak Spanish. Fair? Not so much. The definition of bilingualism is fluency in or use of two languages. Martín Espada is the author of the essay “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School” which is about the act of Spanish being a forbidden language in a school full of multicultural children. In the essay, his main argument is the idea that the language of Spanish, or Bilingualism as a whole is interpreted as a burden for a young immigrant. Another author named Richard Rodriguez wrote about his struggle to juggle between his 2 languages, his public language (English) and his private …show more content…
Throughout his text, he explains that he felt uncomfortable at school knowing he would have to speak this language that didn't connect to his identity. A significant quote from his text is “At last, seven years old, I came to believe what had been technically true since my birth; I was an American citizen (Rodriguez 120-122).” This quote means that after having to learn English and somewhat feeling secure with it, he imagined the truth of being American. Another important selection that stands out to me is “But the special feeling of closeness at home was diminished by then (Rodriguez 123-125).” The reason why this quote is so important is given the fact once he felt further comfortable with English, he lost that connection with his family through Spanish. At the end of his excerpt, he speaks on the loss of family dynamic, he never “rushed home after school anymore.” Spanish was the main principal in his family, and after being forced to brush off the Spanish language, his family was troubled. Rodriguez wants his readers to know that the issue wasn’t the setbacks in learning English but the setbacks in his loving family. This is an important aspect of bilingualism for American society to understand because no brave soul decided they wanted to speak on it. Me, I can because I haven’t had to endure such pain. But many humans have and we can’t keep pretending they …show more content…
One reason is that he learned English at a young age, but he knew Spanish when he was born. He explains it in a way of stripping a key part of your identity away without any explanation as to why. A second reason or example is that when he was able to advance in English he slowly lost the Spanish bond with his family. I hope all Americans can understand this so that they can allow people to live in their way, allowing people to speak the languages they want, practice the religions they please, and be content with their decisions. Putting pressure on people to act and feel the way you do will not help this civilization, it is destroying it. Apart from Espada or Rodriguez, I believe language is artistic, it’s lovely it’s engaging, and it’s a part of all of our lives. So stop trying to take that away for personal
The New Bathroom Policy By Martin Espada And Richard Rodriguez
550 Words | 3 PagesHe has worked and led many people, in law or social situations, has a lot of experience with non-English speakers, and himself is a Spanish-speaking Latino. In “The New Bathroom Policy,” he talks about an experience he had at a protest against making English the official language of Massachusetts. He noticed a man running down the steps of the State House, shouting at everyone. Espada found himself standing in the man’s path and decided to say “¿Comó estas?” The man did not like this response and proceeded to threaten Espada with ripping his tongue out for “talking to him in Spanish.”
Summary Of Aria By Richard Rodriguez
657 Words | 3 PagesAlthough there is not a clear thesis statement that is able to outline his argument it is more than obvious that he is arguing against bilingual education. Most paragraphs in essay relate to the argument that he was presenting which was although bilingual education important it in some ways hinders a child's ability to develop a sense of identity. At some point of the essay Rodriguez isn't able to transition well. For example he was first contradicting the opinion of bilingual education by saying “considered Spanish to be a private language” as a “socially disadvantaged child” He then just supported his own thoughts and ideas by continuing to tell the reader how much he was suffering.
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New Bathroom Policy At English High School By Martin Espada
442 Words | 2 PagesLanguage plays a vital role in a person’s sense of identity and connection; despite that, however, many face issues of discrimination of language throughout the United States for speaking another language. Former lawyer-turned-poet Martin Espada addresses these issues in his essay “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School,” through the use of anecdotes and his work, Espada continues to fight and serve as a voice for Latinos across America. Espada states how language isn’t a means of communication, but instead integral to an individual’s identity and culture, he recounts the story of attending a protest for a bill to make English the official language of Massachusetts, during the demonstration, a state legislator threatens to rip his tongue out for speaking Spanish, later, when Espada goes up and conveys to the crowd, he calls out to the audience that even if his tongue gets ripped, it won’t stop him from speaking Spanish with his heart, “He can rip out my tongue if he wants. But it won’t work, porque yo hablo español con el corazón,” (97-99). Espada conveys to the audience that Spanish epitomizes a person’s identity and pride.
Hunger Of Unlike Espada, By Richard Rodriguez
1622 Words | 7 PagesRodriguez uses the public vs private analogy multiple times in his essay. Spanish being the private language meaning that fewer people speak and know it, and that because it is private, people who speak it are at a disadvantage. He says, “What I needed to learn in school was that I had the right- and the obligation- to speak the public language of los gringos. ”(6-8) In the first grade, Rodruguez had to alter his personal life and individuality because English had to no
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Review Of A Hunger Of Memory By Richard Rodriguez
543 Words | 3 PagesHe recognizes the divide between the Spanish language, which was thought to be a private language spoken between friends and family, and the confident and clear English language. He then notices this difference within his own parents, as his father lacks the communication skills required in the American Public. Rodriguez is then required to learn English from his parents, which he resents because he feels automatically changed by the language. Eventually, he gives way and excels in English at the expense of his. This causes a loss of intimacy within his family, causing him to discover that intimacy is not through language, but through those people he is intimate with.
The New Bathroom Policy At English High School
651 Words | 3 PagesMy personal experience being multilingual is that i am able to freely express myself in words or phrases that come natural to me. Being able to speak Vietnamese, English, and French with ease while using some commonly known phrases from the Japanese language. Martin Espada and Richard Rodriguez, two authors that speak Spanish and English have different standpoints on the subject of bilingualism. In Martin Espada’s essay “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School” explains the need to maintain cultural identity through bilingualism, while in Richard Rodriguez’s exert “Hunger of Memory” depicts the necessity of becoming bilingual to be able to function well in society. “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School” by Martin Espada explores
The New Groom Policy At English High School Martin Espada Summary
529 Words | 3 PagesThis was best shown when Espada says, "Defending the right of Latinos to use their tongue of their history and identity creates in me a passion for Spanish itself” the best way for me to maintain Spanish is to fight for the right to speak Spanish. ”(Espada 18-20) He emphasizes how the English-only movement negatively affects them and is undesirable. It gave him the opportunity to bring together their community and to advocate for the history and culture behind Spanish. He follows up with this by saying “the best way for me to maintain my Spanish is to fight for the right to speak Spanish.”
Summary Of Se Habla Espanol By Barrientos
678 Words | 3 PagesThis quote explains that the author feels out of place. When Barrientos came to the United States she stopped speaking spanish, partly because her parents wanted her to speak english. One reason she did not want to be classified as Mexican American was that society has negative connotations outsiders. Learning spanish
The New Bathroom Policy At English High School By Martin Espada
513 Words | 3 PagesBeing bilingual can be both useful or irritating, having the ability to communicate and understand several languages or being raised to be an interpreter for your parents. As you become more exposed to a variety of languages you can often observe how society treats certain languages. Martin Espada is a lawyer and poet who defends Spanish speakers in America, makes it clear about the role of language in his essay, “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School.” He asserts that the importance of language is created from cultural identity. When Espada shared what he learned about maintaining and defending Spanish he proceeded to say, “Defending the right of all Latinos to use the tongue of their history and identity creates in me passion for Spanish itself.”
Espadas Bilingualism
601 Words | 3 PagesHe shows this through his many experiences with bilingual court and education. At the end of his essay, Espada concludes with a basic summary of what he has learned. Espada claims “The repression of Spanish is part of a larger attempt to silence Latinos, and, like the crazy uncle at the family dinner table yelling about independence or socialism, we must refuse to be silenced.” Through the summary the reader understands despite English being the prevalent language the in the U.S. today the Spanish culture is still being preserved through bilingualism. On the other hand Rodriguez argues that in order to gain a public identity, one must be willing to sacrifice some part of their own cultural identity.
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813 Words | 4 PagesHe later found the different between the two languages. For example, classroom language is the same as public language while home language is the same as private language. Rodriguez felt more comfortable in speaking Spanish, his private language, than English. Therefore causing him to not really participate or speak in class. Out of the blue, his teacher came to visit his family asking “ to encourage your children to practice their English when they are home.
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