Se Habla Espanol Summary

Being born and raised in a culture and then uprooting your life to pursue opportunities in a different culture can be hard in three ways. First, speaking a foreign language and then coming to America where majority of the people speak English can be difficult to adapt to. When a person has grown accustomed to speaking their native language, it can be problematic to have to pick up an entire new language. Possibilities can be limited because of the restrictions on one’s ability to communicate with other. Second, if a teenager comes to America from a foreign country they will have to take on responsibilities that they normally would not. An adolescent might not be used to having to pay bills which can cause complications. Having to adjust to

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.

Speaking Spanish is important to the Mexican culture because everyone speaks it. As an individual experiencing this, I can testify that I feel united and even proud of my roots because I know the struggle of my family that got me to where I am. Being bilingual has gotten me recognized and has given me an advantage not only at home but also in the real

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,

Barrientos tells of learning to read and write in spanish. One key feature of a literacy narrative is an indication of the narrative 's significance. The aurthorś significance of learning the language is sha wants to feel like she belongs in the Latino community. According to the text the author felt out of place because she did not speak spanish, but she was Guatemalan. “I am Guatemalan by birth but pura gringa by Circumstance?” This 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

In “Se Habla Espanol,” Tanya Barrientos elaborates on her personal experience growing up in the United States. In the first couple decades of her life, Barrientos distanced herself from her cultural roots fearing that she would be judge and belittle. It was essential for Barrientos to fit in with the American society.

Children and adults from different backgrounds may speak a different language to the majority of

El Paso is a very culturally diverse city that borders, its sister city, Juarez. The

While Barrientos and Marquez in the book, The Norton Sampler, both come from very similar cultures, they both have been raised to view their culture in different ways. In, Se Habla Espanol, Tanya Barrientos writes about how when she was younger she took pride in not knowing Spanish, but later wishes she knew the language. Myriam Marquez discusses in, Why and When We Speak Spanish in Public, that she takes pride in speaking Spanish because it is respectful to her culture. In this essay we will look into the ways in which Barrientos and Marquez differ in the ways they have been raised to view their culture.

Growing up in a hispanic home is a blessing. Having spanish as my first language then later on, when entering school, came english. Being fluent in both spanish and english comes in handy more times than not. For myself, and for those of my family members that only speak spanish. That is one of my motivations to keep learning spanish and earn the biliteracy seal. My entire family of nine, with me being the youngest, was born in Mexico and our primary language is spanish. The sister that was born before me and I are the only ones in our family that can speak and understand both languages, but I am the most fluent in both languages. Going to the store or even filling out papers that came in the mail was a hassle for my family. Being able to translate

One place where Hispanic presence is on the rise is in schools. However, some Hispanic students know more Spanish than English, and therefore struggle in school. This idea of exemplifies the stereotype that Hispanics are “dumb”. Yet for most Hispanics, speaking Spanish is a big part of their

American, Asian, Russian, Mexican; we all belong to an ethnic group. While some let their culture and ethnic background define them others allow it to shape your life. Being a Mexican-American I’ve had to simultaneously learn two languages at once; Spanish for when I’m at home or with family and English only at school and with friends. Growing up, my parents didn’t speak much English, so my sister and I had to step up as the family translator. Speaking Spanish is important to my family in many ways, not only is it a way for us to communicate with our family in Mexico, but also a reminder of where we come from. Being from a Mexican family and growing up in Washington has influenced my life to be the way it is.

The article "The Struggle to be an American Girl" by Elizabeth Wong it is about a Chinese girl who did not want to learn or speak her first language and chose just to speak English. However, being bilingual has benefits like communication, jobs opportunities, etc. I chose to be bilingual for two reasons. the first reason is communication. Communication is important and if we know more than one language, it is possible to communicate with more than one group of people. Also, we can help other to communicate as an interpreter in order for them to express their ideas. The second reason is job opportunities. Because we live in a heterogeneous society, it is important to have people who can interpret between one group to another. For example, as

The documentary “Invisible Indians” argues that the Mixtec indigenous people of Oaxaca are both misunderstood and mistreated, when they are fighting to be seen and heard. Throughout the film, examples are given of how the Mixtecs are exploited for cheap labor forces, getting little to no benefits all for the hope of not only achieving a better life for themselves, but also to provided for those who they left behind in Oaxaca, as they travel north.

In order to conduct the in depth college interview assignment, I decided to interview Lisbeth Luna, a 11th grade from Middle College High School at LaGuardia Community College