Synthesis Essay: I Am Spanish As My First Language

I don’t know any Spanish. I can’t even roll my R’s or even fake an accent. Spanish class has always been a nightmare for me because people stereotype me and expect me to already know Spanish. Also at work many Hispanics come up to me and start talking in Spanish and I can see the disappointment in their eyes when I tell them I don’t know how to speak Spanish. I hate how people judge me for not knowing Spanish because it makes me feel like a disappointment to my family. But the truth is that I live in the United States and I don’t have much use for Spanish. It would be nice to know Spanish to communicate with my family, but I only see them a couple of days out of the year so, I don’t see the urgency for the language.

As a Mexican American, being Hispanic means everything I live, breathe and stand for. To me Hispanic means family, culture, unity, sacrifice and love. Growing up in a Mexican household, allowed me to embrace the meaning of family and welcome the core values that have been embedded in my heart and spirit. I am proud and honored to be taught how to work hard physically and mentally, to commit and lead in causes that are worth the fight, to sacrifice for others and to serve one another in love. Not only was I led by example of these things, but I had numerous opportunities to see it in Hispanic community and the church as well. As a daughter, sister, grad student and full-time employee, I have incorporated these values into my life and honored

After I watched the episode of “Think Tank” that discussed the aftermath of Proposition 227 in California, I realized how contentious the debate about bilingual education has been in the past and how it still continues to be today. The video hosted Dr. Krashen, an advocate of second-language acquisition and bilingual education, and Mr. Unz, an advocate of English-Only Education, in a debate about the effectiveness of bilingual education and Proposition 227.

Amy Tan and Richard Rodriquez both grew up in Northern California, to immigrant families. Amy Tan became famous for her book, “The Joy Luck Club” that later became a movie. Richard wrote “The Hunger of Memory.” Before they became famous though, they both struggled to learn English. In “Mother Tongue.” and “Public and private Language,” they describe what it was like trying to learn English, while holding on to their native language. It wasn’t easy for either of them.

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.

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

To me, being Hispanic is something which I’m immensely proud of. My heritage and the history of great Hispanics before me inspire me to do better and try to make a difference in the world. As a Hispanic, I know that we are some of the hardest working people in the world, we persevere even in the face of situations in which the odds are stacked against us. It’s this knowledge that drives me every day to make not only my parents proud, but to show the world that Hispanic people like me can make a difference for the better.

They always look up towards me and will always see me working. My parents always tell me stories how they were raised and how they had little money but they continued to work hard and are blessed with all these things. Being hispanic automatically make anything think that you are a hard worker. They may not know where you came from but know you are willing to do anything at any cost. I plan to teach my future children what it really means to be from a hispanic culture and how they should go out and proudly tell the world who they really are. To me, being hispanic and born and raised makes me want to break all negative stereotypes of how must are not educated and do not have any way of succeeding. I want to make my family proud. I have had many experiences were being hispanic has made me work harder than I would have. The main place were I had to exceed was in school. I came into kindergarten with not knowing any english. Spanish was my first language and neither one of my parents knew english. I would go to school and just listen and try to learn every little thing I could get my hands

My first language is English but I also understand haitian Creole. I would say I am intermediate in Haitian Creole. I also think some words in Spanish are familiar to me because in Creole there are some Spanish words ( as well as some French). I want to be able to hold a basic conversation in Spanish or at least understand it. Eventually, i would love to be fluent or at least intermediate in the language to be able to communicate well with my future Spanish-speaking ELL students when I become a teacher. From this class, i hope to build a strong foundation of the basics.

Volunteering at McKenna Farms Therapy Services I was able to observe pediatric occupational therapy sessions. Not only did I get to observe Occupational Therapy sessions, but I observed Hippotherapy sessions too. What I found so unique about McKenna Farms is that they had Speech Therapist, Physical Therapist, and Occupational Therapist all together at one clinic. This allowed me to witness how the different types of therapy fit together and how the therapist would collaborate to find the best way to treat the children. My favorite part was finding ways to communicate with the kids. Some of the kids I observed only understood or spoke Spanish and some others only knew sign language. Since I only speak English I found it challenging but so rewarding

Sophie and Martine both speak Creole and English. This was how Martine made sure Sophie never forgot her native language and how she was able to communicate so well with her aunt and grandma during her visit to Haiti. Bong was also able to enjoy his trip to Korea because he was able to speak the language. My mother was really proud of me when I finally graduated ESOL. However, even after I graduated my mother never stopped talking to me in Spanish. She did not want me to forget my first

The use of family language impedes child’s social growth. Insistence on using Spanish language at home made Rodriguez and his older sister and brother to be socially disadvantaged at school. Their continued use of Spanish as their private language stunted their ability and confidence to speak English. This slowed their assimilation in the American society (Rodriguez).

In September, Hispanic Society produced a “Latino Culture Show.” I was excited because I wanted to emphasize all the different nations that make up the Latino culture. We displayed flags from every nation

During my freshman and sophomore years of high school I took Spanish. It was a great experience to immerse myself in a different language and culture. I think every student in high school should take a language course because it makes for a better well rounded education. People who speak spanish as a main language are becoming more prominent in the United States, so it would be good to know at least the basics in case of an emergency. For example, I work at a Dunkin Donuts and sometimes someone who does not speak english with come in. Although I don’t know much Spanish, I can communicate with them better to some extent. Also, learning a language can help you better understand the culture. In my case, learning Spanish helped me understand the hispanic culture better. Although I believe Spanish helped me, it was very difficult to learn.

There are approximately seven billion human beings in the world, each having their own culture and traditions. Coincidentally enough, “The Tequila Worm” is based on a small town in Texas, with a family who shares the same family traditions as mine. Viola Canales, the author, talks about the main protagonist, Sophia, and how she celebrates her culture. The making of Easter cascarones, celebrating Dia de Los Muertos, and her connection with her father, Sophia’s life is not so different from mine. Therefore, Sophia’s life and experiences are uncanny similarities to mine and that is what this essay will focus on.