Pooja Shah

ENGW 1100

September 21, 2016

Professor Young

Should students have the right to their own language?

The country that we live in today is claimed to be a “free country”, but in all honesty how “free” are we really? There's laws to tell us we can't do things, such as text and drive, there's rules that tell us what a person can say and where,that's not necessarily a “free” country, in my opinion. Yes, these laws and regulations are here to help us and keep the people safe, but they take away from the advertisement that America gives to the rest of the countries, about being “free”. The things people say should not be controlled by the people in charge of a country. As it says in the Constitution, “...Constitution prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of…. abridging the freedom of speech”. Our first amendment rights support the argument of having the right to speak whatever you want, in whatever language you would like.

The question of should students have the right to their own language is a topic many people see differently. In my opinion, I believe students should have the right to their own language, because it is a form of expression. A person can only say so much using the proper English dialect. Allowing a student to speak, write and communicate in a way they seem fit allows them to grow as a individual, giving them a way to make their writing, speeches and essays their own. For example, Donald Trump, a runner in the presidential election of 2016 says to Barbara Walters in December 2015, “I'm the worst thing to ever happen to ISIS”. Trump is expressing how he feels of himself and a group of people that has done harm to this country. Many would argue how controversial this is, but others appreciate that he can say this and will stand up to do something about it.

“The claim that any one dialect is unacceptable amounts to an attempt of our social group to exert its dominance over another”. This quote taken out of the first draft of the resolution says how if a language is not accepted, it just allows the common language and those who speak it to overtake the others. When living in a “free country”, everyone has equal rights, no one person is above another. Therefore, the theory of not allowing someone to express themselves, contracts for what we as Americans are here for, freedom.

However, even though students should have the right to their own language. I do believe that the individual themselves should know what is right from wrong. The correct time to say and do things. There is a significant difference from the way you would speak to your friends, whereas you would speak to your family, boss, professors, etc. If an individual is capable of doing that, and knowing what to say, where to say and what not to say, then there is no need to have a rule against not being able to use your own language. I believe that students should be allowed to express themselves the way they want, but the individual is also responsible for their own actions.

Pooja Shah

September 6, 2016

ENGW 1100

Free writing

Throughout the story, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”, by Gloria Anzaldua, the theme of identity and expressing one’s identity presented itself. Anzaldua uses language as the main characteristic of identity and building up her identity. However, many components can make up identity, the most important component in my opinion is ethnicity. Ethnicity is the social group that you belong to by religion and background. This is a trace of who you are and where you came from, establishing a story that once was used to teach you about your native roots.

Ethnicity can mean anything from the languages you speak, the religion you follow and the cultural characteristics that you, your family and ancestors fall into. This becomes a large part of identity because of the world we live in today, where some people are racist, consider non-americans to be something less and even discriminate based upon a person's skin color or race. The truth is no matter where you come from, everyone should be equal. But, in the world we live in today, that is not true. As Anzaldua says in the story, “The struggles of the borders is still ours”. She means that, since her and her family are Mexican and there's a border between both America and Mexico, and she is american, people consider them to be non-american foreigners from the other side of the border. Coming from a indian decent, I understand her struggle with people making comments about terrorist even though I myself am a complete different race.

With ethnicity comes the way we speak, whether at home or in school, with friends or with grandparents. Everyone communicates in one way, through a language. Anzaldua’s whole story is based upon language and the way it defines a person. She says,”I am my language”, meaning the way that she speaks and the language she speaks is what makes her, herself. I, myself am fluent in more than one language, Gujarati and English. Being able to speak another language allows you to keep traditions going from one generation to another. As well as being able to carry a piece of your ethnicity with you no matter where you go. Not only does speaking another language allow you to have a piece of ethnicity with you, but it also shows where your

native roots are from. Depending on the area of where you are from, the native tongue is a little different. Allowing you to express your location in the country that your ancestors are from and grew up in.

The love that you have for yourself and family, go back and begin with the pride that you have for being the race and ethnicity that you are. A huge part of being happy with yourself is accepting and loving yourself for who you truly are. Anzaldua says, “Being Mexican is a state of soul..”, she is trying to tell us that being Mexican is something that makes up her soul. In my case, I'm indian, there is somethings that the indian race is known for, that makes that certain race different from other. For example, indian people are suppose to be able to eat spicy food. That is something that I grew up around in my household. It makes me who I am. Along with that it allows me to accept that races can be different and for that reason I take pride in being indian. Allowing myself to be different than others and express myself differently.

The ethnicity part of your identity is a key factor to being who you are and accepting the way your family is. This makes up a huge portion of the way you act towards others and yourself, the outlook that you have on life and even just the things you enjoy to do. Knowing to love and accept the things that come from your ethnicity will make you a better person and help you in the long run when facing things such as racism, discrimination and loving yourself a little more than you love others. Although more components make up your identity, this is still the most important in my opinion because once you accept your ethnicity, it allows you to do greater things. Such as, love yourself and family, grow as a person, spread the traditions of your background and keep your native languages alive.

Pooja Shah

September 4, 2016

Professor Young

ENGL 1100

Reading Response Questions

“How to Tame a Wild Tongue”

1. The opening scene of the Anzaldua, in the dentist chair connects to the over point or message of the essay because the in the beginning of the story, Anzaldua is at the dentist sitting in the chair, listening to the dentist tell her how her tongue needs to be tamed. Her tongue is pushing out the cotton in her mouth, and pushing the drill and needles back. The dentist tells her they need to control her tongue, which she never does, whereas at the end of the story the languages are discussed in relation to this. The languages are being attempted to control  by some people, but as Anzaldua says throughout the story, “I am my language. Until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself”. She is referring to how she isn't going to change because someone else wants her to.

2. Anzaldua’s purpose of using spanish throughout her writing made sense in support to the point she was trying to make. Her purpose of doing this was to show the reader that, her language is what makes her, herself. And she was going to use it to express herself in her writing as well as to grab the reader's attention and to set the mood of it being okay to use many different languages and forms of them.

3. According to the text, academic english can be defined as standard spanish and Chicano Spanish can is nonstandard, because academic english and standard spanish are easy to relate for someone who fluently speaks both. Whereas, Chicano Spanish is something with a native accent that many may not understand. The inferences that can be made from referring to one identity as standard vs nonstandard are that standard languages are carried throughout with no sense of native tongue. And nonstandard languages carry a native tongue.

4. It is necessary to speak and write in academic english as a identity, because that is something that can be carried with you and you can teach to others as you carry, like Anzaldua said her language makes her, her.

5. The various types of English identities that I know are standard English, which is what we use in school and business places, slang English, which is used by kids and teen and native english which is used by the common Americans in their household.

6. My friends and I do not have a secret language that we speak in, that only we understand.

7. When I am with my friends, I speak nonstandard English, because we use slang words. Which I also use speaking to my mother, since I grew up in Jersey. Whereas, when I'm with my professors, I speak standard English, to sound professional and make a good impression.

8. “I am my language”, means that the language you speak is a big part of who you are, because it makes up a big part of a person, which is part of their identity.

9. The introduction of the story started off with Anzaldua in a dentist chair, getting her teeth/braces cleaned. The dentist was telling her to control her wild tongue because it was pushing all the cotton wads out of her mouth and pushing the drill/needles away. At the end of the story, Anzaldua makes a connection with the dentist off and her speaking her own languages. She says that “you cannot tame a wild tongue”, meaning that controlling one's mouth is difficult and can be done, whereas speaking the languages she speaks cant be stopped either.
10. Yes, because the language you speak makes you the person that you are. And it says a lot about where you came from and your roots.

11. To me, identity is very important because not only is it the way people see you, it is the way you see yourself. Anzaldua believes it is important to have identity, because she says, “...a language which they can create their identity..”, which means that she means the identity you have, goes back to the language you speak, referring to the way you grew up. Anzaldua, also feels it's important because she tells us how the identity is carried down generation through language, without this, there wouldn't be a continuation of these languages.

Getting to Know You:

1. I play soccer, I've played this sport for 14 years now. 
2. I'm passionate about my future career and academic goals. In my free time, I enjoy watching things that relate to what I want to do, such as Grey's Anatomy.
3. The most ridiculous lie I ever told was to my mom, I told her that I went to the beach over the summer and got a tattoo. I told this lie to her, because I knew she would've gotten mad and it was a funny joke.
4. When I write, I sit at a computer and just allow words to flow.
5. My writing experience hasn't been as good as it should've been, but through my senior year I learned to get a little better. Though this English course I want to learn to fluently write a good essay.
6. The name of the most recent book I've read is "MacBeth", senior year in English.
7. I don't write on social media as much as I used to, now I write/use social media such as twitter, Instagram and Facebook about once every two weeks. Whereas, Snap chat I use everyday to continue the streaks I have.
8. The most important thing for me to learn this semester is time management and how to be come a good writer.
9. Identity is the way people look a you.
10. A problem that is important to me is the lack of privacy on social media, because younger children upload and post things on social media without realizing the consequences.
11. As a writer, I would rate myself between a B-C, because my points are usual strong,whereas the details lack.