“Go back to your country. You're stealing our jobs. Build a wall.” In the modern political realm, such divisive language has become the norm and the platform of many leading politicians. In response, the immigration process has become increasingly selective, to the point that many Americans would not be able to pass the citizenship test. Even if an immigrant successfully overcomes all political obstacles and makes it to a new country, the change in culture waiting on the other side can prove an even bigger hurdle. In “Always Living in Spanish,” author and professor, Marjorie Agosín recounts her own struggle to balance old and new culture after being forced from her home country of Chile. Agosín explains to Americans why immigrants want to hold …show more content…
She utilizes rhetorical questions to recreate the feelings of loss and confusion felt by immigrants new to the United States. Agosín has the reader to consider these questions when she asks, “How does one recover the familiar? How does one name the unfamiliar? How can one be another or live in a foreign language?” (Para 2). The rhetorical questions deal with a subject that has no easy answer and in asking them one after another, the reader begins to feel confused and convicted about what they would do in that situation. This confusion mirrors that of the immigrants, as they ask themselves the same indefinite questions when they find themselves in a new culture and new language. By stirring up emotion, the reader gains empathy for the endeavors of immigrants and begins to understand why they would be unwilling to give up their native language. Agosín uses the rest of the essay to tell of her personal experiences and give her own answer to these hypothetical …show more content…
When talking about English, she states that, “Sometimes the austere sounds of English help me bear the solitude of knowing that I am foreign and so far away” (7). Her description of English makes it out as something dead and formal, serving as a physical reminder of the “solitude” she feels in the surrounding culture. Conversely, she describes Spanish as a constant “flow of [...] syllables” that tells of the “joy of writing - of dancing” (7). When describing Spanish, the adjectives used make it out as something lively and “dancing”, illuminating the freedom of movement and expression the Spanish language provides for the author. With such obvious connotations added to the different languages, it becomes clear to the reader why someone would be wary of changing their
The Making of Chicana/o Studies discusses the historical development of Chicana/o studies from Civil Rights movements until today. In addition, the book written in 2011 by Rodolfo Acuña, one of the 100 most influential educators of the 20th century, identifies the mistakes and consequences of Chicana/o studies in the past and offers solutions for the future. It portrays the struggles of becoming Mexican and building of Chicano Studies, the sixties and the rise of the Mexican American youth organization, the trenches of academe, and the resist in the mainstreaming of Chicano Studies.
The focus of this essay is how immigrants have changed American. Joel L. Swerdlow, in “Changing American,” demonstrates why it takes 2 generations become successful: Language, Culture, and Economy. First of all, Language is one of the big problem that a second generation take when people come to another country (please) in "Changing American" by Joel L. Swedlowb tell us ' ' In 1990 some 32 million U.S. residents spoke a language other than English at home, and more than 7 million lived in households with no fluent English speaker over 14 years old. ' ' It is a problem for the second generation to be successful because their parent doesn 't help them in their home in the language.
Between 1790 and 1920, the United States used assimilation to shift Native-American culture into Euro-American culture. Americanization policies stated that when Natives learned Americas customs and values, they could combine their culture with American culture and have a peaceful transition into society’s majority. However, after the Indian Wars, Native American children were sent to boarding schools where they were forced to adopt the English language and other cultural aspects of the new America and leave their own traditions behind. The question of whether assimilation should be encouraged is still debated today.
The validity of the perception that “the United States is a country made of immigrants” has been historically challenged by the government and those in power. In his book, Latino Americans: The 500-Year Legacy that Shaped a Nation, Ray Suarez provides a deep understanding of how the contributions and struggles by the Latinos in the past has shaped the present of this nation. To many “Americans,” Latinos are just new immigrants coming from their land in search of a better future. For those Latinos, however, leaving their countries, cultures, families and communities comprise the most significant sacrifice of their lives. As many other Latinos, my family migrated to the United States with the hope of a better future.
Racial stigmas and stereotypes have negative effects on a multitude of ethnic groups. Across our nation, members of numerous races experience difficulties surrounding their identity and inability to refine their English dialects. Anna Marie Quindlen, an American author, journalist, and New York Times columnist, once said, “Ethnic stereotypes are misshapen pearls, sometimes with a sandy grain of truth at their center... but they ignore complexity, change, and individuality”. Quindlen’s viewpoint is skillfully displayed in “Mother Tongue”, a first person narration by an Asian-American woman, Amy Tan.
When the three cultural extremes of the Spanish Conquistadores, the English Settlers, and the Native Americans converged in the New World, their morals and values were negatively influenced. The Conquistadores were in search of wealth in abundance in the New World, and were determined to find it. The English Settlers came to establish a colony absent of the pressures of Roman Catholicism. The Native Americans were living in peace until the disruption of foreign civilizations. All three factions would have to adapt once their beliefs and ideals clashed.
Learning a new language is difficult and sometimes can cause a mental detachment for a person between the use of his or her mother tongue and his or her second language. Eva Hoffman’s Learning Life in a New Language illustrates her struggles of learning and accepting the use of the English language after her family moves from Poland to Canada. This transition proves to be challenging as she continually makes comparisons between the different languages and feels as though the learning of English with her attachment to Polish creates two different identities within her. In the text, Hoffman makes use of Aristotle’s rhetorical appeals ‘logos’, ‘pathos’ and ‘ethos’ as well as other modes of development to talk about her experiences. The purpose of this research is to analyze and discuss the use of these rhetorical appeals and other modes of development to argue that learning a new language is challenging and can create a struggle with having an identity in a language.
The first time I arrived to this nation, I landed at the city of New York, where countless of immigrants, like me, once entered, what was and is known as, the land of opportunity. I’ve come to think that Ellis Island, the gateway to millions of immigrants to the United States, has remained in tact over the years to remind us that this nation was built and made what it is today by immigrants. The hurdles of being new to this nation approached life in different colors, forms and shapes. My English was undoubtedly limited and the few words that I could grasp did not allowed me to even sustain a conversation based on simplistic small talk.
Immigration is deeply rooted in the American culture, yet it is still an issue that has the country divided. Marcelo and Carola Suarez-Orozco, in their essay, “How Immigrants Became ‘Other’” explore the topic of immigration. They argue that Americans view many immigrants as criminals entering America with the hopes of stealing jobs and taking over, but that this viewpoint is not true. They claim that immigrants give up a lot to even have a chance to come into America and will take whatever they can get when they come. The Suarez-Orozco’s support their argument using authority figures to gain credibility as well as exemplification through immigrant stories.
Conservative icon Ronald Reagan once remarked that the “nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” This phrase has been cited to criticize government work for decades. Despite the constant reproach from the American people, very little has been to done to curb the inadequacy that seems to only grow worse with each new congressional session, especially in regards to immigration. Since the formation of the colonies that eventually became the United States of America, immigration has been a crucial part of the nation’s culture and success. Today, immigration has emerged as a major political issue, as there are currently an estimated 11 million immigrants living in America illegally
Richard Rodriguez and Gloria Anzaldúa are two authors who both immigrated to America in the 1950s and received first hand experience of the assimilation process into American society. During this time, Rodriguez and Anzaldúa had struggled adjusting to the school system. Since understanding English was difficult, it made adjusting to the American school system increasingly difficult for Rodriguez. Whereas Anzaldúa, on the other hand, had trouble adjusting to America’s school system due to the fact that she didn’t wish to stop speaking Spanish even though she could speak English. Both Rodriguez and Anzaldúa had points in their growing educational lives where they had to remain silent since the people around them weren’t interested in hearing them speaking any other language than English.
Firoozeh writes about her life as an Iranian immigrant to America. Her family is treated with kindness by neighbors when they come to live in America and get lost on their way home from school: “…the woman and her daughter walked us all the way to our front porch and even helped my mother unlock the unfamiliar door,” (Dumas, 7). Firoozeh and her mother are not discriminated against because they are immigrants who don’t speak English, the Americans help them despite their differences. Had the neighbors not been helpful and patient, Firoozeh’s journey home would have been somewhat traumatic and daunting. While this a rather specific isolated example, it can serve as an analogy for all immigrants’ experience.
Rhetorical Precis #4: “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan Amy Tan’s purpose in her article “Mother Tongue” is to show the influence of her mother’s style of english. She also relates this to a more broad topic of the idea that there are many different types of english that people speak that are tailored to whoever they are speaking to. She begins this piece by stating plainly that she is not an english scholar. Instead of decreasing her credibility it actually increases it and paints this piece as a more personal set of observations rather than a bland overview of the entire language.
For instance, when Hà's teacher fakes laughs at her when Hà says her own name, Hà feels a sense of loss of her cultural identity, "I repeat, Hà and wish I knew enough English to tell her to listen for the diacritical mark," (Lai 140). Through this symbolic use of Hà's name, the author highlights the difficulties that immigrants face in adjusting to a new culture and the importance of family in preserving their cultural identity and
Because of the numerous immigrants who are desperate and desire to improve the lives of their families, America should bring down her fences and embrace these diverse cultures that aspire to live the “American Dream” in the great tossed salad called the United States of America. The topic of immigration has been and continues to be a controversial discussion. Everybody cannot agree if the addition of more walls will solve the problem or just cause more damage in the long run. John J. Savant mentions in his article that America was once known as a “City upon a Hill.” (375) Many search eagerly for ways to seize the opportunities available in this country and to take advantage of the freedom we, as citizens, all take for granted.