Considering Audience, Purpose, and Structure

My partners answers matched up almost exactly to what I had written down. My partner’s impression of my essay is exactly what I wanted. As a result of the responses I think that I could narrow down the audience of my essay. My partner stated that the audience of my essay was for anyone interesting, but I think that I would like to make my paper more focused toward a specific group of people.

It's Time To Grow Up-Later

The argument that is being presented in this article is that nowadays young adults are taking longer to finish school, leave home, get married, have children, and financial independence. The writer makes this argument by using real life examples of people that are not in a hurry to settle down after they graduate college. The author also uses statical data, and analysis from sociologists. I think that the author was able to argue her point convincing and clear to the audience. Personally I was really able to relate to the article, because I was able to find many similarities between the arguments she presented and my plans for the future. For example she stated that young adults are now waiting longer to get married, compared to 1960 when couple would get married as soon as they graduated school.
I really liked how the article was informative, and was also supported by many reliable sources. I also liked how she separated the article by adding titles to the different sections of the article. When I write an article I usually only have one title, but next time I might try and use more that one head to break up my article. I also liked the graphs that were added to the article. I believe that the graphs helped the readers visualize her argument, and helped break up all of the words in the article.

Exploring A Genre

The genre that I am writing is a journal. To be honest I did not put much thought into what type of font and color my paper should be written in. I began my paper with a heading that included my name, date, subject, and topic. I did this, because of habit. In high school I was taught to head my paper his way, so now it is just second nature. Then I created a title that was centered and in a large font compared to the rest of my paper. I did this, because I wanted the title to stand out, and catch the reader's attention. For the rest of my paper I wrote in font size 12 in roman numerial. I chose this font, because my journal is supposed to be scholarly and professional, as a result I used the most traditional font and size. I wanted my journal to look as standard and traditional as possible, so I also kept the margin size the same and I didn't change them as I was writing. Overall I choose these options for my journal, because my audience expects scholarly journals to be professional and scholarly. A majority of people that would read my journal are either scholars or people that are educated and wanted to know more about global warming.
My audience will more than likely view my journal from up close. My journal would probably be published in a magazine or newspaper, so my audience would have to pick up the magazine and look at the journal up close.
In my journal I did not use color. I used black ink on white paper, because I wanted my journal to look as professional as possible.
I think that there are many ways to redesign my journal. One idea that I had was that I could separate my paper lengthwise, and make my journal look more like an article. I was also thinking that I could add a couple of pictures to help illustrate and support my facts and arguments.

My grade

I think that I should get an A for my writers journal, because I have done all of the assignments necessary to get that grade. The only thing that I did not do was one of the assignments, because I was sick and I did not have a partner to switch papers with. I still need to go to the writing center, but besides that I think that I should get an A for my writer’s journal.

Modern Technology

Technology is constantly being reinvented and upgraded to better suit the lives of modern day society. Modern technology is involved in almost everything that we do in life. For example before I came to Virginia Tech I was told that I needed to pick up a tablet notebook instead of a regular laptop. My parents and I wondered why a freshman would need such an expensive and high tech computer for their first year at school. When I bought it, I was positive that I would never bring it to any of my classes or use it outside of my dorm-but how wrong I was. It seems that now I bring it to almost all of my classes, and I use it constantly in lectures and in workshops. And although the latest technology is exciting and modern, is technology really that great?

Just from looking at the latest cell phones that come out every other week, technology is constantly being upgraded to include the latest gadgets and devices. But when do we stop using technology, and begin depending on ourselves. Don’t get me wrong, I depend on technology more than anyone else, but after reading the article “Confessions of an Instant Messenger” it made me think about modern technology in a different light. For example in the article is analyzed how teenagers and young adults are depending some much on facebook and instant messanger, that they are beginning to lack in their communication skills. Although I thought that the author’s argument was more of an exaggeration, I do believe that his argument is true to a certain point. I do believe that nowadays people would rather communicate by using technology than having a face to face conversation. Many people argue that they use facebook, email, instant messenger, etc., because it is convenient, but when does convenience turn in to laziness.

My dorm room is located next to the stair well, but yet I always tend to use the elevator because it is closer and more convenient than walking around my building to get to the stairs. Sometime I tell myself that I am too tired to walk up six flights of stairs, and other days I just confess that I am too lazy, but the truth is that the elevator is not the only technology that we use on a daily basis to make our lives easier. For example I made it through all of the test and quizzes in calculus thanks to my TI-89. When I was a junior in high school I wanted to buy it so I could do all of the equations with ease and convenience. Then when I got to college calculus and learned that we were not allowed to use our TI-89 on our tests and quizzes, I felt like my crutch was gone.

On the other hand, modern day technology has increased the standard of living all around the world. Technology can save lives, cure diseases, and make work easier and more convenient. It is important that our society makes technology a key topic of research, but at the same time it is important to realize that the fastest and most convenient way to do something is not always the best.

Changes

The transition from high school to college is an extremely important decision in any young adult’s life. I can still remember how stressed out and nervous I was about finding the right school, and the application process that went along with it. I am happy to say that it was all worth it. College is extremely different that what I had expected or thought of. For one thing as an engineer I definitely have more homework that I ever thought possible as a freshman. But my life is completely different than it ever was in high school.

In high school I was completely involved in activities from the student government to sports to after school activities-and for what? I look back at my high school career and realize that I did all of those things in high school in order to put those things on my college application. I wanted to look like I was a well rounded student, so I got involved in activities around my school. Although I would love to do that here at Virginia Tech, I have learned that my life style has drastically changed since high school. Nowadays my time is composed of doing homework and more homework. Yet in the short amount of time that I have been here I have learned more about myself, and become more independent.

This year has also been drastically different, because I have realized that Virginia Tech seems like its own world outside of everything else. When I was a senior in high school my friends and I would always go watch the latest movies, but now I don’t even know what the latest movies are. At home I was always aware of the latest television shows coming up, but it seems that now I am lucky if I watch any television at all. Virginia Tech really is a Hokie Nation, and it own little world at the same time.

Yet I think one of the biggest changes that I have found here at Virginia Tech is the food. When I came here for orientation I was so excited when they took us to D2. I thought that it was so awesome that I would be eating at an all you can eat buffet for every meal. But I quickly learned that West End is the closer to my dorm, and serves much better food. They offer smoothies, brownies, hamburgers, ice cream, steak, lobster, etc. – but still nothing compares to home cooked food. Although I am pleased that our cafeteria’s food is good, I really cannot wait until I go home for a real home cooked meal.

Another big change this year has been sharing a room with a complete stranger. Growing up I shared a room with my sister when we were younger, but it’s a completely different situation when you meet someone for the first time, and are then told that you are going to have to live with that person for the rest of the year. I am glad that I got the roommate that I have this year. She comes from a completely different place than I do, and as a result we spend many nights talking about our hometowns and how different life is for the both of us at home.
With all of these positive new and exciting things to experience at college, there are still changes that are not fun-like laundry. At home my mother would always do my laundry. I would always offer to do it myself, but I only did that because I know she would refuse. Sometime I think she didn’t let me do it, because she thought I would turn all of my clothes a different color, but in the end I didn’t mind.

Life is all about changes. Changes can be good or bad, depending on what you make out of them. But no matter what changes occur, the only thing that matters is that you learn and grow from those changes.

Family

The word family has evolved into many different things in this modern world. The actual definition of a family from Wikipedia is a western term used to have a domestic group of people, or a number of domestic groups linked through descent from a common ancestor, marriage or adoption. Nowadays families are no longer made up of the common mother, father, son, and daughter. Nowadays a majority of people have stepson and stepdaughters or two mothers or two fathers, but whatever the case is family is still family.

My family is composed of my mother, father, and older brother and sister. Even before I left for college I knew that I was going to be home sick. Although it is weird to most of my friends, I grew up with a very close relationship to my family. To this day I can still hear my mother telling my at a young age that, “friends may come and go, but family will always be there”. And like always, my mother was right. Although Virginia Tech is four and half hours away from my home in Northern Virginia, I always find time to talk to my family on a daily basis.

My mother and my father have been the biggest inspirations to me in my life. I sometime wonder how they ever met, because of how different their personalities are. I got my inspiration for engineering from my father who graduation with an industrial engineering degree from Virginia Tech. Growing up he hit some rough spots in his life, and had to hit rock bottom before he was able to move on and succeed in life. My father is honestly the wisest and most patient man I know. He always has the right answers, and if he is unsure about something he will look it up until he has the right answer. He is brilliant, and is the first person that I go to when I need help with homework. It seems that he has been through it all, and can see things from an overall point of view. Growing up he was never an overprotective father. He always trusted me to make my own choices in life, and allowed me to find my own path in life. Yet the most important thing that I have learned from my father is that life is all about learning, and taking it one day at a time. I would be lucky to grow up to be as wise and as patient as him.

My mother has always been my best friend. Many of my friends can not relate to me when I say this, but I can tell my mother anything. My mother has never been strict or overbearing and has always encouraged me to do whatever I want to do in life. She is the one that has always believed in me, and will always be there when I need to talk. She is always happy and cheerful, and youthful. She is the one that always gives me motivation and hope. My mother is the sole person on this earth that will make me feel better after I have spoken to her. My mother is sensitive and caring, and has taught me almost everything that I know in this life. Yet the most important thing that she has taught me is to try my best in everything I do in life, and that’s all you can do.

My brother and sister have also been the most important people in my life, because I can always talk to them, and they are always able to relate to me. My brother is four years older than me, and when we were little we would constantly fight. We are much more alike than I ever realized before, and we always fought because we have the same personalities. But as we got older he matured and so did I. He went from picking on me to protecting me, and even to this day he sometimes acts more like a father than a brother. And although sometimes he is not very sensitive, he always tells me what he thinks, and I know that he has my best interest in mind. Growing up I would come to him with my problems and sometimes with tears, and he would always comfort me and tell me what he truly thought. He would never lie to me, and I am proud to say that there is a lot of him in me.

My sister has always been my best friend ever since I was little. Growing up we were each other’s playmates and companions, and now that I am away from her at college I truly miss her. I think that we get along together so well, because we are so different. She is a calm and cool person, who goes with the flow. She is a good listener and can always relate to me. My sister is the only person that I can talk to for hours and never run out of anything to say. She has always been my best friend, and always will be. She has a heart of gold, and will always give someone the benefit of the doubt. She is my friend and my companion, and because of that we will never drift apart.

My family is a major part of my life. I know that at my stage in life, my friends are supposed to be the most important thing to me, but while they are important they don’t hold a candle to the relationship I have with my family.

Abortion

In my women studies class, we talk about women’s rights and the pressures society puts on women. A common topic that is often brought up in my class is the discussion of abortion. This topic is very controversial. In my class it always seems to be that the people that raise their hand to speck either feel very strongly about one extreme or another. Yet abortion is not as simple as a yes or no answer. There are many other variables to this topic that make it complicate and hard to determine. For example if a mother wants to get an abortion, when is it acceptable for her to get it? At what time is an abortion no longer moral? These questions are just a few of the questions that make this topic so hard to determine. Many people feel very strongly for one side or another, and much of it has to do with your personal beliefs and values.

The Wikipedia definition of an abortion is the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in or causing by its death. Nowadays abortion is becoming a very heated topic. From all of the technology and medicine that is being developed it is easier now than ever to get an abortion.

In the abortion debate many women either side with the pro-choice movement or the pro-life movement. The pro-life movement believes that each woman should have the rights and privileges to do whatever she wants with her body. They believe that each woman’s situation is different, and it is only up to that individual to determine what the right thing to do is. They also believe that women should have access to safe and legal abortions, and should be protected from forced abortion. On the other hand people those that support pro-life believe that abortions should be against the law. They believe that a fetus or an embryo is a living human being, and deliberately killing a human being is wrong and unethical. They also oppose certain contraceptives such as hormonal contraceptives like ECP’s.

An abortion is a very private and serious topic. Yet I believe that every woman should have the right to decide what happens to her own body. Having a baby is a life altering decision, and I believe that if Congress passed a bill banning abortions than it would have an adverse effect on the safety of women in society. For example nowadays women can get an abortion safely from a doctor, but if the doctors are banned from performing abortion on women then it could cause some women to find other, more extreme and dangerous alternatives. I believe that if Congress were to ban abortions women would get illegal get abortions from phony physicians, and could result in serious health hazards to not only the mother, but the fetus as well.

Also I believe that it is unfair to have a congressman tell me what I can and can not do with my body. Every woman’s situation is different, and I believe that it is only right for each particular person to determine what is best for them. For example what if a woman was raped and then is impregnated by the man that raped her. If she wants to get an abortion is it wrong or unmoral? Many members of the pro-life movement would argue that the woman should give it up for adoption, yet that still does not solve all of the problems. Nowadays the world is extremely overpopulated, and the rates of children in foster care are increasing. And although I have never personally been in foster care, I have had people tell me that growing up in foster care is hard and lonely. The debate on abortion is very complicated and controversial, but I believe that every woman needs to make that choice for herself.

Stick It In Cheer

As a freshman the first thing that I realized when arriving here, was how many traditions Virginia Tech has. Football games are were many of these traditions are established and embedded into the Hokie Nation. As you enter the football stadium on a camp day, all you will see are people wearing orange and maroon from head to toe. The whole stadium is packed, and cheers are constantly being chanted. Girls are being thrown in the air, by groups of boys trying to imitate the number of points that the football team had scored. Keys are rattling and the “wave” is in full motion around the cheering crowds in the stadium. Yet recently there has been a major controversy about a cheer that is often chanted in Virginia Tech’s stadium.

The “stick it in” cheer has recently been under much scrutiny from the faculty and staff at Virginia Tech. Traditionally the cheer was chanted as Tech’s offense was within striking range of the end zone. The band and the cheerleaders would gyrate and dance along with the cheer, and it has become a famous cheer among many Virginia Tech fans. Yet because of the recent events that took place, many members of the administration believe that Virginia Tech is under a microscope, and any negative actions that take place are a representation of Virginia Tech.

The “Stick It In” cheer was created ten years ago, and was a pun that refers to the ‘stick’ for the drumline’s drumsticks. The administration no longer allows for the band to play this cheer, and the students at Virginia Tech are outraged. There is now a facebook group called “Save the Stick It In Cheer”. It was created by Marching Virginians member Greg Bringhurst, and already has over 2,500 members.

Personally I do not see what the big deal is. This cheer has been around for ten years, and until now the administration did not seem to have a problem with it. Nowadays I would think that a cheer like this would be more acceptable than it would have been ten years ago. For example nowadays, kids are exposed to scenes and images on television way earlier than they were ten years ago. Girls in music videos and magazines are more explicit than they were many years ago. But yet because of the incidents that happened this past April, the Virginia Tech administration seems to be overly concerned about the image of the school.

I do understand that this cheer is probably not the popular cheer among much of the administration, but what do they expect. The “stick it in” cheer is a tradition, and goes along with the whole experience of attending a football game. The football games are always very intense and exciting, and it is because of these traditions and cheers that students and alumni are able to join along and be spirited. It was stated that Lane Stadium was voted the best home field advantage in college football in 2005 by rivals.com. It was voted this, because of the enthusiasm and pride that Hokie fans have. The “Stick It In” cheer is more about spirit and tradition than it is about anything else.

Although the cheer is banned, students are beginning to fight against the administration to “bring the Stick It In cheer back”. If you walk around campus on a game day you will see many students wear the “Stick It In, Stick It In, Stick It In” t-shirts proudly along the campus.

Roadside Memorials Thoughts

The definition of death, “is the permanent end of the life of a biological organism”. Yet to most people death is a little more complicated than that. I began to think about death and mourning after I read the articles, “Roadside Memorials”. Although I am fortunate enough to never have personally grieved about a death related to a car accident, I do know people that have been permanently affected by these situations. In my hometown a group of kids that went to my high school were involved in a car accident, and one out of the four kids died.

It was the summer and they had all just graduated from the high school that I attended. They were preparing to head off to college, and it seemed that they had their whole lives in front of them. One of the girls was driving one night, after they had been drinking and doing drugs. The girl that was driving the car was the only one with a seat belt. It was late at night and they were driving on a curvy, narrow, and unlit road, when the driver swerved off the road and collided with a tree. The driver is the only one that died. The other three were severely injured, but survived.

This incident completely took my community by surprise. In the following days a memorial was put up to honor her death and the accident that took place there. A huge white cross was placed next to the tree where the car had collided, while pictures, flowers, cars, posters, banners, etc. surrounded the trunk of the tree. I never realized the other side of the argument about roadside memorials till I read this article. I can see the opposing side to the argument, but at the same time how do you tell someone that they are not allowed to put up a memorial of their loved one. I know that if someone I loved died in a car accident, I would immediately put up a memorial to honor them, where the accident occurred. And if someone told me that I had to take it down, I would probably be really offended. Yet from the opposing side if I had no relationship to the person that died, I can see how these memorials actually have an adverse effect on drivers. When the girl in my hometown died, I would constantly drive past her memorial. I would slow down and look at the latest items people had left or the signs people had made. I did not realize it then, but by doing that I could have potentially gotten into an accident myself. When I was driving I was more focused on the signs than I was on the road. I slowed down to get a better look, but I did not realize that I was putting myself and other cars in danger.

In the article it brought up a valid argument about how roadside memorials can actually be beneficial by showing, “people what can happen when you drink and do drugs and don’t pay attention to the road signs”. In the case of the girl from my high school her actions were impaired my alcohol and drugs. And although what happened was an awful incident, I think that it served as a wakeup call for of my peers. It really shocked my community, and sent a clear signal to everyone that attended my high school, that doing drugs and drinking alcohol is stupid.

Although I do not know the right answer to this controversy, I think that roadside memorials are extremely sensitive topics, and I believe that state officials need to deal with these memorials with great care. I think that no matter what state officials decide to do with these roadside memorials, they need to first tell the families, and make them aware of their decisions. Car accidents are extremely common, and although it is necessary to grieve, it is also important to think about the safety of the people in the community.

Roadside Memorials

The argument that is being presented in this article is that along it is important to mourn the death of someone killed in a car accident; memorials along public roads can sometimes have adverse effects. The author argues that by putting up religious memorials it, “use[s] public property to endorse religion”. And can also have an adverse effect, by becoming a traffic hazard for drivers observing the memorials on the road. The writer portrays his argument by using past examples of people that have been killed in car accidents, and memorials that have been put up in honor of them. He also describes some of the United States policies about memorials, and what actions do they take when they see a memorial along the highway. The author’s argument is clear and convincing. It was interesting for me to read this article, because I have never really thought about roadside memorials in this way before. I never really thought how a cross along the side of the road would affect other religions or distract other drivers. Yet after reading this article, I can see the negative sides to having a religious memorial along the side of a busy highway. Personally whenever I drive by a roadside memorial, I slow down to get a better look. However, when drivers stop paying attention to the road, the memorials can be hazardous and dangerous.

I liked how the authors were able to support his argument with facts, and was still able to appeal to the reader’s emotions. From this reading I also like how I was presented with three mini articles about the same topic. I was able to get three completely different perspectives on the same issue, and it allowed me to get background information before I read about present day policies.

I really like Jeff Burlew’s final sentence that said, “While I believe in the freedom of religious expression, I don’t think that [it] is fair to promote one religion over any other religion on public property”. I really like his final sentence, because I think that it clearly summarized the argument of his article.

Cell Phone Etiquette

The argument that the author was trying to make was that in today’s society cells phones are becoming a rude annoyance in public. The author believes that although cell phones definitely have a place in our busy society, people are abusing their convenience. Annie Nakao argued that people are using their cell phones everywhere, and usually are rude and do not consider the people around them. Annie Nakao makes her argument by giving specific examples in her daily life that she has experienced. By adding her own personal experience and annoyances, her argument is presented more effectively. Her opinion on the topic is very clear, and convincing.

Yet although I agreed with many of the arguments that she presented in her article I believe that she was exaggerating the moral effects it has on today’s society. I do believe that cell phones have majorly impacted today’s society, but I do not think that, “People abuse cell phones so much, it’s become a moral issue”. There is always an exception to the rule, and there have been occasions where people have been rudely talking on their cell phones, yet these situations are few and far between. It is unfair to put all the people that have cell phones in a category of being rude and disrespectful.

I was also very interested to read many of the statistics that were presented in the article about cell phone users. For example I was surprised to read that, “mostly women who now make up the majority of American cell phone users-are yet to be made in a country that lags far behind Europe and Asia in per-capita cell phone sales”. Yet I was not surprised to read that their studies showed that, “those who don’t own cell phones tend to be more annoyed” by cell phone disturbances than people who own cell phones.

Confessions of an Instant Messenger

The argument that was presented in the article suggested that college students spend too much time on facebook and IM. The writer argues that these are the modern forms of communication, and admits to its convenience. I liked how the writer added many of his own experiences to the article. By describing his own social skills as, “Actually, I shouldn’t speak for anybody else, but I admit that mine have certainty suffered” that makes his argument more convincing. I also liked how he was able to make his argument, and yet was still able to be witty and comical. I really thought that his story about a girl he meet at a party was funny, and relates to the argument he was trying to make.

I was really able to relate to a majority of the arguments that he made in his paper. Everyone that I know has a facebook, and my friends and I constantly use facebook and IM on a daily bases to communicate. I also related to the story that he shared about his experience he had at a party. Whenever I go to a party it is very common to get a friend request the next day on facebook. Additionally it is also very easy to go on facebook to find someone’s Instant Messenger screen name.

The conclusion to his article was also very witty and relevant. I liked how he compared these popular forms of conversation to drugs. He stated that these forms of communication are addicting, and in his last sentence he states that he needs just, “one last fix”. I believe that comparing a form of communication to drugs is a little exaggerated. From personal experience, I do agree that most people check their facebook messages and change their away messages several times a day, but I think that this situation is different for every people. I think that the author is generalizing all college students, and making it seem like a bigger deal than it really is.

Response to Essay

I changed topics while I was writing my rough draft, because I was I thought that I was going to be able to a better focused essay if I had a specific story to tell, rather than having a open ended topic about my mother. So although my story original was about my mother, it is now about my experience in sixth grade. My mother has definitely changed my life in many ways, but I could not think of one particular story that I should write about. This was the best idea I had to a life altering event that has taken place in my life. I really couldn’t think of anything else that had a bigger impact than that. I wish there was a story I could think of that was more exciting or eventful, than my sixth grade experience.

I agree with all of your feedback. I do believe that my first sentence could be strong. It is not the main focus of my essay, and I could probably re-word it much better. I think that my introduction paragraph can be more focused and organized, as well as the paragraph leading up to the climax.

I Stand Here Ironing

The setting of this story is modern day society in an urban town. The narrator is the mother. In the story she talks to her daughter, but also the text reflects the thoughts in her head. The situation that takes place in the story is of a young woman that gets pregnant and has to work while her daughter is still young. When the narrator says, “Even if I came, what good would it do?” I think that this means that her daughter is already her own person who will not listen to much of her mother’s advice. Throughout the story, her daughter is described as a person that “keeps to herself” and is “a child of her age, of depression, of war, of fear”. She is not easily influenced or swayed by the advice of her mother. Also when Emily says, “Whistler painted his mother in a rocker. I’d have to paint mine standing over an ironing board,” I think that this quote means that her mother has always been working. She has never had the privilege to quit work and relax, she spends all of her time either working or taking care of her children.

Kiswana Browne

In the short story “Kiswana Browne,” Kiswana fights with her mother about her name (Melanie), her brother, the suggestive statue in her apartment, refusal to get a phone, her run-down apartment, Kiswana dropping out of school, her job situation, problems that face black people, the NAACP, and the pride in their heritage. Yet although they fight a lot, by the end of the story Kiswana begins to understand her mother, and respects her opinions and decisions in life.

Between the beginning and the end of the story there is a shift in how the main characters feels towards her mother. In the beginning of the story, she sees her mother as distant and different. She believes that her mother is a sell out to her African heritage, and refuses to grow up to be a part of her mother’s world. In the story she picks to live in a poor area of town, because she is trying to retaliate from the oppressions of the government and her families’ standards. As Kiswana and her mother continue to argue about her new life in the poor area of town, it confirms all of Kiswana’s expectations of her mother’s disapproval. Yet after her mother explains her beliefs and concerns about her family, Kiswana begins to see the similarities between herself and her mother. She learns that she is more like her mother than she ever thought.

Identites and Languages

My mother is Bolivian, and speaks fluent Spanish, while my father is white and does not know how to speak Spanish. In my household we spoke English, yet when ever any of my mother’s relatives came over, my mother spoke to them in Spanish. Although in high school I took four years of Spanish, I never really picked up my mother’s language. To this day, that is the only thing I regret not learning when I was little. Not knowing how to speak Spanish has created a language barrier between me and certain members of my family.

I believe that the way we talk, write, think, and read have a relationship to who we are. Each language is made up of words that are associated with certain connotations and history. Although it can be argued that languages are just words, each language is shaped and changed by the people that speak the language. Much of a person’s personality can be reveal by the walk they talk and present themselves, and language is the tool that allows people to do that.

How to Tame a Wild Tongue

The mix of languages and the fragmentary character of the text puts special demands on the reader, because the reader cannot fully comprehend the entire text. It forces the reader to go from English to Spanish, and pick out the few Spanish words that are similar to English. The readers experience is equivalent to what Anzakdua calls the “borderland,” because the reader has to constantly switch back and forth between dialects and cultural associations. The different cultural aspects of each dialect are also presented to the reader through the Spanish language. The nature of encounters across cultures in multicultural America reveals to me the struggles people face living in lands near the borders. They are faced with the challenged of cultural and language barriers.

Although Anzaldua has combined seven separate sections of writings, they all represent a unified theme. Anzaldua expresses the challenges and struggles that face people living near borders, especially the language barriers between English and Spanish. She illustrates the shame and rejection of identifying with different Spanish dialects. Yet the message that she is trying to make is that although different Spanish dialects have been ridiculed, they will thrive, and continue to be spoken.

From Silence to Words

In my high school, whenever we were assigned to write an essay, it was never an open topic. The teacher would explain her interpretation of a text, and it was then our responsibility to write an essay based on her/his interpretation(s). My experience is similar to Lu’s experience in school, because she also did not feel free to express her own feelings and opinions in her writings. Up in till my senior year of high school, I had learned that writing an essay was based on the five paragraph structure. Each paragraph had to be put together in a certain way, and did not leave much room for creativity. Yet once my essay was set up and composed of five paragraphs and much of my teachers opinions, it was time for students to switch papers with other students. Although it seems like a good idea, the only thing I ever remember getting out of peer critic was the last gossip. Most of the time I would just switch papers with a close friends, then we would both glance at each other’s papers, and agree that each other’s was “good”. Then we would proceed to talk about, what seemed at the time, more important conversation. I believe that some of these practices have limited my writing creativity.

From Silence to Words

Lu adopted a view of languages as a “tool of survival” in order to survive her life at school and her life at home. She believed that each language was a, “tool made by someone else and then acquired and used,” by herself. Along with each dialect came a certain culture, beliefs and expectations that she had to obey. In order to not be ridiculed at school, Lu had to change her beliefs and suppress her English dialect. Likewise, to stay true to her upbringing at home, Lu had to reject the political views taught at school as her own. She believed that the key to coexisting between the two languages was that each was only, “relevant in each place”. Lu “saw language as a tool”and, “how the other made it before I acquired it determined and guaranteed what it produced when I used it”.

Lu was passive and unable to participate in public discussion, because she felt as though she could not control the barrier that separated each dialect and the beliefs that came along with them. She was torn between the ideologies of two opposing cultures.