Essay #3

Arlene Penaloza

English 104

November 10, 2017

Close Reading Rhetorical Analysis

    Reading new types of writing after becoming more of an active critical reader has really intrigued me and caught my attention as a reader. As we have received these last few articles they all have the same opinion that all diverse languages are good things. Reading texts that have different words that are not in English have really made me more interested in reading because I want to know what the author is saying and why they had to use a different language. After reading the articles by Young, Anzaldua and Lyiscott, understanding where they come from and why they believe that any language has the right to be spoken it has really made me think of interacting with the text more and how to understand the different ways to speak. As said in many of the articles we have read and videos we’ve seen, we learned that their is no specific standard rule in speaking the way you choose. So that is why I enjoyed reading texts that have diverse language because seeing authors express their language though writing is very interesting.

    In the article “How to tame a wild tongue”, by Gloria Anzaldua, she argues that people who come from different countries and states should not have the fear to speak in their language. She states that no one should hold their tongue back just because people say it is wrong to speak a different language in America. When Anzaldua was in school she was punished for speaking up for herself by simply correcting the pronunciation of her name. The teacher then snapped on her and stated if she wanted to be American she needed to speak American. Anzaldua states in her article, “So, if you want to really hurt me, talk badly about my language. Ethical identity is twin skin to linguistic identity”(39). Anzaldua accepts herself for the languages she speaks so she is very passionate pof where she comes from. I agree with Anzaldua because as a chicana as well I embrace my second language and background and believe I should have the freedom to choose the way I speak and when and where to speak it. While annotating this article I could say it was very relatable to me because have family migrate from a different country, just like my father, I made me have a deeper understanding of why he loved speaking spanish and why he wanted me so badly to speak it as well. While annotating this article I interpreted this as an example of how my family have came to learn a new way of life by speaking English and Spanish.

    In the Article “ Should Writer’s Use They Own English?”, by Vershawn Ashanti Young, he believed that everyone has the right to speak a language they chose. Young states, “If students infected with the facile egalitarianism of soft multiculturalism declare, “I have a right to my own language,” reply, “Yes, you do, and I am not here to take that language from you; I’m here to teach you another one.”(111). As I read this article I felt that being able to speak  freely is a right, and no one should feel any less important, or even less educated based on people's opinion of what the correct form to speak is. Having more than one dialect is a trait people should be proud of and after reading this article with a diverse language it made me realize that all forms of speaking and writing should be accepted. I can say I’ve had the opportunity to learn more a different language when I learned to advance my english and spanish in high school. When I highlighted this quotes and annotated it caught my attention because it reminded me of how when people come into the US they all have opportunities to speak their original language and learn to speak new languages.

    In Jamila Lyiscott article “3 Ways to Speak English” she brings up the idea that people have many different ways to speak depending on the settings or situations they are in. Lyiscott writes, “Cause I speak three tongues One for each: Home, school and friends I’m a tri-lingual orator”(3). The idea where if you're surround by a different crow you will speak differently. This is not incorrect, but in reality i believe it is very relatable. When you think about it when you're surrounded by peers at school you wouldn't treat them as if they were your siblings. Another way is if you were working and you talked to your manager you would speak to them in a professional way rather then when you would speak to your friends. As I read this article the point brought up of having different diverse ways of speaking not just language but situational purposes showed me that adapting speaking ways is easier than you may think this is why I annotated this specific quote because it made me understand how this point is very true. I can relate too this because I really do speak differently compared to the different situations I am involved with.

    In one of the videos we saw in class called, “Broken English”, is argued that their is a wrong way in speaking and that is in proper English that they would like to get out of a kids vocabulary in order for them to be successful later in life. In one of the scenes in the video there was a sister who spoke in “Broken English” and her sister expressed to her that if she didn't learn to speak correctly she wasn't going to get anywhere in life that way. As I saw this video and learned the different slang words that basically have the same meaning as regular words it gave me a sense of a new language because it was different but it meant the same thing. After watching this video it made me understand how different ways of speaking came to be. One thing said in the video went along the lines like, “You learn more from what you hear the most”, and that totally made sense and it just clicked into why so many people speaking differently because it depends where they are coming from and who they associate with. Having a different way of speaking is not broken English in my opinion it's just different and that is okay. I can relate too this video because myself I use now a day slang at times but depending where I am I can change the way a speak in less than a heartbeat and that is something I think many people can do.

    Reading these articles and understanding the positions and ideas of where the authors stand for diverse language helped me understand how their are many different ways to speak one solid language and that should not be frowned upon as a bad thing. I received young and Anzalduas messages because they both had ideas of being able to express who they were without having someone judge them. Young says that people have rights to express and speak in whatever language they choose. Anzaldua explains that heritage and culture is important so do not offend her language. In Lyiscott article she brings up the point that their are different ways to speak in different scenarios so it's important to have different dialect. Finally in the video broken english we learn that speaking is based on who we surround ourselves with, but that does not necessarily interpret that it is incorrect. All these different sources and references to a diverse dialect has helped my research a different understanding of how as readers we should respect and appreciate different forms of language because in my opinion differentially catches my attention more than a common could get anywhere type of experience. That is why having diverse language is important so we can be in touch with more interactive reading when we need to understand different forms of english or even languages in that sense. Having the opportunity to read diverse language was a great experience and I personally believe I learned more.