Martin Espada and Richard Rodriguez are Latino authors of “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School” and “Hunger of Memory” which touch on the topic of language-limiting policies and ideas in the United States. Language is something everyone in existence uses to communicate with. Yet, not all languages are the same. Many have difficulty understanding language when it differs from one’s own. Language can be a barrier between people from other places. Language can also be a disadvantage to those traveling or relocating. I am an undoubtful believer that wherever you may be, you should not be limited by the language you speak.
Martin Espada’s “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School” addresses the difficulties and struggles while putting them into perspective. Espada was in 1957 and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He used to work as a tenant
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He has worked and led many people, in law or social situations, has a lot of experience with non-English speakers, and himself is a Spanish-speaking Latino. In “The New Bathroom Policy,” he talks about an experience he had at a protest against making English the official language of Massachusetts. He noticed a man running down the steps of the State House, shouting at everyone. Espada found himself standing in the man’s path and decided to say “¿Comó estas?” The man did not like this response and proceeded to threaten Espada with ripping his tongue out for “talking to him in Spanish.” Even after what Espada had just experienced, he proceeded to address the crowd with a microphone in hand and speak against the state and people like the man he had just encountered. Espada believes that the “English Only” idea is harmful and we must fight against policies and ideas that go against non-English speakers. However, there is a multitude of ways to approach policies like “English
In ““English Only” Laws Divide and Demean” Warren J. Blumenfeld discusses the laws that make the official language in the United States English, only. His purpose is to persuade the reader to sign the petition he created which is directed to the Iowa House of Representatives and more to abolish the “English only”. Although Blumenfeld does an exceptional job appealing to the emotions of his audience by using personal stories, he does a poor job presenting evidence and facts to persuade the reader to agree with him. Blumenfeld may have personal credentials, but he does not have many source credentials, also, he does not provide counter arguments for the arguments that are made against his.
In “English Only” Warren J. Blumenfeld considers the troubles of establishing the English only laws, he also visits the fact that although America hasn’t established an official language, there is still an implied code of language throughout the country. He argues that the need to establish English as our official language is unnecessary and demeaning to those who don’t speak English, he also argues that we should stop the discrimination by language and accept our diversity as a country. He shows that some states have already passes the English only law, then sympathizes with those immigrants who don’t know English, saying that these “laws fall under linguicism” (Blumenfeld). Blumenfeld insists that people will continue to speak their native
The American Family Association (AFA) has listed down 10 cases of crimes targeting girls to show the danger to women and children presented by Target’s transgender bathroom policy. On Thursday, AFA president Tim Wildmon released a statement highlighting the growing evidence of the danger brought about by Target’s policy to let men use women’s restrooms and dressing rooms in its outlets. While Target has justified its decision to implement the transgender bathroom policy to make everyone feel welcome, Wildmon insists that the rule only gives sexual predators access to victims, The Christian Post relays. “Clearly, Target 's dangerous policy poses a threat to wives and daughters,” said Wildmon.
In doing this, the author appeals to the logical side of the audience in that this New Mexico school is legally obligated to assimilate other cultures into education - it is not only morally correct accept others in America, but it is necessary. The author uses law and legal obligation in order to support the Las Cruces school board in their decision to recite the Pledge of Allegiance bilingually, and present to the audience the legitimacy of the decision to do
The love and pride for my country, culture, and identity courses through my veins every time I watch the Olympics. I love watching all the different countries come out with their flags and display their customs and heritage with such pride. Martin Espada, a mexican-american lawyer and author of The New Bathroom Policy At English High School, agrees with me. He believes that the Spanish’plkculture, identity, and pride should be protected. Richard Rodriguez, author of Hunger of
This then leads to the problem that in this public life being bilingual or not being able to speak English was still being discriminated against. In public life, people need to be more accepting of others who speak different languages and also not contribute to getting rid of their language in America. Espadas claims culture is important and people who are a part of the English-Only movement are causing so many people to abandon their culture. While speaking out about the cultural warfare in America, Espada declares, “There are too many in this country who would amputate the Spanish tongue. Given this cultural aggression, it is astonishing that more Latinos have not lost their Spanish altogether, that so many Latinos still speak as much Spanish as they do” (Espada 26-31).
The English Only movement has been around for a long time, but it has been overlooked by most. Most Americans speak English from the moment they learned to talk; many others learn English as a second language. For this reason, many Americans oppose to the existence of non-English languages being spoken in the United States. In Warren J. Blumenfeld’s essay “‘English Only’ Laws Divide and Demean”, the author speaks about the “English Only” Movement and how people who support and oppose it feel towards this situation. He uses rhetorical appeals such as ethos, logos, and pathos in order to make people understand the severity of the situation and for the writing to have an effect on its readers.
Very few, if any, immigrants have the chance to learn English before traveling to the U.S. Because of this barrier, it is nearly impossible for organizations such as the Border Patrol to warn, aid, and communicate with them as they travel to the U.S. Although there are helpful signs along the border, they are written in English and are therefore indecipherable. Furthermore, the language border hinders an immigrant’s ability to survive in American society once they arrive. English is the written and spoken language in almost every city, thwarting immigrants’ opportunity to find jobs and interact with others. As they struggle to communicate, they become ostracized and do not fit in.
Nowadays, we are getting increasingly more of different types of culture and languages in our country.. After reviewing Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” and Carmen Fought’s “Language as a Representation of Mexican American Identity,” Tan and Fought agree that non-standard English speakers frequently engage in code-switching, and they argue that standard English speakers need to be more sensitive to and appreciative
Martin Espada believes that language plays a substantial role in someone's identity, culture, and history. On the other hand, unfortunately, language can be used to threaten and silence others. Espada speaks out on this injustice and demonstrates how language can empower and support us. In “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School by Martin Espada, he claims that Spanish, like many other languages, represents one’s culture and identity, he explains how language is important as it shows history.
The Skin That We Speak The way a person speaks is a direct link to a person’s culture and the environment which he or she was raised in. A person’s language, skin color as well as economic status influences the way he or she is perceived by others. Lisa Delpit and eleven other educators provide different viewpoints on how language from students of different cultures, ethnicity, and even economic status can be misinterpreted due to slang and dialect or nonstandard English by the teachers as well as his or her own peers. The Skin That We Speak: Thoughts on Language and Culture in the Classroom by Lisa Delpit and Joanne Kilgour Dowdy, who collected essays from a diverse group of educators and scholars to reflect on the issue of language
Tolerance towards the intolerant encourages their ideas because they are deceived into thinking that no one is against them and their intolerance is acceptable. Huntington proves this fact by explaining how their concentration and lack of assimilation causes cultural and language barriers that provide the basis for intolerance. He states that “it is quite different to argue that Americans should know a non-English language in order to communicate with their fellow citizens. Yet, that is what the Spanish-language advocates have in mind” (Huntington 7). It is once again prevalent that American
My Rhetorical Analysis Language is a part one’s identity and culture, which allows one to communicate with those of the same group, although when spoken to someone of another group, it can cause a language barrier or miscommunication in many different ways. In Gloria Anzaldua’s article, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”, which was taken from her book Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza, she is trying to inform her readers that her language is what defines her. She began to mention how she was being criticized by both English and Spanish Speakers, although they both make up who she is as a person. Then, she gave convincing personal experiences about how it was to be a Chicana and their different types of languages. Moreover, despite the fact that her language was considered illegitimate, Anzaldua made it clear that she cannot get rid of it until the day she dies, or as she states (on page 26) “Wild tongues can’t be, they can only be cut out.”
He supports this argument by telling his own story of being forced to learn English by the bilingual education system. The experience he had learning English made him experience great embarrassment, sadness, and change. Rodriguez concludes his experience by discussing how English had changed his personal life at home: “We remained a loving family, but one greatly changed. No longer so close;no longer bound tight by the pleasing and troubling knowledge of our public separateness.” By learning English, Rodriguez’s family is finally able to integrate into society without language barriers.
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.