Rhetorical Analysis Of How To Tame A Wild Tongue

A Rhetorical Analysis of Gloria Anzaldua’s, “How to Tame A Wild Tongue.” The latin american and mexican diaspora have continuously been at odds as to which dialect of spanish tends to be the most proper or rightfully utilized, in being examined by each other as while as the anglo society. Well the multi-ethnic diaspora that resides within Gloria Anzaldua’s (the writer) home, the Borderlands, tends to exude the conceptualization of multiple dialects of spanish speech into one.

Throughout the reading by Gloria Anzaldua, we as readers, get to view the way she lived and to relate with the text. Gloria was born in Rio Grande Valley of South Texas in 1942. When Gloria was at a young age, she was shamed and embarrassed for the way her voice sounded. Growing up, she was told, “If you want to be American, speak American, if you do not like it, go back to Mexico where you belong” (Anzaldua 2). When she was told this it made her very upset.

Selena was different instead she “relied on her effervescent personality, radiant smile ant interpreters to get by with Spanish-language” (Sutherland, 1995). Unlike many people Selena had found even though she didn’t know the language, that she wouldn’t be like the majority of the people who’ve judged her, as it was stated by Sutherland that during the Monterrey, Mexico interview “although Selena’s answers sounded ridiculous, she had won every reporter’s heart by hugging each one of them. As a result, they wrote kindly of her, declaring that she was an “Artist of the People.”

Just think about it. Think about how it feels to be different, to have to change yourself to please others. In Gloria Anzaldua’s essay, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” she explores this issue through the use of ethos, pathos and logos. This helps the reader to understand her emotions and believes. This piece appeals to me because the story depending on your perspective can mean a lot of things.

Mora explains that even though she was raised in a bilingual community, “Spanish and being of Mexican descent and being part of the border experience was never part of my educational experience” (Colorin Colorado). It was in her writings where she could show her appreciation of her heritage and educate others on welcoming their culture with pride. It was a great feeling to be different and being able to speak and write in two languages was something that she appreciated.

Anzaldúa is showing noncompliance by not wanting to let go of her maternal language. She proves that by changing her language and switching back and forth between Spanish

America, a compilation of immigrants and dreams, has amazed the globe for its sheer existence. Thomas paine, an English intellectual, marveled at America for how the “simple operation of constructing government” and “rights of man… are in cordial unison.” Being an Englishman, his perspective of America was limited because he did not live there to see the true colors of the red, white, and blue. While America seems free and inviting from the outside, the inside of America is overwhelmed with burdening discrimination that deeply affects citizens who are either not male or white. Being a woman in America is unforgiving and burdening.

Anzaldua includes the different kinds of languages Spanish speakers speak throughout her essay. She asserts that she is a Chicano Spanish speaker, especially “with Chicanas from Nuevo Mexico or Arizona I will speak Chicano Spanish” (28). I agree that many do speak Chicano Spanish in New Mexico and Arizona, but I also do believe that Chicano Spanish is a big part of Southern California because most regions do have a Mexican-American culture to the way people live. I felt lost with Anzaldua when she states, “Chicano’s need to identify ourselves as a distinct people” because most Spanish speakers in the United States do know some sort of English, so they infuse Spanish and English together. For example, I have had many friends that speak Spanish in their own homes and to others, but from what I have seen and heard, they do use some English when speaking in Spanish to help get the point across to who they’re talking to for an easier understanding.

But she is trying to speak Spanish to them. Not at all knowing they speak English – because they look Mexican. When she asks the narrator if she wants a picture, she says “yes” in English. This comes to a surprise to the lady. This is an example of racism in this short story; because she judged them for their looks, not for what they know.

She later said that she wrote the book for herself and "ignored all the situations and accents that were then generally thought to be necessary"(Woodress 81). There are a number of elements in

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.”

Throughout the reading, Anzaldúa constantly switched between the Spanish and English language. I believe the switching or languages has a decoding effect on people. The author wants her audience to be more engaged. If the reader doesn’t understand the language, they are more likely to either research or use the surrounding text to understand what Anzaldúa is talking

Anzaldúa was born in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas on September 26, 1942. Anzaldúa was a descendant of many of the prominent Spanish explorers and settlers to come to the Americas in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and also had indigenous ancestry. Anzaldua’s major work is ‘Borderlands/La Frontera’ which was published in 1987. It was first published by a book with two sections, the last section was in an article that she called “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”. Her intended audience for this article were the people who come to another country and they forget their identity and their language, is about the people who are ashamed to speak their own language.

He shows this through his many experiences with bilingual court and education. At the end of his essay, Espada concludes with a basic summary of what he has learned. Espada claims “The repression of Spanish is part of a larger attempt to silence Latinos, and, like the crazy uncle at the family dinner table yelling about independence or socialism, we must refuse to be silenced.” Through the summary the reader understands despite English being the prevalent language the in the U.S. today the Spanish culture is still being preserved through bilingualism. On the other hand Rodriguez argues that in order to gain a public identity, one must be willing to sacrifice some part of their own cultural identity.

Rodriguez spoke about how his mother was often times discriminated against by white people because of the fact that she looked Mexican. She and her children were at a park wanted to sit at a table that was previously occupied by a white woman, and when the white woman came back and saw Rodriguez’s mother sitting at the table she demanded that she move, but since Rodriguez’s mother did not speak English the white woman immediately exclaimed “Go back to your country!”. Rodriguez’s mother didn’t have the privilege of knowing English, but the not all states have English as their official language. In the US the official languages are Spanish, French and