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Analysis Of I Have My Serpent's Tongue

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Anzaldua employs her text to express her emotions in regards to various predicaments faced by immigrants during their lives in the United States. She approaches personal insights in regards to language such as expectations from the Anglo population when it comes to being an immigrant and speaking proper English, and the expectations from her Hispanic parents and their desire for their children’s success. Anzaldua’s work has several thought-provoking ideas within it, but this paper will be focused on the analysis of the following quote: “I will no longer be made to feel ashamed of existing. I will have my voice: Indian, Spanish, white. I will have my serpent’s tongue- my woman’s voice, my sexual voice, my poet’s voice. I will overcome the tradition.”
The quote aforementioned appears in a portion of the text where the author is talking about the importance of language in her life during which she states that “I am my language.” Her experiences with language and her necessity of expressing thoughts freely, without the fear of being judge by society, have strengthened Anzaldua’s appreciation for her own language. …show more content…

I will have my voice.” Her word choice here is very important. The use of the word “existing” illustrates the level of sorrow experienced by the author when being belittled because of her way of speaking. This word brings a powerful sense of emotion that captures the author’s emotional sensitivity toward previous experiences involving speaking abilities. The statement “I will have my voice” shows her determination to speak up for herself, but it also illustrates the fact that she will be more proud of who she is and where she comes

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