Learning A New Language: Challenges Immigrants Face

Learning a new language is one of the challenges many immigrants face. Learning how to speak and write English helps them survive. “In America I might have cleaved myself to Persian, but survival—even the most basic social survival—depended on learning English and learning it fast.”(p140) If you have never lived in a foreign country then buying bread, traveling on the train and watching the television probably don't sound like very complicated tasks. However, if you are struggling to understand and be understood then even the simplest, everyday task can turn into a nightmare. To learn English, Darznik began to make her way through stacks and stacks of library books. She polished off essays and began to walk away with all the school literary prizes. Similarly, Vargas “spent

Vargas objected to the anti-immigrant stereotype “they don’t want to assimilate, they are a drain on society” by saying “We’re not always who you think we are.”(378) To eliminate this prejudice, he made up his mind to contribute, to work hard, to achieve professional success. The similar situation was confronted by Darznik’s mother: “One word out of her mouth and Americans would stare her down, hard and long.”(140) The pride and shame inspire Darznik to learn English, to show how well she can speak, even better than Americans. As we often meet people from different communities, about whom we have very little knowledge, it is easy to take the short cut and use stereotypes. We usually divide people into groups and think they have similar characteristics. For example, dating back to the 20th century, when people thought of the colored, they had a degenerating sense of “nobodiness”. While there may be some truth in the stereotype, it is greatly exaggerated. The obstacle of the stereotype gives them a chance to practice courage -- courage to improve themselves, their situation, and their