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Culture in language learning
Strengths and weaknesses of approaches to teaching English language
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Culture in language learning
Strengths and weaknesses of approaches to teaching English language
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Richard Rodriguez’s “ Aira: A Memoir of Bilingual Childhood” and Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” both exercise the three common rhetoric devices – pathos, ethos, and logos – to appeal to the audience and to make their arguments within the text more valid and comprehensive. Both authors write about their experiences and struggles with immigration and the assimilation into the public identity and society, but their reactions to these situations are similar and different in several forms and aspects, including how they were presented to the public identity, how they reacted to the public identity and assimilation into the society by facing their challenges, what their family connection was, and what credibility they have. While both authors did resist
Growing up Mexican-American in the United States can be a challenge itself. Throw in the task, of learning two languages, it made for a very confused little girl. There was often times growing up when I wondered why no one, but my family spoke Spanish. Why everyone at school and all my friends spoke this different language. Sometimes it even seemed like I was two different people.
Rodriguez’s English was not the best, and because of that he would either be silent or quietly mumble when asked to participate by one of the nuns (73). Since his lack of participation was noticeable and showed little progress, some of his teachers visited Rodriguez’s home to ask his parents to “encourage your children to practice their English when they are home?” (73). Rodriguez one day walks in on his parents speaking Spanish, but when they see him they switch to English, which offends and over the days that follows angers him enough to decide to seriously learn English. Rodriguez even willingly decides to participate in class (74).
Growing up knowing two different languages can be difficult for many Latinos, or anyone of a different descent. According to Espaillat, her father did not wish for her to speak English within their home, she stated, “My father liked them separate, on there, / one here (allá y aquí)” (1-2). Her father seemed to be strict with her when deciding what language she can or cannot speak. She continues to state, “as if aware that works might cut in two his daughter’s heart / (el corazaon)” (2-3). Espaillat believes that her father is afraid that cooperating both languages together will end up separating her heart in two pieces.
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).
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.
“It’s the whole environment,” she replied. “All kinds of services are available in Spanish or Spanglish. Sports and after-school activities are conducted in Spanglish. That’s what the kids hear on the radio and in the street.” Until recently, immigrants made learning English a priority.
Flashback to my junior year. I sat quietly in my AP Lang class as my teacher, Mrs. Fisher, announced that the reading competition between the language arts classes called for the book count for September. She stood at the board, marker in hand, staring out expectantly at her large class. Hands shot up across the classroom, and my own nervous hand rose up to join them. Mrs. Fisher happily chalked up the small fortune of books that our class had read.
She establishes comparisons among English, Spanish and their variations and how cultural imperialism influence on people’s “preference” to speak one language rather than the other. She brings to debate important social problems such as sexism, cultural imperialism, racism, low self-esteem, reprimand, and identity construction. The author brilliantly starts the article with a metaphor in which she defines the acculturation process as something extremely violent and cruel. In addition, the article aims at showing both sides of the acculturation process: the Anglo side and the
As a child it was hard for me to learn two languages at once, but it was essential to break the communication barrier. By the age of three I spoke proficient
My years in elementary school were the hardest. During this period, I learned the concept of English. I only knew what Spanish literacy was. Before starting my first day in kindergarten, I remember my parents talking to me about how important English is, and how it's required to progress in life. At the time I didn't know what they meant by “it's required to progress in life.”
Exit Essay Before fall semester started my writing skill were not the best as my high school was not as strict in writing structure. The way I write has gotten sloppy and careless but I saw some improvement this fall semester In semester in English 1301, I have relearn grammar and sentence structure.
Even if an immigrant successfully overcomes all political obstacles and makes it to a new country, the change in culture waiting on the other side can prove an even bigger hurdle. In “Always Living in Spanish,” author and professor, Marjorie Agosín recounts her own struggle to balance old and new culture after being forced from her home country of Chile. Agosín explains to Americans why immigrants want to hold
I 've learned that reading and writing can take me any where I want it to go. I can explore my mind to go anywhere by imagination, by reading and writing. However,My reading and writing experience since I was a kid until now I still having a difficulty. When I was 3 years old my mom started me to learn how to read and write. At first, I 'm having a difficulty to read and write but my mom tried her best to taught me.
My feelings toward writing aren 't good nor bad. Writing is something i have had difficulty with in my past. I have no problem brainstorming ideas on what topics to write my assignments on, even if i am given a prompt, but I do have difficulty with sitting down and planning my work. I always find myself getting stuck. So I almost never take the time out to plan out my ideas i come up with.