Rhetorical Analysis Of Always Living In Spanish

“Go back to your country. You're stealing our jobs. Build a wall.” In the modern political realm, such divisive language has become the norm and the platform of many leading politicians. In response, the immigration process has become increasingly selective, to the point that many Americans would not be able to pass the citizenship test. 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

She utilizes rhetorical questions to recreate the feelings of loss and confusion felt by immigrants new to the United States. Agosín has the reader to consider these questions when she asks, “How does one recover the familiar? How does one name the unfamiliar? How can one be another or live in a foreign language?” (Para 2). The rhetorical questions deal with a subject that has no easy answer and in asking them one after another, the reader begins to feel confused and convicted about what they would do in that situation. This confusion mirrors that of the immigrants, as they ask themselves the same indefinite questions when they find themselves in a new culture and new language. By stirring up emotion, the reader gains empathy for the endeavors of immigrants and begins to understand why they would be unwilling to give up their native language. Agosín uses the rest of the essay to tell of her personal experiences and give her own answer to these hypothetical

When talking about English, she states that, “Sometimes the austere sounds of English help me bear the solitude of knowing that I am foreign and so far away” (7). Her description of English makes it out as something dead and formal, serving as a physical reminder of the “solitude” she feels in the surrounding culture. Conversely, she describes Spanish as a constant “flow of [...] syllables” that tells of the “joy of writing - of dancing” (7). When describing Spanish, the adjectives used make it out as something lively and “dancing”, illuminating the freedom of movement and expression the Spanish language provides for the author. With such obvious connotations added to the different languages, it becomes clear to the reader why someone would be wary of changing their