The New Bathroom Policy At English High School, By Martin Espada

As a bilingual person, growing up in America was hard. It took a lot of unpleasant words to the face and lots of unspoken words between myself and my peers. However, all those moments alone encouraged me to speak more English and self-teach when I had no one. In the essay, “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School” by Martin Espada, Espada argues about issues of language and identity because of forced bilingualism. In the essay, “Hunger of Memory” by Richard Rodriguez. Rodriguez argues people should be encouraged to speak another language, as it will help a lot in many outside-world situations. Language should be something that brings many people all around the world together. Although, learning languages in America could be slightly

Bilingual people often get pushed away or bullied for not being able to speak a new language. Bilingual speakers should feel like they belong in their own identity. They should also speak out about their struggles and challenges with bilingualism. In the essay, "Hunger of Memory", Richard Rodriguez explains that being able to keep his native tongue while also learning a new language can be very helpful in the outside world. Being able to acknowledge different languages can help at school, work, or even just the grocery store. These quotes show his experience transitioning into a bilingual speaker between Spanish and English in the US. Rodriguez remarks, "I easily noted the difference between classroom language and the language of home" (Rodriguez 21). In this example, Rodriguez was able to tell the difference between English, his "classroom language", and Spanish, his "language of home". It is important because, as a person of bilingualism, it is a difficult struggle to separate two languages at school, and most times it can mess with a person's perspective on their identity. But this quote shows his experience slowly transitioning into a bilingual speaker as well as it becoming a part of his identity. In this quote, "Conversations became content-full. Transparent. Hearing someone's tone of voice—angry or questioning or sarcastic or happy or sad - I didn't distinguish

Espada explains the situation he had gone through as a bilingual speaker who spoke his native tongue in public. The situations he went through just to speak his native tongue are very personal experiences that he wants many people to be aware of as bilingual speakers. Espada concludes, "He squinted with rage, then threatened to rip my tongue out for talking to him in Spanish" (Espada 6). In this example, Espada shares a face-to-face experience of racism due to his not speaking a language he doesn't feel comfortable speaking. Bilingual speakers should not feel uncomfortable in their own identities due to an individual being disrespectful. Bilingual speakers need to share their experiences and help prevent these situations from increasing and impacting children as old as our elders. Espada states, "Defending the right of all Latinos to use the tongue of their history and identity creates in me a passion for Spanish itself" (Espada 4). Furthermore, each bilingual speaker has the right to use their voice to defend their native language, and each language in the world has its