eng3

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zichun Gao

Dine Szklarek

Eng103

October 16 2021

“How to tame a wild tongue”

This story starts with Gloria visiting the dentist, where she is suffering from mouth

problems that had caused issues with her tongue. The dentist tells her, “We have to do

something about your tongue” (Anzaldúa, 1987 pg33). This situation is used to bring the

reader to her thoughts regarding having a tamed tongue regarding her identity. In the book

“How to Tame A Wild Tongue,” the author argues that language is a source of identity, and

an individual's language is very important to identity. The author illustrates how language

helps in keeping people united and to identify each other. The author, therefore, believes that

people should not let others try to tame their tongue or cut their native language. “Wild

tongues can’t be tamed, and they can only be cut out” (Anzaldúa, 1987 pg33).

The general augment of the author is that it is not possible to tame a wild tongue. The

essay insists on the importance of people speaking their languages without being looked

down upon. The author accounts how it was very challenging for her to grow with the

Chicana identity. As a child, the author grew up in schools where she was disciplined for

speaking Spanish, her first language. Her language made her to be given different treatments

in school. She was, for instance, forced to take two speech classes instead of one simply

because she was a Chicano student. The main aim of the school when doing this to her was

for educational purposes. However, she felt that the school was trying hard to get rid of her

heavy accent and Americanize her.

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She also accounts how Chicano was still not accepted among the Spanish because they

saw it as Spanish mutilation. This was because the Chicano language was considered a

variation of English and Spanish. This made her feel like an outcast because she neither felt

safe among the Spanish nor the English-speaking people. She continues to talk of times when

she was discriminated against based on language and how other people would try to silence

her and her culture. The author states that “Chicanas feel uncomfortable talking in Spanish to

Latinas, afraid of their censure” (Anzaldúa 1987 pg 39). This was to mean that they spoke a

language that was neither Spanish nor English. However, this was the language that the

speaker would relate to when speaking with her family and friends. She says that she later

came to learn that language has nothing to do with the country where one is in; it is all about

where one puts themselves and the love they have for their culture.

The author illustrates the lack of identity for people who have grown on the edges of

two cultures. This is illustrated in the case where the Chicanos struggle to define themselves

in consideration of the national and cultural aspects. Gloria states that she can speak eight

different languages and change them depending on who she is speaking to. However, she

feels like she does not have a particular identity as she still lacks knowledge in some

languages. This made her feel ashamed. She feels like she does not belong to the Latina

community despite this being her origin. She is not also not entirely accepted in the US

community because she cannot fully follow the rules of the language and because of her

accent.

One can feel the anger and the injustice that the author feels for her people. It feels bad

how other people ignored the author’s mother due to her imperfect English. I have never

encountered anything like that myself. However, many people have very narrow-minded and

misconceived views of people from different cultures or language backgrounds (Anzaldúa,

1987 pg40). For instance, the problem that people encounter in their lives due to their

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languages and accent negatively impacts their personality and identity. Anzaldua, for

instance, says that she realizes that she is not happy with herself. However, later on, she

recognizes and understands the “illegitimacy” of her accent and language.

The author states that her language defines her, and she feels that it is right to speak the

Chicano dialect. She highlights that identity is inseparably connected to the culture, and the

cultural identity will be determined by geographical, political, economic, and language.

I agree with the author that our culture still plays a very strong role in developing who

we are as people, how we are treated, and how we look at other people around us. Language

which is part of our culture matters because this is the case that we must all learn about each

other and use this in promoting equality amongst one another. It is, however, sad that there

are still many cases of inequality or stratification that continue to reign despite the drastic

measures that have been put in place to check its prevalence. To me, culture plays a very

important role in our lives. I grew up in an area with a blended mix of friends and neighbors.

We, however, later on, moved to another area, and this diversity disappeared. In this place, I

witnessed much more discrimination and discrimination of different races and ethnicity.

Work cited

Anzaldúa, Gloria. How to tame a wild tongue. na, 1987. retrieved from:

http://www.sevanoland.com/uploads/1/1/8/0/118081022/anzaldua-wild-tongue.pdf