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  • Essay / Rhetorical Analysis of Gloria Anzaldúa's "How to Tame a Hot Tongue"

    "How to Tame a Hot Tongue" (1987) is a memoir about Gloria Anzaldúa's internal identity struggles as a Chicana and speaking Chicano Spanish, which is a mixture of English and Spanish. She faced many challenges in her youth regarding her identity as a Chicana and her language being considered “a mutilation of Spanish” (Anzaldúa 137). Anzaldúa cites several perspectives on how Chicanos and Chicanas view themselves and the desire to be proud to be a Chicano and not be considered an abomination to speak a language that was created and evolved to throughout history. This book provides insight into other languages ​​that people may not know exist and the hidden struggles faced by immigrants and their descendants. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay I don't have the same difficulties as the author when it comes to language, however, I can relate to his early struggles with identity. As a second-generation Vietnamese American, my family made my education the first priority. I was pushed to learn English much faster, but as a result, I grew up with a lack of knowledge about my Vietnamese heritage. I was not fluent in reading, speaking, or writing my native language, but I understood enough to communicate with my family. It was a struggle for me because my likes and dislikes, like food and music, gravitated towards the American culture that I was constantly exposed to versus my Vietnamese culture that I grew up with and it gave me feeling like I don't fit in, like I'm a puzzle piece that doesn't quite fit. With my American friends they would mistake my Asian ways and vice versa with my family about my American ways, but despite my struggles I have never been ashamed of who I am, just like the author I am proud of my identity. Anzaldúa brings attention to his culture and his language, Chicano. In the past, she was shamed for speaking Chicano Spanish, it was considered a “bastard language.” (Anzaldúa 141), then she tells the history of the language. Language was born from people's desire to find something to connect with. People who did not feel able to comfortably identify themselves as Mexican or Anglo, "for a people who cannot identify entirely with either standard Spanish (formal, Castilian) or standard English, what recourse do they What else remains to create their own language? » (Anzaldúa 138). It describes the rules and differences between Standard Spanish and Chicano Spanish, such as using archaic forms of the letter j, omitting initial syllables, adding syllables, borrowing words from l English and Tex-Mex slang “cookiar for cook, observer for watch, parkiar for park and rapiar for rape” (Anzaldúa 140). It is not just a dialect, it has become its own language for Chicanos. His audience is his fellow Chicanos and Chicanas, to find pride in themselves and be proud of who they are: “We know how to survive. When other races gave up their languages, we kept ours” (Anzaldúa 146). Works CitedAnzaldúa, Gloria. “How to tame a wild tongue.” Connections: A Guide to First-Year at Clayton State University, by Mary R. Lamb and Patricia A. Smith, ninth ed., Clayton State Department of First-Year Writing, 2019, pp.. 136–146.