“You have such an interesting accent; where are you from?” That is the question I have heard over and over again since I moved from Puerto Rico to Houston, Texas. While aspiring to a more challenging educational environment from the one exposed to, I made the decision of moving with my aunt and uncle to the United States. Consequently, I sacrificed the time spent with my family and discerned the obstacles that were prone to surface for an individual whose native language is not English.
Prior to departure, because fellow classmates attempted to convince me not to move to the United States, for they had met people that had struggled with the transition to another country’s educational system, the idea of moving ignited a fear within me. However,
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However, the difficulties I was experiencing during my first year of high school made me realize that it was imperative to meticulously scrutinize the way I studied in order to ameliorate and become the student I used to be. Additionally, I became aware that my ability to speak English was affecting me, but later I came to the conclusion that if this was a determining factor in my performance in class, I had to challenge myself by engaging in more rigorous courses. As time went on, however, due to the fact that I was surrounded by students I considered to be far ahead, I felt very intimidated by my advanced classes. Furthermore, I became aware that some of my teachers from the advanced placement classes seemed to doubt my ability to perform at the level expected, just by hearing my accent. To be condemned to failure simply because I did not speak English the same way my fellow classmates did, was a terrible sinking feeling. Nonetheless, this circumstance made me very diligent in all my classes, for it made me very attentive to the topics discussed, and it made me evaluate the extent to which I studied. As a result, with my grades and work ethics throughout the year, I proved those teachers wrong and received an apology from the one I came to admire
Throughout Richards early childhood development he quickly understood that in order to succeed in America he would have to learn to confidently speak in English. Richard is Hispanic American and although he was born in America, Spanish was the only language that he was exposed to as a young child. He grew up in a home where Spanish flowed freely, but he soon realized outside of his home the language that he primarily knew was foreign. His parents spoke fluent Spanish along with all of his relatives. The brief encounters he experienced of his parents speaking English were only in public places and the proficiency was very poor. Rodriguez’s home was as a safety net for him and his Spanish speaking family with they are his only real connections to the outside world. It wasn’t until Richards encounter with his teachers that he and his family was heavily impressed on the importance of developing a public language. After the encouragement of the visit home from a teacher as a family
Many people, especially americans, decided that english was the “normal” language. At Pan American University, it was essential for Chicano students to take two speech classes, “to get rid of [their] accents” (44). Americans had no interest
There are many challenges that one must face as we go through life. I have faced a few myself, however, none proved more challenging than moving from my country; Jamaica, to the United States and subsequently moving to the state of Wisconsin. Deciding to leave behind family and friends is the hardest decision to make, however, there are a few things that I was not prepared for that made the transition more challenging than expected. Moving away from all that is familiar culturally, socially and economically can be even more of a daunting task than imagined. There are things that are taught to us by our parents and others that are more dictated by our environment than anything else, so when I immigrated to the United States I had three major challenges to overcome.
Life sets out many pathways to decide your future. It can give you experiences and certain experiences in your life can impact you a lot. Today I’m going to talk about how moving to America has impacted me is that the fact that the American culture has changed me completely. One obvious reason American culture has changed me is the fact that I am speaking English right now. Learning English took me awhile even tho I’m still not fluent in it.
present because they had to stay in Mexico. The truth is that I knew my uncles, since I would see them at family reunions every now and then, but I never
My sixteen week class in English 111. I was really nervous about this class. Because English has never been my strong point. This class has hard, but fun all at the same time. I learn a lot from this class. Meanwhile,the first day of class you handed a paper with a question on it. “The first thing I want to say to you who are students is that you must not think of being here to receive an education; instead, you will do much better to think of being here to claim one.” Even though putting my all in what I have learned, claiming my education with hard work because using the skills of the meal plan, as we write to different audiences and learning to be a Critically thinker as I start becoming a critically-Literate Citizenship.
“You are in America, speak English.” As a young child hearing these words, it did not only confuse me but it also made me question my belonging in a foreign country. As a child I struggled with my self-image; Not being Hispanic enough because of my physical appearance and not being welcomed enough in the community I have tried so hard to integrate myself with. Being an immigrant with immigrant parents forces you to view life differently. It drives you to work harder or to change the status quo for the preconceived notion someone else created on a mass of people. Coming to America filled me with anxiety, excitement, and even an unexpected wave of fear.
Have you ever been to another country, state, or even city and realized how different your accent may be? Have you been asked to repeat a word or phrase that you may say differently? Sometimes we were asked for a good laugh, but that’s not always the case. In “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by Gloria Anzaldúa and “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, both authors use personal narrative to demonstrate how their lives and identity are affected by their language and culture.
Coming from a world where different languages are spoken. English will be the main language that is spoken in the Unite State. Even though it is the most trouble language to speak, the majority will always judge the minority because of their accent when speaking the language. The following 3 materials are example of people struggling speaking the language or trying to fit in in a society where English is spoken “formally”.
For more than 300 years, immigrants from every corner of the globe have settled in America, creating the most diverse and heterogeneous nation on Earth. Though immigrants have given much to the country, their process of changing from their homeland to the new land has never been easy. To immigrate does not only mean to come and live in a country after leaving your own country, but it also means to deal with many new and unfamiliar situations, social backgrounds, cultures, and mainly with the acquisition and master of a new language. This often causes mixed emotions, frustration, awkward feelings, and other conflicts. In Richard Rodriguez’s essay “Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood”, the author describes the social, cultural and linguistic difficulties encountered in America as he attempts to assimilate to the American culture. Richard Rodriguez by committing himself to speaking English, he lost his cultural ties, family background and ethnic heritage.
Among every other country in the world, the United States of America is where people feel the most comfortable place to come and live a better life. Immigrants are people who leave their counties to reside in other counties that are rich and safe to better themselves. Every year people immigrate to the USA for many reasons. Many people are having difficulty living in their native country such as over population, jobless which make the economy so hard. People from outside of the United States think there is peace, love, equality, free education, jobs, good food to stay healthy, but most importantly freedom of speech to express yourself in America. Today, I will only focus on some reasons why people in my country immigrates to America. This is
When I was leaving my country Lagos, Nigeria I immediately felt homesick and a bit excited. The taxi ride to the airport was unbearable with the sweltering hot sun beaming on my ebony skin. I was leaving because my father Abena found a job in the United States as a handy man in Brooklyn, New York. I knew a part of me felt relieved, as these emotions that are fluttering in my body unmanageable. In hopes of coming to America, I will have an opportunity to continue my education, also to have better health resources available to me cause of my Anemia status.
Being part of this study abroad was an experience unlike any other. That is to say, I experienced parts of my own culture that I had by no means witnessed before and I returned to the United States with a superior knowledge of my cultural roots. Similarly, as an educator after a week of teaching in Las Clavellinas I’ve gained an immense amount of understanding that would have taken me years to acquire in a traditional classroom setting in the United States. Consequently, this study abroad has confidently equipped me as an educator as I commence my teaching residency and for the real-world once I graduate and begin teaching.
At first I was ashamed to admit it, but now I am grateful. While this last reason is personal and I do not recommend it. It was something I had to do as student and as a son. When I failed English 1301 last semester I was full of regret. All the late nights parting and skipping class got me nowhere. I refused listen to any of the lessons because I felt that I already knew the information and I did not take the time to do any homework or assignments. I lacked the experience and the learnings to prepare me for 1302 therefore I had to repeat the course. Moreover, being the first in my immediate family to go to college I had to take the course again as a son to prove to my mother and faher that failure is not an option. This semester I looked up to some of my other professors for advice and tips to help better me as a student. Some of these tips included taking helpful notes, going to bed earlier, and attending labs to review material went over in class. These little tips not only made me a more confident student but made me a overall better student. Therefore I am thrilled I had the chance to Repeat English 1301 because I knew now that I would not cheat myself of from my education. Doing my best to avoide all the mistakes I made last semsester I was able to fully larn all the material in Englis 1301 and now I feel ready to move forward to more advanced
Even before arriving to the United States, the fear I felt was not having the familiarity of home (St. Lucia). Moving to the U.S meant that I had to start my life all over again. This time it would be without the unwavering support of my family and friends. Whether I succeeded or failed in school was entirely up to me. It wa...