Argumentive Essay Final PDF

Preview

Summary

Argumentative Essay...

Description

Our Mother Language Open your eyes and ears to the amazing world you are standing in. The world around us is incredibly diverse. There is a multitude of cultures and languages swimming through the streets of each striking city. For two writers, their language has come with quite a few challenges and bumps along the way. Amy Tan’s Mother Tongue is a story that discusses the difficulties of having a first language that affects the rest of one’s life. A similar story is Marjorie Agosin’s Always Living in Spanish. It is extremely important to both of these authors to honor their culture and native language regardless of how others view them. Both of these pieces represent the challenges immigrants face when it comes to learning a new language and how they keep their own culture thriving. Amy Tan sheds light on how her English has changed throughout the years. She states that “the language spoken in the family, especially in immigrant families which are more insular, plays a large role in shaping the language of the child.” (Tan) In her personal experience, Tan has had to adjust her language based on who she was surrounded by. The people who recognized her mother tongue went with the flow of it. There were others who had no idea that mother tongue was. It can be very difficult to understand a completely new language. People who grow up surrounded primarily by a language other than English, go through multiple challenges throughout their life. It is so much more difficult to live a life when one part of a person yearns to keep their culture and language thriving. On the other hand, bilingual people also want to enrich their new American culture and English language. It is challenging to find a balance between these two lives.

Tan also discussed that her “mother's English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It's my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, full of observation and imagery. That was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed things, made sense of the world.” (Tan) Her main point that she tried to get across to her reader was that although others do not understand a new culture or language, it is okay because it is the language that shaped your life. Marjorie Agosin had a similar approach to the topic. In Always Living in Spanish, the author’s main point connects to the previous story. Agosin discusses how coming to a new country with a different mother tongue has affected the way she uses her Spanish. Immigrants really care about their cultures and languages. They have a lot of pride in their heritage. However, there are cases where it is too difficult to keep a distant language alive. Agosin still strives to use Spanish in her writing because it allows her true words to flow right onto the paper. There was a time when she was just adjusting to this new environment where she lost sight of her true language. She did not really know where to use it anymore in a way where it brought her joy. One must work hard in order to maintain their culture and identity. In this modern age, people often lose track of their native language and conform to societies standards of being this person who blends in. The main issue with this generation of people is that there are so many advances occurring all around us. At times, we lose sight of what is important. Having a close family is what allows the mother tongue to thrive. As Agosin stated, “Destiny and the always ambiguous nature of history continued my family’s enforced migration, and because of it I, too, became one who had to live and speak in translations.” These

translations that Agosin had to become used to, were the biggest challenge. Her ability to use Spanish for everyday use, was slowly fading out. This fading out of Agosin’s mother tongue is very similar to the way Tan had adjusted to a different form of English from her mother’s side. She was no longer attempting to keep her language a part of her everyday life. In both cases, the women lose sight of their language because it is no longer a common form of communication among others around them. However, both women also manage to realize that they need to keep that language intact and allow for it to improve over time. Tan ends up accepting the fact that her English will always differ around other people, however, she knows that this is fine because it is just a part in her that she needs to allow to thrive. Her mother made her realize how important it is to never lose track of who you are. Her mother’s native tongue affected the way she spoke English. However, it did not affect the way she thrived in the world. Agosin realizes that Spanish is what keeps her going and that it is a very important part of her life, especially regarding writing. She regains her pride in her native language. The mother tongue is important to each culture and it cannot be forgotten. It is important to recognize that both writers have faced their challenges and continue to do so, however, they know that they need to continue overcoming these struggles and living their lives while remembering their mother tongue. Both authors had common identity issues in regard to being bilingual and raised in a different way compared to their peers. The lesson learned is to continue flaunting your culture and be proud of who you are.

Works Cited 1. Agosin, Marjorie . “Always Living in Spanish.” The Norton Field Guide to Writing With Readings , MLA Update, W.W Norton & Company, 2016, pp. 79–81. 2. Tan, Amy . “Mother Tongue.” The Norton Field Guide To Writing With Readings , MLA Update, W.W Norton & Company, 2016, pp. 649–655.

Post Write 1. I mainly tried to change the format of my draft. I did not want it to follow the basic 5 paragraph essay structure. Instead, I tried to space it out a bit more and just let it flow thus creating an easy read for the audience. Another aspect I worked on was the approach I took with the subject. Instead of just focusing on language barriers I wanted to go with the effects of immigration. Another area I focused on was correcting how general I tend to be. I tried to be a bit more specific. 2. The peer review did not really help. I only got a few basic comments regarding the organization and how I am on the right track. I prefer more in-depth suggestions as to where my essay does not sound too great. 3. I noticed that I tend to not be very specific in a lot of my writing. I also focus a lot on keeping this 5-paragraph structure in almost all of my essays. I need to start working on that as I move forward. 4. I feel most confident in my approach on the subject. I also really like the themes I decided to focus on and develop in my writing. I think that I chose this subject because I felt as though I could connect with it and take a few extra steps into detail. 5. I definitely still need more help not generalizing my ideas so much. I need to work on developing my thoughts and being more in-depth. I keep doing this in a lot of my essays where I do not discuss something as much as I could. I also tend to state ideas however I forget to really analyze them further. 6. If you could focus on my structure as well as the way I approach the topic....