Diana Caballero
FIQWS 10108
Professor Svay
December 6, 2023
Writing is Everchanging
Throughout this course I was able to understand how different language expectations can empower a person yet it can also oppress language users. It has been seen that in places such as America every person is expected to speak English fluently, even though it is not the country’s official language. It is an expectation that greatly affects an immigrant’s life considering their first language is not English and therefore have an accent over their pronunciation of English words. Furthermore, this causes immigrants to become prejudiced and discriminated against for having “broken” English. Without a fluent English there are very limited opportunities, if any at all, for immigrants who speak an accented language. Not only do they have to settle in a different country and adapt to the new culture, they also have the pressure of possibly being discriminated by citizens of the country because of language standards. Language barriers also act as an oppressive force against many immigrants since it can completely deprive an immigrant from receiving help or getting services for certain things. As in Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue”, she describes how her mother often times experienced discrimination in the United States because of her accent. She described that there was one time a service person declined to attend her due to her “broken” English, however when Amy intervened in the conversation to resolve the issue the person ended up giving her the services she needed just because Amy Tan spoke fluent English. This experience of Amy Tan’s mother is a prime example of discrimination against a non English speaker. She was neglected due to the prejudice against her English.
Though language standards can also uplift language users since it gives them a sense of uniqueness as well as acceptance over one’s self. Speaking with an accent over a certain language can also be empowering since it demonstrates that the speaker is proud of their roots and are not ashamed about it. Furthermore, embracing their tru person and developing a new kind of confidence where a person can feel good about themselves and are not worried about what others have to say. Doing so breaks language standards and enhances acceptance of different forms of language which also eliminates any sort of discrimination or prejudice that comes with language standards. As in the case of Saleem Safwat, he mentions how he used to be made of fun for his heavily accented English when he created videos which later on made him alter his voice to fit with the standard English. As he continuously developed more content with voice alterations he realized that he was not being true to himself and it was also a tiring process. Hence, he decided to continue producing content using his normal voice because that is who he is and there is no reason for him to change his voice because at the end of the day it is still English. Clearly, Safwat went against the language standards and decided to continue being himself in order to develop that self confidence that he always struggled to have.
There have also been multiple rhetorical situations in which I have analyzed in order to gain a better understanding of them. I realized that multiple rhetorical strategies were used such as the use in ethos, pathos and logos which can include appealing to the audience’s emotions, stating logistical facts and mentioning ethics or cultural aspects. There have also been a series of genres that I had not known of such as a novel or a narrative. I was able to use narrative in one of my pieces of writing in which I also included the use of rhetorical strategies such as pathos. In order to complete readings I developed the strategy to annotate while I am reading since it helps summarize short paragraphs as well as to organize my thoughts and the information to see what fits best to my use. For drafting I decided to check the prompt first and then see how I could possibly layout my essay depending on the prompt but generally, I go with the traditional setup; introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. In certain writing situations I was able to recognize the rhetorical strategies used in the text whether it be appealing to the audience’s emotions or when there’s persuasion going on.
To address a range of audiences there are multiple ways such as including a diverse list of sources in order to have the audience understand. Not all audiences might be able to read scholarly articles properly and have an easy understanding of what is going on. There might also be expel in the audiences that might learn better through a quote or a visual. Therefore, it is important to include a variety of sources in order to get a point across multiple audiences. In my writings, I decided to use simple language to connect with the audience in a better way that would sound friendlier rather than a tone of scholar which might be intimidating or even uninteresting. In order to achieve a wide variety of sources, I had to learn to navigate databases and online libraries to obtain relevant information about the topics I desired. To do this, I used the database from my school and added key words as well as sorted out articles that are open access. I did this multiple times for my research paper since it was mostly based on scholarly articles. Therefore, I had to find articles that had keywords such as “Latino”, “Men”, “Culture”, or “Anxiety” which were all part of my research topic. The relevancy of an article had to be found by the date it was published depending on the topic, however the more recent the more relevant, then figure out the credibility of the author and the source itself. If there was any bias detected in the article then the article would be considered reliable since it is opinion-based not fact-based. Furthermore, I was able to formulate texts with the aid of appropriate sources by paraphrasing a quote then synthesizing it with my claim. Through synthesis I was able to connect my quote with the claim I was making. In my research paper, I remember that I used multiple sources to create my claim that Latino culture often diminishes men for showing signs of mental illness. There were multiple sources I gathered that demonstrated that claim. Then at the end of every writing piece, all of the sources used were cautiously organized and formatted in the appropriate MLA format to credit the articles I have used and to avoid plagiarism. Also, throughout a paper I would cite the source I’m using since it is another author’s ideas and not mine.
Works Cited
Tan , Amy. “Mother Tongue, by Amy Tan – University of Missouri–St. Louis.” UMSL, 1990, www.umsl.edu/~alexanderjm/Mother%20Tongue%20by%20Tan.pdf.
Saleem, Safwat, director. Why I Keep Speaking up, Even When People Mock My Accent . TED, 16 Aug. 2016, https://youtu.be/B4a0NvLTebw?si=Zk-IpDIPOCxCxTcG. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.