Critical Analysis of “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”

Student Name Instructor Course Date Critical Analysis of “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” In the essay titled “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” Gloria Anzaldua indicates that it is not easy to go against the expectations and have what others may consider as different identity. Anzaldua is a Chicano residing in the South-West part of America. Growing up, Anzaldua spoke both English and Spanish. She learned the customs of the Chicano people at home, but American customs while at school. Growing up in such an environment, Anzaldua has faced problems due to her chosen language. In this article, Anzaldua brings awareness of the Chicano language and culture and seeks to promote femininity in society. The article exposes the feelings of Anzaldua regarding the social and cultural challenges the Mexican immigrants encounter while growing up in America. She compares English and Spanish and indicates how cultural imperialism compels individuals to speak one language as opposed to the other. Additionally, Anzaldua delves into critical social issues like sexism, racism, poor self-image and cultural imperialism. Lastly, the author expresses frustrations regarding how Latinos and Anglo people look down upon the Chicano Spanish. Anzaldua indicates that Chicanos remain as linguistic orphans and this has adverse effects on their self-esteem. Anzaldua tries to present the undesirable outlook of the society toward the other people the Chicano people in the United States. The Chicano cannot identify themselves with individuals who speak either English or Hispanic because they are somewhere between. Chicanos consist of Mexican Americans, and they have mixed both cultures. As a result, they speak different dialects. Anzaldua argues that society is always biased, expressing a high level of discrimination concerning language and the way people speaks. From the essay, the United State is mainly experiencing a major challenge in recognizing and appreciating people especially the foreigners on the way they communicate. The use of anecdotes enables me to understand the challenges the Mexican-Americans face. The author begins with a story with a dentist trying to clean her roots (15). Anzaldua indicates that she can hear the anger in the voice of the dentist when her tongue pushes against the wads of cotton. She emphasizes that the dentist is angry because of this yet she is unable to control her tongue. Anzaldua wants the readers to associate the dentist with fear and hatred, and she manages to do it. She causes the audience to think about their experience with a dentist and how it can be hard to control the tongue. The use of the anecdote is effective because it enables the audience to appreciate that it is challenging to speak either English or Spanish fluently to accommodate others. Additionally, the author includes the use of visual images to allow readers to empathize with a character. Anzaldua gives a personal narrative while in school where she spoke Spanish and school and caught. She indicates that her punishment included “three licks on the knuckles with a sharp ruler.” In another instance, she corrects a teacher for mispronouncing her name. The teacher forces her to sit in the corner of the classroom alone. Anzaldua wants the reader to see that she is receiving punishments for being herself and speaking her native language. When I imagine a little girl sitting at the back for correcting a teacher, I get a clearer picture of what it means to face discrimination. Moreover, the author makes use of ethos. She switches from English to Spanish to make it possible for the audience to understand how it feels to live as a Chicano. The author puts the readers in her shoes as a Mexican growing up in America and not knowing English. She puts the readers in an awkward position where they feel embarrassed for not underst...