...Tanya Barrientos is the author of the essay “Se Habla Espanol”. Barrientos, originally borned in Guatemala, was raised in Texas. I really enjoyed this essay. It was very truthful and full of emotions. The main point in this essay I believe is how the world views certain groups and how their views of them are. Stereotyping occurs outside and within the person or group. This essay speaks of a female who was born in Guatemala, who is clearly Latino on the outside down to the color of her skin. She moved with her family to the United States when she was three years old so she is completely Americanized on the inside. She is struggling with her race and the stereotypes that go with it. She should be able to speak Spanish but she is still trying to learn the language up into adulthood. She also criticizes her own heritage with stereotyping; stating in the essay “To me, speaking Spanish translated into being poor.” (Roen, 2010) She enjoys in some parts to defy the stereotypes. This is found in when her and her brother went to start school and the teacher showed negativity with saying “You people. Your children are always behind…” (Roen, 2010) They proved to the teacher that they are very capable of keeping up and also exceeding past the others. You can see the internal race struggle within Barrientos throughout the essay. She thought it a compliment when others told her she didn’t seem “Mexican”. She didn’t want the label of being from Mexico which meant poor, dirty, and lazy...
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...English Composition 15 Jan 2015 Introduction Se Habla Espanol is an essay written by Tanya Barrientos takes readers on her personal journey from childhood to adulthood as she begins to embrace her culture. She was born in Guatemala and came to the states at a very young age. Her story touches briefly on different periods of her life as she ages and details her state of mind as she originally did not identify herself as a Latina. Main Points Barrientos’ family moved to the United States when she was just three years old. The family settled in the state of Texas. At this time, the year being 1963 there was a common stigma against people who held on to their culture. To combat this stigma and ensure their children did not have a rough time they changed the way the communicate. Barrientos regularly recalls hearing her parents speak to each other in Spanish, but they would only talk to her and her sibling in English (Roen, Glau, & Maid, 2011, p. 59). Having the Spanish language effectively eliminated from her household at such a young age had a few adverse effects. Barrientos recalls having a sense of pride when being told that she did not seem Mexican by her friends. Between the ages of 7 and 16, her perception of speaking Spanish was a direct correlation between poverty. Her contention for the culture and wish to not be a part of the Latin label resulted in her saying to her father that she hated being called Mexican when she was 16. Her father sent her to Mexico City...
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...Summary and Personal Responses to Tanya Maria Barrientos’s “Se Habla Espanol” English 115 July 13, 2014 In her essay “Se Habla Espanol” Tanya Maria Barrientos expresses her struggle of being a pure Latina who doesn’t speak Spanish. Being born in Guatemala, a Spanish speaking country, she and her family moved to the United States of America at three years old. (Barrientos, 2011) now living in Texas her parents made the decision that their children would cease speaking Spanish only to speak, read, and write English molding them into America’s Anglo culture. Barrientos set out to defy the stereotypes being placed on brown people while at the same time believing them herself. She stated “To me, speaking Spanish translated into being poor. It meant waiting tables and cleaning hotel rooms.” (Barrientos) Not being seen as Mexican was a compliment in her eyes while not speaking Spanish equated to being white. Clearly she was not proud of her heritage and at the age of 16 in attempt to reverse the disdain for her culture Barrientos was sent to Mexico for the summer by her father. To her surprise pride emerged but created a new dilemma. How can you be a proud Latina and not speak Spanish? She set out to learn it. After taking several Spanish classes she continued to feel laughable around native Spanish speakers. Not only did she struggle with the language but with the fact that she was now frowned upon as a Spanish woman who can’t speak the language. Barrientos eventually...
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...Composition “Se Habla Espanol” Summary and Personal Response In the essay "Se Habla Espanol" by Tanya Maria Barrientos, she identifies her struggles of being a Latina native who does not speak the language. From Guatemala, Tanya came to the United States at three years old, in 1963, with her family and gave up communicating in Spanish quickly. Her parents determined that their children would only speak, read, and write English to fit into what they called the “Anglo Society” (Barrientos, 2011). In her younger years, Tanya herself believed that if she fit in with this society, she could escape the Spanish stereotypes. At sixteen, Tanya’s father decided to send her to Mexico to help her see that being called Mexican was not an insult but more of an honor. Tanya was reluctant to go, but when she did, she found out that she loved the environment and culture. Sending her to Mexico gave her a new sense of pride that she didn't exactly know how to sustain. The author opens the essay registering for a Spanish class for the sixth time. According to Tanya in the wake of expressing her last name, she naturally heard that snippet of delay from the other man on the telephone. She reveals how she feels when people see her or hear her last name, they automatically expect her to speak Spanish. Tanya and her family came to the United States in 1963. Immediately at the age of three both of her parents decided that their children would defy the odds of their Guatemalan culture and fit into the American...
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...Se Habla Espanol. Student: Gonzalo Gomez. Professor: Dorothy, Valentine. Course Title: English Composition April 17, 2013 “ Se Habla Espanol” is one of the best essays I have read in my life time because I can relate a lot to it. This essay was written by Tanya Maria Barrientos. This essay will help you see the struggles she had to over come while growing up in The United States and not speaking Spanish her native Language. Mrs Barrientos was born in Guatemala and was raised in El Paso TX. When she was 3 years old her family brought her to The United States. Her parents decided that they were only going to speak English in her household. Her parents had decided that the only way her and her brother could fit-in in the Anglo society was by only speaking English regardless of their Hispanic appearance. She wrote about a time when her parents took her one week late to school because they were on vacation. “At the school's office the registrar frowned when they arrived.” She told them “ you people. Your children are always behind, and you have the nerve to bring them late?” I personally been through that similar situation during my school years while growing up. I love her mothers response when she says “ My children will be at the top of their classes in two weeks.” I bet that took the registrar off track. Since she was young she thought that speaking Spanish meant various things. One of the things was that Spanish meant being poor. Another thing was that it meant...
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...The Inca, Maya, and Aztec all lived around the same place, Mesoamerica or Middle America. Meso-america Includes Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. All 3 tribes have harsh punishments, have very unique lifestyles, and many other similarities and differences. This essay will be about the similarities and differences of all 3 tribes. The differences are their treatment of humans, and the similarities are their Religion. The inca, aztec, and maya based everything on religion. The food they ate, the clothes they wore, how they celebrated, and even how they raised their children was all guided by what they believed in. All three tribes had similar beliefs, they all believed in many gods (Polytheism). They did not only have believe in 1 god, they believed in multiple gods. They all felt that human sacrifice was the best way to appease the god if something happened, If something happened at a festival or someone broke the rules, they would sacrifice random people or sacrifice the people who did the crime. A sacrifice was never about the blood, or the organs, it was always about the gods or the sacrifice, they never wanted to kill the people, but they needed to appease the gods. They all had gods of weather, They had the sun god, moon god, rain god, and many other gods. Those are the similarities between the 3 tribes...
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...identity. She was born in Guatemala but has lived in America since she was three years old. In the beginning she was somewhat embarrassed by her Hispanic heritage. Tanya felt inferior to the white people because of how she looked and because of her last name. The tone of the essay was a serious and desperate cry for help. It seemed she was speaking to anyone who could listen and relate to her. Tanya wrote from her point of view and how she felt like a “gringa” trapped in a Latina girl’s body. Tone Tanya had been through the whole situation of taking tutoring to help her develop her Spanish speaking a half dozen times already. She had become frustrated and did not know where she belonged in society. She viewed herself inferior to the others in her class and wanted others to pretend she was a white girl wanting to learn Spanish. She was struggling with her identity and spent a lot of time and money trying to find her true self. You can’t blame her for feeling that way. She saw the type of treatment her parents received when she was a child enrolling in school. All she wanted was a place in society. Audience The primary audience Tanya was speaking to would be anyone in the same situation as she was. It could be another person of Hispanic descent or any other race trying to learn a new language and accept their heritage. In the beginning she felt like she was low on the totem pole because she was considered Mexican. Towards the end of the essay she had realized that...
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...giving it the most diversity people have seen in a lifetime. Although it is a common misconception, these people are not just looking to live in America for working privileges. Their real desire is to become something that depicts pride and honor, an American. Being an American in a country as diverse as ours means more than just living on American soil, it has endless benefits that allows one to feel free. Unfortunately, the rapid flow of immigrants into America has led to many issues. One of the main ones is the concept of assimilation, which has been disputed for years due to the capacity of the incoming immigrants. Jay Nordlinger, in his essay “Bassackwards: Construction Spanish and Other Signs of the Times” notes that not “everyone who comes to America is dying to melt into the pot”. Yet he stresses, as does Linda Chavez in her essay “Supporting Family Values”, the need for immigrants to assimilate to American culture. These two concepts have been floating around America since the first illegal immigrants started to show up and they’ve been controversial ever since. Everyone is looking for a happy medium for the issue but can’t seem to find it. Recent immigrants are being expected to trade their ethnic and national identities for new American identities, and the concept of ‘Americanization’ commences. Is the idea of American culture as a “melting pot” still valid, or are immigrants becoming ‘Americanized’? Being an American means to live on American soil. But more than that...
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...American life. This film, meanwhile, takes a more realistic approach, discussing the truth that for many coming into America, life is cruel and limited in opportunity. Though both characters do make it to America, they find life almost as challenging as it was in Guatemala. The film ends on a tragic note, with Rosa dying from illness and Enrique presumably killing himself from grief. All three films offer interesting perspectives into the story of immigrating into America in a realistic way. Overall each film deconstructs the myth that America is a utopia, instead making the case that rather, America has its issues as...
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...poverty” (KPBS). This results in the children having to work in order to survive. Even if the whole family has a job it would still be extremely hard to put food on the table. Another example from (nueva mayoria) show, “In Latin America, Argentina reports the highest per capita income of 7,600 dollars followed by Uruguay with 5,900. Chile captures the subcontinent's third spot with 4,740 followed by Brazil with 4,420. Therefore, Southern Cone countries rank the highest in Latin America’s per capita income. Mexico ranks fifth with 4,400 Andean countries are in the sixth spot with Venezuela reporting a 3,670-dollar per capita income. Two Central American countries come next: Panama with 3,070 and Costa Rica with 2,740. Peru ranks second in the Andean region and ninth in Latin America with 2,390 followed by Colombia with 2,250. Santo Domingo is next with 1,910 followed by El Salvador with 1,900 and Guatemala with 1,660 in Central America.” As this says the most income is only 7,600 which is considered poor in the united states. Many migrants move away because of this reason only. It cost a lot of money to get citizenship...
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...communicate with others. Each country has different kinds of languages with different accents. Communication is used everywhere in the world. Everyone communicates all the time. But communication is much more than just talking and listening; it involves understanding and interpreting. Language can both include and exclude groups of people through the use of slang, family adaptations, and non-natives. First, there are many types of communication that involve slang everywhere in the world. Professional communication or slang in my opinion, is the way someone speaks naturally rather than trying to sound high class or use big words. Just because someone knows bigger, broader words doesn’t make it professional. In George Orwell’s essay, Politics and the English language, he states how language is full of bad habits when he says, “Modern English, especially written English, is full of bad habits which spread by imitation.” This is true because bad habits do stick, just like slang. The world communicates with slang which makes it hard for some to communicate. Professional communication can be looked at as a way in which someone presents themselves, rather than the way they speak. There is no legitimate right way of speaking English but the way in which one best interprets it. People easily adapt to slang wherever they go. Slang is defined as a type of language that consists of words and phrases that are regarded as very informal. If someone is visiting a cousin in a different...
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...Immigration reform essay: According to Pew Research Center, there are roughly 11 million illegal immigrants in the u.s. as of 2015. This is so far one of the best estimates we have today on how many illegal immigrants reside in the u.s. When looking at illegal immigration patterns across other developed nations these numbers tend to be much lower (CITATION NEEDED). In the u.s we have seventy five percent of our illegal immigration coming from mexico while the other twenty five percent is from various latin and south american countries (citation needed). With the current amount of illegal immigrants residing in our country our political leaders must be able to make immigration reform possible. There are a few ways to do this. The Conservative...
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...Poverty is a global phenomenon affecting every country. According the United Nations, poverty is the inability to seek basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter based on the incapability of not having enough money. However, it is not all about the inability to seek basic needs but beyond that. “It is about the denial of opportunities and choices that are widely regarded as essential to lead a long, healthy, creative life and to enjoy a decent standard of living, freedom, dignity, self-esteem and the respect of others” (United Nations- Global Teaching and Learning Project, 2014, 1). Poverty makes other major problems worse including slave labour, human trafficking and the spread of diseases. However, the root cause of these global issues is the relationship between poverty and the lack of education. The big question is whether increased education will reduce poverty or, is a lack of education a result of poverty? Increased education can lead to the reduction of poverty by providing people with learning skills to get a job and provide a source of income. Education has the most crucial role in eliminating poverty as with education there are many more opportunities. For the eradication of poverty, primary education is essential because with the increase in education, people will not lack cognitive skills- being able to progress better. (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2001; Brown, J., Pollitt, E. Malnutrition, 1996). A counter argument is...
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...Why America Desperately Needs Immigration Reform Growing up in El Monte, California, a small working class city just 20 miles east of Los Angeles, I thought I knew everything there is to know about the illegal immigration issue. In El Monte, you see them everywhere. I see them working in the kitchen of Chinese and Mexican restaurants. I see them wiping down the bumpers of the soapy cars at the car washes. They sell bags of oranges off the freeway exits. Whenever I go to Home Depot, I see a few dozens waiting outside to be offered hard manual work. Throughout the 1990s and the beginning of the millennium, I witnessed firsthand my city’s demographic slowly transformed from a predominantly working class Chicanos to a city consisted of first-generation immigrants fresh from Mexico, many of whom do not speak English fluently, many of whom crossed the border illegally. My friends and relatives who weren’t from my city seemed surprised to find my lackadaisical attitude toward the entire situation. “Aren’t you afraid? Why don’t you move out,” they would ask. I tell them that they don’t bother me. In fact, I’m glad that they are here. They work hard, most of them stay out of trouble; they keep the market prices of fruits and vegetables low; they mow my grass on the cheap; whenever I need hard manual labor to be done, I know where to turn. Life, I believed, was good with them around. That’s until the illegal immigration issue affected me personally. Two months ago I went back to my hometown...
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...accented English to collide with the sawedtwenty years. off consonants. I tell him that will be fi ne, that I’m familiar with 3 Barrientos was born in Guatethe conversational setup, and yes, I’ve studied a bit mala and raised of Spanish in the past. He asks for my name and I in El Paso, Texas. Her first novel, Frontera Street, was supply it, rolling the double r in Barrientos like a pro. published in 2002, and her second, That’s when I hear the silent snag, the momentary Family Resemblance, was pubhesitation I’ve come to expect at this part of the exlished in 2003. Her column “Unchange. Should I go into it again? Should I explain, conventional Wisdom” runs every the way I have to half a dozen others, that I am Guaweek in the Inquirer. This essay originally appeared in the collectemalan by birth but pura gringa by circumstance? tion Border-Line Personalities: A Do I add the humble little laugh I usually attach New Generation of Latinas Dish to the end of my sentence to let him know that of on Sex, Sass & Cultural Shifting. course I see the irony in the situation? We selected this reading because This will be the sixth...
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