Custom «"How to Tame a Wild Tongue" by Gloria Anzaldua» Essay Paper Sample

In this story, Mexican American women are struggling hard to preserve their culture in a country that is not there’s. She is Spanish and is under pressure to keep a form of it alive since she will need it to educate her generation in the near future. She is determined to keep her culture alive despite the remarks made by the Americans who want her to fully adapt to their culture. Americans want this young woman to speak proper English language whereas the Mexican community wants her to maintain her Castillian language so as to be able to maintain her cultural unity during her private form of communication. She opposes the statement that for a language to be maintained fully it has to be used thus exploits the other option left for her to use. The pressures from both ends are bringing her down thus she has resorted to forming her own language called Chicano Mexican. This language has mixed everything up thus suitable for use since it accommodates the needs and wants of both parties (Anzaldua, 1999).

Migration is depicted from the fact that the Americans want her to learn English hence this shows that she is not from within. Migration is not an easy thing since it takes time for individuals to blend in well with the new community. Migrants are not defined by their geographical location, but on the fact that there cultural backgrounds defines them. Gloria who was born in Texas is not American since she was raised in a culture that is not American, but Mexican. She was forced into the American society by forces beyond her reach. None of the cultures are willing to incorporate any change in their lives and thus people need to overcome various existing challenges that present themselves. Type of food being taken by the communities differ; type of weather experienced; kind of sporting activity individuals engage in; types of religious affiliations associated and recognized by each community; kind of clothes worn by these communities are totally different; and lastly the means and tools of communication used by both societies differ (language).

Immigrants coming to America are seen to be outsiders since their native language is not similar to that of other Americans in the country. Gloria was born in the United States, but has a different cultural background and thus she qualifies to be called an immigrant and not an American citizen. Migration is the whole story since we are able to see the challenges that come with being a Mexican American. For example, the time when Gloria goes to the dentist for check up the Native American dentist shows her that she is not from the country and thus she is not his priority. This kind of treatment was unfair and made Gloria have a negative attitude towards the Americans who see themselves as being the best in the people in terms of development and level of intellectual. Migration brings about discrimination in terms of language and thus a language barrier is formed in terms of communication thus immigrants are forced to learn the language of the Americans.

Migration in this story has contributed greatly to the development of characters, themes, symbolism and plot of the story. The story has been localized around the Mexicans who have migrated to America in search of a better life and education. Some of the Mexicans in America have migrated due to the civil wars in their country and thus they want security from the Americans. In America they are given the basic needs and wants, but at a price which brings down their levels of integrity as human beings. All the immigrants do is persevere since they do not have any choice. Migration has made many people around the globe forget their original homes and thus they have become ignorant in teaching their children their ancestral life which is very bad (Jordan, 1994).

Migration in this story is also seen through the ways in which people communicate with each other. Most of them do not know the English language well and have a difficult time in constructing logical and understandable questions hence they are portrayed as poor in the English language. The Mexican American’s have a wild tongue which needs to be tamed as the name of the story suggests. Most of these individuals communicate with difficulty since they cannot construct sentences that are logical and clear due to their Mexican cultural background. Mother tongue interferences have also contributed to their inability to understand each other and soon they will use signs and gestures to communicate (Ore, 2005).

Modernization and globalization affects immigrants since they have made them be tools or machines for cheap labor in developed communities. Most of these immigrants have been given a cold shoulder when it comes to solving their problems in public offices. This treatment has made most of them opt to engage in activities that are illegal and unhealthy for their stay in American countries. This story has envisioned the works of Cruz by bringing out the diversity involved in culture and language in general with regard to immigrants in the country. The identity of these immigrants gets mixed up with others’ and leaves them in the middle which is not good at all. For most of the immigrants, it was easy crossing the borders, but going back there is a big challenge. The mainstream language, government agencies, and culture of the Americans were threatened by the intrusion of other languages and thus they resorted to launching assaults on the other languages in a periodic manner.