Kasir Moton
Professor
Young
Engw_1100
10 February
2015
Identity
In the passage “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by
Gloria Anzaldula, she states that language shapes who you are and how you need
to persevere though your own struggles within any given environment. She was
told that the language she wanted to speak was wrong for that environment and
to be considered proper she would have to adapt to this new setting and
language. From this, I came to the realization that your identity isn't a
single notion such as language, but it can be anything that you believe shapes
who you are and what you aspire to be. Anzadula was oftentimes told
that she had to change who she was, which made it difficult for her to be
herself since she felt as though she had to hide from who she really was. It
was as if she was being stripped of her identity because she was pretending to
be someone who she was not. “Wild tongues can’t be tamed; they can only be cut out
(Anzaldula 246)”. Anzadula said this quote to mean that people in this
world do not accept change very well and that they will not change unless they
are willing to. When I think of identity the first thing I think of is
my individuality. My individuality can be defined by all the different facets
that compose who I am. I am a great listener, I am outgoing, I have a comical
side, but the one quality that defines me the most is that I am willing to work
hard for the things that I want. I wanted to better myself, and even through
all the hardships I told myself I needed to go to college to do so.
Everyone
is different in this world; every individual in this world has their own idea
of what identity means to them. And as for me, my meaning of identity is my personality
with my outgoing ways. In the passage Anzadula grandmother tells her that
“flies don’t enter a closed mouth" (Anzadula246). Which I can
relate to because as a child my grandmother said the exact same quote to me
before entering church on Sunday. Growing up I was always told, “It’s better to
be seen not heard” by my family and peers. This would be said to me due to the
fact that my personality was too strong for some people. I was talkative and
very outgoing which allowed me to meet a lot of people. I had an opinion about
everything and wasn't afraid to speak my mind.
During my eighth grade year, I switched from a performing
arts school to a regular public school. When I arrived my first day in
class we had to work in groups and finish an assignment. I quickly grabbed the
paper and began to start my work. I began to tell the students in my group how
to go about the problems. After doing that for some time, a couple of students who
were in my group started to look at me funny and saying, “the new kid thinks
he's the boss”. I was always questioning things after someone told me
something and always felt the necessity to add my point of view to any given
discussion. This is just who I am, and I could never change that, for that is
my identity.
Just as Anzadula had her language to define her, so too I
had my personality to define mine. “My “home” tongues are the languages I speak
with my sister and brothers with six-seven being closest to my heart”
(Anzadula, 248). Anzadula loves to speak Chicano Spanish and Tex-Mex because it
was what she was raised on and so had a personal connection to it. I share the
same passion she had with wanting to speak her language by striving to be the
best I can be and standing up for what I believe in just as Gloria Anzadula did
when she stood up for herself to speak the language she wants to. Anzadula
speaks different languages like tex- mex, Chicano Spanish and other sorts of
languages. The people around her tried to break her down and break her habit of
speaking other languages but they did not succeed.
Those individuals that tried to stop Anzadula from being
herself, only aided her to want to be more individualistic. My individuality
has set me up in right direction in life. I’m a full time college
student and this is what I’ve been striving for since the sixth grade. During my
life I’ve met so many people and only few are closed to me. I grew up in
a rough neighborhood where not a lot of people make it out. It was scary having
to hear gunshots at nights and sirens every day, but that
didn’t change me, that only made me stronger and wanted to get away from that.
I had four friends that I grew up with. We would always
be outside together after our parents realized they couldn't keep us locked
inside forever. We would just hang around the block with the older kids
doing whatever it was to do that day. I was around gangs, drugs, and violence around this time
but I understood as an athlete I couldn’t take part in any of those things. So
I realized that and implemented that into my schedule. At that time, it got me
away from all the negative aspects but was able to keep my friends. They had
respect for me enough not to bring those things around me, but not enough for
themselves. This is why my only real four friends are facing four to seven
years in a county prison. I was called out for being “fake” by the other teens
in the neighborhood that I know, for not being In the streets, and being so
engaged in football, but it wasn't my fault. I am who I am and I know right
from wrong. I want a better life for myself and stick to my beliefs, and the
way my individuality shapes into my identity is okay with me.
No one in this world has the same identity or the same
aspirations in life. You can have your own meaning of identity or what you
believe makes you the person you are today, but make sure you stand up for who
you are just like Gloria Anzadula did when it came to her native language that
she speaks. People around her tried to break her habits of speaking the way she
does but she didn't let them because she is her language and her language is
her identity. Just as I’m an outgoing person who is charismatic and loves to
listen to people. This shapes my individuality and how I believe I am my own
person. So if you want to try to steal my identity good luck because my
individuality is me and there’s only one me.
Work Cited
Anzaldua, Gloria. “How to Tame a Wild Tongue.” The North
Anthology of American
Literature. 7th
edition, vol E. Eds. Jerome Klinkowitz and Patricia B. Luallace.
New York: Norton,
2007.Work cited
