Malcolm X's Mother Tongue: A Cultural Analysis

Superior Essays
In the United States culture is so broad that it cannot be depicted with ease, it is a melting pot of hundreds of cultures considering there are so many immigrants; the picture below presents an idea of how the U.S is thriving with culture. The struggles and hard effort people put into their daily lives all contribute to the vibrancy and uniqueness of the immigrant experience; their efforts are seen through their achievements. This culture has produced a bountiful amount of self taught people with unique knowledge, an interesting past, and a thriving future. Malcolm X’s article A Homemade Education and Amy Tan’s article Mother Tongue provide various examples of what it is like to live as a minority, as well as examples of the struggle of living …show more content…
This leads children to develop a habit of being independent and learning by themselves because they have the constant pressure and weight on their shoulders to reach success. The pressure may involve the constant nagging of parents to focus on school or the strict family rules which the child must follow in order to concentrate on school. This pressure typically comes from parents who want their children to pursue a future with less struggles. Children must then fend for themselves and formulate their own education, like Malcolm X who states that “[his] alma mater was books [or] a good library” (Malcolm X 511). Malcolm X lacked the appropriate tools to be able to gain an education, but he was able to utilize what was within his reach to achieve it; this is why he considers the books he had with him, to be his version of a college. Although Malcolm X was not an immigrant, he shared aspects common to immigrant children who may not have had important resources to aid them in their educational needs. He did not have resources such as guidance from others or money, which people who have experienced the immigrant culture can relate to. Malcolm X did what most …show more content…
Immigrants come to the United States and most of them learn English to some extent, but in the U.S there is no longer just one English language; there is accented English, broken English, and mixed English. While the parents in immigrant families usually posses accents or speak English that is indecipherable to most people, the kids are the ones who speak in a mixed English language. People in the United States that came here from other countries, are not always able to learn the language adequately; they might not have time for classes, they might not know where to go, or it simply might be too difficult. For those people who are able to learn to speak the language, they can have trouble getting people to understand their articulations. This can be a struggle because it affects their communication, but on the other hand it emphasizes the unique quality of the immigrant culture. Amy expresses her experience with the English language stating that in her family she uses “the language of intimacy, a different sort of English that relates to family talk, the language [she] grew up with” (Tan 490). She realizes that she uses different forms of the same language, one being structured and formal while the other one is casual and relatable in layman 's terms. Immigrant children who are educated can relate to this, while they may speak proper English in a professional setting, at home they may

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