According to migrationpolicy.org, about 316 million U.S. residents are immigrants, and that number is only going to go up. When they arrive in the U.S., their adjustment is fraught with challenges. The most pressing one being learning the language and adapting to the cultural differences between America and their native country. Language and culture affects the way one interacts with family, the public, and can alter how one views their identity. Three texts that will be utilized in support of this are Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood by Richard Rodriguez, Mother Tongue by Amy Tan, and The “F” Word by Firoozeh Dumas. When Richard Rodriguez, in his memoir Aria: Memoirs of a Bilingual Childhood, began to speak English, it altered his relationship
…show more content…
Amy’s mother in not the best at speaking English. Amy describes it as “limited English” (Tan 2). This limitation of language often resulted in people to “not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretend not to understand her, or even act as if they did not hear her” (Tan 2). These actions have proven themselves to be exceedingly detrimental to her health. This is evident when the hospital lost CAT scans pertaining to a benign brain tumor. This was a serious health concern since both her husband and son died of it. Despite that, the doctors “did not seem to have any sympathy” (Tan 3). Her mother’s inability to speak fluent English deemed her as inferior in the eyes of the hospital. The way Amy’s mother interacts with the public is completely different from how other people interact with the public, mainly because their reactions are different. The public is not as welcoming toward her mother because they assume her inability to speak proper English indicates a low mental capacity. This is clearly not the case when one looks at the literature and text she reads on a daily basis. Therefore, language affects the way Amy’s mother interacted with the …show more content…
The texts Aria: Memoirs of a Bilingual Childhood, Mother Tongue, and The “F” Word are perfect examples of how these changes are implemented in real life. Nevertheless, these changes are not only limited to immigrants. Whether you are switching schools or moving to the other side of the country, there will always be something that sets you apart from others. Thus, if everyone faces these challenges at one point in their life, why does everyone insist in being ignorant to the struggles of
Amy’s mother in not the best at speaking English. Amy describes it as “limited English” (Tan 2). This limitation of language often resulted in people to “not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretend not to understand her, or even act as if they did not hear her” (Tan 2). These actions have proven themselves to be exceedingly detrimental to her health. This is evident when the hospital lost CAT scans pertaining to a benign brain tumor. This was a serious health concern since both her husband and son died of it. Despite that, the doctors “did not seem to have any sympathy” (Tan 3). Her mother’s inability to speak fluent English deemed her as inferior in the eyes of the hospital. The way Amy’s mother interacts with the public is completely different from how other people interact with the public, mainly because their reactions are different. The public is not as welcoming toward her mother because they assume her inability to speak proper English indicates a low mental capacity. This is clearly not the case when one looks at the literature and text she reads on a daily basis. Therefore, language affects the way Amy’s mother interacted with the …show more content…
The texts Aria: Memoirs of a Bilingual Childhood, Mother Tongue, and The “F” Word are perfect examples of how these changes are implemented in real life. Nevertheless, these changes are not only limited to immigrants. Whether you are switching schools or moving to the other side of the country, there will always be something that sets you apart from others. Thus, if everyone faces these challenges at one point in their life, why does everyone insist in being ignorant to the struggles of