week eight

            No one is allowed to strip one of his or her native language, for it is impossible even if it means that cutting ones tongue off is the final outcome. In the short story of, “How to tame a tongue” Azanduela uses statements in her native language (Spanish) to emphasize her beliefs and what she strongly agrees with. She also describes the punishments of speaking her native tongue. Such as, “Nos quieren poner candados en la boca” (they want to put padlocks on our mouths). This clearly shows that whatever people do to try to stop other from speaking their native language it’s just not going to work at all. Someone’s language isn’t just words that they understand and can speak, it’s who people are. It’s the unique ways that people were raced and for someone else to come in and say “you can’t speak that language” is basically saying stop being yourself and become who I want you to be. In my opinion, I will never stop speaking my native language, I love it! It’s what makes me unique and stand out, it’s the first language that my parents spoke and that their parents spoke and so on. It is part of my culture that I’m not willing to give up because it is part of my family’s history.

            Overall, my identity is shaped by so many things. For example, certain smell unique words, sounds and feelings. I’m a mixture of Mexican, Spanish and German but I only identify myself as being Mexican. I wasn’t raced to believe to be Spanish or German. Growing up I don’t recall any events that lead me to think I was something other than Mexican, all my traditions are typical Mexican traditions. I’m happy to call myself that because Mexican people are the people that I identify myself with, we have the same beliefs and traditions. But most importantly we have the same religion. In my family we are very religious, were Catholics and proud! That’s just how we grew up, and how our parents raced us.

No matter in what language you say it, it means the same thing!