Gloria Anzaldua’s interpretation of language is inspirational to me as a speaker of a different language because of the world that we live in. Growing up, I grew up in a Spanish speaking household and I learned to speak fluent Spanish and that is something that I am proud of. One quote that stood out to me in the reading was “So if you want to really hurt me, talk badly about my language”. This quote directly highlights the way that I feel about my own language and how we have seen on the news people berating others for speaking different languages than their own. Each language is unique to a region of the world and each group is represented through their own language. Anzaldua faces insecurity about her own language in the reading as she used to feel that her dialect was inferior to other types of Spanish. I have met people who have decided to abandon their roots from their language instead to pursue the true American identity, which truly isn’t a thing because there is no ideal American. 

The U.S is extremely diverse when compared to other countries, and that is why there is no true official language due to the melting pot of cultures in the country. Another quote that stood out to me in the reading was “Chicanas who grew up speaking Chicano Spanish have internalized the belief that we speak poor Spanish.” Anzaldua also mentions “Linguistic Terrorism” which is the belief that language can actually divide groups of people due to different dialects. I have always remained proud of being from Peruvian ethnicity and have not shied away from my parents home country and I love the culture and try to tell others about the great things of Peru. Some children at a young age, can be traumatized from ignorance from others and try to avoid their language to avoid being the target of others which relates back to linguistic terrorism.  Although I speak a different kind of Spanish, there have been times when I have heard conversations about which type of Spanish is the correct dialect and which ones are “illegitimate”. Anzaldua also mentions the type of Spanish and English known as Spanglish, which was common for me growing up. Some words in Spanish that I did not yet understand would be mixed in with English to form a sentence, which usually resulted in my parents trying to teach me the word, but this form of speaking Spanish was one way that I was able to communicate with my family. 

One thing that I always tell myself and others is “Nothing is possible without trust in ourselves”  This means a lot to me for the fact that although If I’m going through a tough period, I have to remember that I can get through it anyways. I also love to help my friends who may not be doing the best that they are able to overcome any situation because they are strong and any type of motivation can help them. I think for myself, I enjoy the feeling of helping others and like to put others before myself If it means that they are doing better than before.