Audio Essay Reflection

When the audio assignment was introduced, I was not looking forward to it, since i felt that it would be awkward listening to a recording of my own voice with the class. However, as more people went before me, I felt more confident and didn’t really mind. Overall, the assignment was productive, since we were able to get a sense of the background every student has come from and how it impacts them today. Some of the essays were really deep and moving, which helped me gain respect for many of my classmates and the linguistic struggles they have went through. An idea I found very surprising, is that everybody who shared an essay identified with more than one language.  Not one student just strictly spoke English.

I was able to draw some parallels between mine and Gary’s essays. Both of our essays highlighted the idea that students are not the only individuals in a classroom that can isolate you based on your linguistic ability. We both shared instances where individuals in power, the teachers, isolated us as well and made us feel left out in the classroom. The teachers are supposed to make everybody comfortable and encourage openness in a classroom setting, but in our cases, they made us left out from the group, based on our linguistic identity.

Another essay I found powerful, was Nicholas’ essay, since he gave up his Japanese language in order to focus on English, which is a decision that he regrets. He dropped Japanese school because he wanted to learn english, but now he struggles to speak to his family members. I saw a similarity between Nicholas’ essay and mine, since I also dropped Polish school to focus on the English language. Nicholas highlighted the fact that the only thing that connects many students to their families is language, so when you lose your original language to focus on English, you lose the ability to connect with your family.

Lastly, Nazima’s essay was really moving to me. It emphasized the idea that it is not only people from different cultures that judge you based on linguistic ability, but people from your own culture as well. Nazima went back to her home country and attempted to speak her native language, but instead of understanding her struggle, the students in her home country laughed at her and made fun of her.

A lot of these essays focused on the idea that it is difficult to manage more than one linguistic identity, which often leads people to sacrifice one. This sacrifice causes many consequences in the future, leading to regret.