How to Tame a Wild Tongue Summary and Response
Author Gloria Anzaldúa begins with an anecdote that implies she is unwilling to comply with standards in America. As a person who relies strongly on her Spanish culture, she explains her frustration with the demands of “speaking only English because she is in America.” On the other hand, traditional Spanish people are angry with her and others for changing the native tongue to Chicano-Spanish. This adaptation of language is natural, if we refer back to Seth Grave’s Language, Discourse, and Literacy. Chicano Spanish was created so the generations of people with Spanish backgrounds could have a voice and belong to their own discourse community. I think that the ability to go against common standards, regardless of judgment from other people, is a strong element in today’s society
The Meanings of a Word Summary and Response
Gloria Naylor talks about how critical the way one interprets language in the spoken word is. Naylor gives the example of the word “nigger”. She tells the story of how “nigger” was used in a negative connotation in the classroom by her classmate. She then tells a different story of how her family uses the word as a sign of strength and intelligence. Whether the word is referring to worthlessness or strength, I find it interesting that one word can mean drastically different things in different contexts.