How to Tame a Wild Tongue Summary
In the text “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” Gloria Anzaldua talks about how she had to tame down her native language just because it was considered “illegitimate.” Since she was a Chicano, a term used for Mexican-Americans, she spoke Chicano-Spanish. Referring herself as a Chicano meant that people would just look down upon her as she spoke a language that had no real heritage. In a sense, they were orphans. This criticism started to affect their self-esteem as Chicano people. Even in their own discourse communities, they refrained from interacting with each other. The author explains the reason behind this as the interaction was seen nothing but a self-reflecting mirror that shows them their weakness and flaws. Although as the text progresses, authors attitude changes. She becomes more optimistic for the future of her people and how this identity that proves to be the reason behind all the discrimination will one day be the reason behind their unity and survival.
The Meaning of a Word Summary
The text “The Meanings of a Word,” by Gloria Naylor, explains how there’s a nuance of the meaning of a single word that can be defined as a notion of pride to an expression of insult. Naylor takes her readers on the journey of how she came to know about this reality. She narrates that she belonged to a black household where the word “nigger” was used to refer to smartness, impeccability, and dignity. But she never knew that beyond the walls of her house, the word meant something completely different. And Naylor learned this the hard way. Unlike the word’s positive connotations the author was familiar with, it wasn’t until one of her classmates brought her to light and made her understand that the word “nigger” is actually a very discriminating and degrading remark.
Response
One similarity amongst both texts was that both the authors had similar experiences; they were both, in one way or the other, discriminated. The only difference was that Anzaldua was raised completely aware of this injustice while Naylor came to know about this when she was in third grade. Also, what seems to be a constant factor in both texts was that their primary focus was on the impact the use of certain language had on them. They were never physically abused but still, the words that were used to describe them were good enough to leave them with a low self-esteem.