“That thinking made me say no — from now onwards, I’ll be writing in my mother tongue …” Ngugi argues that people should be able to write in their native language regardless of the relationships of power between languages. I agree with this as one shouldn’t have to conform to societal preferences when writing. One should be able to write freely about whatever they want, however they want, in whichever language they prefer. It is better to preserve a culture’s history by encouraging writers to work in their home languages. Rushdie states that Indian children are able to use English easily because of “the English language’s enormous flexibility and size.” But in Indian children using English to their advantage, it lessens the value that speaking in their home language has. The mass use of the English language emphasizes its significance in the world, but I don’t think any cultures should have to rely on English or feel that they must speak English when they can stick with their home language. The only other language I can write in is Hebrew and I do not ever feel discouraged to write in it. Writing in Hebrew actually gives me a sense of confidence because since I’m not required to write in it anymore, it’s a good feeing to know I still have those skills outside of my prior Jewish schooling.
ENG 2100: Writing 1 with Jay Thompson
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