The theory of language used in the question states that people who speak different languages cannot share a common reality. Anzaldua disagrees with this theory. In her story/literacy narrative, she talks about how the language/variant of Spanish that she knows is influenced by English colonization. An example : “The pocho is an anglicized Mexican or American of Mexican origin who speaks Spanish with an accent characteristic of North Americans and who distorts and reconstructs the language according to the influence of English.”
To me, Anzaldua wrote her literacy narrative with a lot of personal connections. The way she told her story felt like a tale out of a history book, lined with facts and opinions. She also included her own personal scenarios while facing discrimination for the language she speaks. An example: “Pocho, cultural traitor, you’re speaking the oppressor’s language by speaking English, you’re ruining the Spanish language,” I have been accused by various Latinos and Latinas.”
At the beginning of Manson’s essay, she talks about how her silence is described by others as sadness. She then explains how she is not actually sad, and being sad is expressed differently, but she just has a hard time getting her thoughts out. By the end of the essay, she learns that her silence is actually a good thing, as it helped her cope with things she learned while exploring history. For example: “Silence helped me cope with the truly unspeakable. It allowed me connect to myself and to those around me.”
In Sedaris’ essay, the most prominent Literacy Narrative I found was the explanation of an event through personal experiences. The essay also goes in line with the literacy narratives used to connect others through discourses. Sedaris explains in the essay how he felt scared and threatened by his French teacher in France, which is a discourse he shared with other students. However, he did not really seem to care about connecting it to a larger meaning or message, like Manson’s for example.
I agree with your response on Mansons essay. I also felt that her silence was a good thing for her and that it helped her express herself better
Thanks for this, Ariel! Your comment on Manson– “she learns that her silence is actually a good thing, as it helped her cope with things she learned while exploring history”– is insightful. Silence could be a source of strength, or a container for her privacy and self-reflection and thinking, not just a trap.