Reading Response Questions to "How to Tame a Wild Tongue"

Amy Worthington

9/3/2016

Professor Young

ENGL 1100, Writing Skills Workshop

Reading Response Questions to “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”

1). The opening scene of Anzaldua in the dentist’s chair connects to the overall point of this essay and title in many different ways. When I first began reading this essay I was surprised about the opening line. The author made a point to start off the essay with a different line that was the same as the title, but worded differently. We discussed in class the meaning of the different words in the title and as I was reading this line I kept thinking about what the different words meant. In the opening paragraph the dentist says to her “I’ve never seen anything as strong or as stubborn.” Throughout the story she talks about how she feels like she doesn’t have a say on what’s going on around her and how she feels disconnected with her identity sometimes.

2). Anzaldua’s use of the Spanish throughout her writing was due to the fact that she has gone through many situations where she has to speak a certain language to please other people, and to fit into what is considered the social norm. After her many years of going through life trying to please other people, she decided at one point to not feel ashamed about existing. She wanted to have her voice back and not hide who she was for anyone. She used Spanish in the story to convey to us who she really was and how she feels comfortable speaking to others reading her work.

3). Yes, I think that academic English can be defined as standard Spanish. They both have the same meaning in the sense that they both make you look educated when you speak it. Speaking both of these languages means that you are using words that are advanced and this is also a good way to help you identify yourself. Chicano Spanish can be described as nonstandard because it is “slang” in the sense that you are not using big words. There are a few conclusions that can be made from referring to one identity as standard versus nonstandard. If someone is using a standard language then it shows that they are well educated, and if someone is using their nonstandard language this could show that they are uneducated. That’s not always the case though, some people may prefer to talk in their nonstandard language when they are among their friends.

4). Yes, I think that it is necessary to write in Academic English as an identity. It conveys who you are as a person and who you are choosing to be. It shows that you are educated and that you know a lot about the things that are going on around you. 

5). The different English identities that I know are social class/rank, professional, gender, and age. What social class you are in might determine how you speak to others around you. For example, if you are in a lower social class you may not have been able to receive a college education and therefore you will not talk to people in a higher social class. Or if you are a professional and work in an office you will talk and say things that are serious and that are mainly about work. Also, depending on your age, you will have more knowledge about the world and therefore sound more educated then the people around you. 

6).  I think that how I talk to my friends could be considered a secret language and a secret identity. When we are talking we will use slang words that may not make sense to the older people around us. We abbreviate different words and talk about things in a language that may be considered secret to the people around us. 

7). When I am talking to my friends, I talk in nonstandard English because that is the easiest way to communicate with them. I don’t use big words and I don’t think about what I am going to say because they are my friends and I feel comfortable in front of them. When I am talking to my mother or a professor I use standard English because I want to sound educated and smart. Whenever I am talking to an adult I like to know what I’m talking about and have a serious conversation with them. 

8).  “I am my language” means that your language is what makes up your identity. You were born and raised using that language and for me I have been using it for almost eighteen years now and I can say that it is something that I identify with. You can’t hide who you are because eventually you will be figured out by the people around you. 

9).  I think that the introduction and conclusion connect because the author made a point to use the words that were in the title in the introduction and the conclusion paragraphs. In the introduction the dentist asks her how she controls her wild tongue and how she saddles it down and in the conclusion she makes sure to explain herself. She says that she keeps her tongue when other races give up theirs. She goes on by saying that she has a stubborn tongue, but she is not going to change that for anyone around her. 

10).  Yes, I think that the language that you speak can be part of your identity. The language you speak could say a lot about where you are from and who you hang out with, which could help make up your identity. It makes you who you are and it is a symbol of you carrying on your family tree. 

11).  Identity is really important to me. It is what makes you unique and special and unlike anyone else in the world. You can struggle sometimes with who you are as a person, and you might even think that you have lost the person you once were. But, once you think that you have lost yourself you can either give up and loose that person completely or find the person that you used to be. In wild Tongue the author says “I will no longer feel ashamed of existing. I will have my voice. I am my language.” This quote refers to what I stated above because she is saying that you should not feel ashamed of who you are and you should not change yourself for anyone.