The Red, White, and Blue (and then some)

I picked one of my discussion boards, “Welcome to America”, as my audience awareness entry. This posting created a lot of discussion because of the essay it was written about. “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”, written by Gloria Anzaldu, was a difficult essay to read because a lot of quotes that were in Spanish and not translated and it covered a topic that is sensitive to the immigration process in the United States. The essay supports the three assumptions for identity: identity is what we are born with, identity is shaped by culture, and identity is shaped by personal choices. What the essay didn’t cover was the effect of change and the acceptance of change when a person makes a choice.

Anzaldu made a choice to join a new community, the United States, and felt it was a conspiracy to strip her of identity because there is an expectation to speak English properly. My point here is that she is joining a community and expecting the community to change because she is now a member. I felt it was an unreasonable request and I opened it for discussion with my fellow classmates. Honestly though, I think I had the most discussion over “How many folks have called for computer technical support and received help from someone they could barely understand due to a strong accent? Isn't that so annoying and frustrating?” It seemed that everyone wanted to relate to that and could see my point why speaking English is so important to business.

Although I think I was trying to connect with my audience by generating a perspective and opening it up for discussion, I do feel that my post is persuasive in nature and I don't necessarily agree with the view I posted. On the radio, there is a song, "The House That Built Me", sang by Miranda Lambert in which she affirms that a great part of her identity came from the house she grew up in. Through this, I can see how dependant Anzaldu had become on the heritage behind her language and how her identity would be affected.