Coming into Language “There is more pleasure to building castles in the air than on the ground.” This quote by Edward Gibbon illustrates the intensity of writing and what gratification it can hold. When one writes, they are not confined to one certain formula. A person is able to express their thoughts and feelings in any way they choose. Language is a border for many people in that some cannot comprehend a certain language, understand how to use it, or recognize what is being said to them. On the other side of the border, they are not viewed as equals or as important compared to those who are not competing with this barrier. In his essay “Coming into Language,” Jimmy Santiago Baca uses his personal experiences to demonstrate how much …show more content…
Learning how to read and write while he was in prison changed the way Baca perceived many things in life. He felt the loss he had endured throughout his whole existence until this point by not bothering to read or write. When he first started reading, he “became so absorbed in how the sounds created music” in him, that he forgot, for a while, where he was (Baca 54). At first, Baca did not want to believe that he was missing out on anything special, but as he started reading, it dawned on him that language was such a critical part of life. Reading gave him the chance to visit another world and, for a moment, it did not matter to him that he was locked up in a jail cell. He could connect with the outside world for a while and not have to worry about spending the rest of his life imprisoned unjustly. Baca was able to release all of his anger and repressed feelings that he had bottled up inside of him his whole life with no way to vent them out before. He realized that language was truly a gift that he had been lacking for the first twenty years of his life. Learning language was such a fortunate thing which allowed him to escape the horrors of life. When Baca learned grammar on his own and started writing, he discovered that he had a real talent for it. He finally felt like who he really was—who he was meant to be. He says that “Writing bridged my divided life of prisoner and free
His relationship with reading and writing was a real challenge for him. Not being able to express himself and say how he is feeling didn’t help him from going to jail. Knowing how to read and write can make a really big impact on everyone because you have a saying and people will always be listening. You need
Baca’s essay shows the reader how he grew as a person. Even though he had many obstacles his intention was to become a better person. The first steps he took towards growing as a person was by listening to someone read to him. Before long he was able to start reading books on his own. After succeeding in learning how to read, he accomplished his biggest goal yet, Baca was able to write. Thus, causing him to feel a sense of freedom and no longer anxious.
I chose to write about the Baca essay, “Coming into Language” because it stood out to me the most and it was very different from the other essays we had talked about in class. Baca had a tough time growing up and attending school, “Ashamed of not understanding and fearful of asking questions, I dropped out of school in the ninth grade” (53). Although Baca’s trips to jail became a frequent event he discovered the art of language, “It scared me that I had been reduced to this to find comfort. I always had thought reading a waste of time, that nothing could be gained by it” (54). Ever since Baca taught himself to read and write, his desires became enraged and passionate, “But now I had become as the burning ember floating in darkness that descends
But all these reasons were unknown to him in the beginning, he only saw learning as a positive thing, he is exciting and when she stopped teaching him he started developing strategies to learn. The first one was to make friends between the little white boys in the street, he used bread he stole from his house in order to “bestow upon the hungry little urchins, who, in return, would give me that more valuable bread of knowledge”. When he was twelve “the thought of being a slave for life began to bear heavily upon [his] heart”, now reading from book put him in touch with a lot of different topics and makes him aware of how is the world around him. Here we have a change in his way of seeing knowledge, he wants to kill himself because he doesn’t have the remedy to free himself and to stop slavery in the larger system. He thinks that “learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing. It had given [him] a view of [his] wretched condition, without the remedy. In this situation we assist at the second strategy to learn, he understood how to write from the initials of those parts of the ship for which they were intended and later copying from the books of his mistress’ son, in this way finally succeeded in learning how to write. The most important thing in the passage is that after regretting his own existence because of “the power of
writing. In Santiago Baca “Coming into Languages” a teenager who was incarcerated, always so eager to learn the power of writing. When writing, finding a place where he felt free, in where he could express himself without the help of emotions was important. The two stories are relevant to each other because Helen and Baca wanted to learn new words, so they could express themselves. The motivation and persuasion were the key that led Helen to overcome her barriers, and this awarded her with the idiom of writing. While Baca 's eagerness of learning how to write grew, it made the world seem different, since his emotions were shut down in the past. The despair of words emerged and he was reborn.
One of his big events for himself was that he wrote himself out of poverty in the Caribbean islands, when things were going bad for him. His mom died when he was only 12 years old, his father left him right before he was born or right. And yet he made all of that bad turn into good. The city he lived in saw his writing and
Many individuals have theorized about the connection between self and society and some concluded that language is the link, which embodies our feelings, sensations, and impulses to experience our conduct in relationships to others. However, language alone does not necessarily provide a mutual understanding among the individuals without shared values and meanings. In “Hunger for Memory: Education of Richard Rodriguez”, Rodriquez argues that language takes two forms: private and public. What Richard labels as private is the language of the home, whereas public language is the discourse of public society. Growing up, Richard’s private language was not like the public language, which set Richard apart from his parents. Therefore, Richard explores his acculturated self-identity by analyzing his educational experiences of opposing bilingual education and being "labeled a minority student" through the lens of private and public languages.
Originally published in the Wall Street Journal in 2010, Lera Boroditsky’s paper titled “Lost in Translation” analyzes the impact language has on thought. Formatted as more of a persuasive than truth seeking essay, Boroditsky begins by asking the reader if the language a person speaks shapes the way they think. This makes the reader believe as though she is truly trying to find an answer to this inquiry, but as the paper goes on, the reader is mostly introduced to evidence that supports Boroditsky’s stance and she merely touches upon the argument of the opposing side. Although Boroditsky does not include more counterarguments, “Lost in Translation” is a well written article which demonstrates that languages indeed shape the way people think through her use of the Rhetorical Triangle, inductive logic, and her stylistic choices.
Writing can present a lot of messages to it readers and audiences. It conveys a message that allows one to see what is their role and identity in society. The way they convey their message is by presenting their own language into their writing.The use of language in writing creates and identity in the act or experience of writing. As it is shown in the text How it feels to be forcibly fed by Djuna Barnes, The Shawl by Cynthia Ozick, and Tlilli, Tlapalli/ The path of the Red and Black Ink by Gloria Anzaldua.
We as humans tend to follow a strategic way of speaking through our writing, “the norm”. Author Vershawn Young's article "Should Writers Use They Own English?", challenges the ideals of what we believe standard english and why we view it as the only universal way of speaking. Within society english that spoken, by non-caucasian speakers are seen as illiterate and go under a great amount of scrutiny. The implement of english in “Academic Writing” calls as a platform of communication
Language is a building block when it comes to writing. It covers most aspects of writing, such as word choice, syntax, phrasing, etc. It’s the process that engages the audience. Ranging from a 10-volume series of World War II analysis to Dr. Seuss, language is malleable, in which it’s shaped to fit the theme at hand. It’s a powerful tool that can affect the emotion of the reader and the overall atmosphere drastically.
In his last chapter of “The World on Paper”, Olson proposes a revolutionary approach to the understanding of writing and speech, and how they are related, arguing with assumptions previously made in this academic discourse. He offers eight principles as an explanation of his proposal. The first four principles suggest that writing provides a model for speech and is being defined by people’s own scripts. The remaining principles address language as a set of models and explain how they help us to “learn how to cope with unexpressed” (p.265).
Abstract: “Breaking the Language Barrier Within the Exercise & Health Field” involves expanding the knowledge of language to be able to aid to patient needs and communicate well with them in the health field. In my case since I aspire to be an athletic trainer, I would use this to be understanding, as well as helping, athletes who are injured. The courses that I plan to be taking to fulfill the 3D requirement will be Exercise Physiology (BIOL 332), Sports Nutrition (NUTR 215) and Intermediate Spanish (SPAN 201).
What is the meaning of language? How big the role of language in your life? Have you ever realize the impact of language in your life? In my opinion, language is not as simple as people seen in general. Usually the way people see language just as a tool for communicating with others. For me, behind the general usage of language, it also has a big role in our life because a language has the power to stand and show each person’s identity. Inside the Gloria Anzaldua’s essay “How To Tame A Wild Tongue” and Amy Tan’s essay “Mother Tongue” claim that language is an identity. Because they show that language which they commonly use to communicate since the day they were born, showing who are they really are. Language as identity is very arguing phrases, it can be approach from a different perspective. This thing is exactly what are both of these essays are trying to do by approaching differently and using a different tone. Their life and experience give an impact to the way they interpret that language is an identity, and it also seen in each of their essays.
Since the dawn of the cave man, men have shown the desire to write or draw on walls. We are a race of people who demand and process information. Our words are images of ourselves and a projection of our inner thoughts and visions. We all differ in how we comprehend and present this information. "Language is seen as one of the key cornerstones that have set humans apart from other animals"(Gray, R 2007. Para. 4). Think of how frustrating it is to communicate your needs and wants with someone who may speak another language when you simply want directions, something to eat or to say hello. Imagine a child who wants to express his/herself emotionally but lacks the skill or vocabulary to do so. Imagine a dog who wants to go outside to use the bathroom; moreover, the owner or interpreter who fails to understand.