Freddy M. Romero English 1010 Dr. Sally Asbell Do You Speak American? “Hey Nigga!” You would not normally use that phrase unless you wanted to be met by death glares and offended people. However, if you lived in certain American communities and associated with certain American minority groups, that phrase would be socially acceptable. The United States is home to hundreds – if not thousands – of groups of people who each contribute unique dialects and phrases to the English language. From New York, where African Americans’ expressive language has become the standard dialect of the ghetto, to Massachusetts, where the “r” is muted in speech, the English language is as diverse as the people who speak it.
The term African-American is more geared to those who are generations removed from the home land but are still heavily influenced by the culture of their ancestors for a lack of a better term the “blacks” of America. Ignorant to their history many blacks of the 21-century try to dispel their heritage and try to only become American. Referring to themselves as only such with no ties to anywhere past what is now. This mind set is conducive to what was trying to be accomplished by whites for centuries the relinquishment of everything known before slavery. “in a situation of the colonizer and the colonized the question of consciousness become a site of intense struggle” (Thiong’o, 109) As discussed in class being ripped from everything you know into a new world is the most traumatizing experience and those who gave their lives in hopes of a better future, a future where if they can’t make it home at least they claim their own stake in this new land; these ancestors will look in turmoil as they realize that
This being said at this time people with black skin were not equal, along with women and also children. Because of the time period this story takes place the “N” word is an acceptable word and not frowned upon like today . That being said when the white slave owners called their slaves “nigger” they were still
This idea “deemphasized differences and emphasizes instead the need to disregard diversity and accept immigrants as Americans as long as they learned to speak English and became citizens. The most common expression of the melting pot perspective today is the argument that people should be color blind, that people should ignore a person’s skin color.” (p. 169) Different races of color are offended by the color blind attitude because they feel like it implies negativity about their race. People of color feel as though there is no way nor is there a cause for white people to be oblivious to their color of skin. Separatism: started in the early 1920’s and is the most pessimistic of the four attitudes towards diversity. It is the easiest to recognize because “separatists
Anzaldúa also talks about how this criticism of learning English can make one be deemed as a traitor to their people. From this confusion of language, new dialects were formed to compensate on the different ideas of what the language should be. It was neither Spanish nor English, but both, a variation of the two languages. Different forms of the dialects are used in different areas and are only appropriate with certain groups and individuals; some of the dialects are so different that Chicanos from different states choose to speak English to each other. “If a person has a low estimation of my native tongue, she also has a low estimation of me.” (Anzaldúa 136) Anzaldúa states that language is part of ethnic identity and should be a prideful part of one’s self.
In today's day and age for example, there are people who are still racist, people who don't accept blacks because of their color and culture, but today blacks understand that and accept it. This is what happened exactly back in the day, so in a way Booker T. Washington was right, blacks would never be accepted thoroughly into the country. Even though there are more rights now for blacks than there was back then there is still racism in this country. Most of the racism nowadays does not so much focus with blacks but mostly Indians and Mexicans that are now entering this country. In a way then Booker T. Washington's theory will most likely last throughout history (Johnson & Watson,
I thought that they wanted to preserve the republican society by molding republican machines. They have already inflicted so much of their ways onto African Americans. They would be better to coexist with than Native Americans. I highly doubt that if the African Americans were freed and sent back to Africa that they would fall right back into the flow of things. After being a slave for so long it would be impossible to go back to Africa and not live like an American especially for those people who were either enslaved at a very young or born into slavery.
I have to wonder if Singleton did not use this as a way to get across the ugly word that so many are afraid to even hear uttered. The “N” word as it has been deemed is one of the foulest derogatory words that one can utter yet it is still widely used today by African Americans when they refer to each other. I have to wonder if Singleton did not want to just put it out there right in the title, maybe to
Explain and briefly evaluate the role of the family in ethnic identity (24 marks) Ethnic identity is something that an individual can achieve and express to others, for example, through the clothes they wear or their religion’s values. An ethnic identity can be applied to an individual as a way of labeling them and their culture as being different. This can involve a process of ‘othering’ where the self is seen in a positive way and anything different is defined in the negative. So, in the case of black and white identities, white people may see black people as ‘the other’, that is, not white, not being like ‘us’. Said (1995) explains how this process occurs in the West’s construction of the Orient as exotic.
Gloria Anzaldúa was a prolific writer coediting with Cherríe Moraga and was a sixth-generation Tejana. In her essay, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” Anzaldúa argues that American education makes it hard for one person to understand their own cultural identity while adapting to American culture as well. She claims that the education system is focused around only American English language and pushes out other cultures. Students from other cultures can’t even speak their own language and have to stick with speaking in English. Anzaldúa argues that this can lead to linguistic terrorism which is when a person feels uncomfortable about his or her own culture and feel awkward talking in their native tongue.