By: Stephanie.Esteban
Snapshot
Throughout my 21 years, I’ve been one of those people, that struggled with language and their deficiency. I’m trying to fit in with the rest of humanity. I came to the United States when I was in third grade. I spoke no English whatsoever, but at the same time, I was very humorous and open-minded about it because I knew that there was always a first time, and then my real intention was to learn English and be able to adapt myself the fastest as I could. Halfway through my 3rd year, I began to feel some different vibe types around my other classmates. It’s like if they were judging me, but I couldn’t make that a valid point because I didn’t understand what they were saying. This kept on going on for the next three years of my life. There was this time where we were taking the English test. You know where they assigned you a certain level depending on your essential reading skills. I was on a D which was very low, by the way. But I didn’t care. At that time, people were making fun of me. I was being bullied. I even thought school wasn’t meant for me, that I was never going to make friends, that I would never have a peaceful life, a good childhood experience like the other kids just because my language wasn’t at its best. After all of that, I never got intimidated the complete opposite. I began taking English classes tutoring after class, but I never heard of that one person who did not judge me. Everybody did. Still, I also saw the positive side to that because the only thing that came to my mind was everybody assumes everybody has a right to judge, so it’s OK if others sentenced me, but that judgment he’s going to be the reason why I fight every day. So I kept on taking my classes more tutoring my English decided to get better. When I was in middle school, this competition was called a spelling bee. I won first place. At that moment, everyone was surprised and wanted to congratulate me. I was not happy with them at all but myself only, because I wanted to do this for me I still decided to keep trying to do each my broken English, But that was just a way to keep on building on the little things that I already knew and was able to learn. After I could speak English better write it better, I knew that people had a different relationship with me. People wanted to talk to me about people’s facial expressions was different, and everything seems to change in a matter of time because, of course, it took time it took patients. I cried a lot. I suffer a lot, but I remain calm. There’s only one thing to prove here I’m Hispanic, and I speak Spanish, and there’s a lot of people out there that talk so many different languages. Still, the reality is that language does not define your personality the way you are the way you fit in society. Being open-minded about other people’s tongues is what makes us all unique. Therefore, we need to learn to respect each other’s languages no matter how absurd, ridiculous embarrassing it may seem to others. Instead, let’s Focus on manners on the way people are open-minded, respectful, welcoming, and all those little characteristics that define someone and someone’s language. We are nobody to judge how other people decide to open up to the world to society. Everybody’s unique in their way. Let’s all respect that and put that into perspective.
This essay summarises my experiences and opinions about the English language which is widely used across different countries by millions of people. The target audience in this essay can include anybody who is interested in understanding the different possible expressions in English along with how they are implemented in different contexts. The difference in the levels of understanding of the language among people who have English as their mother tongue and other people who do not have been the core focus of the essay. I have included my personal difficulties in understanding English as compared to others in this essay. Rhetoric approaches like the establishment of pathos can be observed throughout the essay as I have repeatedly referred to my emotional thoughts and personal experiences while using English as a conversational language. The central tone of the essay is rooted in my personal opinions and perspectives of others regarding my capabilities in speaking English. In this essay, I have also included logos rhetorical choices while explaining the effectiveness of English as a mother tongue and how it is transferred through generations.
While writing the essay, I came across different opinions and I mostly focused on the nature of English spoken by my mother who has no formal education in the English language. The exploration revealed that learning informal English directly from previous generations can develop a certain lack of refinement in the nature of speaking. For example, in the case of my mother, I observed that I personally had problems in understanding her English whereas others had comparatively lower levels of problems with understanding. Furthermore, my observations also indicated that, unlike my mother, I have always been more conscious about correction and formality in speaking the English language as compared to my mother.
In this essay believe that my writing centrally focuses on observing the differences in the English language spoken by different people in my family. Throughout the study, I have identified the reactions of people to different types of speaking English. The influence of different speaking practices of the English language within my family on my personal speaking tendencies has also been discussed in this study. Gathering evidence from different instances in regular conversations with family members helped me to understand the extent of the influence of these factors on my speaking habits. I have observed that with greater interaction with people speaking the informal English language, my tendencies of grammatical consciousness decreased significantly.
This assignment has helped me to understand how to establish different rhetorical concepts in writing. I have been able to conduct practical experiments related to the influence of the mother tongue on the nature of speaking in this study through continuous interactions with other individuals. This study has also improved my awareness about the effects of different speaking approaches of individuals around me on my personal habits. For example, after communicating multiple times with my mother, my speaking pattern also changed somewhat to the informal side which was hardly noticeable by others. One of the most important learning outcomes in this course was “Locate research sources (including academic journal articles, magazine and newspaper articles) in the library’s databases or archives and on the Internet and evaluate them for credibility, accuracy, timeliness, and bias”. Throughout the study, I had to continuously research to find the justification of the influences that other people had on my language and learning practices. In this study, I have learned how to locate credible sources for research and critically comparing my practical experiences with these established theories.
Rhetorical features
• Oxymoron: this a figure of speech that is containing words that seemingly contradict each other. For example “sweet pain”.
• Anecdote: This short story contains elements of humor with some sense of reality in it.
Rhetorical Analysis Essay of “ Mother Tongue”
Amy Tan is an American writer who often discusses connections between mother and daughter in Chinese culture. Tan’s mother, a Chinese immigrant, struggled to speak English fluently. Tan writes about how her mother’s “broken” English influenced her life in her essay “Mother Tongue.” She addresses her thoughts about prejudice and how she deals with it. In 1990, “Mother Tongue” was first published in a literary journal called “The Three Penny Review.” Tan argues in the essay that a person’s eloquence in English does not assess their intellect. She shares anecdotes and uses descriptive words to explain her and her mother’s encounters with discrimination. She persuades literary experts of her point of view by building integrity (ethos), invoking emotional appeals (pathos), and stating logical facts (logos). Tan writes this personal essay in a casual tone.
Despite her English college degree and best-selling author credentials, she begins the piece by assuring the reader that she is not a scholar of English but merely a writer who enjoys the language. She employs this narrative to acquaint the reader with her essay and seeks to establish trust between herself and all of the readers. Regardless of her familiarity with the English language, she needs her audience to take her point seriously and appreciate her story. In this article, her credentials may have overshadowed her message in several ways. If she had begun the essay with her accomplishments, her audience may have taken her case seriously for the sake of her accomplishments rather than her story. Thus, the intention of this essay, which was to remind people that they deserve respect regardless of their command of the English language, was defeated.
As an immigrant girl, Tan explores the different types of English she uses and how they shift in accordance with her climate. In one of her book talks, she noticed her turn in English where she used perfect English. She had said, “The memory-imagination junction” that she knew was different from her other English. She uses a more convenient form of English in her home, where she uses phrases like “Don’t waste money like this”. In discussing this fact she underlines the impact that her native language has on her family’s English. In many immigrant children, this scenario is normal. You turn from English to your family who is influenced by your mother tongue to standard English which you use to speak in public. Tan uses convincing pathos to appeal to the viewer. Using words like “broken” or “broken” to characterize her mother’s English profoundly disturbs her writer because she feels that this restricts her mother’s experiences. Tan says, “You should know how well my mother knows the expressive command of English.” The writer reveals that every day of her mother’s work involves reading the Forbes report and listening to Wall Street Week to highlight the high awareness of her mother, even though she spoke “imperfect” English. Throughout her childhood, Tan had to help her mother with her English skills in public places. She had to pretend to be her mother in telephone calls to get the care she wants for her mother.
Tan is one case in which her mother visited the hospital to get her CAT scan. The hospital said its CAT scan was missing and told it to make a different appointment. In spite of her fear that she had lost her husband and son due to brain tumors, they actually refused her. They declined to hear her until Tan was called by the doctor. The writer explained the question to her mother in “great” English and immediately resolved the matter and excused her mother. Tan’s mother wasn’t afforded this regard with her “broken” English. Tan shows anger and confusion that shows her passion for this topic. Her powerful emotional vocabulary draws the readers into her shoes and shows them the injustice she faces. This not only sympathizes the audience with the author and her mother but also leads them to do something about the harm that immigrants have in this country.
The essay is focused on identifying the challenges faced by black immigrants when living in the United States. The audience of this essay is the researcher, students, scholar those are investigating the factors those leads to challenges for black immigrants. I strongly feel that the US government and the system itself are responsible for the challenges faced by black immigrants but there are other factors as well. Through the information presented in this essay, my audience will able to know undisclosed factors responsible for issues faced by black immigrants.
In the introduction part, I have pointed out some of the common challenges faced by black immigrants, which include Poor education and lack of jobs. I have mentioned that the treatment received by black immigrants is completely different from black Americans. Under the third heading of the essay, I have briefly discussed each challenge faced by black immigrants. The poor education system is one of the major challenges faced by them. My research helped me to find that as the area they stay does not offer a high standard of living therefore, schools around it also have a low standard of education. The management system of the schools is also pathetic and the presence of racism can be found.
I have also discussed that the high unemployment rate is another major challenge for black immigrants. Government is bias to their citizen, moreover, in a private organization, recruitment is done in such a way so that they do not offer jobs to black people. I have also stated poverty has become the major reason behind upward mobility among black immigrants. As pay scale discrimination becomes the reason for black immigrant’s low income. In United State’s laws are designed in such a way so that black people get higher punishment than a while for the same crime. I have also given statistical information on low life expectancy, for example, black i mmigrants live 9 years less than white.
My overall writing was done from a third-person perspective, I have also cited several references in my essay to give justification behind making any statement. I strongly feel that the argument made in my essay has the most impact on my learning. I have briefly clarified each challenge with proper discussion. I have identified the loopholes present in the United states’ system.
While writing the essay I have achieved all the course learning outcomes. Learning outcome 2 mentioned that “Explore and analyze, in writing and reading, a variety of genres and rhetorical Situations”. For the essay, I have analyzed seven different journal articles. I read those articles and pointed out the most meaningful aspects then I presented them in my way. Learning outcome 9 mentioned “Practice systematic application of citation conventions”. I have followed the MLA citation in this essay and properly texted it while taking information from those articles. In the citation process, in a bracket, I put the author’s last name then the page number from which the data has been taken.
Challenges black immigrants faced In The United States
Race and Racism has always been experienced in the United States by different people based on class, color, eduChallenges Facing Blacks Immigrants when Living in the United States
Introduction
cation among others. Black Americans and the Black immigrants have always led in experiencing this challenges arising from racism. Poor education, lack of jobs and low quality education have always been the common challenges faced by the immigrants. Black immigrants face several challenges in the United States compared to other immigrants and the Black Americans. Some believe the black immigrants are responsible for their own challenges while others on the other hand argue that the challenges faced by the black immigrants come from the U.S government and systems. Every arguing party holds their relevant reasons why they feel so concerning Black immigrants. There are a number of challenges faced by the black immigrants as they work and live in the United States. This research paper discusses in details the causes of Black immigrants movement to the United States, the challenges they face and arguments on whether the they are responsible for the challenges or not. The Essay concludes with a stance on who is responsible for the challenges faced by the black immigrants.
Blacks Immigration to America
The challenges faced by black immigrants maybe linked to their reasons for immigration into the American Country. Many black immigrants are in America due to different reasons. A good number are moving to the U.S in search of jobs. Due to the overpopulation in the African countries especially the urban centers, jobs are scarce. The few industries and companies in the African Urban Cities cannot employ all the jobless Africans. Due to the high level of unemployment, Africans are moving into the U.S in search of jobs. These jobs could be low paying but they would prefer them to joblessness in Africa.
Another reason that is pushing many Africans into the U.S is education. Many Africans are busy applying for scholarships in America to further their education. Some end up settling in the U.S even after graduating seeking for employment in their professional fields. Many immigrants end up acquiring American citizenship after their education completion.
There are immigrants from the black countries that moved to the America as a result of being refugees and also family ties. There are black immigrants who gained access to the United States because their relatives or families are there. Due to displacement, some Africans from Ethiopia, Sudan, Liberia, and Somalia among others got access to the United States as refugees
Lastly, another reason that could be pushing most Africans into the U.S is Visa Immigration. The Immigration Act in America that introduced Visa migration has made many Africans to apply and end up in the U.S. The Visa immigrants are usually receiving the highest percentage of applications from Asia and Africa. Due to the perceptions by the Africans that Visa act offer help to the less developed countries, Africans has really taken this as a source of becoming rich.
Challenges Faced by Black Immigrants
Poor Education Standards
Many black immigrants face challenges during their schooling period. Especially the immigrants that resulted from refugee escape, the level of education is of low standards compared to the other immigrants or non-Americans. The schools located where most black immigrants stay are of poor standards. Many blacks stay in areas where the leaving standards are very low resulting in social amenities with low quality. The United States government does not distribute resources equally to the areas with low living standards. The schools are poorly structured, poorly managed and the quality of education offered is compromised. This leads to Black immigrants who are semi-illiterate because most drop out of school while others complete their education with low grades. Racism has taken over the division of resources to the public facilities.
High Unemployment rate
Most immigrants who move to the United States in search of jobs from Africa are left jobless despite their efforts. The refugee immigrants as well face the unemployment crisis. The employment or recruitment process in America is full of biasness in-terms of race. The whites have the priority of getting employed when there is an opportunity, followed by other immigrants with white color. Africans applications are the least considered when selecting employees (Dryden-Peterson and Sarah, 499). The job positions are filled differently, it rare to find Blacks occupying the top positions in the companies or industries. Most Black immigrants are left jobless and as a result go through hardships to make ends meet.
Upward Mobility
Black immigrants’ children find it difficult to advance in life while they remain to stay in the United States. The children brought up by black parents have found it difficult to break the poverty level they were brought up in. Their parents struggle to bring them up, they acquire low level education, they remain unemployed and the poverty level recycles. Upward mobility for the Black immigrant’s children has been slow compared to other immigrant’s children.
Low income
Most black immigrants are experiencing hardship getting an income for their survival. They survive under harsh conditions with the low income they get. The black immigrants are leading in the groups receiving low pay for their labor. Despite the immigrant’s hard work, they are never paid the same way as other immigrants or white employees (Kwansah-Aidoo et al., 100). A black immigrant and a white on the same job position will receive different pay rates with the black have very low pay. The immigrants who are well educated still experience the same low pay problem despite their qualifications. This low income is a big challenge facing the black immigrants as they mostly secure low position jobs.
Criminal injustice
Most blacks whether immigrants or not have always been associated with crime in America. This is a stereotype that results from racism that blacks are always criminals based on their color. It’s a belief that has existed for a long period of time in the United States. Police brutality against blacks is a day-to-day norm in America. The areas where black immigrants live usually have many police deployed in the areas making freedom of movement limited for the immigrants. The police in these areas have always linked the blacks with crimes that they were no actually involved in. For example, the American criminal statistics show that most blacks are convicted with drug abuse cases compared to the whites. This is actually not true since the white young men are the leaders in drug trafficking and recruiting the black young youths into the abuse. Because of color, the vice versa is happening. The blacks are thought to be the ones recruiting the whites into drug and substance abuse.
Another example of police brutality is witness on the traffic roads police. Black drivers always face the traffic accusations of breaking the rules. It does not make sense how many blacks are set apart alongside the road for breaking the traffic rules while it’s the whites who are the majority on the roads. It’s hard to see a white driver arrested while hundreds of blacks are always arrested. Racism has always disadvantaged the black drivers as they are usually associated with crime.
Life Expectancy Challenges
Black immigrants always have short life expectancy compared to the whites in America. The life lived by the immigrants impose hardships that cut their survival shortly compared to the whites. Black’s life expectancy is 9 years less compared to the whites (Foner and Nancy, 1131). Unemployment, low income, poor living standards contribute to the short life expectancy for the immigrants. Life becomes unbearable due to the challenges faced by this group of people. As a result, stress and depression creep in their lives affecting them psychologically and later death follows. The challenges that reduce blacks’ life expectancy all result from the racism exhibited by the American policies.
Covid 19 death
During this covid 19 pandemic period, the black immigrants have greatly suffered. Statistics show that most blacks have lost their lives in America during this pandemic. Despite the well-known African immunity against Covid compared to white’s immunity, the figures are contrary. The cause of high deaths among the Africans in America is the poor care offered to them in case of attack. Whites are given priority in the hospital beds and services while the blacks are left fighting for their lives. Most blacks have been treated with biasness when handling covid patients leading to the high number of deaths. Another cause of massive death among the black immigrants is the effects of lockdown on the blacks. Due to their low income, they could not invest, with the pandemic they cannot go to work; they are now forced to struggle on the means of survival which has caused massive destruction of their lives (Foner and Nancy, 1131).
From the challenges explained above, different groups of people feel that the challenges are as result of the blacks actions while others feel the challenges are as a result of the American government policies. The two sides have always debated on who exactly is responsible for the above discussed challenges.
Looking at the first side, there are a number of reasons why the American government is responsible for the challenges faced by the black immigrants. The American government has instilled into people that Africans are vulnerable and thus totally need help on how to survive. From this point of view, many employers treat the black immigrants with less care and a lot of improper handling. They are paid low wages as they believe that being vulnerable they will not be able to get better options.
In addition, the American government does not respond to the police brutality on the blacks. This makes the police know the actions they are taking against Africans are right. The police believe blacks must be treated with harshness as that is what they deserve (Wade and Peter et al., 480). In the court systems, the judges and lawyers comprise of a big percentage of the whites making judgments very racial. Lack of black representation in the leadership positions in America is a disadvantage to the Blacks fueling the challenges they face.
Lack of Blacks in the top position in the American government is justifying why they cannot get top positions in the places of work as well. Most blacks are employed on the low positions in which they are paid less money.
Lastly, the American policies on the type of punishment given to the blacks in case of crime, has contributed to the challenges they face in a great way. When both a white and black person commits the same offense, the magnitude of the punishment imposed on them differs. This picture displayed on the above policies trickles down to the everyday activities that the blacks are involved in (Chacko and Elizabeth, 229). The heavy fines imposed on black immigrant criminals affect their financial status which is already compromised even before the crime.
On the contrary, the other side of the debate is that blacks are responsible for most of the above mentioned challenges. To begin with, their reasons for the immigration are not satisfying. Thinking that life would in another country than one’s motherland is where Africans go wrong. Fellow Africans proper in their lands as immigrants are busy moving to other people lands. The notion of getting quick income in developed countries has always been a killer. Hard work should prevail among the Africans and they would prosper in their motherlands.
Secondly, Africans who immigrate into America for scholarships should move back to their lands after accomplishing the intended purpose for immigration. Unless they acquire jobs immediately after their studies completion, they should go back to their mother countries where they can navigate through the known corners for jobs. The biasness in employment in America is enough reason for them to go back home after studies.
Similarly, the immigrants that found themselves into America as refugees should start tracing their way back home. The continual stay in America is increasing their time of experiencing the above named challenges. Finding their paths back home can save them and their children from the exploitation and even future generations.
Lastly, black ignorance on their rights while staying in the foreign land is contributing to the challenges they continue facing daily. The blacks’ mentality that they are vulnerable and lack of information on the agencies that can help them fight for their rights is a big mistake. Using the different agencies in the United States set up to protect Africans can save them a big deal. They should be informed to limit the challenges they face while in the United States.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the black immigrants are truly experiencing several challenges while staying in America. It is true that the American perception of Africans is greatly contributing to the challenges Africans face. Despite the reasons that Africans are responsible for their challenges, it starts from Americans perception of who they are. It could be easy for Africans to fight for their rights if they would be heard in the first place. Fighting in vain cannot be a motivational factor for Africans to wake up from the challenges they face. Racism has taken over America and this is fueling the challenges that black Americans are experiencing.
Works Cited
Chacko, Elizabeth. “Fitting In and standing out: identity and transnationalism among second-generation African immigrants in the United States.” African and Black Diaspora: An International Journal 12.2 (2019): 228-242. https://doi.org/10.1080/17528631.2018.1559789
Dryden-Peterson, Sarah. “Family–school relationships in immigrant children’s well-being: the intersection of demographics and school culture in the experiences of black African immigrants in the United States.” Race Ethnicity and Education 21.4 (2018): 486-502. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2017.1294562
Foner, Nancy. “Race in an era of mass migration: black migrants in Europe and the United States.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 41.6 (2018): 1113-1130. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2018.1411600
Kwansah-Aidoo, Kwamena, and Virginia Mapedzahama. “There is really discrimination everywhere”: Experiences and consequences of everyday racism among the new black African diaspora in Australia.” Australasian Review of African Studies 39.1 (2018): 81-109. https://doi.org/10.22160/22035184/ARAS-2018-39-1/81-109
Mwangi, Chrystal A. George, and Shelvia English. “Being Black (and) immigrant students: When race, ethnicity, and nativity collide.” International Journal of Multicultural Education 19.2 (2017): 100-130. http://dx.doi.org/10.18251/ijme.v19i2.1317
Additional cmments:
Overall the essay has a concept, and it make sense the sections need to be addressed accordingly so that everything makes sense. Make sure to check for spelling and punctation. And a;so try to add some transition words just to make sure t makes sense
