The Importance of Language

 Jennifer Spatz

2/16/2021

Response Paper

Taming a Wild Tongue

In the essay “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by Gloria Anzaldua, the war on native language and accents are described in painful and personal detail as Anzaldu recalls moments from her life in which she was faced with punishment or negative treatment from others about her speech. Anzaldua's life was filled with opinions and criticisms that each held the agenda of silencing her language, background, and individualism. She writes about being Mexican, speaking Spanish, and growing up in America where she was forced to speak English with no accent. She got punished for speaking Spanish at recess at a young age, she was told by her teachers to “go back where she came from” after correcting her on how to properly pronounce her name, and she was continuously corrected and reminded by her mother to speak “English like a Mexican. 

“Wild tongues cannot be tamed, they can only be cut out.” (36). Anzaldua carries pride in her language and she shows this throughout the essay by explaining the natural talent that comes with speaking the language, and those that develop over time. For example, she explains that Chicano Spanish, when spoken for a long period of time, allows for the tongue to develop borders naturally. She speaks of the complexities behind the chosen words that differentiate gender and how these aren't taught in the outside world. She shares her experience of when she first heard women speaking in public using the same words with different letters, producing sounds that show gender in conversation and she says that she was shocked and unaware. “So, if you really want to hurt me, talk badly about my language.” (40). Anzaldua explains that her language describes a culture, can describe identities, and reality, and values. Natural, native language matters because it's a vital part of who she is, who we all are.