A synthesis
A synthesis
Pretext The United States of America is a more than a nation. Millions of aspiring businessmen, engineers, doctors, students and others visit America every year with a dream to settle and make a great living. Similarly, Spanish immigrants have been living in America for several past decades; their population and significance in the business culture of the nation is increasing day by day. Naturally, there is a clash of languages when immigrants have to deal with English rather than Espanol (Spanish). This synthesis essay deals with the very issue of bilingualism and its effects on certain classes of people in America. The famous essay stories- ‘Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood’ by Richard Rodriguez and ‘Bassackwards: Construction Spanish and other signs of the Times’ by Jay Nordlinger have been analysed here.
Question
Why the immigrants and Native Americans are uncomfortable with the effects of the bilingual assimilation and acculturation? Is not there a justified way to make a balance between the multiple languages used in one nation?
Similarities in brief
These essays are basically related to the bilingual aspect of cultural assimilation due to
immigration in America. The way immigrants and native people take each other and do not approve of the changes they undergo in terms of language. While the immigrants feel uneasy with English for the new environment, the natives find it irritating to learn Spanish for getting their works done.
Essay 1
Summary of ‘Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood’
Richard Rodriguez was born in a Spanish speaking family living in America. In this essay, he has very strongly expressed how a child used to talking in Spanish faces trouble to learn and communicate with English-speaking people (Rodriguez, 1981). He is initially very nervous and uncomfortable to hear the way Native Americans speak English; he cannot understand the tone, pitch and words together when they speak English fluently in American accent. He feels homely when his family talks in Spanish at home. He links Spanish to comfort and homeliness. His difficulty in understanding English affects his academic performance at school. So, his teachers encourage his parents to talk in English. After this point, a young Rodriguez sees a huge change in his life. His parents try to talk in English, so do his siblings. His home is no more a place where he finds homeliness of Spanish words. He decides to get bold enough to answer questions in class and gradually learns to communicate in English. But, he is somewhere disappointed with the loss of bond in family, which once kept them together. As a result, there is very less or no
communication between the members of his family. And he feels that the very moment when he decided to raise his hand in class to speak the public language English, his childhood ended.
Analysis and critique ‘Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood’
The essay touches a reader’s heart because it comes from an innocent and honest child. It appeals more to the non-native English speakers who face the same problem in a foreign country.
The hesitation of the author and his parents while they talk in English, how their tone gets soft and low in pitch when they speak the foreign tongue, the harshness of English words which makes the author uncomfortable- all these things have been very well described. The essay very honestly takes the reader to the life of a young immigrant, struggling to feel normal in a foreign setting.
Transition to Essay II
The essay I speaks of how immigration affects the life of an immigrant. And as we move to essay II, we see a transition of perspectives and get to read how immigrants are affecting teh lives of native Americans.
Essay II
Summary of ‘Bassackwards: Construction Spanish and other signs of the Times’
Jay Nordlinger, a journalist born in Michigan has written this essay to express his thoughts on the spreading culture of teaching native speakers English to deal well with the Spanish speaking crew in various business groups and classes in America. He has shown very strong dislike for the fact that certain immigrants are not learning English well to blend with the American society but
instead, it’s the native speakers who are forced to learn their language to be able to converse efficiently with them. He has cited several examples where people in the businesses like construction, fireman, healthcare, restaurant etc are learning quick Spanish to blend well with the Spanish crew working there. He has emphasised on one particular case where native English speakers have to use the word ‘Basura’ for trash. He is irritated about why native people are being taught Spanish? He asks why the immigrants can’t learn English when they chose to settle in the US? He has also shown a negative reaction to the people who live in America but proudly name their clubs and associations of their motherland. Eg. He suggests the Korea-based golfers in America should call themselves American Korean league, not Korean league.
Analysis and critique of
‘Bassackwards: Construction Spanish and other signs of the Times’
The fact is that Jay Nordlinger seems bit harsh in his tone can be understood because he is saying
the right thing. When people go to a new country for better life or career, they have to learn the new language; they should not expect the country to change according to their linguistic needs. He has given a strong reason why native people of America somewhere do not like the immigrants.
Differences
The chief difference between the two essays is the perspective. Basically, both the writers have discussed the same issue- changes in a country due to immigration. But, Richard Rodriguez has spoken on the behalf of immigrants and elucidated their woes. On the other hand, Jay Nordlinger
has spoken on behalf of irritated Native Americans who are unhappy with the increasing influence of Spanish in some business groups.
Critical Reflection and Synthesis
In a very interesting contrast, these two essays are very closely related to each other. The first one, by Richard Rodriguez has been written from the point of view of an immigrant to America.
He has elaborated the problems an immigrant faces when in a new country. On the contrary, Jay Nordlinger, in the second essay, has elaborated how the lives of native speakers get affected by
the increasing influence and population of immigrants. Both the writers have represented two groups of people standing opposite to each other in the bilingual war. A reader will agree to both the essays. But, it is not the solution to the problem. Both native speakers and immigrants get to learn something from these essays. How uncomfortable a native speaker is initially, how he tries to adjust and how gradually his family life gets affected in the ‘assimilation’ process- Richard Rodriguez has explained it well. It makes us realise that the native speakers should understand and behave sensibly with the immigrants. On the other hand, Jay Nordlinger has strongly put the point forward that it’s the immigrants who should learn the language of the country they visit. The native speakers taking classes to learn Spanish to deal with Spanish speaking crew is not justified. Immigrants chose to move to a country for career; they should not expect to change the country for them.
Conclusion
These essays which represent a problem prevailing in a society should be read and understood.
We should not only read it but also try to move towards a solution to the problem. The native speakers should be polite to immigrants and immigrants should learn words like ‘trash’ rather than expecting native speakers to learn ‘basura’. These very well-written essays have shown the emotions and thoughts of two writers, belonging to different nations. It is agreed that the tone and tenor of the second essay i.e. ‘Bassackwards: Construction Spanish and other signs of the Times’ by Jay Nordlinger could be a little more polite. But, after all, he is elaborating a valid point. Instead of hating each other for the differences, these essays should be understood to promote peace and mutual adjustment. Languages should not create rift but diversity in cultures. This is what one should conclude from these essays and synthesis.
References
Jay Nordlinger. ‘Bassackwards: Construction Spanish and other signs of the Times’. 2007.
Richard Rodriguez. ‘Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood’. 1981.
