Jiawen Li                                                                                                                   

Professor Aisha Sidibe-Leyva

English 110

9/21/2018

                                                                               Identity

              Should we keep our own cultural identity? The text “How to Tame A Wild Tongue ”by Gloria Anzaldua and the text “Two ways to Belong to America” by Bharati Mukherjee both deal with the cultural identity and immigration. In both texts, Anzaldua and Mukherjee have an argument on should people come from the other country follow the cultural identity or been adapted to the country they move in to. In Anzaldua’s writing, she tried to give the main point that the language she speaks belongs to her, it makes who she is no one can change her. In the other side in Mukherjee’s writing she tries to express that when she first come to America with her sister they just want to get their education and go back to India but at the end, Mukherjee wants to stay in America and want to become a U.S citizen become part of America. Both authors express their feeling of been adopted to a new culture but more people agree with Anzaldua that they will always keep the identity that represents me.

                 After reading both texts I feel we should always keep our on cultural identity because that is what makes who we are. In Anzaldua’s text it states that “Until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself. Until I can accept as legitimate Chicano Texas, Tex-Mex, and all the other languages I speak, I cannot accept the legitimacy of Myself. Until I am free to write bilingually and to switch codes without having always to translate, while I still have to speak English or Spanish when I would rather speak Spanglish, and as long as I have to accommodate the English speakers rather than having them accommodate me, my tongue will be illegitimate.”This quote shows how difficult her life is for can’t speak her own language and has to learn a new language that does not belong to her. This supports her point that if you want to be a part of a country it does not mean you have to give up your own identity. In my real life, I feel the same way as the author I come from China it hard for me to live in a totally different place and speak a different language. One day in the school hallway I meet with my Chinese friend and I was super excited because I can speak Chinese with her but there were two or three people walk by us who is also Chinese but they are born in American they teased us by saying look at these Chinese people they speak Chinese at American. My friends and I were kind of unhappy but we still laugh at them because they are Chinese too but they forgot who they really are but we are proud of speaking Chinese. Living in a new place you should learn a new language in order to communicate but does not mean you should forget who you are and been totally apart of a group.

                      On the other hand，author, Mukherjee thinks yes we should adopt to another cultural identity. For example in her writing, it states that “Mira and I differ, however, in the ways in which we hope to 15 interacts with the country that we have chosen to live in. She is happier to live in America as expatriate Indian than as an immigrant American. I need to feel like a part of the community I have adopted (as I tried to feel in Canada as well). I need to put roots down, to vote and make the difference that I can. The price that the immigrant willingly pays, and that the exile avoids, is the trauma of self-transformation.”This quote means that Mukherjee and her sister both have a different point of view one tries to stay in America and go back to India when she retire and other want to stay in America as a real American citizen who will vote and been seen as an American. I also feel the same way with Bharati because a lot of my friend want to become American after they come here for several years and they don’t want to speak Chinese in front of their new friend because they feel embarrassed they would never speak Chinese with me in front of their friend they would only talk in Chinese when their friend is not in front of them which make me feel sad sometimes.However I think that learning a new language and make enjoy of a culture is not wrong but we should always remember where we start at and not feel embarrassed of our own cultural identity.

                    In conclusion, both authors, Mukherjee and Anzaldua make their point of should immigration follow their own cultural identity or adapted to a new cultural identity. Mukherjee thinks it better for her to become an American citizen than keep been an Indian, and going back when she retired. This choice is better to her because she gets used to America culture and she wants to become apart of America but Anzaldua think that to be happy, we should never forget where we come from and we should always keep our identity because that what makes who we are and speaking her own language make she feel more comfortable and more like she is in her own family.I feel more with Anzaldua because I love my country and I love my language I think I feel more comfortable to speak in my own language and I feel when I go back to my own country it when I feel I’m going back to home. In the future there will be more people will make their choice between should they follow their own country identity or been use to other cultural identity but I think if they keep their identity it will make them a more perfect, success, and a happy person.