Break Down the Language Barrier and Make Language a Bridge

        Some say that language can be either a bridge to connect us or a barrier to divide us. There are two essays that explore the negative and positive effects of language. In the essay "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan, the author discusses her mother’s and her dilemma with bilingualism by telling personal experiences. On the other hand, Jimmy Santiago Baca’s essay, “Coming into Language,” indicates the power and charm of language: through language, we can share the grief and joy with each other; through language, an emotional connection can be made between writers and readers. To break down the language barrier and make language a bridge, we must maintain respect and discover the charm of language.

        Maintaining respect and developing empathy is one way to remove the language fence. Amy Tan states in her essay, “You should know that my mother's expressive command of English belies how much she actually understands. She reads the Forbes report, listens to Wall Street Week, converses daily with her stockbroker, reads all of Shirley MacLaine's books with ease” (Tan 1). Amy Tan tells us that her mother, as an immigrant, loves English and works hard to learn English. However, for Chinese and other ethnic immigrants, it is difficult for them to speak "standard" English like native English speakers. As Amy Tan said, “Yet some of my friends tell me they understand 50 percent of what my mother says” (Tan 1). What’s more, her mother was treated unfairly because of her language barriers. For instance, once Tan’s mother went to the hospital to find out about a benign brain tumor, a CAT scan had revealed a month ago. The hospital had lost the CAT scan; however, the hospital did not apologize and just told her to make another appointment. The doctors in the hospital treated Tan’s mother unfairly because Amy Tan's mom speaks "broken" and "limited" English. Amy Tan says, “But to me, my mother's English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It's my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, full of observation and imagery. That was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed things, made sense of the world” (Tan 1). She explained that we should respect the way others speak English, as bilinguals could relate to understanding different forms of English or language. To break the language barriers, we need to have more empathy for each other, and we must not have a limited perception of the English (or other languages) speakers.

        In the same manner, Jimmy Santiago Baca inspires us to make language a bridge by realizing its power and feeling its energy. Jimmy Santiago Baca states, “The language of poetry was the magic that could liberate me from myself, transform me into another person, transport me to places far away” (Baca 1). In other words, he believes language can give a sense of freedom, imagination, and transformation. In fact, Baca grew up thinking reading was a waste of time until he discovered the joy and power of language when he stole a book from the prison. Baca faced hardships throughout his life, but along the way, he found life and meaning in “the language of poetry.” Baca points out that “Suddenly, through language, through writing, my grief and my joy could be shared with anyone who would listen. And I could do this all alone; I could do it anywhere” (Baca 2). In this way, Baca believes that language can connect readers' emotions by writing about the injustices he encountered, the way he fought, and his thoughts. Furthermore, writing becomes something he could control; he discovers the power of words and claims that “Through language I was free. I could respond, escape, indulge” (Baca 3), even though he was still living in prison. From this point of view, Baca maintains a positive attitude towards the negative prison experience through reading and writing to show us the power of language.

        In summary, Amy Tan and Jimmy Santiago Baca both show us a fact: language is able to unite and divide, connect but also separate. Especially in the context of globalization, cultural diversity inevitably brings linguistic diversity. We should know that no matter how well we understand and speak a foreign language, we can never achieve the simplicity and spontaneity of our native language. Thus, respect, tolerance, empathy— is the most efficient way of eliminating the linguistic wall. At the same time, we have to be aware of the magic and charm of language to create a bridge—language enables us to connect with others and share our ideas, thoughts, emotions, and feelings.

Grades: A-

Instructor Feedback:

You do a great job of setting up your thesis in the introduction, and each of your body paragraphs is effectively organized around separate supporting points. 

You also do a good job of quoting specific passages from the essays as your evidence; however, you at times quote the readings too much. For an essay assignment of this length, you should stick to one quotation per body paragraph. And then use the rest of the body paragraph to explain how exactly that quotation supports your argument: what are specific words or phrases or images in the quoted passage that you find most important? 

Synthesis Essay Instructions:

Directions:

Using only Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” and Jimmy Baca’s “Coming Into Language” as your evidence, write a 750-word essay in response to one the following questions:

1. Amy Tan and Jimmy Baca point out that our life experiences shape our relationship with language. What do you think? Explain.
2. Both authors believe that the acts of reading and writing are acts of remembering. Do you agree? Why or why not?
3. Some say that language can be either a bridge to connect us or a barrier to divide us. What do you think? Take a position and support it.

Make sure that you include a thesis statement that directly answers the question, that you draw on the two texts equally, and that you include in-text citations: ex. (Tan 1).

Please make sure to double-space your Synthesis Essay prior to submitting it.
Length: 750 words minimum
Format: Double-spaced. Size 12 Times New Roman Font.

Suggestions on Writing:

1. Begin by determining your answer to the question. This will be your paper’s thesis statement.
2. Now that you have a thesis statement, come up with at least two points of support for the argument you are making. These will be the topic sentences of your body paragraphs.
3. Locate at least one passage from each text that illustrate each of the supporting points you make. These passages will be your evidence. As we discussed in class, we cannot simply quote the reading and assume our work is done. We must follow each quotation with an explanation of exactly how the passage supports our argument.
4. Remember that this is an academic writing context. As such, your tone and language must be formal in nature. You should thus avoid conversational phrases, like “a lot,” or direct references to the reader, as in “you.”
5. Also, remember: we refer to authors by their full names or by their last names. We never refer to writers by their first names.
6. Lastly, be sure to include in-text citations whenever you quote or paraphrase the reading.

*** A Works Cited section is not necessary for this assignment ***

Grading Rubric:

Your grade for this assignment will be comprised of four separate components: the strength of your thesis statement, the structure of your essay, your use of evidence, and your writing’s mechanics.