My identity V.S. Azaldua's

Nicolette Van Duysen

September 2, 2014

English 1100

Response to “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”

            Did you ever wonder what really makes you who you are? In the passage “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” by Gloria Anzaldua, she explains how your language is what makes up your identity. In her work she gives the reader insight to her language and how it is significant to her in describing who she is. As a reader to her work I would agree that that your language makes up a piece of who you are. It’s how you speak, read, understand things and shows a little bit of your culture; however, it is only part of who you are. Even though language gives you a form of self, it is just a smaller portion of the list of things that identifies you. In my opinion, where you are from ties everything together about your identity and makes up the largest part of what makes you, you.

Evidently, for Azaldua in her piece, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” she used language as a form of identity and how to express herself; however, for me it is my town. I grew up there nearly my whole life and know it inside and out. My town is called Freehold and it made me into the person I am today. For instance, I had various memories there that I will have with me for the rest of my life and along with them comes with life lessons. I cherish countless amounts of memories I’ve had in Freehold: the good, which make me show my love and appreciation for what I have, and the bad that has stemmed where my morals lie today and how guarded I am as a person.  Each place, that is similar to certain landmarks in Freehold always makes me have my town in the back of my mind. Whether each person’s experience was good or bad, the town that you grew up in made every individual into the person they are today.

            Furthermore, relating to Azaldua’s multiple languages, in my town we say words that other towns outside of our area may have never heard of before. This is the slang that she was talking about that she had only used with her friends. My town says words that you will not be able to find in the dictionary or by searching them on Google, probably cause of the fact that they do not exist in the English language; however, if anyone in Freehold uses these words, we would understand what the other person meant on instinct.

            In addition, as Azaldua continues to use language describing her identity, I believe your town forms your identity as well. In other words, where you grew up shapes you into everything you have become as you get older. For instance, even the language that you speak that Azaldua is so passionate about, comes from where you were raised and how you have been taught by the people around you. Azaldua states in the text, “… I am my language. Until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself.” I feel the same way about where you grew up. If you cannot take  pride in that, and realize where you were raised built you in your years, then you need to do a reevaluation on who you think you are. My town is my rock, and everything I learned and will continue learning in my years is stemmed off of it. Your town has done the significant job of making you who you are, as life goes on you will always go through changes, but you will never change the person you are inside and have become.

            That being said, my town is one of the most essential things that create my identity. However, going by Azaldua’s perspective she claims that her language is her identity. The town you are from creates your character. On the other hand, language is a big part of your identity, but it is just an example of the things that come with where you grew up (the greater picture). You could speak a different language and be the exact same person at heart, but if I had grew up somewhere else, I would not be the same person that I am today. In my opinion, that statement holds true for everyone as well. All that you have become is from right in that couple mile distance that you knew every square inch of your whole life. The irony of it, is numerous people complain all their years about how they want to leave their town and just grow up already; however, as soon as they grow up they would give anything to go back.