Jay Bhakta

Cerritos College
English 103
Post 3

How to Tame a Wild Tongue
Normal

Relation

After reading Gloria Anzaldua's How to Tame a Wild Tongue, I realized that many other cultures are able to relate to the experiences that Gloria went through. We all deal with different stereotypes aimed at our culture, personality, looks etc. and we all feel differently about their effects. On September 12, 2001, a day after the attacks on the world trade centers, I experience racism and stereotypes aimed at my culture for the first time. Different children, even those who I once called friends called me a terrorist, and claimed that Osama Bin Laden was somehow my relative. I had never been so confused. Many had assumed I was guilty by association. I had not even taken into account the fact that I had been associated with a culture that was not even my own. However due to ignorance and lack of factual information I was grouped as a terrorist. Many others wrongly faced these accuasations, and the land of tolerance became less tolerant. We must not let these waves of ignorance wash away who we are. As Anzaldua said, "Until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself." (20) It is important to know who one is above anything else, and it is important to take pride in one's self in any aspect of one's life. Let no one define who you are.