Essay 1 and Black Power Question

In the chapter “Black Power” from the novel The Color of Water written by James McBride, he recalls certain events when he was a child involving his white mother. As a black child living amongst the black community during the 1960’s, James was always puzzled about his social identity.  Having a white mother instead of a black mother was very odd to him and even made him believe he was adopted.  Thinking about McBride’s life experiences as a young child made me consider the importance of identity.

Identity allows us to distinguish ourselves from other individuals. Identity is determined by a mix of things not just one solid thing. Identity can be defined by your cultural status such as nationality, race, or religion. And can also be influenced by society such as the type of family you have, your career, and so on. Most importantly it is what you think is most important about yourself that tells others I am the way I am because of this.

How you view yourself depicts your identity. The way I identify myself is through my nationality. My nationality is very important to me because without it I do not know what kind of person I’ll be today.  For those who do not know me I am Mexican. Being Mexican influences my day to day life. Rather than speaking one language I speak two, both English and Spanish. Not knowing how to identify yourself can be very difficult at first. However, one must stop and think about how you view yourself in order to know ones identity.

If one cannot identity his or her self, it will cause confusion similar to how James McBride felt growing up as a child. As a child McBride, had a mother with a different skin color than he did. McBride was black and his mother was white. His brother Richie would often tell him “You’re adopted”.  This made McBride question whether or not he is adopted after all. Whenever McBride’s mother would come to her sons school, schoolteachers saw his mother they would often ask “Is James adopted?” and her response was always no.  Imagine if that were to happen to you? Family can identify who you are but if you’re a young child who does not know if his own mother is his mother than what are to do but question who you really are.

Remembering family made it much easier for James McBride however to identify who he was.  The way McBride was raised shows what kind of person he is. Coming from a mixed race family, his father Andrew McBride and mother made sure there children never got into trouble. Although James McBride’s father passed away, the family morals remained the same. The family still was taught to work hard, be educated, and believe in God. Due to his families wisdom in raising children one can assume James McBride, was a good kid and worked very hard in life to get far in life.

The importance of identity is to know how to view yourself in order to distinguish ourselves from other individuals. Your race, your family, and even your likes and dislikes identify who you are. Not knowing your identity will only confuse you like James McBride felt growing up as a child. Identity is what makes you who you are and not the same as the person sitting next to you.

Question

In the chapter “Black Power” from the novel The Color of Water written by James McBride, the main point about the concept of black power is about African Americans fighting back against the whites during the 1960’s. The experience he remembers takes place after the death of a powerful black leader Malcolm X thus causing groups of black activates like the Black Panthers to rise up.  As a result, James McBride fears for the safety of his white mother. Growing up in a black community with a white mother did affect McBride mentally. When he was in the bus going to upstate New York he met a boy who was the son of a Blank Panther that sat behind him.  Everything was alright until he saw The Blank Panther standing next to his mother. He was so afraid and scared he didn’t know what to do so he turned around and punched the Black Panther’s son in the face. For me this was an identity because how vivid he remembers this situation. If it was a concept I don’t think it would have been such a dramatic event for him and  I don’t think it was an idea either due to the fact he is retelling what happened to him as a child.

one page paper about something, someone, etc., that defines who you are.

Many people believe they are born the way they are but that is far from the truth. There are many reasons as to why you are a certain way. It could be our actions or life choices that describe what kind of person we are. Whether you are a stuck up prick or a very shy person, we are all different. I know I'm different from other people but what makes me different? I've had so many labels slapped onto me by others that I couldn't even begin to start. However, I never stopped to think of things that can describe who I am. It maybe because it is so difficult for me to think of someone, something, an object to describe who I am not what others think. After numerous hours of thinking what thing can define who I am I finally got it.

Back when I was in middle school, I was always depressed. I saw myself as a mediocre, average person. You know someone just not destined for anything great. There was never a real reason for me to stand out from the crowd and try new things. I always seem to be afraid to choose between what makes others happy and not what makes me happy. Therefore my judgment was always clouded. This went on for most of my high school career until one soccer game changed it all.

I was in the boys ‘soccer team for my second year now. Still I have failed to land a spot in the starting eleven and even worse I was never able to score a goal. Despite having numerous opportunities I would always mess it up somehow. It was the last home game of the season and I was coming on to the field with ten minutes left to play and hope to at least tie the game. It was a corner kick and I decided when the ball came my way to hit it as hard as I can with my head. To my surprise, I did just that and I scored my first ever goal. The crowd went wild and I was ecstatic!  

From that point on I knew I could do anything and I never looked back. Overtime I became more outgoing and my depression went away. If it wasn’t for that moment in my life I don’t how what kind of person I would have turned out to be.

How To Tame A Wild Tongue Response to Questions

How To Tame A Wild Tongue Response to Questions

1. The scene of Anzaldua in the dentist's chair connects to the overall message of the essay because of her reaction to the overall situation. When the dentist complains her tongue is too strong, Anzaldua believes its the way she speaks English. The way she speaks with a accent causes her to be conscious of how other people view her. She believes her accent is something that defines her but for others it is nothing but a dirty language. It is up to her to learn how to tame her so called wild tongue. 
2. The use of Spanish through out the writing was to show the audience who Anzaldua really is. She labels herself as a Chicana and to show that she had to explain to her audience through Spanish what that is. A person’s language is part of their identity, and it is up to that individual to express his or her language as they please even if many people may not understand it.
3. No academic English cannot be defined as standard Spanish because they are two separate languages. And if one speaks Chicano Spanish or whatever type of slang it can't be given a label. Standard and nonstandard languages are what one identifies them to be. 
4. Speaking and even writing academic English shows others you are well educated and that you can fit into society. If you think writing in text or speaking in slang is standard others who do use proper English will not take you seriously and  believe you are trash.
5. Just like in every language there are different ways we all speak a certain language. For instance, Ebonics is a type of English people use to communicate but not many people may understand what the hell you are saying.
6. I do not use a secret language to speak with friends or families.
7. I speak standard English with my friends . You'll never hear me use slang words like ratchet or whatever to describe a person. When I speak with my mother I speak Spanish because she is more comfortable speaking Spanish since it was her first language. 
8. I am my language means you are what you speak. If you were to have a conversation with someone and all you said to describe something is "that's gay" one can describe you as being ignorant. 
9. At first, Anzaldua is ashamed to open her mouth because people will begin to describe what kind of person she is just by the way she speaks. As the story goes on she accepts she is a Chicana and it does not bother anymore what others may think of her. 
10. Your language can reveal many things about your identity because it can disclose your nationality, culture, religion, age, gender, level of education, socioeconomic class or your profession. 
11. Identity is very important for me. It is what sets you apart from others. Anzaldua believes it is important to have a identity as well. She uses examples from her own life, Mexican culture, and the many forms of Spanish Latinos speak to set us apart from others.