In my AP Language and Composition class, we recently read, "My Mother's Tongue". Just so you know the jist of the passage, it is mainly about the things immigrants have to face and the unjust actions people take against them. I would like to expand on this topic. I have encountered many foreign people within my lifetime. With a little bit of knowledge in more than one language, it makes it a little bit easier for me to communicate with others. However, I have seen the way others act towards and around those who do not necessarily speak perfect English.
I like to consider myself very accepting of others. Therefore, when I see people being treated differently for things they cannot help, it tends to aggravate me. I then get defensive and end up trying my best to help their experience in any way that I can. Whether it is a lot of help or not, I will never know, yet I'd like to think it betters their experiences.
My family originates from Lebanon. In fact there is still a large portion of my family that currently resides there, my grandfather being one of them. Most of my family members are very fluent in English. However, my great grandfather, who recently came down with a very serious case of Alzheimers, tends not to speak. On the rare occasion that he does, it tends to be in Arabic. He calls a lot of us Ala. Being the Muslim god. Afterwards, he tends to speak very broken English. Or at least tries to. Not many people in my family understand him, or even try to. Some of my family members are very stuck up and look at his disease as a burden. It breaks my adopted grandfather's heart, as well as mine. Therefore, we sit there and try to talk to him as much as he allows before he falls back asleep.
While other experiences aren't as dear to my heart as that one is, it still pains me to see other people treated as a burden in society because they cannot speak perfect English. There are many instances where teen girls, such as myself, treat the Vietnamese people who tend to do nails with much disrespect. It disgusts me. Yes, they speak broken English, but that does not give you the right to treat them with any less respect. It is not something that is earned like trust. It should always be given regardless of who the person is. Their argument is that they came to our country, so they should speak our language and completely adjust to our way of living. I ask these same people to think of it the other way around. I ask of all of them to put themselves in Spain or another vacation destination. Then I ask them to think of how they would feel if they were treated the same way by those who live in that country. If they had to completely understand and use a different language just to go to a place where they are supposed to be relaxed.
Not everyone gets a choice to come to America. We are supposed to be this great country where it is considered the land of the free. Well, do you honestly think a person is truly free if they are constantly taunted by those around them for not being able to speak English fluently? Are they free when they are treated with prejudice for where they come from or how they act? Are they free if you will not let them live freely? Just a thought.
This is America. We are American. So is everyone else that comes here. I ask everyone to start treating others that way.
From a family of different languages,
~Hangin' from a clothesline
No comments:
Post a Comment