Thanks to the COM352 students for contributing a bunch of new pages! I'll be moving these pages into the main area of the wiki soon.

From UMassWiki

 Lips Sealed?  Not Anzaldua’s

Imagine being told that your very existence is not accepted; that you should not speak your language while in public, but it is the only language you should speak at home because your parents believe in tradition. Imagine the battle one must feel respecting the wishes of your authority figures and still being able to identify with women and men alike in your native tongue. That, in a nutshell, is what Gloria Anzaldua went through every day.

In my opinion I believe censorship goes as follows: To be silenced, to be told what you are practicing, speaking, etc. is wrong and needs to stop. Sometimes censorship can be beneficial. Depending on the audience, not exposing individuals to certain events, be it art, music, writing, etc. can be for their own good, but often times censorship is a way to control another individual. I believe in Anzaldua’s case, the need to ‘tame her wild tongue’ is only to control her, rather than allow her to be herself. Of course she will differ from other students in her class, that is the beauty of culture. Her accent will be different, her flavor on the language will be precise to her, but unfamiliar to a lot of Americans. An artist by the name of Leah Andreone sings it well by saying, “Does different stand out?” referring to people not accepting others into their lives. By telling Anzaldua that she must speak a certain language while attending school is censoring her and not accepting who she is. A world in which everyone speaks, dresses, acts the same is a world that is not only boring and lacking taste and flare, but a world I want nothing to do with

I have always been told that I have a foul mouth and that I should learn to avoid using certain tones and words. The need to get my opinion across by any means has always been a strong aching feeling inside me. My ways of expressing myself, like Anzaldua, happen to come to me in different ways than they do to others and because they are different, they appear to be wrong to some individuals. People’s fear of the unknown, or the unfamiliar in this is upsetting. Why must something be thrown out for not being like others? I want to be accepted just as much as everyone else. Instead of dulling down my opinion and my belief system, I celebrate the fact that I am not afraid to say exactly what is on my mind, when it is on my mind. I believe Anzaldua does the same. She believes strong enough in herself to not allow people to “cut out her tongue.” Her fighting the very people who want to maim her is her celebration So many people forget to use their voice and then when they do want to use it, they have been silent for so long, they have forgotten what that voice would say. I am proud to say women, at least Anzaldua and I are apart of the group of people willing to never allow their voice, in whatever language, to be silenced. Yes, there are exceptions to every rule, but I refuse to lock my mouth up and throw away the key, just as Anzaldua refused

She experienced resistance from both her home life and her academic life and had to find it within herself to deal with such circumstances. While sticking to her beliefs, she encountered speed bumps along the way, especially with other females.

“Chicana feminists often skirt around each other with suspicion and hesitation. For the longest time I couldn’t figure it out. Then it dawned on me. To be close to another Chicana is like looking into the mirror. We are afraid of what we’ll see there. Pena. Shame. Low estimation of self. In childhood we are told that our language is wrong. Repeated attacks on our native tongue diminish our sense of self. The attacks continue throughout our lives,” (169).

She is told by everyone that who she is as a person is wrong and the pressure to conform is evident. I know of people who are opposed to my way of speaking believe I should conform, but I can not imagine hearing that from people I should be able to identify with. Her strength is inspiring.

Anzaldua continues to say, “I will no longer be made to feel ashamed of existing. I will have my voice: Indian, Spanish, white. I will have my serpent’s tongue–my woman’s voice my sexual voice, my poet’s voice,” (170). Despite being shut up, she fights back I believe her most powerful statement comes at the end of the paragraph by saying, “ I will overcome the tradition of silence,” (170). The intense need to overcome and ultimately win the battle of silence is enriching. For a person, especially a woman to say that statement is remarkable Too often people are silenced for no apparent reason. Gloria’s desire to be her own person speaks for so many individuals that never have the strength to say it for themselves. Through her words, and people like her, so many individuals can live out their dream of being their own person..

Gloria Anzaldua is not only a woman of another tongue, not only from a foreign country, but she is, in my opinion, the ultimate American Dream. The irony is not intended, though it is warmly welcomed She is, to me, what people want to be. I believe we all want to be someone, to be something, and most of the time we sit back idly and allow others to live out our existence. She is so certain of who she is that it scared people, ie: the desire to quiet her. But Gloria fought back and in my opinion, laid out the stepping stones for others to do the same. Much like Rosa Parks standing up for her rights by not moving to the back of the bus when she was told, individuals who blatantly refuse to conform are the reason there is change in this world.

She may not be well known to me, but I guarantee you the people that have read her article are in some way inspired, as I am. I will continue to be who I am and continue to sport my sailor’s mouth, proudly; not only because she gives me permission with her statement, but because I give myself permission