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Researched Essay

Zoe Marie Martinez Nuñez
English 11000
Professor Jason Lobell
November 16, 2023

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The United States, founded on slavery and genocide, raises questions about the authenticity of its democratic promises. The freedom it promises is merely a trap into which most individuals fall. Where was the freedom in the country that kept slavery legal? When Americans claimed credit
for everything done by “outsiders,” was equality there? In the United States, people of color are less privileged, have harsher dealings with the criminal justice system, lack status, and are not afforded the same chances as their lighter counterparts, causing them to reside at the bottom of the
social hierarchy. Democracy is intended to be open and welcoming to all individuals. However, why do people of color are unable to have this privilege in the United States? Historical events like enslavement and immigration have influenced common perceptions to categorize “immigrants as outsiders wanting to take over the U.S.” or to categorize Black people as “dangerous,” which have made it challenging for people of color to advance. Laws such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and Stop and Frisk Policies are prime examples of ways that freedom and equality are kept
away from certain groups of people. Such evaluation brings up the following question: How does United States colonialism create generations of oppression and struggle of oppression and struggle for Black and Latinx communities? To adequately understand this, it is necessary to describe the
actions and laws against Black and Latinx communities and analyze their impact on today’s
generations.


It has always been believed that the beginning of the United States was on the fourth of July in 1776, Independence Day. However, this is not true. According to the 1619 Project and the Long Battle Over US History, the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in the English colonies in August 1619 could be considered the country’s origin. As a result, slavery has been the basis of traditions and institutions. Jones is introducing this new perspective of American history that has not been told before, and it may also make others see things differently. “Could be said to mark the earliest beginnings of what would become American Democracy” (Silverstein, 2021), being responsible for the continuing racial inequalities stemming from slavery too. Ideas like this were not taught in schools because of political leaders. They disagree with the 1619 Project because of the topics it embarks on. Some of these topics were how a certain race, ethnic group, or sex can be superior to another race, ethnic group, or sex. They did not want any kind of revolution regarding these topics. However, preventing these from being discussed in classrooms demonstrates their
intervention for people to learn the untold history. The belief “that the American flag wasn’t theirs, that their history as people began with enslavement and that they had contributed little to this country” (Silverstein, 2021) is not true. African Americans were the ones responsible for the
country’s wealth and democracy but were not recognized for it. Black people are viewed as second-class citizens despite being the true founders of the United States. The concept of American freedom has also been and remains fundamentally based on Black Americans. They contributed
more than any other group in this nation’s history, generation after generation: “It is we who have been the perfecters of this democracy.” (Silverstein, 2021). Overall, White people conceal the contributions made by black people to the nation.


Latinos struggle in American society just as much as Black people do. They may not share the same kind of experiences, but both suffered the same sentiment of a xenophobic and
discriminatory system. Unlike African Americans, Latinos were already present in the country. 1848 is an example of when the American narrative had Latinos as the main characters. Consequently, Latinos had to deal with several hardships during that time, such as being treated as
outsiders on their territory in the United States. Describing that time requires setting the appropriate context or working back to them to gauge the significance of this threshold and the trends that followed. In 1848, Mexican men and American soldiers engaged in a land battle in the same year,
with the Mexicans surrendering their share of the land to the Americans in exchange for the Mexicans now residing on American territory receiving citizenship. “The U.S.-Mexican War and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Spanish-speaking settlers confronted dramatic changes in their lives and their communities.” (Ruiz, 2006). With this, Mexico lost half of its national territory as well as 75,000 to 80,000 colonist citizens, the majority of whom lived in New Mexico. Later, “Mexicans is the U.S. side of the border became second-class citizens, commonly divested of their property, political power, and cultural entitlements.” (Ruiz, 2006). Mexicans were denied most of their rights and did not appear to be US citizens. The current situation of immigrants, who are mostly from Latin America, is like back then. When individuals from other countries come to the United States are deprived of their rights.

“The Chinese Exclusion Act” of 1882 describes the laws and conditions that took place after the act was approved regarding the Chinese immigrants that came before and after the act. The Senate and House of Representatives convened and voted to suspend the entry of Chinese laborers into the United States beginning on the 90th day. During this suspension, it was not lawful for any Chinese laborers to come after ninety days to remain in the United States. Asian immigrants with their actions were introducing new ideologies to Americans, most Asian women “who were accused of introducing venereal diseases and debasing and corrupting white American manhood and to demean the ideals of domestic nurturance and moral uplift embodied in white American womanhood.” (Sang Hea, 2012). The American population did not want these foreigners to change what they already constructed, so to maintain their ideologies “articulators of anti-Asian sentiments have averred threats to the system in the form of unfree labor must be excluded or deported.” (Sang Hea, 2012). They wanted people of color out to avoid the risk of ideas and practices such as socialism, communism, and fascism damaging the purity of the nation’s ideology and politics. Overall, to drive foreigners out of the country, Americans feel intimidated by them destroying what they have built. Therefore, they use all necessary measures to accomplish so.

As already mentioned, people of color are barred from the system since it does not acknowledge them as a part of it. As a result, it is difficult for them to advance since they do not
have the same benefits as others. Resistance to the deaths of Black individuals in the Dominican Republic who form part of a large-scale movement against statelessness. These individuals remain “undocumented” and deprived of their rights since the Dominican government does not recognize
them as citizens but as foreigners. As a result, racist and discriminative laws targeted at Black individuals are the reason for the emergence of the Reconocido movement. “Black Dominicans of Haitian descent struggle to be recognized by the Dominican government which will not grant them citizenship despite being born in Dominican territory.” (Estrella, 2020). These individuals were just
there. In addition to fighting for legal recognition, they are also fighting for their lives due to increased death rates brought on by systematic racism that keeps Black Dominicans of Haitian heritage outside of the Dominican Republic. Discrimination towards a race and ethnic
group revolves around stereotypes or rumors about them being dangerous. “They referred to themselves as zombies because they did not exist legally and were denied access to government services, even though their physical presence as Black people made them highly visible, undesirable, and dangerous within a Dominican society that had labeled them as Haitians and refused to accept their claims to Dominican identity.” (Estrella, 2020). Blacks and Latinos are often
targeted by the government since the stereotype of them being the ones who commit most of the crimes persecute them. It is highly typical for police to suspect that people of color are involved in crimes such as robbery, drug dealing, or owning a gun illegally.


The “stop and frisk” policy is how Blacks and Latinos are often targeted by the police since the stereotype of them being the ones who commit most of the crimes chase them. The author selected their central argument because it is quite common for police to infer that people of color
are behind in crimes like robbery, drug dealing, or murder attempts, among others. The “stop and frisk” is considered to prevent crime, but it is also used to target blacks and Latinos, which also violates their civil rights. “Mostly consisted of what the NYPD calls the Roosevelt Corridor, which at the time consisted mostly of the impact zone in the multi-ethnic, heavily Latino neighborhoods of Jackson Heights.” (Garcia, 2013). Areas that are deemed to have high crime rates are where police officers conduct the majority of stops and frisks. Black and Latino neighborhoods are designated as “gang zones,” and police officers believe that their presence helps to reduce violence in these areas. Many people of color are often the targets of police officers when looking for
crimes. Sadly, this is a stereotype developed from slavery. It also reminds me of Black people being arrested in the past for minor charges. “We all deserve to live free from harm, crime, and danger. But we also deserve to live in a place without harassment from the police regardless of our
physical appearance.” (Garcia, 2013). Overall, the continuous disdain for people of color is due to false misconceptions that harm their reputation, forcing them to lose their rights as individuals in society.


To sum up, everything that has been stated so far, although American democracy exemplifies freedom, it is not intended for people of color. Measures such as the Chinese Exclusion
Act, and “Stop and Frisk” humiliate these populations by depriving and violating their civil rights, making it impossible for them to advance in the country. In addition, they are rarely credited for their contributions to the nation. As demonstrated, the tyranny and prejudice against Blacks and Latinos continue. Even while things are no longer what they once were, there are still remnants. People of color have been and will continue to be treated as outsiders in the United States because American democracy, which was founded on colonialism, has manifested in generations of oppression and struggle, which are still prevalent today.

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Reflection of Phase I

Phase I was interesting. At the start, the professor introduced the topic of Rhetoric and Rhetorical Strategies. The subject was new to me, and it sounded difficult. As an assignment, I had to analyze readings rhetorically with rhetorical strategies, which was challenging, but I learned a lot from the texts and their purpose. As well, as with the videos.

Then, in class, I started developing my Written Language Literacy Narrative with the worksheet we were given in class and other resources. The process of selecting a main memory for my narrative and developing it into a story was challenging, but fulfilling. I got the opportunity to analyze my journey with English in depth. I would’ve never thought that one day I’d have to share my experiences with the English language

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Self-assessment essay

Zoe Marie Martinez Nunez

English 11000

Professor Jason Lobell

December 04, 2023

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I had no idea what to expect from this class at first. I assumed we would be reading and drafting essays like in a typical English class. However, I also worried that there would be new difficulties that were not like those in high school. I figured that since it was a first-year class, the challenge might not be too much. As I draft this essay, I see that it was not at all what I had anticipated. I will admit there were challenging aspects of the course, but guess what? It was interesting. It forced me to try new things and change the way I usually went about things.


Honestly, I have never thought of how linguistic standards affect other people, I was completely oblivious about that these existed. However, with this class, it has changed. For
For instance, it made me realize that I have fallen victim to these standards several times and it has happened to many people too, especially non-native speakers. From my experience, I could say that I have not been heavily impacted by it, but some people did. Linguistic standards may empower the ones who fit into them. It is like beauty standards. Most people who fit those standards are praised.
However, those who do not are judged, minimized, and oppressed. Not to mention, they are also pushed to fit those standards. This comparison highlights the power dynamics at work and demonstrates how language, attitudes, and interactions are all shaped by society’s expectations. It is
important that we promote inclusivity, question the current quo, and recognize and value the variety of voices and expressions as we negotiate these language conventions.


At the beginning of English 11000, we were introduced to the rhetorical situation, where we had to use it to analyze two readings and one video. Frankly, I struggled with the topic of
rhetorical situation. Although I had a worksheet to guide me on how to do it, I was not confident in my answers. Yet, over time, I got the hang of it… at least a little bit. Mentioning the readings again, we got to explore many situations throughout the readings and the video, but they all had a
common theme; unconventional English or “broken English.” Amy Tan, June Jordan, and Safwat Saleem all tackle the problem of the “standard way” to speak English either in individual experiences or someone else’s. For instance, Tan’s purpose was to educate people on how there is no specific way to speak English by putting her mom as an example, she explained that her mom knew what she wanted to say, but to other people was quite a challenge to understand her
sometimes and would not take her seriously because of her accent. Jordan’s purpose was to present the dominance of the standard white English in the US and how Black English is being ignored. Lastly, Saleem’s purpose was to educate people on why he still speaks up although he has been
mocked because he has an accent. This journey, though challenging, broadened my understanding of the rhetorical situation and diverse linguistic perspectives.


I genuinely like to read, but reading for school is a struggle for me. This is because when I am given a paper to read, I can see how much I must read and it is too much, which causes me to get lost. However, when I annotate in the margins of the readings, it helps me keep track of the
paragraph that I’ve read before and not have to read it all over again if I need to go back, I can just look at the margins and read the summary or the main idea of that paragraph. When it comes to drafting, I honestly struggle with that as I do not get to finish writing right away, I am very inconsistent when I write. Instead, I try to do it step by step, one day I will write the introduction, another couple of days the body paragraphs (depending on how many I am required to write), and another day, the conclusion. However, I tend to do this when I have plenty of time, but I have not been able to practice this way of drafting since I struggle with deadlines. For collaborating, I do not consider myself to be able to work in a team effectively. I appreciate that
when working in groups, the work may be easier since you do not feel all the burden when you work alone, nonetheless, I am not good at communicating my ideas through speaking. I would rather write them down. Despite this, sometimes I have been the one who speaks up and takes the lead, although I do not consider myself a leader, I am more like a follower, but sometimes you have to put yourself out there. I have not tried it yet, but I guess breaking the ice would be good for effective communication. For revising and editing, I would use a grammar checker to fix any common mistakes and read my essay aloud to see if there are some phrases or wording that could be improved.


I have practiced key rhetorical terms throughout the course. I got motivated to analyze texts methodically by this analytical approach, which made me think about the texts’ tone, purpose, and intended audience, among other key factors. Participating in rhetorical situation analysis improved my understanding of a variety of texts and developed my skills in deconstructing and evaluating
written material. Also, when writing the WLLN (Written Language Literacy Narrative) and the peer profile, I examined myself deeper and better understood my peer by creating these pieces. It was like writing a biography of myself or even taking on the viewpoint of a reporter writing a news story about someone. In addition to improving my writing, this approach gave me a new perspective on life that allowed me to better understand and express both my own and other people’s experiences.


For the research essay, I started with the idea of talking about how linguistic standards affect non-native English speakers. However, the online sources that I gathered did not match my thesis statement and I had to search for different ones, which delayed me. However, when I looked for a source in the CCNY’s library database, I found one that caught me and was excellent for my initial thesis statement. Nonetheless, I decided to change my topic and used other sources that were not from the database, but I am glad that I used the database to look for a source once. Even with the initial setback and subsequent topic shift, the experience made clear how crucial it is to adjust and consider a variety of approaches when conducting research.


In the end, my time in English 11000 was more interesting and helpful than I thought. Even though I found some parts hard, like understanding the rhetorical situation and exploring how language standards affect people, it taught me a lot. Even though reading for school is tough for me, and I struggle to write everything at once, I have learned some proficient writing tricks. Working with others was a bit tough, but it taught me the importance of talking and sharing ideas in a team. Using rhetorical terms in the Written Language Literacy Narrative and the peer profile made me
better at understanding and writing about different experiences. Even when my research essay came into some difficulties, it showed me the importance of being flexible and trying different things in research. Overall, this class has not only made me better at writing but also helped me
understand how important words and communication are in our lives. Best class.

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WLLN

Zoe Marie Martinez Nunez

English 11000

Professor Jason Lobell

October 1, 2023

What I’m proud of about this essay is the vocabulary I used like articulation, linguistic perplexity, daunting, etc. I’m also
proud of how I incorporated and narrated 4–5 events relevant to my journey with the English language.

    I would like my parents to read my essay, especially my dad. I believe that they should both know my
    side of the story because they thought that developing English as a second language wasn’t that easy. My audience is people who might have had to learn English as a
    second language at a young age and didn’t have enough spoken practice, such as reading and speaking resulting in having an accent and other difficulties pronouncing
    words.

    The literary techniques I used in this essay were dialogue, imagery, simile, and personification.

    The essay connects to one of the objectives of this class, which is “examining how attitudes towards linguistic standards empower and oppress language users.” This essay forced me to consider how language standards influenced me. They had a greater impact on me when I came to New York and had to communicate with others in English, which wasn’t an easy task considering the difficulties I had with it.

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    It was a beautiful sunny day. While riding in the car I was looking at the usual palm trees I’d seen growing up, but I was passing by roads I had never seen before. I was six years old at the time, and my dad, my aunt, and other family members and I were traveling to the airport. I remember being excited since it was the first time I would be in such a place. I wasn’t
    leaving the country, but I was there to meet my aunt and cousins. I’m referring to my dad’s half-sister and her children. They traveled from Alaska to the Dominican Republic to visit. I was not familiar with my dad’s side of the family and I still am. I couldn’t even think he had
    another sister somewhere, so it was the first time I met her and my cousins who were around my age. “Zoe, háblales en inglés.” My father occasionally said on our way there. He
    encouraged me to practice my English wherever and whenever I could, and for him, this was a great opportunity for me to do so. My aunt greeted me in Spanish when she saw me for the first time, and I returned her gesture. Then my cousins said hello to me… in ENGLISH! I also remember them saying something else to me, but I couldn’t understand it. I just recognized the typical “Hi, how are you?” but apart from that…nothing. I was confused and I didn’t know what to do. I was thinking about my response, but it was an overwhelming and daunting task for a kid who was just starting to recognize the language. The weight of the
    unknown language, along with the strain of communicating properly with my new relatives, made me feel both excited and anxious. In a split second, I heard myself babbling, urgently trying to imitate their accents, but all I managed to say was a tangle of gibberish. Each utterance that escaped my mouth felt unclear, like an odd puzzle piece. My relatives’
    attempts to understand the incomprehensible sounds that came out of my lips paralleled my struggle to bridge the linguistic gap, and I could see the perplexed looks on their faces. As I struggled with the complexity of the language and my desire to connect with my new family, I felt vulnerable and frustrated. Every time I come to that memory, I can’t help but cringe every time it comes to mind. But as I grew older, my issues with speaking English would
    bother me even more.

    I was enrolled in a private school in the province of Puerto Plata, located in the Dominican Republic. It was among the most expensive schools in the region, and I was able to attend thanks to a scholarship offered by the school because my mother had worked there for several years as a Spanish teacher. The school’s mission was to promote an academic program based on the constructivism theory in both English and Spanish, focused on developing individuals with analytical and entrepreneurial skills. That’s where I began my journey of learning to read, write, and speak English. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from native speakers, a unique advantage that enriched my language education. However, there was a persistent issue that loomed anytime the opportunity to read aloud or engage in oral discourse presented itself. While my writing abilities were strong, the change from written to verbal communication offered a new set of challenges. Speaking
    English needed not just a pure comprehension of the language but also mastery of the art of articulation, intonation, and fluency.

    When I was ten years old and in fifth grade, the teacher would choose a few novels for all of us to read together over the school year, and she would determine which student would read at random. If I was chosen to read, I would hide in the back to avoid being noticed by the teacher. I did, however, read aloud when the teacher called my name since I didn’t want to be naughty. I felt all the eyes on me, even though everyone was focused on the book. It became apparent that I was embarking on a challenging linguistic journey. With each page turned, many times, my teacher found herself gently guiding me through the maze of words. It was not an occasional occurrence but a frequent necessity, as she patiently pointed out my errors and helped me navigate the tangled pronunciation and enunciation of countless words. Now that I think about it, it wasn’t that bad; it was just to fix the mistakes so I could pronounce the words correctly in the future, but I despised it to such an extent that I felt stupid.


    My struggle with pronouncing wouldn’t affect me that much when I started middle school to the end of my sophomore year of high school. In August 2021, I expected to return
    to school in person after two years of quarantine. However, my father had other plans. I was struck by the news that he wanted me and my sister to move to New York with him and
    continue school there. Although I intended to go to college in the state after graduating from high school, I wasn’t interested in going to a high school there. In reality, I wanted to graduate alongside my friends in the Dominican Republic. My mother wasn’t convinced either, but that was my father’s wish. She finally convinced me to go, since a better future awaited me there.


    In September, I started my junior year and I was very nervous. “Ponte a practicar el inglés antes de tu venir para acá.” My father’s words resonated in my head. I wish I had
    listened to him back then because my English wasn’t in its best shape. Before entering school, the high school I was enrolled in, did a “Summer Bridge” where students would see and meet each other after quarantine before classes started. That day, I met a girl during Summer Bridge, who was going to be my classmate and I started to talk to her on our first day of school. That day stands out in my mind as a clear reminder of the complexities that language may convey. I was having a chat with her, anxious to express my opinions about someone, but I couldn’t remember who that person was. It was a bizarre period of grammatical confusion in which I found myself wrestling with the basic yet perplexing pronouns she,’ ‘he,’ ‘him,’ and ‘her.’ They whirled in my memory, elusive and ever-changing, eluding my grip as I tried to piece together the story. The words stumbled from my tongue in a disconnected manner as I talked, and I couldn’t stop the unsettling stammering that had gripped me. It was as if the source of language that I had cultivated over the previous 14 years had abruptly dried up, leaving me in a state of linguistic perplexity.

    Over time, my journey with English led to a remarkable transformation in my enunciation and overall language proficiency, a transformation that did not go unnoticed by those around me. Professors and classmates, who had witnessed my linguistic growth, often commented on the noticeable improvements in my English pronunciation and fluency. A significant moment that highlighted my progress occurred during a summer job when one of my coworkers extended a heartfelt compliment. She expressed her genuine belief that I had been born in the United States based on how well I spoke, something that took me by surprise. When I informed her that I had been living in the country for just two years, she was surprised. Her compliment on my rapid language development filled me with pride. This experience served as a reminder of the distance I had traveled on my linguistic journey. From the days of stuttering and garbled words to the present, I found myself more fluent and confident in speaking, although the accent is noticeable sometimes. Despite my progress, I still get confused between pronouns. It’s like they’re playing an ongoing game of hide-and-seek with me, and I’m perpetually ‘it.’

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    Peer Profile

    Zoe Marie Martinez Nunez

    English 11000

    Professor Jason Lobell

    October 17, 2023

    I summarized Keila’s narrative and analyzed it. What I have written, I am most proud of when I discussed the different tones the author used in her narrative.

    The rhetorical devices that I used were personal anecdotes from Keila’s narrative and direct quotes from her narrative were also used to add more authenticity to my words by adding hers. Additionally, anaphora was also used since the phrase “she adds that” appears several times throughout the profile and I have used contrast to highlight her different experiences throughout the text as well.

    This connects to the course themes of language politics with the following question: How do attitudes about language standards empower and oppress language users? In this case, the author is oppressed since she did not feel “Dominican enough” to use her Spanish comfortably.

    The intended audience of this profile are people from immigrant families, people who might feel disconnected from their culture, and in some way, people who may not identify with the issues stated but can learn from this narrative.

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    Keila Peralta Rodriguez, 20, is a first-year City College of New York student majoring in Psychology. She was born in New York but has Dominican ancestry from her parents. She grew up and was raised by her parents in Queens. Her parents are from San Jose de las Matas, a town situated in the province of Santiago. Keila’s parents did not speak English, so she had to rely on media to learn the language.

    “Then in school, they taught me to read, write, and express myself “the right way,” in standard English.”

    As Keila’s English grew and developed, her Spanish was left unnoticed at home. She thought that she did not need it in her daily life since English was the language, she would use to communicate.

    “Do not get me wrong, I could still speak it (read and write too) but when I did, it didn’t sound like my parents.”

    She adds that she was embarrassed by her Spanish because she did not speak it like her parents and frequently mispronounced words when speaking.

    When she was a child, Keila admits that she was proud of being Dominican. However, it was confusing for her while being a kid. She talks about how other people at school would ask questions or make assumptions about her Dominican identity. She often heard questions like: “You do not like spicy food? But you are Spanish!” “How do you say…?” These assumptions did not sit well with Keila, but she corrected them out of politeness. Keila also stated that when someone acknowledged her Dominican heritage, they would poorly imitate how a Dominican would act, such as hearing phrases like “Que lo que.” Other people seem to find Dominican culture entertaining from Keila’s perspective.

    When it comes to communicating with her family, Keila found it difficult, since she could not recall the word, she intended to speak in Spanish most of the time when she chatted with a Dominican relative. She says that she felt ridiculous after giving up and telling the term in English to explain what it meant.

    “It’s just hard to switch between languages.”

    Keila described how the work of translating documents for her parents became solely her responsibility. Her brother barely knew a little Spanish and preferred to communicate in English. She recalls how, as a child, she wondered why she translated. Aside from interpreting documents, she was also in charge of translating for her mother during parent-teacher conferences. She felt discomfort when her mother asked questions and she had to translate it back to the teacher.

    When she started high school, Keila described how she loved her culture but felt disconnected from it.

    “I wasn’t Dominican enough and how I spoke Spanish didn’t help.”

    One of her concerns was that she would be unable to pass down her parents’ culture and Spanish. Furthermore, what if her loved ones do not understand her love for her culture; the countryside, going to rivers, or climbing trees to gather limoncillo? Keila noted that she met others from immigrant families who had similar experiences along the route. Knowing she was not alone, gave Keila the confidence to embrace her Spanish and speak it openly, no matter how she sounded or mispronounced a word. It also encouraged her to improve her Spanish since she wanted her mother to realize how much she valued her roots. “That embarrassment that developed into a fear, became a motivation for me. I want to grow closer to my culture, I want to continue to grow and love my Spanish.” Keila culminated.

    Keila uses different tones throughout her narrative. First, she introduces her story with a formal tone giving a common background like where are her family from, how she was raised, and how she learned English. Then, she continues the story with a pessimistic tone. This is because she describes her experiences with stereotypes surrounding her Dominican identity and her experiences with translating, which are negative. Finally, she concludes with an encouraging tone since she describes her being able to find people with similar insecurities as her and to find her confidence to not be ashamed of her Spanish and embrace her Hispanic culture.

    There are a few dialogues included in Keila’s narrative, but less is more in this case. The dialogue that I am talking about is where she wrote some of the questions, she would be asked in school about being Dominican. I found this interesting because it gives the reader a clear example of how she was stereotyped. Also, there is one simile that I got to identify in her narrative which said that her Spanish did not sound like her parents and even though it is only one, this simile revolves around the purpose of the narrative.

    The intended audience of this narrative are people from immigrant families, people who might feel disconnected from their culture, and in some way people who may not identify with the issues stated but can learn from this narrative. The purpose of this narrative is to let know kids from immigrant families that there are more people who they feel know too little about their country of origin or their parents’ culture. This text is appealing because of how clear and concise it is, but that does not exclude the details included in the author’s emotions and issues.