Phase 1

Abstract: In this essay, I speak my experience in second grade in which I failed to express my self due to a combination of my bad English and anxiety. I expand on how my experience is a portrayal of language discrimination and explain what it means to be discriminated by language.

The Cafeteria Complication

When I was a young second grader, I was a reserved child who very much enjoyed spending time alone. At school was the only exception where I frequently conversed with my friends. During my lunch period I wanted to sit next to my friends, and I had the same spot I sat at every day. One particular day, a kid whose name I don’t recall sat in my spot so when everyone got up to get their lunch, I moved back into my spot. When he returned after retrieving his lunch, he complained about me taking his seat which I disagreed with because it thought it was my seat. He commenced pushing me which I responded to by pushing him back. After pushing each other I decided to do this unorthodox punch in which my hand went behind my head and struck his face lightly. It is also key to acknowledge I was sitting, and he was standing when I punched him so the punch couldn’t have hurt even a bit. In the lunchroom we had this woman whose job was to supervise the other children. She witnessed me hitting which gave her a false account of what occurred. His cheeks were flushed with guilt and embarrassment this easily misled her into thinking I beat up my classmate. When I attempted to clarify to the supervisor what happened I couldn’t coherently explain. I tried to explain that he sat in my seat and initiated all the pushing and hitting. Moreover, I failed to explain that his cheeks were naturally red, and it wasn’t because of me punching him. This moment could have ended differently if I was to describe how the altercation began and why I was innocent. However, my English failed me by not allowing me to accurately express to the supervisor why I wasn’t in the wrong and was just defending myself.  I wasn’t going to let another kid push me. Regardless, my poor English put me into this situation in which the other student and I faced the punishment of sitting with each other for 10 days by ourselves. The punishment worked since it assisted with us putting aside our issues and taught us both a meaningful lesson.  Nevertheless, if I was able to speak English more fluently the outcome could have been better than it originally was. My inability to express myself was a mixture of circumstances that combined to make me unable to speak. I was not used to being in trouble in school as in was a kid that tried to follow the teachers rules the best I could. I wasn’t ed to stay far away from trouble, so this situation was something I never experienced. Moreover, I was probably worried about what the consequences were, and I wasn’t a very vocal kid. All of these factors added up was a recipe for failure to express myself.

 As a believer that a lesson can, be learned by moments of hardship I truly learned a great amount from this situation.  As I grew older and more mature the way I interpreted the situation changed and it continues to evolve as if the message is timeless and has many meanings. I haven’t been aware of language discrimination. It wasn’t something that I ever considered as a thing to discriminate against other people. Language discrimination refers to the unjust treatment of different people because of the quality of the language they speak. A person who is very well spoken in English isn’t a person who will be victim to language discrimination. However, a person who speaks bad English will be victim to this discrimination. Bad English is when a person speaks English but violate the rules of Standard English. For example, speaking with incorrect grammar or speaking using slang. My English was regarded as poor because it couldn’t do its main function of communicating a message. I never thought I was one who excelled in English.  English has been a weakness for me. In school I always had difficulty with reading comprehension and composing a well written essay. As I moved on from one grade to the next the work got more difficult and I had to exert more effort to try and complete the work. I grew a distaste for English and was relatively average at English. Remembering that moment when I was in second grade and when I failed to utilize my words to explain to the supervisor what occurred portrayed how English was my weakness and how it negatively affected me. However, continuous practicing in my reading and writing in school and receiving assistance from peers and family has allowed me to improve and speak and writing more clearly and allowed me to express myself. My poor English had led me to receive that punishment in school but in society it leads to much worse consequences.

                My experience isn’t one that is exclusive to myself. Many of Americans share an experience when their level of literacy has affected in a negative way. A large percentage of the American population is composed of immigrants who recognize English as a second language and in some cases as a third language. In society the people who speak English in a form that isn’t standard English can fall victim to discrimination. People who speak simple English are often disrespected by people who speak Standard English. Their poor English is reciprocated with poor service. They are giving difficult times due to how they speak English. A trip to the hospital or to the bank takes much longer and if they were to have an issue they are met with additional hardships when the person meant to assist them may act as if they can’t understand them or perform the wrong task and further escalate the original problem a person may have.  Society doesn’t have respect for people who are different from them in terms of how they speak. One must be mindful of how complicated it is for a person who resides in this country from many years and doesn’t get the same treatment as other people. As people we are equals and we must be equally represented in society. If one may choose to speak a different type of English that enables them to express themselves better, they should be allowed to. The normalization of Standard English makes it that other variations of the English language aren’t accepted. In America every citizen should feel welcome to speak which ever manner they choose to speak since we are a country made of immigrants. This country has strayed from its roots and is forcing its people to stray from their roots. Other forms of English represent different cultures and by attempting to erase them or to make it that only people who speak Standard English get good treatment is a major problem that impedes all people from receiving equal treatment. Once all the various versions of the English language can be equally respected and represented this issue of language discrimination will be extinct.