Rhetorical Analysis 2
In an article titled, “Cultural Identity and Language Barriers: My Story as an Immigrant” by Tu My To, the author writes about how she and her family immigrated from Vietnam to Monterey Park, California for better educational and career opportunities and overall better life. Tu My To writes, “As my mom often told me in the years afterward, my parents made the move because of the opportunities the United States had to offer, educational opportunities that would have been nonexistent had our family decided to stay in Vietnam.” She writes that her family had known only a few words of English, but she didn’t feel alone, as she lived in a majority-immigrant community, with the majority of residents being Chinese, Vietnamese, or Mexican. Tu My To writes, “Most of the classmates I had gone to school with also had parents who immigrated to the US, and many of us grew up in households where English was rarely if ever, spoken at home. Our community molded itself to the ethnic identities of its occupants. School notices were sent home in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Spanish.” She writes that during recess, English was rarely spoken. She writes about how things weren’t all that easy, though. As the first English speaker in her family, Tu My To had to be an interpreter for her parents, and she writes that her parents had struggled to learn English and that she took this skill for granted. However, she writes about how society has progressed into being more open about not knowing English in the United States. She writes, “Back then, my parents had few outlets for news or resources in Vietnamese. Today, there are plenty of over-the-air TV channels, several radio stations, a good selection of newspapers, along with numerous websites catered to many languages.”
Example #1
Tu My To writes about how she and her family moved to California from Vietnam in search of better life opportunities, opportunities that Vietnam couldn’t give her and her family. She writes about how her new community was primarily immigrant, and how that shaped her childhood, and how she learned English. She writes, “School notices were sent home in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Spanish. Many of my classes had one or two teacher’s aides who spoke a second language. Our elementary school monthly calendars were marked with important dates that included Christmas, Lunar New Year, and Cinco de Mayo. It was the norm, rather than the exception, that the playground during recess and lunch breaks was punctuated by conversations in languages other than English.” This differs from previous stories read in class, as in other stories, society was less welcome of foreign names or foreign languages, while in this article, it seems to be encouraged. To further back this class of how Tu My To uses language to make her argument, she writes, “It was a city where stores had Chinese or Vietnamese words written in the front in addition to English letters and where people would greet you in Chinese because, more often than not, you’d understand what they’re saying.”
Example #2
The second example is how Tu My Toh uses language to express how she takes her knowledge of the English language, while her parents struggled to learn and speak it. She writes, “In particular, as the first English-speaker in the family, we often act as the spokesperson for our parents. Open house at school often meant acting as the translator for my teachers and parents. Mail at home had to be reviewed and translated. Some things I took for granted were often obstacles to my parents. How can you select the option for Chinese or Vietnamese in automated telephone menus if you cannot understand the English instructions for doing so?” Taking a step back and recognizing that speaking English is a skill that is difficult to learn is a noble thing. Native English speakers may not usually acknowledge how difficult learning English may be for immigrants. Tu My Toh is using language to express that she takes English for granted while her parents struggled to complete basic day-to-day tasks because of their lack of knowledge of the language of the land.
In conclusion, Tu My Toh’s story is different than other stories previously read in class, because she and her family’s lack of knowledge of the English language were accepted in her community and society, and it was even actively encouraged by her school and in other aspects of the community. Although like other stories read in class, Tu My Toh’s family struggled with their lack of knowledge of the English language and needed their daughter’s help in performing basic tasks because of that lack of knowledge.

                       Works Cited

Tu My Toh. Cultural Identity and Language Barriers: My Story as an Immigrant. TheBraveStory.org. September 14th, 2015

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