Today in class we had a group discussion about two different texts we read over the winter break; How to tame a wild tongue and Woman Warrior. After discussing the two different texts in groups, we were asked to identify what was our most meaningful takeaway from this activity.
For me, there was a quote that really stuck with me, and that was from the first story which was 'How to tame a wild tongue.' The quote was in the fourth paragraph: "Who is to say that robbing people of its language is less violent than war?"
I completely agree with this quote since it states that robbing someone of their language isn't just a normal crime, but they compare it with war which tells us that its a much bigger issue. The message of the quote is to basically let us know that when you take away someones language, you are also stripping them from their culture and identity as well. Once the person is stripped from his language he then has no power.
My most meaningful takeaway from the story and text 'Woman warrior' was how the Chinese girls were really quiet and unable to communicate enough when they were forced and placed in American schools; they only spoke when they were really required to by their teachers. But then, when they were placed back into the Chinese system and schools, they were different people, and were able to communicate more with their peers and teachers. This relates back to the topic of language and power and how mother tongue and language can really affect power.
