English represents one of the most adopted and practiced languages in the world. It represents a sort of power because there's a good chance that no matter where an English speaking human might go in the world, that particular language will be present in some way whether it be spoken or written.
For Gillan it seems that the English language is almost a burden. At first in her piece she seems to be somewhat sad that she can't conquer the English language but then her sadness quickly turns to anger near the end. If I were to move to a new country where I had to learn a new language and couldn't seem to grasp the foundations of it, I, too, would find myself angry. But by the end of Gillan's piece, it's almost like she has decided to not put any further effort in trying to improve her English speaking skills.
With Agosin, I wasn't exactly sure of her journey with the English language. While Gillan focused on her struggle, Agosin decided to place emphasis on how she kept her Spanish identity alive through her writings. I would assume that's how it would be for an English speaking American moving to France: even if they learn to speak French, they will most likely continue to write/speak in English, too.
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1 comment:
I agree that english is power, that anywhere you go you're likely to find someone who speaks english. However, sometimes I feel as though Americans in particular have pressured others to assimilate into the American culure and creates a sense of inferiority in other cultures.
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