What Identity Means to Me

Helena Chiappa

ENGL 1100, Writing Skills Workshop
September 8, 2016
Prof. Young

What Identity Means to Me

Identity is important to me because it is something personal that no one else can take away from me. I identify as an English speaking, female, college student. A person cannot take away my identity, my life, language, and uniqueness. I can certainly change my identity whenever and however I choose without being controlled or forced to change. Gloria Anzaldua, author of “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” believed in the same thing. She identifies herself as a feminist, Chicana, lesbian, and Mexican who struggled to openly express her language. Most importantly, Anzaldua speaks Spanish. In her daily life, she was not given the right to have her own identity and freedom because of the pressure to change and speak English. Anzaldua indicates in her essay, “Attack on one’s form of expression with the intent to censor are a violation of the First Amendment” (246). Censoring her language is taking away the right of her own identity.

My own language is a big part of my life because it is how I communicate with people every day. Without language and communication, it is impossible for me to show who I am to other people or my friends. I connect to the importance of language that Anzaldua was feeling because she felt silent and voiceless. When I was younger, I was shy and quiet because I grew up with two other siblings and they had a lot of friends while I did not. I had a hard time talking and making friends because I felt uncomfortable. I felt like no one wanted to hear what I had to say and I only felt comfortable talking with my brother and sister. Similarly to Anzaldua, I overcame my silence because I learned that speaking made me stronger, just like how she became stronger to not be silenced. I finally understand that people would accept me if I spoke up. I was hiding my personality and my identity when I did not use my language.

Work Cited

Anzaldua, Gloria. "How to Tame a Wild Tongue." Teaching Developmental Writing. Ed. Susan Naomi Bernstein. New York: Bedford/ St. Martin's, 2013. 245-255. Print.