Running head: PERSONAL RESPONSE 1
“Se Habla Español” by Barrientos
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Professor: xxxxxxx
Course: English 115
1/16/2015
PERSONAL RESPONSE 2
The writer of the essay “Se Habla Español” is known as Tanya Maria Barrientos. Through
analyzing Barrientos essay, her most important point is that she struggled to speak her native
language whereby she was taught by use of the book or even a formal education (Roen, 2012).
One of the Barrientos important points includes race identity, overt discrimination because she
could not write her native or communicate in Spanish and cultural preferences. The reason is that
throughout the essay “Se Habla Español” Barrientos focused on cruelty of the society in
managing its cultural preferences and people’s perspectives.
The other main points are based on how Barrientos had intended to appreciate her background,
she was a Spanish girl but grow up in US and also her experience was simultaneously affected
by the American culture (Roen, 2009). Another central point is that Barrientos illustrated her
efforts and struggles of being a pure Latino but could not know how to speak Spanish. Meaning
that, Barrientos ought to defy stereotypes that were seeming been involved in American culture.
Barrientos was no longer proud of her heritage, and she thought of disdaining her culture.
The writer’s purpose is to explore how individuals in society act against their culture
preferences. Barrientos struggled to cope with the American culture, but she fined herself being
disappointed by the American’s perspectives and ethnicity. In a clear, concise, Barrientos,
focused on Se Habla Español essay so as to portray her experiences preferably with her Spanish
language speaking. I suggest that, the other purpose of the writer was to explore much more
about stereotyping and views of ethnic identity (Roen, 2012). As Barrientos says “she has been
told that her accent is unique, her voice is dull and that she is a kind of Italian drawl”. Certainly,
the genre focuses on Barrientos personal experiences is one of the Latino children. It focuses on
the child who ends up being hopeless and restless together with being ashamed but gains strength
through struggles. Most of audiences targeted by Barrientos in her essay “Se Habla Español” are
PERSONAL RESPONSE 3
learners, societies and educators. The tone or even attitude that Barrientos uses in her essay is
entertaining and educating together with being courageous giving. As she concludes “if it will
help, I will the first to go.”
My emotional response to the essay “Se Habla Espanol” is that, race or ethnicity plays a major
role in person’s perspectives. This is because after reading the essay, I realized how a person
struggles throughout their life and it goes the same to all different people (Roen, 2009). I liked
Barrientos expressions’ because she portrayed her own pride for her native country. I figured out
that some people who are not from America may find it inspiring in Barrientos essay writing
simply because of the different writing and speaking of other languages besides English.
Moreover, the essay of Barrientos does not pose biases or immoral perspectives in any nation or
state but presented relative significance of communication of different languages.
PERSONAL RESPONSE 4
References
Roen, D. H., Glau, G. R., & Maid, B. M. (2012). The Mcgraw-Hill guide: Writing for college,
writing for life. New York: McGraw-Hill Co.
Roen, D. H., Glau, G. R., & Maid, B. M. (2009). The McGraw-Hill guide: Writing for college,
writing for life. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.