Sharon

Sue Briggs
ENG 1050
September 17, 2014
Othering
Who really make distinction between people? There is a definition that can clarify this
question. Othering; is used to classifies from our races, ethnic, cultures etc. However, I think it
depends basically on society to defines or segregate from majority to minority group. However,
are we really different because our misfortune. Are not we exactly the same? Unfortunately, for
society I do not need to be a slave to be part of the minority group since I am an immigrant on
this country; I know I belong to the minority group. On the last couples of week I have read
many articles that in some way they related each other about othering. I am going to explain how
Angel Island immigration, Gloria Anzalduas own experiences, Min-Zhan Lus struggle of
learning a new language, and Margaret Meads analysis of generation are related in some way
until now.
In the Chinese Poetry we clearly can see that difference that people make with them
because they were different. They were treated as a criminals or people who carried a infected
diseases. We can see on their own poems that they wrote on the walls America has power, but
not justice. In prison, we were victimized as if we were guilty. Given no opportunity to explain, it
was really brutal. I bow my head in reflection but there is nothing I can do (Angel Island. Web.
25 Ago. 2014)

However, I can say that even though now the process in order to coming has being
changed a lot, it is a little annoying. And yet, I think whatever easy come easy go, I believed if I
wouldnt have waited for seven years to coming here, I think I shouldnt have appreciated in the
way that I appreciated to being here. Another good example that came to my mind about
othering is Gloria Anzalduas article I think that reason what I did like it is I feel myself very
identified with her. She explained how she feels the pressure to be someone that she was not, not
only by her mother but also by her environment. She was told in her class: If you want to be
American, speak American. If you do not like it, go back to Mexico where you belong(521).
Although, this happened to her many years ago, it continuous until now, it happened to me on
2013, I was having a private conversation with my Peruvian best friend and one of our coworkers told us Speak English please you are in America. Fortunately I was mature and I
could handle it. However, it gets on my nerves when these situations have been experienced by
kids. It is obvious that this marked something on Glorias life, she was only a child when she
experiment this kind of racism. If we continuous talking about the languages I would like to say
that people who immigrate to a country that does not speak their same language is another goal
that we need to achieve to succeed.
As Min-Zhan Lu explained in her article From silence to Words: Writing as Struggle
how hard and confused was for her to have two separate lives. Even though she wasnt an
immigrant, she struggles how to handle with two different languages on her mind while she was
in high school. Mead said: I now define English as the language of the Bourgeois and Standard
Chinese as the language of the Working class. I thought of the language of the working class as
someone elses language and the language of the Bourgeois as my language (151). As a Latina
I would like to say that Hispanic people who immigrated to United States look at it in the same

way. We see Spanish as a native language, a language that we like to speak, and English that
language we need to learn, adapt to communicated or join to the American group.
Unfortunately, this is a reality most American people think that people who is not a true
American Citizen need to forget about who we are in order to be accepted by them. On my
personal opinion immigrants do not let their own country because they want to adapt to a new
culture, or they want to speak another language. As one of my classmates Lynzi Hutchings said
in her analysis # 2 The reasoning of the immigrants coming from Europe was to change their
lifestyle for the better, because they knew that American is land of the free. Like I said in the
previous paragraph, everyone is looking for the next best and greatest things in life, which
means generations are looking to improve and get better (Week 2)
Regardless of how hard it is to come to America for any immigrant like me, I would like
to say that every effort it is worth it at the end. As an example; Margaret Mead in her analysis
We all third Generation she explain how the progeny of immigrants will became to be truly
American. On Meads analysis, she said a little be of what my fathers American dream meant to
him He is expected to success; he is expected to go further than his father went (99). I heard
this word so many times in my life when my father explained his reasons why he immigrates to
America. He was looking for a better life, working penny by penny for his childrens generation.
Also, I am absolutely sure that things for my father were harder in comparison what happened to
me, but my father always is very proud of his decision of coming here to find a better future.
Now that his family has become into the third generation, he cannot be happier to see all his
Gringos (Latinos way t call a person with yellow hair) grandchildren.

Works Cited
George, D & Trimbur, Jhon. (2014). Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and Writing
(8th ed.)
Angel Island http://www.cetel.org/angel_poetry.html Web. 17 September 2014
Anzaldua, Gloria. How to Tame a Wild Tongue. Reading Culture: Contexts for
Critical Reading and Writing. Diana George and John Trimbur. New York: Longman, 2012.
521-528. Print.
Lu, Min-Zhan. "From Silence to Words: Writing as a Struggle." Reading Culture: Contexts for
Critical Reading and Writing. 8th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2011. 147-157. Print.
Hutchings, Lynzi Week two Discussion. English 1050.
Mead, Margaret. We Are All Third Generation. Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical
Reading and Writing, 8th ed. Diana George and John Trimbur. New York: Longman, 2012. 94101. Print

Sharon Lopez Porro

Sue Briggs
ENG 1050
September 17, 2014
Rhetorical Analysis on Obamas Speech
To be honest I was dealing with two options to do my rhetorical analysis. I really love
Douglass Speech but also I got impressed with Obamas speech. The reason that made decide
for Obamas speech was that some tears that I remember came from my eyes and the oppression
that I felt on my chest while I was reading his speech.
Barack Obama addressed his speech using part of the idea of self- government with his
own words. He starts his speech saying: We the People, in order to form a more perfect union.
(476). Then, he continuous with an overall information on what is going to talk about during his
speech; he mentions words as slavery, equal citizenship, men and women of every color, which
tells that he is talking about racism. On Barack Obamas speech I could easily identify where he
use rhetorical stance as Ethos, Pathos and Logos in order to let us know his principles ideas.
Ethos :( Personal background; he explains where he comes from and who is he) Obama
said: I am the son of black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with
the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Pattons Army during
World War II (477) Beside on what he is trying to let people know who is he, he is telling black
people, immigrants, that he knows who they are; in other word with his introduction he is trying
to get people attention starting with his own life, so people can feel identify.

Patho: (Obama support his idea with strong examples based on injustices, discrimination,
Reverend Wright points of view, economic etc. He expresses his concern to be on how to
become a more perfect union for the future of his and our generations.) One of the example that
Obama said is: I can no more disown him (Reverend Wright) that I can disown the black
community. I can no more disown him than I can my grandmother, a women who loves me as
much as she loves anything in this world but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men
who passed by her on the street, and who more than one time has uttered racial or ethnic
comments that made me cringe(478) President Obama with this kind of speech is showing his
inner emotions to make the audiences to feel in the same way. Using as example of her
grandmother being one of those many people who denigrated or stereotypes others because of his
color; he made people understand that he knows about our pain, that he knows how we feel when
people try to put us down. Also, on this part of his speech, he let the audience know about his
projects; he said that we need to invest in schools, communities, enforced our civil rights laws
and make sure that there wont be more criminal injustice system. Also, when he refers to the
future; he said our children are the future of United States. Definitely, Barack Obama knows how
to use his words in order to make us feel that he is worry about us and he is looking to abolish
racism.
Logos: (the final message to conclude and make connection with his ideas).Barack
Obama cannot choose a better way to conclude with his speech. He used the example of
Ashleys story who decides to organize Obamas campaign because of her personal story when
she was nine years old. Barack Obama explained to the audiences Ashleysreason to be in the
campaign was that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and
need to help their parents too. Obama with this final statement is given to the audiences a lesson

to learn from, and also is telling us that he is going to help the children that do not have to many
chances in life.
In a nutshell, Barack Obamas speech go into my heart; I feel very identify with his
speech because on his speech he talks about racism, injustice, and the most important he
mentioned my ethnicity which is Hispanic, but I think is not only me who felt the same way, I
think was the whole audience because he mention his concern for everybody.

Works Cited
George, D & Trimbur, Jhon. (2014). Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and Writing
(8th ed.)
Obama, Barack. A More Perfect Union. Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and
Writing. Diana George and John Trimbur. New York: Longman, 2012. 476-483.