Carolina Gonzalez

English 5M
October 29, 2017
Literary Narrative Draft 3

To be born a multilingual writer does not only signify that I am fortunate enough to speak
and understand two different languages and cultures, it also means that I had to confront and
overcome many hurdles to get where I am today. I grew up in a Spanish speaking atmosphere.
At a very young age I learned to speak, read, write, eat, breathe, sleep, and live in the Spanish
language. It came so naturally to me because of the literary sponsors that were available to me,
and the same thing applied when I learned the English language. To learn and adapt to the
American style was not much of a hassle, but just like every multilingual person, I had my
hardships.
Learning and fully comprehending an unfamiliar language comes down to the sponsors. And
you may ask, what is a sponsor? As Deborah Brandt explains it, Sponsors, as I have come to
think of them, are any agents, local, or distant, concrete or abstract, who enable, support, teach,
or model, as well as recruit, regulate, suppress, or withhold literacyand gain advantage by it in
some way (2). Growing up I was exposed to numerous sponsors that expanded my knowledge
of the Spanish and English language and style. The Spanish language was more or less
embedded into me. Every single family member of mine spoke to me in Spanish so reading and
writing was a breeze. My Spanish skills increased as I went to a catholic school as a child, and
later on in high school when I took AP Spanish and graduated with a biliteracy seal. Although I
was already quite educated about the style of Spanish language, I reached further out to my
sponsors and broadened my education by reading and writing more in the Spanish language and
then teaching it to others.
Adapting to the English language and the American style began with the sponsors that
were available to me in preschool. Each school year after that I was exposed to and
comprehended more and more about the American style that was expected of us. With just the
simple practice of repeating the letters of the alphabet after my teacher, reading the famous
Decodable Books, and tracing over my name; my education of the English language grew
stronger at a young age. I remember in kindergarten my mom made up a matching card game of
all the basic but important parts of speech. We would play it every night before going to bed, it
flourished the basics of the English language. She was also going to an adult school at the time,
so we were learning together which made it all so special. Overall, school was the basis of my
sponsors and all the apprehension I contain about the English language and its style.
Being a multilingual writer is truly a gift to obtain in the real world; but it comes with its
weaknesses as well as its strengths. Being engraved with the Spanish language formed a hurdle
to adapt to the style expected in school. What I learned in catholic school was very distinct to the
style expected in regular schools. As Dana Ferris explains in What is a multilingual writer?,
English is considered a writer responsible language meaning that it is up to the writer to think
about the knowledge and what is expected of the audience. The writer has to communicate to the
reader in a way that is clearly understandable. Different from other languages and cultures, in
American English it is presumed that it is not the readers doing to endeavor with the writing
until it is comprehended (Ferris 23).
Just like I did, many multilingual students have struggled and still struggle with the process
and challenges of adapting to the American style of writing. Some of these challenges are the
different styles we have, inadequate knowledge of the English vocabulary, sentence structure,
etc. Multilingual students have different styles and approaches to writing. Nonetheless, it is
crucial to have an understanding of the expectations of colleges in America and the audience we
will be writing to. ...there is nothing wrong with that style, and the student should not be
expected to change the way s/he writes in that other language or to change his/her opinion about
the best ways of writing. However, it is important for ML writers to understand the
expectations of the American college audience and to adapt to them (Ferris 24). Some of these
expectations include writing in a writer-responsible language, address the assigned topic, support
ideas and opinions with evidence, and to clearly communicate the purpose. Being in high school
and having to write in both English and Spanish was helpful in the aspect that my language
strengthened in both, but it did cause some confusion switching styles back and forth.
It started becoming tedious for me to further adapt to the different style once I reached the
sixth grade. My teacher at the time told me that I had the potential to reach the advanced classes,
but I was held back from entering those advanced classes due to the lack of my knowledge and
speed of reading and writing in English. It became even more difficult when I reached middle
school. It became coherent that I struggled with English style expected in school, it was
frustrating to feel overwhelmed by the challenges. I felt as if no matter what I did, I just could
not reach those expectations.
The person, writer, reader, and multilingual student I am today is not the same one I was
years ago. Although I still face many struggles today, I have overcome many difficulties. From
being surrounded by only the Spanish language, to now being in college and adapting to the
expectations, I have gained plenty of knowledge; not only about the language but about myself
as well. The sponsors I received from school, home, and my surroundings have sculpted me and
built me up as a reader, writer, student, and person. Overall, being a multilingual student has
opened up many opportunities for me. Just because we, multilingual students, struggle more than
English speaking students, does not mean we are not opened to more jobs, skills, development,
and life opportunities. We are not any different from any other student.