Wild Ears

Anzaldua Discusion Post #1

Joshua C. Cook English 1001 (006)

“How to Tame a Wild Tongues” by Gloria Anzaldua gives a strong example of how speakers change the way they present themselves to different audiences. At the beginning of page 79 Gloria explains how when talking to different groups she literally changes the dialect or language she uses entirely. My view on audiences has changed a-lot after reading this passage, because I now see that audiences make demands on the speaker even if it’s unintintional. There are many audiences beyond my reach because of the demands they make and what I’m capable of doing. Being mono-linguistic I haven’t thought about the extremes of code switching or the demands made from the audiences.

I will quote a piece from a key passage that I find is integral. “The first time I heard two women, a Puerto Rican and a Cuban, say the word “nosoiras,” I was shocked. I had not known the word existed. ” (Anzaldua pg.78) This passage speaks to Spanish speaking women. Anzaldua speaks to the Spanish speaking women by pointing out how the language is male oriented. Sharing an antidotal story about how Anzaldua was shocked about hearing “nosotras” which is a female plural. The fact that she didn’t know the word existed demonstrated how even people that speak the same tongue holds back the discourse and language.

This passage speaks to a different audience, but shares a similar theme. “I remember being caught speaking Spanish at recess-that was good for three licks on the knuckles with a sharp ruler. I remember being sent to the corner of the classroom for “talking back” to the Anglo teacher when all I was trying to do was tell her how to pronounce my name.” (Anzaldua pg.77) Anzaldua starts by addressing the oppressed. Sharing a story that most people can relate to about injustice. Showing that she is part of the audience, someone that has the same problems as those she speaks too. Throughout this piece every audience that she speaks to is being suppressed by one group or another. Be it the chicanos women suppressing each other or the anglos suppressing Spanish speakers.The implication that there is multiple audiences give us is that these audiences have something in common. Another implication could be that people belong to more than one audience. Something else to consider is that Miss Anzaldua was writing with a universal audience in mind as well as her intended audience.

Now, all this is meaningless without me discussing how this piece has changed my thoughts on writing. An audience is a group of people whom participate with the speaker by consuming the speaker content. Anzaldua’s writing made me realize most writers belong to the same audience that they intend to reach. Sometimes people don’t realize that they belong to a group/audience which is something that writers should be conscious of. Knowing your audience should be the same as knowing yourself, for when writing you should know what you would enjoy reading.