Foreign Language, Lengua Extranjera, e Lingua Straniera

Let me just start by saying that our country is a melting pot. In this melting pot, there’s no doubt that due to language barriers, we are not able to fully understand one another. If we don’t expose ourselves to other languages how is it that we can communicate with other people who don’t speak English? Nowadays, children are not exposed to English as their first language anymore, but whatever their ancestral language is.
For example, I was born in the 90s and even then, California, especially Los Angeles was a melting pot, so when I first started to speak, my first word was not in English but Spanish. I have three older brothers who were born in Los Angeles, and my parents were born in Mexico. You would think that with three older brothers and parents that had been living in the United States for more than fifteen years, my primal language would be English, but because my parents were still very fond of their mother country, they made it a point to maintain a certain level of culture in our family. If my family did this, then I am sure that there are other families who had this type of mentality as well.
It’s not a bad thing for people to know more than one language. I remember when I was a child one of the biggest rumors was if you were bilingual, you would get paid more at whatever job you would get. Apparently that rumor was true to some extent. So what’s the harm of knowing or at least getting a taste of another language through a foreign language course? Nothing! It’s a benefit to the person learning the language. Despite knowing Spanish, I took three years of it in high school and when I first started college I took a semester of Italian. These were two of the best choices I have made educationally. If students are able to speak or even slightly grasp an understanding of another language, then it will be easier to communicate not just in the local melting pot, but when traveling.
There’s something great when you encounter someone who doesn’t speak your language but are able to communicate efficiently because you took a semester or two of that language in school. If people can understand each other through language then they can understand each other on a deeper level as well. Being bilingual, even trilingual has its advantages and no real disadvantages. If colleges were to make foreign languages a requirement, students are not losing out on anything or even made to do something unthinkable. Colleges should make foreign language a requirement because in our ever growing society, it is evident that there are more and more people who speak a different language before they even start attending grade school. If colleges do not make foreign languages a requirement then it will be harder for students to communicate with other people who are fluent in their ancestral tongue.
I am not saying that English is not important; I am far from that; however, it would be beneficial for a college student to learn a language other than their mother tongue. Most college students in other parts of the world are fluent in up to three languages. Why is it that Americans are not usually first in climbing this educational ladder? It is time that we change that and teach our collegiate students that there is more to the world than just completing a foreign language requirement; but, learning to be a part of the world in a bigger manner by understanding through communication.

They're just shorts...that happen to have holes.

How can I make this as objective as possible? Well, right now I am wearing jean shorts, a purple tube top, white flats and my hair is up. But, an artist, a tailor and a nudist may just see it differently.
Now mind you, I am not being conceited; rather I am thinking as an artist. I think that an artist’s point of view from what I am wearing would be an inviting canvas. My jean shorts have their own personality – with a hole on the left side and jewel studded buttons. My tube top is not just a cotton top but a very classy blouse that can be used with jean shorts or even dress pants. If an artist saw me walking down the sidewalk with my white flats and my summer outfit, I can surely say that it’s a vision of refreshment. I think that they way my hair is up with a fake hibiscus flower would make anyone want to just go to the beach and get inspired. White flats are just a clean canvas for any possibility and the rest of my outfit complements each other. It’s not that hard to be carefree, and to be wearing a tube top, shorts and flats walking down Hollywood Blvd lets artists know that inspiration does not only have be found in nature and technology, but rather in people and their clothing personalities.
Unlike an artist who may see me as a vision of summer fun, a tailor may see me as a complete mess. From what I am wearing, what can this person work with? My shorts have holes in them, my tube top is a lack of material and my flats are cotton covered. How is it that I even walked out of the house without looking into a mirror and realizing that I need something more complementing to my physique? A tailor expects a woman to walk out with a flowing dress, some sort of heels and neat hair right? I mean, think about it. Tailors rarely work with ‘jeans and a tee shirt’ type of people. Instead it’s all about formal clothing and dresses. My outfit is just too casual for the tailor to think anything nicer than a girl just trying to be in ‘comfy’ clothing.
Now, the nudist on the other hand would think that I am getting closer to comfort; almost non –existent shorts, a piece of cloth covering my chest and midriff area, and a pair of shoes that would resemble walking barefoot. I have holes on my shorts, they rise about six and a half inches from my knee, my shirt is missing sleeves, and my hair is up with a part of nature (my flower) showing my back and collarbone. If anything, the nudist is getting ready to take me to the nudist camp to get initiated. Now of course this is far from what I was expecting when I got dressed this morning, however, the way I present myself is just that- preparing for the nudist colony.
Yet when I look into the mirror, I see someone who is happy and ready to have fun with friends. The clothing I am wearing is comfortable and I am able to be active. Yet, despite what I think of myself it is apparent everyone who looks at me will judge me for what I am wearing, if one person sees me as a walking canvas, a mess or a possible nudist companion, I am okay with that because as long as I am happy with whom I am on the inside, that is all that matters.

Hope

Yes, I’ve mentioned before that I am not a political buff, yet I think everyone knows that Obama’s campaign was one for the books. However, this isn’t about politics or the campaign; rather, it’s about a poster and the man. I think it’s fair to say that everyone, if not most people in America, has seen the iconic red, white, and blue tinged Hope poster with Barack Obama’s face. Not only is it great art, but this poster, in my opinion is one that challenged the status quo and did much more.

It was about time that someone other than a white, 35 year-old, American native was running for president of the United States. However, I do think that the 2008 primary election was a coincidence where the status quo was challenged; there was a black man, a Hispanic, and a woman all running for the same office. But it was Obama who rose above the rest and continued to challenge the status quo.

I believe that the Obama Hope poster represents a great example of the status quo challenge. The artist who created it, Shepard Fairey, probably had a different meaning for the piece of work; however from my standpoint, it goes to show that a black man can run for president. A black man can be patriotic. A black man can lead a nation. A black man can succeed. A black man can. It’s as simple as that. I think the poster shows that although Obama was a minority he can just be seen as a man. The colors of the poster don’t show a white man or a black man, but a man willing to lead a nation as president.

I remember when the 2008 election came rolling around and everyone had mixed feelings about Barack Obama running for such an esteemed position. I for one supported him because it was not the same type of person running for the position, but someone who was a minority. I believe that the Hope poster can compare to the selected readings in the textbook because many are about, I guess you can say “sticking it to the man” in a respectful manner. Also, with the speeches included from the text, I would say that the speech givers are asking the next generation for help to make the world a better place and I think that the Hope poster does that too. I mean what better word than “hope” for a slogan to encourage people. The fact that Obama had the courage to break the norm and run for president goes to show that anyone can be capable of doing anything.

Although the campaign is over, I still see many with the poster on their cars, shirts, windows, and binders. I don’t think it’s just about Obama anymore, but the fact that a black man gave a nation hope in a time of crises. The Hope poster even hangs by my desk to be honest. I don’t put it up to look up to a politician but I look up to the man in the poster because that man overcame the obstacles, he silenced the haters, encourages the younger generations and challenged the status quo, all through the power of a picture.

***Photo provided by http://www.obeygiant.com/***

What, me illiterate?

Wow, to think of myself as an illiterate, I think that is very hard. I have always loved words and the stories they create. But if I was illiterate I think the hardest thing obstacle would be school and the confidence I had in myself. But I think one of the reasons why I think this prompt is tough is because how would I have become illiterate in the first place?

Well here it goes, I am illiterate probably because my parents did not care for my well-being, I refused to learn, or I was a mute, and the list could go on. Okay, the point here is that I am illiterate. The hardest part would be going to school- that is, if I wanted to go due to my illiteracy. Learning to do anything in school would be tough. I would not be able to check out a book because I would not even know the Dewey decimal system; well not really, it’s because I cannot read! Another thing that would be hard would be writing a paper. Oh man, those long hours in front of a computer, brainstorming, and trying to beat a deadline. It’s definitely tough writing a paper; okay, I’m just kidding, I can’t even write! What is going on here? I can’t read and I can’t write- well at least I can talk.

But wait, the longest word I know is elastic; my vocabulary has been stunted due to my illiteracy. Wow, I just realized that the rest of my life is going to go further downhill if I never learn to read or write. Well this new revelation is not doing anything good to my confidence.

Knowing that I can’t read or write; I will definitely keep my opinions to myself if all those around are asking complex questions and the others responding with well-thought out answers. I don’t think I have anything great to offer if I can’t even hold a conversation longer than a normal literate person can. Granted illiterate people know how to communicate, but come on, don’t you think it’s embarrassing for me when someone asks me “what was the latest book you read?” and I respond with, “I don’t read.” By receiving pity glances I worry that maybe I should have learned how to read and write as a child.

No one should be denied the ability to learn- especially that of reading and writing. A student who can’t read is already bad enough, and to have one that can’t write to save their life, now that is ultimately life scarring. To know that while you struggle to learn everyone else advances makes life all that much harder than it already is. As life progresses, everyone will encounter life-altering scenarios, epiphanies and inevitably death; but, lack of an education should not be part of life’s cruel penalties to a person. If anything, being able to read and write is a right and a gift in which everyone should be able to relish.