I am an English Literature student at Cal-State San Bernardino where I have been sharpining my critical thinking skills to help me make better sense of how the world works, why, and how I can help change it. I never before knew how entrapped I had b...More
I am an English Literature student at Cal-State San Bernardino where I have been sharpining my critical thinking skills to help me make better sense of how the world works, why, and how I can help change it. I never before knew how entrapped I had been by language until I began reading and paying attention to American news networks. Before I understood the power of language, I had always struggled to convince my peers that I am Mexican-American though I am caucasian in appearence. It was a label I fought to keep while at the same time possesing little of the characteristics which would qualify one as Mexican. I speak spanish, but as I am constantly confused as simply caucaisan, it becomes troublesome to correct this error in judgement. So, being neither Mexican or White, I identify as Brand New, as this term is positive in connotation and carries none of the stereotypes that other labels impose on people. In this way I believe I have gained an inch more freedom from convential race labels. But an inch is an inch, and I want to break away from all langauge constraints as completely as possible. To this end, I have been studying the Japanese language as I understand that Eastern Thought often conflicts with Western ideas. Becasue Language is the mode in which thoughts and ideas are perpetuated, I find it necessary to remove myself from the familiarity of the languages I grew up with, and place myself in a new environment which I must make sense of in a new language. I have studied abroad in Japan for a year, and yet this has only been enough to scratch the surface of Japanese culture, and enough to get me to begin understanding how and why words are connected with the images which make the world we live in.
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