Discussion #1

Gloria Anzaladua’s essay “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” is not shy when the importance of language is being discussed, especially language female women of color speak. Mexican Spanish is male dominate and female repressed hiding the female tongue. After reading this essay, I realized how important language is, especially to women. This was really an eye opener because as a Hispanic woman with no accent; it never occurred to me that others with one would be judged. Our voices shouldn’t be “fixed” in order to sound appropriate. I think having an accent is empowering.  It shows that certain individuals are bilingual and maybe even trilingual. It is a quality that no one should ever be ashamed of especially women. Everyone needs to learn how to become united without changing their unique qualities and characteristics.

 Audre Lorde’s “The Master’s Tools Will Never dismantle the Master’s House”, and in “When You Leave Take Your Pictures With You” are connected by both involving women of color, homosexuality, and racism. For example, women of color and people who are LGBTQ+ are still considered as the “other” (Davenport). We (they) should not be considered as an “other” group of which to begin. Although white women might come together with women of color and the LGBTQ+ community, there is still the issue with accountability and white women tip-toeing around a subject that needs to be spoken about as if it is not a secret. White women need to stop giving a reason as to why they feel or think a certain way about women of color in order to prove they are not “racist.” It just makes the matter worse.             According to Lorde’s essay, women have been taught to ignore the differences as separate- racism, homosexuality, and women- when for many it is all one combination and not separate issues of which to be dealt. Those of us who are ignorant enough to consider each of these as a separate subject are just as accountable as white women who try to find an excuse for XYZ about racism, homosexuality, and feminism.