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Nataly Abreu

English 101 L7

This I Now Believe (Final)

10/24/18

Language: An Individual First Impression

There are some occasions in life in which you might not comprehend how someone feels

towards your actions, how difficult or how easy a person can analyze your words. For that

reason, it is necessary to use a correct vocabulary and tone when approaching an individual

because if not, there is a high possibility that conflicts can be created. In my life, I realized who I

am and how honest a person is, based on language and its use. As a result, I believe that the

choice of vocabulary, the way of approaching a situation, and your tone reveals who you are.

There is a cliche that says how an individual should always “expect the unexpected.”

Meaning that you should always be prepared for everything that could happen or for anyone that

can come to your life. Throughout my life, I have learned how to deal with situations that have

become complicated due to the fact of how individuals talk during that specific situation. For

example, during my junior year of high school, I used to take pre-calculus. One day, before class

started, my friend and I were discussing a conflict that she had with our history teacher while

speaking in Spanish and English. “Muchacha pero ese maestro no podía hacer eso” (Girl, that

teacher was not supposed to do that), I told my friend. When my pre-calculus teacher heard me

responding in Spanish, she got furious and started screaming at me. “This is America, you are

always speaking Spanish, we all speak English and you should do the same,” she yelled. Her
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irritated tone and how aggressive she approached the situation made me not only angry but also

feel rejected. It was sad how a person that should be professional could act like that. After that

situation, students and other teachers recognized who she truly was and how discriminatory she

was towards Hispanic individuals.

Another example is when I was talking with my brother in Spanish in a bodega (corner

store). “¿Sabes el precio de esto?” (Do you know the price of this?), I asked my brother. Out of

nowhere, an old woman started talking to us about how ignorant we were because we were

speaking Spanish in the United States. The first thing that came to my mind is how disrespectful

and intrusive a person can be, also, what was I supposed to do in this situation. It was the second

time that a person discriminated me because I was speaking my native language. I thought about

it for a second, and I concluded that I should use a calm tone. “You do you, I’ll do me,” I told her

by using my strongest accent and putting a smile on my face. After finishing our conversation,

my brother, customers of the store, and I concluded how prejudiced the woman was against my

language.

Throughout life, individuals might undergo situations in which the speaker could be

either aggressive or kind. By their use of words, their attitude, and how they deal with the

situation, an individual can understand who that person is (e.g., personality and beliefs). For that

reason, as the popular cliche says, “think before you speak and think twice before you act.”