Rhetorical Analysis

Rhetorical Analysis
Alicia Tena Rosales
Salt Lake Community College
ENG 1010: Intro to Writing
Deon Martineau
March 2, 2024

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“How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by Gloria Anzaldua

The most inevitable part of life that all humans– including every age, gender, race, ethnicity–
face is the question, “who are you as a person”. Gloria Anzaldua, the author of How to Tame a
Wild Tongue, recalls how much she struggled with this issue growing up, and how she later
makes the connection that her language, is a part of her culture, makes her who she is. Although,
it could be difficult for individuals to believe that language alone could influence so much of an
individual’s identity. Anzaldua is extremely effective in showcasing the centralization in her
identity through the use of double entendre in her title.

Anzaldúa's chapter "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" from her groundbreaking book
"Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza," published on January 1, 1987, in San Francisco,
California, Gloria Anzaldua narrates her experience growing up as a Chicana, a
Mexican-American, living in the United States around the 1940’s. Anzaldua was born and raised
in Texas, where people surrounding her made her feel that speaking Chicano Spanish or English
with a Chicano accent was wrong, or shameful. Anzaldua identifies herself through situations
she experienced, where she was ridiculed for speaking her native tongue, and the course of
events that occurred throughout her life. Anzaldua relies on using various rhetorical strategies to
connect; allowing her audience to understand her experiences and struggles of being an
immigrant living in the United States. Bring feelings of compassion and sympathy amongst her
audience. Anzaldua invokes imagery of mouth at the beginning of her story to provoke the vivid
picture of how she felt trapped, pathos to illustrate an emotional connection with her audience,
ethos to establish her credibility, and logos to display the social and cultural differences between
Mexican and American culture– all three modes of persuasion as discussed by Aristotle in
Rhetoric, which is what makes her rhetorical effectiveness so strong.

Anzaldua begins the chapter with imagery of mouth to invoke a vivid picture of how she felt
trapped within her early years. The introduction of her essay was describing a visit to a dentist,
getting her roots cleaned out, and the fact that her “tongue keeps pushing out the wads of cotton”
and her dentist even noting that she is “going to have to do something about [her] tongue” which
is what makes the title a double entendre, because not only is she making the focus on this
chapter about her language, but she also include this short anecdote of her literal tongue being

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unable to control, being stubborn. This creates a visual and analogy for the audience, which helps
understand the concept of what it was like for her struggling with her own language, like in the
instance that she is “talking back” to [her] Anglo teacher because of her use of metonymy and
this double entendre. The audience can vividly imagine the words struggling to escape her
tongue, perhaps causing her initial embarrassment or difficulty in articulation, much like the
sensation of a tongue held down at the dentist's office. This imagery of the mouth invokes a clear
and evocative mental picture.

Another strategy she employs to demonstrate an emotional connection that resonates with the
audience is by sharing personal experiences. Anzaldua's narrative allows readers to empathize
with her and grasp the injustice of being punished solely for using her native language. This
sentiment is powerfully portrayed when she recounts a childhood incident where she was
chastised for speaking Spanish during recess. Anzaldua vividly remembers, "I recall being
caught speaking Spanish at recess – that warranted three licks on the knuckles with a sharp
ruler." This unfair treatment by the school system due to her native tongue hindered her ability to
express herself as a child. Anzaldua further reflects, "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." This experience highlights the belittlement Anzaldua faced from an adult
who couldn't accept constructive criticism from a child. Although many may overlook the harm
inflicted in these situations, Anzaldua keenly feels its impact, shaping her character and instilling
a desire to defend herself throughout her life. Her statement, "If you want to be American, speak
'American.' If you don't like it, go back to Mexico where you belong," encapsulates the raw
emotion of the moment. This experience clearly left a profound impact on her, but she refuses to
allow it to dictate her identity. Instead, she sets out on a journey to reclaim her language and
uplift her community. Her resilience fosters a sense of solidarity and encourages others not to
fear unjust treatment.

Anzaldua utilizes ethos to assert her identity and reveal her character, thereby imbuing her
statement with authenticity and vitality. Gloria Anzaldua boldly proclaims, “I am my language:
Standard English, Working class and slang English, Standard Spanish, Standard Mexican
Spanish, North Mexican Spanish dialect, Chicano Spanish (Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and

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California have regional variation), Tex-Mex, and Pachuco.” This declaration vividly showcases
her multifaceted linguistic identity and underscores her genuine connection to language and
culture. She is stating to her audience that being Chicana, and able to speak Spanish is part of
who she is. It’s not only clear to her audience, but everyone that reads the book. Her identity and
her language are synonymous. It is also extremely powerful and effective due to her frequent
switching between English and Chicano Spanish, sometimes within the same sentence. One
instance vividly illustrates not only the oppression experienced by Chicanos at the hands of
English speakers but also the reluctance of other Spanish speakers to silence themselves, as
expressed by the phrase "other Spanish speakers no quieren poner candados en la boca" (other
Spanish speakers do not want to put padlocks on their mouths). Additionally, Anzaldua depicts
the evolution of Chicano Spanish through "[c]hange, evolucion... created variants of Chicano
Spanish, un nuevo lenguaje" (change, evolution... created variants of Chicano Spanish, a new
language) to add similar words in addition to the English words she used in the sentence. Not
only does Anzaldua claim that she is her language, she asserts her identity by demonstrating her
authenticity.

Finally, Anzaldua also established logos through the argument that immigrants do not feel safe
within the United States, the land of the free. Chicanos and Mexicans are discriminated against
for not being able to speak English “correctly” and people have an accent while pronouncing
words or phrases. Anzaldua states an experience that occurred to her while attending Pam
American University, “I and all Chicano students were required to take two speech classes. Their
purpose: to get rid of our accents.” This is an attack against other cultures that aren’t allowed to
be themselves because Americans do not accept them. Anzaldua is not allowed to teach her
community, nor in her class about their culture, she states, “As Chicano individuals, we are not
allowed to teach and implement our community's native language without being punished and
told that we are supposed to be teaching English.'' This underscores the contradiction between
America’s self-proclaimed status as the “land of the free'' and the limitation imposed on
individuals’ freedom to express their cultural identities. Anzaldua concludes by asserting that
attacks on linguistic depression constitute a violation of the First Amendment, emphasizing the
consequences of attempting to suppress cultural heritage. Her statement, “El Anglo con cara de
inocente nos arrancó la lengua,” vividly portrays the erasure of cultural identities by a dominant

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culture. Anzaldua exposes the hypocrisy of a nation that claims to embrace diversity while
marginalizing individuals who speak languages of those who conform to English language
norms, highlighting the system biases present in American society.

In conclusion, Anzaldua does a significant job using rhetorical devices to educate readers about
the struggles Chicanos faced in the United States. She showcases the power that others withhold
over her culture but she overcame that by not being submissive– as others were expecting her to
be– regarding how she actually felt. She displays various experiences from her point of view,
showing her audience what it feels like to live through these situations as a Chicano. Most
importantly, she establishes a great sense of pride in her heritage, for readers who can relate to
her struggles to take more pride in their heritage as well.

Word Count: 1394/1446

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References:
Anzaldua, G. (1987). How to Tame a Wild Tongue. In Borderlands La Frontera: The New
Mestiza. Pp. 53-64. San Francisco: Aunt Lute Books.