BILINGUAL IDENTITY IN POETRY: AN ANALYSIS
In the poems “Bilingual/Bilingüe” by Espaillat and “Bilingual Sestina” by Alvarez, both authors express different aspects of life about the nature of their bilingual identity. Through her writing, Espaillat explores the challenges of being bilingual. For instance, she uses the phrase “But who can divide the world, the word (mundo y palabra)”, showing the interchangeability and close relationship between tongues of a bilingual person. Language is often thought of as one’s identity. By being forced to use only one of your dialects at all times, it is a limit on your character, merely a shadow of your selfhood. On the other hand, Alvarez explores a different outlook of the challenges faced by a person who is bilingual: that of a person who thinks and sees beauty in only a single language. They feel more comfortable in one of them, and find it difficult to express ideas in the other. For instance, Alvarez says “from that first world I can’t translate from Spanish.” This refers to words and ideas that are exclusive only to Spanish: phrases that cannot be translated, for they hold a meaning not seen in English. This expresses that knowing multiple languages is sometimes a hindrance because they often form ideas in their minds, only to discover that they cannot convey it in the language. Being bilingual is a barrier to your language, as you are unable to convey information and ideas ineffectively as compared to a person who is unilingual. In conclusion, both Espaillat and Alvarez are chiefly concerned with establishing a relationship between the feelings of being bilingual and the repercussions it may have on their lives.
In the poems “Bilingual/Bilingüe” by Espaillat and “Bilingual Sestina” by Alvarez, both authors express different aspects of life about the nature of their bilingual identity. Through her writing, Espaillat explores the challenges of being bilingual. For instance, she uses the phrase “But who can divide the world, the word (mundo y palabra)”, showing the interchangeability and close relationship between tongues of a bilingual person. Language is often thought of as one’s identity. By being forced to use only one of your dialects at all times, it is a limit on your character, merely a shadow of your selfhood. On the other hand, Alvarez explores a different outlook of the challenges faced by a person who is bilingual: that of a person who thinks and sees beauty in only a single language. They feel more comfortable in one of them, and find it difficult to express ideas in the other. For instance, Alvarez says “from that first world I can’t translate from Spanish.” This refers to words and ideas that are exclusive only to Spanish: phrases that cannot be translated, for they hold a meaning not seen in English. This expresses that knowing multiple languages is sometimes a hindrance because they often form ideas in their minds, only to discover that they cannot convey it in the language. Being bilingual is a barrier to your language, as you are unable to convey information and ideas ineffectively as compared to a person who is unilingual. In conclusion, both Espaillat and Alvarez are chiefly concerned with establishing a relationship between the feelings of being bilingual and the repercussions it may have on their lives.
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