Reisepässefotos

I figured since we were talking about language, I'd use the same title as the article, but in a different language. =)

Anyway, when I first started this article, I was drawn in by the comparison of a book to a passport. After that segment, however, the article became very boring. I really couldn't focus on it and after first reading it, I really don't remember much. The second part of the article, where Kumar begins talking about language, is where it started to pick up for me.

I really like the way that various pictures, poems, lyrics, quotes, and stories were intertwined into her work. It really helped me grasp the material and message better. The was trying to point out the differences between an immigrant and a 'normal' American. I was offended by the Guns N' Roses lyric that was used, as well as the "Falling Down" movie excerpt. Both of which showed ignorance towards non-Americans. Even though I was offended at first, sometimes I begin to think otherwise, that maybe they do have a point. I guess it shows that this is a very sensitive issue that many people are greatly torn upon, including me.

Another thing that struck me was the Caution/Prohibito road sign and the statement about Sprint in the paragraph following it. Both instances show different outlooks that our country has as a whole about different languages. The sign, as I interpreted it, presents an obvious negative outlook towards Mexican immigrants; in Spanish, the assumed language of the immigrants, the sign reads, 'people are prohibited from crossing the road here', whereas in English, it reads, 'people may be crossing the road here, please take caution'. These two different messages in different languages on the same sign, to me, show a form of prejudice against the immigrants. It's telling them in their language that they are not allowed to do something, cross the road for instance, but in our language, it seems just like a deer crossing sign, in other words, that they are expected to cross the road and to watch out for them, but they know they are not supposed to. Basically, the sign is assuming that the immigrants are going to cross the road regardless of what the sign says.

A similar situation is demonstrated with the Sprint phone bill example. Their Spanish bill "threatens customers with phone cutoff unless their check is received by the end of the month". In their English bill, they state that the customer is the number one priority and their service is flexible to the customer's needs. This is obviously similar to the road sign, where language has been used as a "racial weapon in immigration", as Kumar puts it.

I could go on further about this, but I won't. I enjoyed ths article and it touches upon an issue that I am torn on, and I'm sure many others feel the same way.