Mute in an English-Only World, Essay Example

The author describes her as mute and an outsider because she only spoke the most Basic English. This meant that she encountered difficulties whenever she went out to get anything. An example would be the fact that she had to be patient to do her marketing in the weekend. If not she would wait for the author to return home from school. Another example would be the awkward scenes that always resulted whenever they went shopping. This prompted the author to speak on behalf of his mother. Whenever she tried the sundry phrases learnt, for example, at a post office, her speech would freeze, stall or collapse. This depicts just how much difficulty she had with English. Another good example would be at the butcher’s shop where she went to get some oxtails. The whole event resulted in her being furious because of the difficult communication that went on.

Yes, I think people have different personalities when they speak in different languages. The reason being when speaking in your own native language, you feel comfortable and you can easily express yourself. There is enough confidence when speaking in your own native language and making yourself clear is not a problem. Using different words and phrases is easy since using them in the right context is never difficult. This clarifies the point that mutes in an English-only world.

Lee’s main idea is the fact that life can be very hard for people living in a different country from theirs. The idea is very well depicted from the way the author’s mother has difficulties by encountering one problem after the other. This was all before she gained confidence in the English language. The town they resided in passed laws that required that all commercial signs be in English. English was their foreign language as they were from a Korean background.

Business running can be tough specially when you have communication problems. This is portrayed; by the way, the author’s mother has to wait for her husband or children in order to do her marketing. For them, English meant trouble, a dose of shame and hurtful. Learning and following the rules of such towns is very difficult. This is depicted, by the way, the author’s mother used a double packing. The result was honking from other drivers and everyone in the entire street shrieking at them.

Expressing oneself and your desires can be very intricate in a foreign country. This is seen from the way the mother had difficulty asking for the oxtails she needed from the butcher. The author’s mother was ignored because she no one seemed to notice or even bothers to ask what he or she needed. The place was crowded and required that communication be clear and loud. We can then conclude that the author’s idea of mute in an English-only world is clearly understood.

The purpose of the author is to illustrate the difficulties that people go through when they do not belong to a certain country. This is even made worse when the parties involved are not well conversant with the language used. The author manages to argue his point by providing an overview of the topic before giving examples to illustrate it. He concludes by giving us a change of events, which made life more comfortable for them.