How can language impact Social Consciousness/Justice 
By: Lesly Herradora-Garcia
“Mother tongue” by Amy Tan shows a view on how many don't really see how language can be a part of the impact of social consciousness and social justice.  Language is dragged into everyday society and is used in different ways in aspects of life but when it comes to Social Consciousness and Social Justice, language can show you how society view others when the one speaking it may sound a bit different,  how society treats others due to an accent, and the difficulties these people who may have trouble with the languages have to go through on a daily basis. I am a witness to this topic. I am a daughter of immigrant parents whose English would be considered “broken” or even “odd”. It really makes you think how society views every aspect of the life we live in. Being a little girl seeing my dad speaking English for something simple like ordering food at a restaurant. Seeing how he understood everything but yet people didn't understand and kept telling him to speak clearer. So when Amy Tan mentioned “Yet some of my friends tell me they understand 50 percent of what my mother says. Some say they understand 80 to 90 percent. Some say they understand none of it, as if she were speaking pure Chinese. But to me, my mother's English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural.” And “Like others, I have described it to people as 'broken" or "fractured" English.” These quotes show you how society tends to view others when language seems to be what society calls “broken” or “limited”. Even so, that doesn’t dignify the way people are treated because of the so-called “broken” English they speak. “And I had plenty of empirical evidence to support me: the fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.My mother has long realized the limitations of her English as well.” When Amy Tan said this it shows that society tends to treat anything that is different or new bad because they don't understand. Growing up as a kid you start to notice these things and how society tends to treat anyone who may be different from the norms. Although this is horrible for the people who have to fight through this every single day. It also seems to impact even when things get tough.
“My mother had gone to the hospital for an appointment, to find out about a benign brain tumor a CAT scan had revealed a month ago. She said she had spoken very good English, her best English, no mistakes. Still, she said, the hospital did not apologize when they said they had lost the CAT scan and she had come for nothing. She said they did not seem to have any sympathy when she told them she was anxious to know the exact diagnosis, since her husband and son had both died of brain tumors.” Amy Tan talks about how her mother had gone to the doctor over a brain tumor but the unexpected happened and since society seems to have a hold on people who may have an accent when speaking English or having limited English they did nothing. But according to this next quote, “And when the doctor finally called her daughter, me, who spoke in perfect English -- lo and behold -- we had assurances the CAT scan would be found, promises that a conference call on Monday would be held, and apologies for any suffering my mother had gone through for a most regrettable mistake.” When they saw that someone spoke so called clear English they immediately apologized. Society creates norms and people follow these norms. And when something isn’t in place, they start to isolate that thing or target it. So even something used in everyday life like language could make such a great impact on people. Words are more powerful than people think.
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April 24, 2023
Silly Susie Likes To Sew
by Steven Munoz
Silly Susie always sews
Colorful stitches in thin little rows
Across her pants and on her skirts,
Cute designs throughout her shirts,
Embellishing all of her clothes.
One day she saw her friend Betty
Wearing a bracelet so pretty
With the colors of red, blue, and white
That made her hand stylish and bright
And made Susie long for her own.
So when Susie got home that night
She had an idea so bright
She ran to grab her things,
All her needles and colorful strings,
And with her left hand she sewed into her right
She focused as she pierced her skin
Wanting to scream but keeping the pain within
She pulled in the string
Like hell it did sting
Till alas her bracelet came out nice and thin.
The next morning when she got out of bed
She noticed how much her hand had bled
Then she saw an end sticking out
And in her idea she began to doubt
So she decided it wasn't worth the pain.
She pulled at the end with great force
Then the pain became worse and worse
And as the string became more taut
“I'll die of this pain” she thought
As the string sliced her hand right off.
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April 17, 2023
Fight to the End
by Steven Munoz
"Meet me outside. Now."
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- Unknown number. Who could this be? I thought to myself. I didn't have any plans for today, especially not with anyone. I just thought I'd stay home and watch tv all day. "Outside." That kept resonating in my head. "Outside." Did they text the wrong number? I hope so. Maybe a friend changed their number and didn't let me know. Worst case scenario there's a stranger outside my house. Perhaps a serial killer. And, of course, this happens when I'm home alone. I suppose I should be direct. "Who is this?" I replied. The bubble that showed that they were texting appeared. The minute on my clock didn't change from the moment the bubble appeared to the moment I received a reply, though it felt like an eternity. It was a picture of my house with a text underneath that read:
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"You'll find out soon enough."
Suddenly this became very real. I need to be armed in case this person tries to break in. My first thought was to grab a knife from the kitchen. But what if they have a gun? A knife is too short-range. I rushed to the basement instead. As I opened the door to where I had a bunch of things which I had no place for, I heard a sound that under normal circumstances would not be as terrifying as it is right now, the doorbell rang. I grabbed a hammer I had stored and ran back up the stairs. My phone buzzed, nearly killing me of a heart attack, and I see another text:
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"Knock Knock!"
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What happened next was my brain coming up with a terrible idea and going through with it, rationalizing it by saying it makes sense in this situation. I ran to the front door, the hammer hidden behind my back, and I looked through the little window atop the door to see a man with black hair and a smiling white mask looking at me.
"Get out of here!" I yelled at him, before I heard a muffled "boo!" The window glass shattered in front of me, though I stepped back in time not to get hit by any shards. He stepped back as well, only to reveal one of those little hammers that are stuck to the walls in buses in order to break the glass in an emergency. Next thing I heard was the door handle shaking.
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"I don't think that hammer of yours will be able to break the handle," I said with fake confidence, "though I'd like to see you try." What happened the few seconds afterwards is still a blur, though I can remember my ear ringing and seeing a hole through my door handle- and my foot. Adrenaline brought me back and I paced to my kitchen, limping on my left leg and dragging my weapon on my right. I hid behind a wall, before I realized that I had left a trail of blood to my 'hiding place.' He walked in, his steps were careful and measured, and I could hear a little tapping of his finger to the trigger of his gun. Knowing he can see where I am, I decided to make a risky move, a hail mary that could either save me or have me killed faster.
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"What do you want from me?" I yelled at him, though I can't say I expected a response. His voice, deep and raspy, and way clearer than before, sent chills down my spine.
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"I just want to play with my prey." His steps got louder. Three more before he turns the wall and sees me. Two. One.
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"Well I don't like to play." I swung the hammer at him, aiming for any part that might at least make him drop his gun. Another shot. It grazed my shoulder and hurt way more than before, but the pain disappeared when I saw his face smashed on the ground. I won.
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March 10, 2023
Rainy Cloud On A Clear Day
By Steven Munoz
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A rainy cloud on a clear day
Unwanted as it may be
Can make or break a person's day
For it depends on how you choose to see
As it can see a picnic's end
Or soak one's change of clothes
Whilst it could also make a way
To bring a couple close
Together under an umbrella
Thinly layered and tight
Or dancing freely in the rain
Under the moon's bright light.
The rain could fall on one who's sad
And build upon their gloom
Or perhaps fall on a bed of grass
And help the flowers bloom
Regardless, it could change one's day
For the better or for the worse
So next time you see a rainy cloud
Just think about this verse.
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March 10, 2023