Sunday, January 4, 2015

Do you need English to succeed?


Ever though about todays society and how it functions? I sure have, in today’s society we assume that just because you know English it will lead you towards success. Then if that’s the case, why is it that so many American Citizens struggle to make ends meat on a daily bases? The question that is yet to have an answer. Society wants you to think that you need English as a first language to be able to make someone out of your life, but that’s not true at all. The culture we live in today has made us believe that but obviously it is not true because it has been proven wrong plenty of times.
As I read an article of the New York Time I came across an interesting topic, “Moving to the U.S. and Amassing a Fortune” it talks about two individuals who came to America chasing after “The American Dream”, surprisingly they both happen to accomplish what they had begun. So there’s the flaw In the American Belief that you must know English to be successful. The culture that surrounds us talks so much about being an American citizen and it influences everyone who comes into this nations to seek that as one of there main priorities.
In the article it talks about Felix Sanchez De La Vega Guzman, this man came to this nation with no money, no English, no education, yet he managed to turn his tortilla street business into a $19 million dollar business, to this day, after being in this nation for over 40 years he has yet to learn the English language. He clearly states in one of his interviews, “The entire market is Hispanic”, “You don’t need English.” This man has made millions without fluently speaking English he has found different ways to communicate he is striving and succeeding without any problems. Society wants you to believe that English is the only way, but as you can see through this mans example society has just been proven wrong.
The second person mentioned in this article is Zhang Yulong this man came into this nation from china in the year 1994, he is now 39 years old and already he is president of a cellphone case company in New York which happens to make over $30 million a year and he Is in charge of 45 employees. There is not much background information on how it all begun but it took this man so little time to amount into someone big. This is one of the many success stories of people who come into this nation seeking for opportunity and happen to strive because they are determined and hard working.
The way in which the article is structured is easy and catches the attention of any reader. Since it is structured as a newspaper and it has pictures it is not as boring as one would think. The language that it uses is not all to sophisticated which makes it that much easier to comprehend and understand the over all goal of the article. As a blogger I like to analyze articles such as these and implement my own views on it, talk about what it’s trying to say and also personal experiences that may come close to these stories. The culture that this article brings out is that of many Americans.
Analyzing this text a bit further as a blogger I can see that the way the text is being portrayed catches the attention of any reader. It is mainly intended to those seeking for opportunity in America but truly the audience is anyone and everyone. The article is written in the New York Times, a very big newspaper corporations makes it much easier to reach out to the community. Throughout the whole paper one must remember that the culture we live in is still trying to demand us to know the English language.
Society tries to chain us down into its barriers and lock us in all to think the same thing. People do not need to be born in this nation to be a part of something bigger. I reveal the truth and the culture that we are living us is not benefiting us to grow. These articles are living proof that all you need is determinations and will power to become someone in America. The language that you speak should no define who you are, you are the person you choose to make of yourself, you can choose to stick to low paying jobs or you can become someone like Mr. Sanchez and Mr. Yulong.
You should not let yourself be put down by society just because you don’t know any English, you can always become someone no matter what your background make look like. The choice is yours, let society define you or prove that English is not a necessity. As a blogger I am here to open up your eyes to what happens around us. You choose whether to strive or be defined by the language you speak. Don’t let the culture you are from define who you are.