Rudy and Yolanda communicated in completely different languages. By language, I mean the
written, and spoken kind. More so I mean the traditions, and values that go hand in hand
with learning a language. When they learned their own languages, they inherited their own
set of ideals, that were changed by what, where, and how they were taught.
Yolanda's language was Spanish. She learned to speak Spanish in the Dominican Republic.
Her lifestyle was one of a strict Catholic girl. Yo had a very traditional father. He
allowed nothing but what was the social norm. His social norms became hers. When she
moved to the U.S., she was completely naive when it came to the American culture. Yolanda
was raised in the way that the use of drugs and alcohol were totally unheard of.
Pre-marital sex was something that was taboo, and strictly reinforced. She had grown up
with very traditional values that were adopted from her mother and her father. She was
never exposed to any outside stimuli. Whether or not it was voluntary, she was forced to
conform to the rigid Hispanic values. This conformity kept her at bay. She couldn't
experience the things necessary to become a whole person.
Rudolf B. Elmhurst was a young man from a liberal family in the United States. His
parents were easy-going people, with thoughts of letting Rudy develop on his own. He
learned English much the same way Yolanda learned Spanish. He was taught by his parents.
He also absorbed the culture around him and he learned the American way of doing things.
Rudy had quite a bit of freedom. He could have come and gone as he pleased. He had no
restrictions, and was allowed to grow freely. With that opportunity Rudolf Brodermann
Elmenhurst was able to laugh along with everyone else at the mention of his difficult to
pronounce name. He had been allowed to grow unrestricted, but not unchecked. While his
parent were liberal, they still gave him the attention necessary, and the room to evolve.
This independence helped him to be who he was, invincible to insult, injury, and always
in control.
When Yolanda and Rudy first met they were in English class. He had showed up late and
totally unprepared for class, the exact opposite of her. She marveled at how he could
walk in late, take what she thought of as an embarrassing scene, and laugh about it. She
always went to class early, had all of her books and was well prepared for class. She
also got extremely embarrassed when he laughed about the pencil, which he considered no
big deal, but a chance to show off. Rudy and Yolanda had been raised differently, and
this affected how they interacted socially. This is one of the most pronounced
differences between them that is brought about by language, and the ideals that accompany
their different backgrounds.
Rudy and Yo were working on their poems for class. Yolanda used the style she had been
taught. She followed the instructions to the letter. Rudy had wrote about what he wanted,
and tried to be the class clown. This was another difference in their language. She had
been taught to do as told, and do everything correctly. Rudy was doing what he wanted, as
he was taught to. He used the assignment as a chance to get attention, to be noticed. Yo
shied away from anything of the sort. She was quiet, and shy, he was loud, and liked
attention. This was another side effect of language. In learning the strict Hispanic
values, Yolanda had learned that children were supposed to be quiet, proper, etc. Rudy
just did what came natural. He wasn't taught to fear anything, so he never had that
problem. The different languages taught different mentalities, and were based on the
values of the teachers.
Somehow they decided to work together on their homework. She helped write his poem using
the phrases and double meanings that he thought would be appropriate. It was pornographic
by her standards, but she didn't know what any of it meant. She wrote her poem using the
format that she was taught to. When it came time for the two to read their poems Yolanda
read hers first. No one knew what she was talking about because they had a different
frame of mind. Then Rudy read his poem the whole class erupted with laughter. The rest of
the class had understood all of the inside jokes, and puns. He later explained to her
all of the little details that she couldn't understand. Yolanda couldn't comprehend what
was going on because of her language, and the way she was raised. She was never allowed
to experience anything of the sort, so it all seemed alien to her, just as her poem had
to him, and the rest of the class.
After a short time dating, Rudy began to try and introduce sex into their relationship.
He had up to that point corrupted her to drinking, smoking, and doing a variety of drugs.
She still hung onto the fear instilled in her as a child. Rudy had never had to have that
fear, he was totally uninhibited. She wanted to experience sex, but she told herself no.
She still had the old fears in her head. The threats of her father, the priests, and the
other fears she had invented, stemming from the roots of her language, and the Hispanic
upbringing. The language Rudy used, and the ways he described sex had also driven her
away. When he refereed to sex as "getting laid" it completely turned her off. She thought
it was supposed to be very romantic, and everything would be set just right.
Eventually she overcame the barriers, and made love to men. Rudy was not one of them his
American overconfidence, and frustration turned her off. The way they communicated about
sex, and love was a major difference in languages. Yolanda had acquired the idea that sex
was an act of love, and should be treated as such, and introduced as such. Rudy was
interested in the short term gratification of "getting laid."
Rudy and Yolanda grew up learning different languages, and at the same time learning the
cultural norms of the area in which they originated. They brought their values with them
when they went to college. Rudy had the same style of free upbringing that most Americans
at that time had.. Yolanda was raised by a stern father, who left no room for argument.
The barrier between Yolanda's world, viewed through her Hispanic background, and the new
world she moved into was very hard for her to overcome.
Eventually she changed, and adapted more to the American culture, as she began to learn
the English language first hand. The languages that these two young adults had learned
molded who they were. They each learned a different language, so they had different,
conflicting ideals.
Gradually one language gets assimilated by another. Yolanda began to lose her language,
and her Hispanic values. The more popular American style took over. She was captured by
the new culture, and almost completely lost her old one. Rudy soon faded from her life.
People are affected by how, where, and when they are raised.
Alvarez shows that language is a tremendous difference in everyone's' lives. Everything
that is the norm for one person is completely alien to someone else, and visa versa. The
language, spoken, written, and cultural play a huge part in who we are. Rudy and Yo, are
just two small examples of language in an ever changing world.
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