Page 11 - My Mom Speaks Broken English: My Lingustic Identity; Language and Literacy Project, UWRT 1103

with monkeys. My father was telling true stories of Africa,
unlike anything that these children had seen on TV.

As my father spoke animatedly, I excitedly watched
the reactions of my classmates, anticipating a room of
shocked and amazed faces. Instead, I sat perplexed as I
noticed barely-contained giggles and sneers. After a
moment of naïve confusion, I realized that my peers were
ridiculing my father’s thick accent.

“Did you hear that?!” my friend whisper-exclaimed to
a nearby student, “He just said “wah-tah!” After this, she
dissolved into a fit of not-so-quiet hysterics.

Instead of sitting in silent awe for my father’s
incredible stories, my peers were laughing at every
syllable. My ears quickly went hot, and I my intense pride
soon made way for embarrassed frustration.

As my father continued to tell his stories, my joy and
excitement seemed tainted. These emotions were quickly
replaced with the fierce desire to protect and hide the
stories that had once been the source of my pride.

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