Mute in an English- Only World

By: Chang-Rae Lee

Chang-Rae Lee tells a story about her child hood to depict the challenges that many people from other countries face everyday. She tells a story about her mother and the struggle she had to deal with to even talk to the butcher at the market. Lee was only 6 or 7 when her mother would take her shopping with her in hopes that she would be able to help with the communication barrier. Her mother would practice her English, watch TV, and carry a book around that would help with her English. None of this seemed to help, due to the fact that her mother spent most days inside tending to the children, not being able to practice her English skills with a fluent English speaker. Lee picked up on the Language much quicker because she was young and in school, her father also because he spent many days at work speaking in English. Although it took her mother many years of practice and embarrassment to learn English, she never did learn it to the point where she could express emotions while speaking English.

Chang-Rae Lee was trying to illistrate the difficulties that many have with the English language when the travel here from other countries. Although she understands the fact that many were upset about the only Korean signs, she hoped that they would understand why a Korean may want signs in their native language. As I read this story I felt sorry for Lee's mother. I felt as though she tried, and yet there was nothing that she could do. I think this was Lee's point. She wanted people to stop with the, "your in our country learn our language" saying that you here so often. This is no ones country, we have all traveled here from different parts of the world and Lee wanted people to recognize that even though English is the most dominant language in the United States there are people here from many different native tongues and it would be helpful to post signs in many different languages. I'm sure that Lee's mother is not the only person that never mastered the English language befored she died and I'm sure she will not be the last. We do not have to abandoned the English language we only need to be more understanding and helpful with those who may not yet understand the language.