Zenas Lau
Writing 1
September 4, 2012
Andrea Mele
Prompt 1
My Struggle
Language has been a struggle for many since the beginning of time. The process of
learning a new language not only takes diligence, but also perseverance and determination. In
becoming the writer I am today, I started from square one, but with many disadvantages.
English, being my second language, was an obstacle I had to go through when I first moved back
to America. The only way to “fit-in” socially was to learn English. Comprehending English was
very difficult when the instructor was teaching audibly therefore making me behind in class. I
felt like I was being hindered by my emotions and the inability to learn English, likewise as to
Helen Kelly. Susanne K. Langer’s “Language and Thought” relates to Helen Keller’s thought
process where using hand symbols and how objects feel like intervene with her knowledge of
language. I feel that I am part of Susanne’s theory where I learn visually from symbols and
diagrams. Similar to Helen Keller, I had many unseen obstacles I must overcome in order to
become a unique individual. Communication was also a problem when I did not how to express
myself in a different language other than my mother language. In trying to learn everything I see,
English was forced to be learned in the shortest amount of time possible. Not being able to
communicate in school, I was put into a special class to accommodate my case, which made me
feel out casted. As time went on, I soon developed certain writing skills that helped me get
through Elementary school. Throughout those years, I’ve learned the importance of knowing
English in both reading and writing. Soon, I became fond of English and it even turned into my
primary language. I then learned how to write in respect to the audience. Now, having a good
foundation in English, I strive to master writing through practice and acknowledgement.
When I was 2 years old, my family and I moved to Hong Kong for six years, which
resulted in Chinese being my mother language. The year I came back to America, I did not know
how to communicate with my classmates, teachers, or even relatives. The feeling of being left
out was very difficult to conquer. The awkward faces people made when I tried communicating
with them in fragments of words made me feel desperate to learn this alien language. I then
realized English meant survival, which motivated me to persevere every night in writing and
comprehending English. I knew I had very little time in becoming acquainted with this language
because I am consistently forced to use it. I did not have any friends the first few months upon
immigrating to the U.S. due to the lack of communication. In relation Susanne Langer’s essay,
she explains how symbols can make one learn a language in a different way. The way I saw
language back then was very visual and I learned very quickly by means of diagrams and
symbols. During the process of learning, I did not have any friends or companions so I was
isolated in my own world without anyone to speak to. Home became the ultimate safe house,
where I can talk to my family members with ease and not get pressured by others.
During my first grade year, I was put into a class filled with strangers. Every day I get
pulled out of class in order to learn English that was taught in Chinese, while everyone else
watches a film on the television. I felt special but scared at the same time because I was not
confident in my English. The teacher took me out and taught me what different phrases and
sentence structures were. In relation to Helen Keller, she was also lost and did not know how to
find her way through communication until Annie Sullivan became her teacher. Although Helen
was not very motivated in the beginning, she learned to accommodate to her teacher. As the days
go by, my self-esteem and confidence became greater and greater. Helen Keller’s famous quote,
“Light! Give me light!” has been on her mind for many years and also for me in terms of
comprehending. As time passes I soon started writing complete sentences and even paragraphs
within months of learning. I felt accomplished, but not yet fulfilled. I am a firm believer in
practice and revision; therefore I often practiced writing and revising my essays and stories. I
kept working hard and carried on my diligence when transitioning to middle school.
When I entered middle school English, I thought I had the upper hand. To my surprise
English was a lot more difficult than Elementary English. Processing large portions of text and
documents became an issue for me. I had trouble understanding what I was reading, especially
Middle English where most of the dialogue did not make any sense to me. I often go to
afterschool tutoring they had and learned how to write an effective essay. During that year, I’ve
learned three different types of essay writing; persuasive, expository, and narrative. Each of
those essays holds their role in trying to express what mood or point you are planning to get
across. Once I have grasped what type of essay is appropriate for a certain circumstance, I
became a better writer where I start seeing writing as an objective to convince your audience on
the behalf of yourself. In Linda Flower’s “Writing for an Audience” the points closely relate to
what I have learned as a writer. She advises the writer to know and analyze who you are writing
to and the overall attitude of the essay. She also emphasizes that you should acknowledge the
reader’s background knowledge of what you are about to write. Throughout the years I have
learned that English, different from Chinese, is more direct when one is trying to persuade
someone with one’s words, and sentence structures differ from one language to another. As I
conclude the final year of middle school, I have partially accrued the foundations of English.
The key to communication is language awareness. In order to hone the skills of language
one must practice and revise. Learning one language from another begins with the first step,
which is to learn the language visually, by seeing how people use the language and
communicate. Secondly, one must find out what type of learner they are and stick to that type of
learning style. Once you attained the basics of writing you will learn to understand the main
objective you are trying to get across to the reader. That being the case, learning the three
different types of essay writing is vital, which also leads to understanding the audience’s
background knowledge before you write to them. Most importantly, one must persevere and
have diligence in order to learn a completely new language.