Shahna Shajnin
Professor Colombo Russell
ENG 110: Freshman Composition
October 12, 2025

Cover Letter:

For my Language and Literacy Narrative, my intended audience would be the other students in my ENG 101 class, who also had the same task of creating a written work based on their own experiences with language. In order to appeal to my audience, I tailored the structure of my essay to best fit their needs. Specifically, I began my essay with sensory details regarding my surroundings, in an attempt to bring the reader into my point of view. I chose this as my introduction to interest readers from the beginning and motivate them to continue learning about my story. As a writer and a reader, I prefer introductions that are vague enough yet captivating to push me to continue. Through my language, I hoped to maintain professionalism in my essay, yet provide a more fluid tone as opposed to a monotonous essay.  Rather than stating each moment to my reader, I let them live my experience with me so that they can infer what happens next. In addition, I utilized sections of the essay solely to describe my feelings and reactions during the entire process, which I hoped would evoke a more emotional connection with the written piece. In this way, I integrated pathos into my work so my audience can relate to my experience with language. 

In this phase, two meaningful insights I have taken away are the significance of embracing language and the effects of literacy among the population. In particular, throughout this phase, we have taken time to do readings in class that relate to different kinds of English. Examples of this would include “Black English” and “Broken English,” which have been shunned by society due to its inability to conform to the standards of English. However as a group, we noticed the challenges that are associated with rejecting new forms of English, such as the establishment of discrimination and the development of a power hierarchy, where people with “unconventional” forms of English are considered less intelligent. Therefore, we felt that embracing language and its different dialects are key to mitigating these kinds of issues among society. Along with this, our readings have taught me how “lack” of literacy and the use of different forms of English are treated. For instance, we explored the effects through Mother’s Tongue, where outsiders perceived Tan’s mother as having “limited proficiency” and thus, wouldn’t take her concerns as seriously compared to fluent English speakers like Tan herself. In addition, through Nobody Mean More to Me than You and the Future Life of Willie Jordan, Jordan emphasizes how Black English was looked down upon, and even the students were unfamiliar with their own tongue in the beginning. By the end of the essay, Black English takes on a new symbol of hope when students utilize their forgotten tongue to write letters to the police, fighting against police brutality.

The concepts that have most impacted my learning and writing practices are identifying how authors support their arguments and the importance of context. Within many of our readings, authors typically backed their main claims by implementing anecdotes from their own lives or the lives of others. Within the text, Mother’s Tongue for example, Tan goes through experiences that she and her mother have faced due to “Broken English,” such as Tan speaking in place of her mother during phone calls, in hopes to provide more clarity for the other caller. Implementing such stories provide a more authentic feel to the text as a whole and can connect with the audience’s experience with language. Through my essay, I hoped to utilize enough sensory details and minor experiences like Tan to build the complexity of my work. Additionally, context within writing has proven valuable because it directly puts readers into the political or social scene. For example, in Nobody Mean More to Me than You and the Future Life of Willie Jordan, Jordan’s essay contains an abstract, which provides an overview of the work yet emphasizes key ideas that are integrated within the piece. In particular, the abstract mentions the work of progressive teachers and the theme of resistance against brutality, which are later explored through Willie Jordan’s experience. Within my essay, I utilized the first few paragraphs as a way to ease my reader into my current surroundings and provided context to my role, similar to Jordan.

Bangla Barriers

The dewy air envelops my senses as I stand at the low table positioned in the middle of the park. It’s mid-afternoon, and the sun’s rays are just out of sight, shielded by an array of clouds. As a summer camp volunteer at the Hillside Kids’ Club, which serves Muslim immigrant families in Queens, I typically take on my role as a counselor for the children, leading them in various activities. Though it was tiring, I enjoyed the sight of kids running around, popsicle sticks in the grass, and construction paper blowing in the wind. However, a new role had just been entrusted to me. “Since you speak Bangla, I have put you at the clerical station, in case any translation is needed,” my director explains. My heart sinks at the thought. Although Bangla is considered my native language, it tangles on my tongue. Words tend to come out haphazardly and lacking proper enunciation. When I speak, my sentences falter as shame burns my ears. 

Families rush into the park as the afternoon’s heat continues. I jump into action, taking on my role diligently and politely. “Next!” I shout. An older woman, cloaked in a navy blue hijab, and a little girl in a sundress stand in front of me, her small hand latched to the woman’s. As my co-worker sets up the activities behind me, the young girl’s eyes light up with joy. “Ready to play?” I ask the girl. She grins widely at my question. I watch as the woman lowers her gaze, the corner of her mouth upturned slightly. I begin to speak: “Please fill out the forms. Your daughter can start playing after we get some basic information.”

The woman looks back at me for the first time. Only the chirps of nature can be detected as a stretch of silence ensues. She opens her mouth, purses her lips in thought, and closes them. She lowers her head in what appears to be embarrassment. The lump in my throat stings as realization hits me. In the primarily Bangladeshi community, most families learned basic English phrases to accompany their dominant Bangla. However, not all had the chance to take English classes in the small community. This woman can’t speak English.

The woman takes her daughter’s hand. Slowly, her voice reaches me: “Her…play…park?” 

I feel the branches around me sway in the wind, almost in mockery. Fluency in Bangla should be my strength. Yet I stand behind the table in fear, as my skills are being put to the test. The woman looks at her daughter in defeat. Her eyes scan the perimeter of the park in hopes that a familiar face would look back at her to no avail. I think hard. I think about the Bangla phrases I can potentially string together into a sentence. Finally, I speak again. “Apni Bangla kotha bolen?” I managed to muster. “Do you speak Bangla?”

In an instant, color returns to her face. Her eyes well up, brimming with emotion as I speak. My once foreign tune fills her ear with song, and she nods vigorously. As she responds back in Bangla, I quickly string together the next set of phrases to convey. Relief floods my body. She understands me. The little girl quickly runs into the park, ready to begin the ongoing painting activity. With every incoming parent who arrives, my confidence flourishes as I learn to adapt to the circumstances. Although some parents are confused as my unusual accent intrudes upon their beautiful mother tongue, I feel empowered, rather than hindered by my broken Bangla. 

To this day, I still stumble over my Bangla dialect. I still take long pauses as gears work in my mind to sort the next logical statement. However, I have learned not to be self-conscious about my lack of fluency. Rather, I use my language skills to connect with others, as not everybody has the privilege of learning English first-hand. Thus, language barriers are common yet defeatable within the real world. 

Recently, I met an international Bangladeshi student who struggled to understand the professor’s jargon during lectures. She quickly found solace in me when I broke down the content in Bangla. My fragmented sentences, full of grammatical errors, brought stars to her eyes. Unfortunately, language learners don’t always receive proper support when transitioning from one language to another. Especially for immigrants, worrying about thick accents or understanding the logistics of new languages impede progress. By continuing to bridge such language barriers and normalizing the experience of learning new languages, I have found that if only we open our mouths, we can make an effort to help others. I like to think that those who try will reap the rewards.