Investigative Question: To what extent is the ability to speak White English the most prevalent reason as to why immigrants face hardships in the United States and are excluded from the American society?

The United States of America has been one of the most sought out countries across the world, particularly because of the various benefits that are offered that are absent in other countries, and this aspect made America what it is today, a home to a multitude of immigrants. This home; however, also has its share of problems, despite what people may think. When immigrants first come to the United States, they have to face difficulties, such as the inability to speak White English fluently, not receiving equal treatment in work, and finding proper and suitable housing. In my essay, I will argue that the inability to speak English is the most prevalent reason as to why immigrants face hardships in the United States to a moderate extent as not receiving equal treatment in work and housing affordability also cause immigrants difficulties in living in the United States and prevent them from being accepted into the American societies. Through this argument, I hope to convince people who believe that the United States is only a land of opportunities that this isn’t truly the case.

Additionally, the inability to speak White English fluently can cause individuals to be accepted unwell by their society. This can be seen through two key texts, “Mother Tongue,” a personal essay written by Amy Tan, and “Why I keep speaking up, even when people mock my accent,” a ted talk spoken by Safwat Saleem. Amy Tan is a graduate who received a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in linguistics and her essay was published in 1990. Her personal essay talks about various moments in her life when she noted her mother to be treated poorly due to her “broken” english. One such moment is noted herein, “And I had plenty of empirical evidence to support me: the fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good advice, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.” (Tan, 2) Before this quote, on the same page, Tan stated how she used to think when she was a child that as her mother’s english was limited, her perceptions or thoughts are limited as well and she uses the cited evidence to support this view. From the quote it’s illustrated that her mother, who came from another country, had to be objected to unfair treatment by the public as they “did not take her seriously,” “did not give her good advice,” “pretended not to understand her,” and “even acted as if they did not hear her.” The unfairness is displayed by the fact that the public carried out these actions just because Tan’s mother couldn’t properly communicate with them using fluent school taught english/ White English. In regards to Tan’s previous view of her mother’s limited English, it’s indicated that the reason as to why her mother was treated poorly was because the society most likely thought that as she couldn’t speak White English fluently, she was uneducated and couldn’t form complete thoughts. The ill-treatment that one receives due to the inability to speak White English fluently can also be seen in the ted talk. In the ted talk, Saleem explains that he received numerous negative comments from people saying how they disliked the accent that was used in a video he made, which in turn lowered his confidence and made it difficult for him to work on the second part of the video since he would be reminded of his childhood, when he was made fun of because of his speech by other kids. (Saleem) Based on this moment from the ted talk, it’s exemplified how detrimental the comments were to Saleem as they reminded him of his childhood, a part of his life when he had to suffer heavily. This quote also hints that the larger society didn’t accept Saleem because of the fact that he didn’t speak White English, of which a critical part is to not have an accent. From both the anecdotes of Tan and Saleem, the readers are able to clearly see how immigrants have to suffer due to their inability to speak White English facelily as they get to understand the ways Tan’s mother and Saleem were impacted because of the society’s unacceptance of their speech.

Furthermore, another way the unacceptance of immigrants and their hardships are shown is through their treatment at work. When immigrants first arrive in the United States, one of the firstmost concerns is finding a well paying job to support their families and themselves. However, even after acquiring a job, the distress of immigrants don’t dissipate as they continue to face problems in their work areas. Many immigrants are taken advantage of by their employers as they are not given enough pay for work that is done off the records, they are often worked long hours, and they aren’t given proper protective clothing in dangerous work areas. (Employment Challenges for Immigrants) From this detail it’s indicated how much they have to suffer as they have to work for long hours, even in dangerous locations, without receiving a suitable amount of payment back just because of the fact that they were born in foreign countries. The fact that immigrants are exposed to these sorts of conditions by employers exemplifies the employers reluctance to accept them into their own society or the American society. The conditions of the immigrants are further illustrated in the second source. In their work areas, immigrants are not allowed breaks for meals and restrooms, may get disciplined for participating in unions or even starting one, and are threatened with deportation if they dare to speak of the unequal conditions to law enforcement. (Immigrants Often Face Injustices) Based on this detail, the readers get a clearer understanding of how immigrants are treated in their jobs by employers. It’s hinted that immigrants aren’t allowed to relax in their work and don’t have any way to protest their treatment since they will be penalized by their employers for participating in unions and also for voicing their opinions to the public. The second quote also hints of how harsh employers are to immigrants as they limit the freedom of immigrants and this idea also shows how reluctant the employers are to accept the immigrants as their own, as part of the American society. This reluctance is implied to allow employers to drive immigrants for their economic benefit, instead of worrying about the immigrants. Both of the above-mentioned quotes very well display the sufferings of the immigrants and through the sufferings that are subjected on immigrants by certain employers, it’s also illustrated that immigrants have a difficult time fitting into the American society.

Moreover, a final problem that causes immigrants distress and prevents them from feeling as if they are part of the American society is paying for the housing as well as living in certain homes. One of the key problems that immigrants have to face alongside the inability to speak White English fluently and finding a safe job that pays well is finding a proper housing. A proper housing takes into consideration suitable rent and also space inside the house. For immigrants, proper housing is difficult to find. It was found in a study that 15 percent of immigrant households tend to live in overcrowded homes compared to 2 percent of White people and it was also found that 15 percent of immigrant families were paid at least half their income to meet their rents compared to 9 percent of White people. (Immigrants Struggle With Housing) This article was published by CBS news, a renowned news website that’s part of the television and radio service, CBS. Based on solely the detail, it’s evident that immigrants have to suffer due to housing because a significant portion have to live in homes that are overcrowded and they also have to use a large part of their income just to maintain housing. Their misery is enhanced by the fact that a large percentage of White people don’t have to live in overcrowded homes and also don’t have to spend most of their income to maintain housing. Furthermore, the sorrow of immigrants are further illustrated in the following source. It is stated that landlords typically take advantage of immigrants as they don’t know their rights and force them to live for an extended period of time without hot water and heat. (Lamport) Lamport is a writer of the Gotham Gazette, an website that is dedicated to monitoring New York City in order to ensure that there’s no unfair treatment that’s happening. Additionally, landlords have to deal with certain expenses that come with the usage of utilities by the tenants and the rents that are collected from the tenants are used to help pay for such usage. Landlords may sometimes need to pay out of their own pocket in order to meet the expenses if the rents collected aren’t enough. In order to remove the possibility of paying from their own pocket, as is indicated in the above detail, landlords take advantage of immigrants and don’t supply them with heat and hot water to lower the cost for the usage of certain utilities. The fact that landlords take advantage of immigrants who don’t know the laws of tenancy implies not only the cruelty of the landlords, but simultaneously the pain of the immigrants as they have to live in harsh and uncomfortable conditions. From both the quoted evidence, it’s displayed not only the fact that immigrants have to tolerate injustice, but also society’s reluctance to accept them as part of their own. This is indicated as immigrants are led to pay significantly more compared to White people and are forced to live in severe conditions. The fact that immigrants are subjected to these situations by people of the American society directly implies the American society’s unwillingness to accept them as part of their own.

A common stereotype that exists is that The United States of America only provides benefits and opportunities to its inhabitants; however, this isn’t the case at all, especially for immigrants. Due to their inability to speak White English fluently, unequal treatment at work, and unjust treatment regarding housing, another aspect of the United States is realized. The readers are able to understand that this country is also based on exclusion since foreign born individuals are not treated the same as native born Americans, accordingly leading the former to face miserable situations. This idea is very important to note down because it illustrates that the American society as a whole is moving away from the traditional American values. A critical value that exists within the United States is that everyone should be treated equally regardless of their background. This essay is important because it exemplifies to the readers that the American society needs to improve by willingly accepting others who are different and treating people who are different, equally. By carrying out these actions, America will be able to successfully maintain its core values and will truly be worthy of being one of the most desired countries to live in.

Work Cited Page:

1. “How Serious Are Employment Challenges for Immigrants?” The Quinn Law Firm, www.thequinnlawfirm.com/articles/how-serious-are-employment-challenges-for-immigrants/. 
2. “Immigrants Struggle With Housing.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 30 July 2003, www.cbsnews.com/news/immigrants-struggle-with-housing/.
3. Lamport, Joe. “The Housing Problems Of Immigrants.” Gotham Gazette, Citizens Union Foundation of the City of New York, 9 Nov. 2004, www.gothamgazette.com/development/2605-the-housing-problems-of-immigrants. 
4. Saleem, Safwat. “Why I keep speaking up, even when people mock my accent.” TED, February 2016.
5. Tan, Amy. “Mother Tongue.” The Threepenny Review, 1990, pp. 1-4 http://theessayexperiencefall2013.qwriting.qc.cuny.edu/files/2013/09/Mother-Tongue-by-Amy-Tan.pdf
6. “Undocumented Immigrants Often Face Injustices on the Job.” Undocumented Immigrants Often Face Injustices on the Job | Ozment Law | Nashville, Tennessee, Ozment Law, www.ozmentlaw.com/articles/undocumented-immigrants-often-face-injustices-on-the-job/.