My Borderlands Research Paper

Words: 1132
Pages: 5

My Borderlands Story My life is like a tapestry, hand-woven, a story told through all the different threads that make up it. This is where I find my borderland, something that transcends the tangible threads of my life. It’s a whole other world where my identity blurs. Some people attribute borderlands to physical, geographical spaces. Still, I see it as marked by the culture surrounding me, the different age demographics, and the social classes that unconsciously define us. As I think about my experiences in the borderlands, I feel a resonance in what Anzaldua talks about. But my narrative is distinct from the one she paints. My journey and my tapestry carry a unique texture. Anzalda says that borderlands are the products of the intersection of …show more content…
My grandpa, who is Puerto Rican, talks to me in Spanish all the time. But predominantly, I speak English. That’s one specific borderland dichotomy. There is a linguistic divide between speaking English at home for the most part and then switching to Spanish mode just shortly after school starts. Within these borders at my school, I have had a bit of an awakening. I have found an activation of a sort, an activation of my consciousness of the diversity that surrounds me. This awakening is incredibly empowering. It gives me the power to forge connections with people that I might not have made otherwise, to break the stereotypes that are so often portrayed as real, to build bridges between disparate groups that might not otherwise interact. Anzaldua has a vision of being activated and awakened, and I see that vision manifested as I try to navigate high school. Amidst all the confusion and contradictions involved in this borderland, I feel the essence of home, of security, of safety, despite the chaos of this ever-changing world. I have realized that I am not defined by the physical structures that surround me, but rather by the emotional and intellectual spaces I