Student Question
Did you like Lucy Honig's "English as a Second Language"? Did you identify with any characters?
Quick answer:
Lucy Honig's "English as a Second Language" is generally appreciated for its insightful portrayal of the immigrant experience, particularly through the character of Maria Perez, a Guatemalan immigrant. Readers often identify with Maria due to her resilience and the universal challenge of overcoming personal barriers, symbolized by her physical and emotional scars. The narrative effectively uses flashbacks to deepen empathy and understanding, although some may find the non-linear plot challenging to follow.
As a reader, I liked Lucy Honig's "English as a Second Language" because it gave me a strong sense, as someone born in the US, of what it feels like to be an immigrant, especially one forced to flee one's native country due to violence. Outside of personal experience, this is something I think you can only understand through fiction or a memoir. I felt, too, that Honig offered a detailed exploration of all that Maria had to cope with.
Through the story, I gained new insights that sensitized me to different ways a language can be "second." Not only does Maria have to struggle with grammar and usage—such as when she calls "butterflies" in her stomach "worms"—we also see her struggle to convey the truth of her experience in a culture unfamiliar with her past and struggles to understand it easily.
I personally felt a strong identification with Maria,...
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both because of the specifics of her struggles, but also because we all, in our own way, carry scars that act as barriers to communication. Maria's physical scar from her traumatic experience of violence in Guatemala becomes a symbol of her inner scars; whether we have outward scars or not, we can all identify with Maria's determination to build a new life for herself and her children despite the obstacles in her path. Honig's work helps us empathize with what Marie goes through while granting insight into how language can be a force of erasure.
Which character did you like or identify with in "English as a Second Language"?
Lucy Honig's “English as a Second Language” tells the story of Maria Perez, an immigrant from Guatemala who is trying to raise her children and learn English. You are asked to explain whether or not you like the story and why and which characters you like or identify with and why. These are personal questions, of course, so you will have to determine the answer for yourself. But we can do some brainstorming to get you started.
Perhaps you liked the story quite a bit because of how much it lets us see the thoughts and perspectives of Maria. We get a chance to enter into the immigrant experience in this tale, to see through a different pair of eyes, and to learn how hard it is for people to get used to a new culture and language. You might also enjoy how the author weaves flashbacks into the story, both from Maria's experiences and from Ling's. These are poignant stories within the story that give us a glimpse of the harsh realities these immigrants have left behind.
If you did not like the story, that may be because you found it difficult to follow as the plot jumps back and forth. You may also have struggled to understand how Ling's tale fits in to the narrative or why the mayor behaves as he does.
As for characters, you might choose Maria or Ling if they are appealing to you. Maria is especially strongly drawn and detailed. Ling appears toward the end of the story, but she is rather endearing in her struggle to speak and tell her story.