As the selections by Cisneros and Agosín make clear, for many Americans whose ancestors can be traced somehow to the Spanishspeaking world, to lose Spanish would be to lose a fundamental part of their...

As the selections by Cisneros and Agosín make clear, for many Americans whose ancestors can be traced somehow to the Spanishspeaking world, to lose Spanish would be to lose a fundamental part of their identity as individuals and as members of larger groups. Using these texts, perhaps personal experience, and perhaps discussions you have with people who claim to be bilingual or bidialectal (that is, to speak a dialect of English other than Standard English, the variety expected and rewarded at school), write an essay in which you seek to define the role of language(s) in the creation of individual and group identity. (For a discussion of arguments of definition, see Chapter 9.)