The Barrier by Naveen Rao Traveling around a foreign country by myself wasnt exactly the highlight of my summer, especially

in a country with a severe lack in public transit. I ended up taking an 8-hour train ride to visit my family in Coimbatore, a city in the South. With every cart filled, impoverished citizens were forced to find comfort on the trains roof. That being said, I found myself living in the definition of overpopulation as the train made yet another prolonged stop in a town called Utti, the heart of Southern India. India weather can reach over 100 degrees, and on such an occasion as this, I found myself sitting rather miserably in this boiling tin can cart. Wearing nothing but a thin cotton tshirt and basketball shorts, I began staring at the working-class pedestrians in dress shirts and dress pants. How can anyone survive this heat? I wondered to myself, praying that air conditioning or a fan would suddenly appear. While all of these thoughts were simmering through my head, I failed to notice the little girl standing right next to me. She seemed about seven years old, though short and skinny for her age. This girl seemed to blend into the background of this train station, not possessing any paramount value to the scene, yet as she stood directly adjacent to me, it was becoming more and more apparent that her attention was directed exclusively on me. As I slowly turned to her, my heart began to drop. I knew exactly what was going to happen next, and sure enough, my worst fears were deplorably granted to me. The little girl began to talk. Language barriers are exceedingly common in India. In a country with 22 official languages, it was quite prevalent that I found myself immensely misplaced in a sea of ample accents and apparent distinctions in tone. Although I may have a handle on the languages of Northern India, I was in the south. And unfortunately for me, this little girl, as well as her language, was also from the south. An aura of turmoil instantaneously concealed my face as she began to speak. Nervously, but with a hint of confidence, unfamiliar words started to sputter out of her mouth and they wouldnt stop. As she continued to speak, the overpopulated noise around her began to dim. She wasnt speaking very empathically, of course, because I strained to try and comprehend her language. I was completely lost and her continuous talking wasnt helping. As much as I wanted to pull away and promptly get back to being miserable, she unconsciously stopped me. I stopped focusing so much on her words as I did on her face. I noticed the tone of her foreign words matched her facial expressions. As confident as this seven year old might be, it couldnt hide the shakiness in her voice

and the glossy look in her eyes. This girl was nearly on the verge of tears, and my brilliant idea was to ask her, in pure, unadulterated English, Are you lost? To me, it never seemed like she was lost. She was an Indian in the South speaking a South Indian language. But to her, she was a seven year old girl speaking to an unfamiliar, westernized teenage boy. Certainly, my lack of South Indian speaking skills was not helping. But this little girl wanted something, and I just couldnt figure out what. She, of course, took my senseless comment with a grain of salt. She simply just cocked her head slightly to the left, stopped speaking, and performed an act so elementary that every single modern human being fails to grasp the concept of. The concept of this primitive connotation holds the capability to potentially and ultimately overpower the language barrier. This girl taught me that words are essentially

useless when it comes to holding a conversation. She was able to convey exactly what she was saying to me with one simple action. Her hands were outreached, right hand over left, with her palms facing upward. It all made sense. All the foreign words she ever spoke were rewinding back into her mouth, and I was confronted with a simple action, and her whole story unfolded in front of my eyes. The girl was poor. The confidence in her voice and her strong arm signified that shes the head of her family. Being forced to fend for herself, she has to keep her chin up, or she wont survive. The shakiness in her voice, however, told me that she was new to this sort of thing. Her glossy eyes told a tale of desolation. She was also too small for her age, and malnutrition could be the key component. Even the clothes on her back told me that this seven year old hasnt had a chance to find clean clothing.

Although it didnt seem like it at first, this girl and I already had more in common than I would ever know, we were both lost in South India. She was financially lost, and I was caught in a language barrier. Language barriers can separate human beings into detached clusters of populations. They ultimately put a stop to human interaction. But its inspiring how one seven year old can teach me the power of actions. Ironically enough, interactions with the use of actions is a common, innate human characteristic. But its something that we as humans fail to encompass in our basic language acquisition. I reached into my pocket and grabbed for whatever I could find. I produce a single, silver coin and pressed it against her soft open palm. She looked at the coin; it was one rupee. It was all I had; another commonality we both shared, we were both broke. But she, being the little girl I know so well, took the coin with a grain of salt. With a smile, she

looked at me and in perfect, unadulterated Naveen,

English, she said, Thank you.

You do a fine job with this essay. You have a command of your writing and tell a good story. Maybe start with India in the opening paragraph instead of foreign country. Other than that, things look good. Quick grammar issues: Watch out for the comma splice: know, we were both lost in South India. Should be a semicolon or period.

Rubric Name:_______________________________ Period:_________

Below are the criteria to achieve an A+ thru B in any particular category. The Somewhat Successful essay (B- thru C-) has not succeeded in one/some/all of these areas, and the Unsuccessful essay (D thru F) has failed in one/some/all of these areas.

Purpose (20):20 Successful (A+ thru B): The purpose of this assignment is to convey a significant literacy event that considers the entire Rhetorical Situation.

Genre (25): 24 Successful (A+ thru B): Captures the authors moment and demonstrates the significance of this moment Contains a thesis (explicit or implicit) that unifies the piece Uses vivid detail Demonstrates sophisticated reflection

Design/Layout (10):10

Successful (A+ thru B): Uses columns effectively Uses font/spacing/size to make the reading experience enjoyable Includes a title and the authors name in the appropriate place

Audience (25):22

Successful (A+ thru B): Uses vocabulary appropriate for a college audience Assumes a level of intelligence and sophistication for the audience Adheres to the rules and conventions of mechanics, spelling, usage and grammar Uses a style that fits with the concept of a narrative so the audiences expectations are met

Stance(20):20

Successful (A+ thru B): Uses the narrative to offer an argument about literacy Includes a consistent tone that presents the authors take on the event Takes risks in that it offers the reader some insight into the author