In this reflective essay, Alberto Ledesma explores how being undocumented can produce a particular form of writer's block. He argues that there is a pattern of predictable silences and obfuscations inherent in all undocumented immigrant autobiographies that cannot be easily negotiated when undocumented students are asked to write about “their experiences.” Ledesma contends that these patterns of silences often manifest as apparent rhetorical or mechanical errors in academic prose rather than intentional obfuscations meant to protect the writer's undocumented identity from being discovered. Reflecting on his own life experiences as a former undocumented student, Ledesma highlights that, paradoxically, the lifelong conditioning in silence may also interfere when undocumented writers are ready to render their authentic stories in public.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Fall 2015
Research Article|
September 01 2015
On the Grammar of Silence: The Structure of My Undocumented Immigrant Writer's Block Available to Purchase
Alberto Ledesma
Alberto Ledesma
University of California, Berkeley
Search for other works by this author on:
Harvard Educational Review (2015) 85 (3): 415–426.
Citation
Alberto Ledesma; On the Grammar of Silence: The Structure of My Undocumented Immigrant Writer's Block. Harvard Educational Review 1 September 2015; 85 (3): 415–426. doi: https://doi.org/10.17763/0017-8055.85.3.415
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.