In “Why and When We Speak Spanish in Public” by Myriam Marquez, she develops her essay in a cause and effect structure; stating the effect first of her three reasons why Americans judge bilingual citizens. In this article, Marquez starts out by stating the effect of spanish speaking in public that “...those around us may get the impression that we’re talking about them”(507). The underlying factor in the first paragraph that Marquez is trying to make is that Americans should stop judging people and jumping to conclusions about people who speak Spanish in public. Later in the article, she gives three central reasons why her family and others speak their native language in public. First she states that “...it’s a matter of respect for our parents and comfort in our cultural roots”(507). Showing respect and comfort to her parents is not suppose to alienate anyone, nor to be shown as non-American. Then she gives the reason that it is legal to speak a different language in public and the United States does not “...promote a government-mandated official language”(507). Marquez understands that English is the common language in American culture but she also says that “Being an American has little to do with what language we use during our free time in a free country”(507). The last reason why she believes speaking Spanish in public is acceptable is that she is not ashamed of where her family and herself are from. She goes on to say, “But that ought not mean that somehow we must stop speaking in our native tongue whenever we’re in a public area, as if we were ashamed of who we are, where we’re from” (507). She ends this paragraph in saying that being a bilingual person, speaking any language, doesn’t make you as much of a patriot as you should be as an American. Marquez is stating that she is prideful of her language, culture, and country. This article represents a great cause and effect writing piece; the effect of spanish speaking in public (being judged) goes first and then the three reasons why she deems it acceptable. To summarize, Marquez discusses the causes and effects of her family speaking spanish in public areas. The purpose of her essay is to persuade Americans to stop judging Spanish-speaking families.