Aria A Memoir Of A Bilingual Childhood Analysis

“Our culture, our traditions, our languages are the foundations upon which we build our identity.” - Unknown. Bilingualism has many different interpretations and definitions and can cause problems in the community or unite it. The concept of bilingualism represents several different ideas, two writers, Martin Espada and Richard Rodriguez share in their essays their personal stories about being immersed into the English culture and learning the language. They share their views of what bilingualism means to them personally and make arguments about the importance of the concept. The two essayists bring awareness to the major role bilingualism plays in the communities today and highlight the effects of disagreements between cultural groups.

In Richard Rodriguez's essay , “ Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood ” he writes about how he struggled as a child who only spoke Spanish but lives in a society where the “public” language is English . He believes that speaking proper English will somehow help him fit into society and find his identity. Throughout the essay he contrast the Spanish language identity and English language identity. As a young boy, Rodriguez finds consolation and safety in his home where they only speak Spanish. He feels that he only has a true identity when he is at home surrounded by those who speak the same language as him

Bilingual education offers a completely different world for students of different ethnic background and thus creates a comfort zone limiting the risk-taking factor necessary for the maturation of a child to an adult. Rodriguez argues supporters of bilingualism fail to realize "while one suffers a

On the one hand, English was the language used to communicate with outsiders. It was a tool for survival and held no personal meaning. It was crucial for public success. On the other hand, in Richard Rodriguez’s own words: “Spanish was associated with closeness”. By reading the previous passage, we can clearly infer that Spanish was the key to Richard’s confort. Hearing Spanish brought Rodriguez feelings of love, acceptance, family, and security. Spanish was a reminder of home and seemed to him a private language. In other words, he was surrounded by a web built by the family love and security which is conveyed by using the Spanish language, as the following passage shows: “...Spanish seemed to me the language of home...It became the language of joyful return...”. Moreover, if we consider the following passage:”You belong here. We are family members. Related. Special to one another” it is possible to say that Spanish language made Rodriguez felt as part of his family, creating a feeling of belonging and reinforcing family ties and ethnic heritage.

Rodriguez offers a different standpoint on bilingualism, and an argument he presents is that one must be willing to give up part of their native ways when learning a language to fit into the public. Rodriguez considered Spanish a private language and English a public one. This perception made him reluctant to learn English, but at the same time, it motivated him to become a part of the public by learning its language. Rodriguez uses his family life as an example of his native identity. He was not an English speaker when he was young, but upon learning the language, he drifted away from his family, and describes it rather frankly: “I was an American citizen. But the special feeling of closeness at home was diminished by then. . . . No longer so close; no longer bound tight by the pleasing and troubling knowledge of our public separateness . . . . When I arrived home there would often be

By contrast, Richard Rodriquez, in his article entitled "Aria", strongly believes in surrendering to learning the proper English language, despite how strongly he feels his native tongue is a private language that once functioned to unite his family. Rodriguez creates a division of a public and a private discourse. He feels that he has a ‘right to learn the public language of los gringos'. He creates a visual clash of two worlds: a public world as represented by school and the need to learn English; and a private world as represented by his family and the use of Spanish within the home. He feels that in order to adapt and create assimilation that he needs to abandon the comfort of using Spanish to communicate and force himself to learn English – even if it meant alienating his family members.

Richard Rodriguez talks about bilingual education and says how it is impossible for a child to speak his family’s language in school. His reasoning later

Rodriguez argues in his essay, whether bilingual education is appropriate for school. Rodriguez states that “It is not possible for a child, any child, ever to use his family’s

Bilingual Education where Supporters feel that students miss a great deal by not being taught in their family’s language. That children that retain their family’s language will retain a sense of individuality. Their ethnic heritage & cultural ties. Helping Students acquire the skills of a classroom crucial for public success. Rodriguez also discusses the use of teaching and using a single language.

Over the years, bilingual education has involved teaching children academics in two different languages so they may become competent learners and be successful at acquiring English. Before 1968, bilingual education was not a required course in American schools, but instead as a voluntary program. This changed in 1981 when a lawsuit was brought against the state of Texas that resulted in the requirement of bilingual education programs in elementary schools as English as a second language (ESL) program, bilingual programs in post-elementary grades through eighth grade, and ESL programs in high school. This type of education has been a hot topic for the state governments of the United States, debating whether to keep in the curriculum of schools. Many asking themselves, why should we to provide bilingual education for these students? What will students gain from this type of education? Studies have shown there are benefits that range from cognitive ability, educational advancement, to employment opportunities with a bilingual education, while the critics label it as a “failed experiment” that costed a whole lot of money and years to maintain a basic foundation in the second language. Although the cost is hefty for this exploration of a new language and is time consuming, the cognitive abilities, educational advancement, and employment opportunities greatly outweigh these opposing factors.

The shift in literacy between Rodriguez’s school and home life showcases his childhood solace in his family amidst the overlooming fact that he is a “socially disadvantaged” foreigner in a large world. When he speaks English, his thoughts are not able to flow. His ability to communicate and express what he wants is stymied by the language barrier. From the impersonal sentiment of his catholic school filled with children of high-paid professions, to having people constantly lean towards him to listen, he is predisposed to feel distant to those who are not within his family.

“Fob,” “Speak English!” and “Do you understand?” were questions and statements I received constantly as a child. I was born a legal citizen in America, but the discrimination I got for being Vietnamese lingered upon me for the first six years of my life. I grew up in a predominant Asian household due to my grandma’s inability to speak English; therefore, English was rarely spoken. The fear of being made fun of or laughed at prevented me from leaving my house. Beginning grade school, my teachers would have to slow down their lessons in order to keep me caught up. As I started school and was forced to learn English, I gained self confidence and a sense of belonging with the community. Being able to speak two different languages and celebrate both cultures allowed me to step out into the world and be myself. However, Richard Rodriguez grew up completely different from me. Although we both have two immigrant parents, his bilingualism separated him from the outside world and caused a division between his public and private languages. Whereas Martin Espada, who grew up in America, considers bilingualism as an identification of who people are and fights for bilingual education with his heart.

Bilingual Education In this essay, “Bilingual Education is a Hindrance” by Jorge Amselle, on Oct 1996 in Chicago Tribune, the author was success full in making me feel and realize. Amselle reminds us that Hispanic parents who have an intention towards globalization want their children to read and write in English in public schools which have started bilingual education programs which provide a lot of opportunities with new languages as well as by learning their native language to their children. The author explains that(most of the parents like to place their children in bilingual education programs and more likely to be placed in English as a second language program which develops their skills than other languages.) Amselle had used a methodology to demonstrate his views on Bilingual education, he revealed that Bilingual education nourish child’s academic and career opportunity by having proficient knowledge in English.

For many years now, issues and controversies pertaining to the linguistic preferences and needs of individuals in the U.S. have sprouted and questioned society, “What value is there in becoming bilingual? Isn’t bilingual education divisive? English is the language of opportunity in the world today. So why learn another language when English is the most important one there is?” Since there are so many issues, this paper will only display those which have been found relevant.

With the amount of raging debate America faces as the melting pot of cultures, the topic of multilingualism polarizes the nation to either hate it or love it, making it hard to compromise. Speaking on my part, being Hispanic, or simply one that the U.S identifies as a person with Spanish ethnic traits, I came to learn English as a second language. Learning English felt like a survival while also being a quest, the common case of speaking English at school and Spanish at home became a ritual. Occupied with learning English to feel acceptance, I didn’t find the necessity for schools to implement bilingual studies since I’m already a fluent Spanish-speaker. But, after reading Philip Carter’s article, Why this bilingual education ban should have repealed long ago, it also came to my consciousness that I’m not as “fluent” as I thought I was. Since the time I immigrated, I’ve lost most of my Spanish literacy skills, feeling distant to my mother tongue. In Franklin Raff’s article, American ‘multilingualism: a national tragedy, though I have some disagreements, I do find some reasonable points. Raff claims that different languages make conversation between people difficult and undesirable. There have been a few instances where I witness store clerks, be it cashier or associates, and most commonly nannies or housekeepers that solely speak Spanish. This brings difficulties when communicating with customers that only speak English. Even though having a communal language makes