Essay on Richard Rodriguez's Hunger of Memory

Rodriguez gave many reasons why one would not be a supporter of bilingual education. By giving examples from his life. What he lived and went through, finding himself and his voice. By only speaking Hispanic, Rodriguez had a hard time learning, and transitioning into American Culture. Rodriguez felt held back, not able to learn to the full potential. “I considered Spanish to be a private language. What I needed to learn in school was that I had the right — and the obligation —

In Richard Rodriguez autobiography, Hunger of Memory, Richard himself writes about his educational journey. Rodriguez wrote such book in 1982. The book revolves around the life a young immigrant child, whom has a difficult time understanding how to adapt himself in the given environment. Furthermore, the book navigates the readers though Richards transition form boyhood to adulthood. Not only so, but Richard discusses how the opportunities that were presented to him altered his viewpoints in life as well as education.

Growing up from a different culture, Richard Rodriguez looks back on his experience on how he faced the situation as the child of Mexican immigrants. According to his 1982 memoir, “Hunger of Memory”, Rodriguez uses his own observation “to argue that if the children of immigrants are to succeed in the United States, they must separate themselves from their home culture and immerse themselves in the English oriented atmosphere of the American school” (980). In “Aria”, Rodriguez has created an autobiographic essay of his childhood. In his essay, the author is against bilingual educators, who believe that children in their first years of school should be educated in their native language. According to Rodriguez this education method is wrong, it won’t be helpful, therefore children should be knowledgeable in the same language as the public one. The author’s main point is to strongly motivate children of immigrant parents to adopt English as their primary language in order to comprehend public society and have a better future.

The autobiography book, Hunger of Memory showcases the struggles Richard Rodriguez undergoes during his journey towards Americanism. Rodriguez endures struggles towards transforming from being a Mexican to an American boy (Rodriguez, 27). During his education, Rodriguez is considered as a minority the fact he is an immigrant to the United Kingdom. In other words, what Richards concludes is that complexion, race, assimilation, as well as Americanism, are the major challenges he faces during his education. Given the above affections to the American society, it becomes a trial for immigrants to adapt to the American environment that they dream of. Life was generally

People of all ages constantly learn how to speak multiple languages. Children are taught to become bilingual, which increases their knowledge. A young boy named Richard Rodriguez grew up in San Francisco, California with a household of Spanish speaking family members. Rodriguez barely knew English when he entered his early years of Elementary school. Through the course of his education Rodriguez took note of how different he was from his family, and slowly began to lose his heritage. Rodriguez’s family embarrassed him since he was categorized as a Scholarship boy, which means a good student yet also a troubled son whose moderately endowed (Rodriguez 19).

The style and diction assist in describing the uncertainty of the English language, and make it evident that Rodriguez has a certain disdain for the language. The English language is described as calm and easy when he hears native speakers. In contrast, English is viewed as forced when the language is spoken poorly. However, Spanish is never described as forced, but rather as soothing and accepting. The characterization of Spanish as confident sets the tone of the paragraph as comforting. Rodriguez’s attitude towards the languages differs just as his characterization

Later it made him speak more fluently in English from his household and have confidence to speak to the class. Rodriquez had eventually noticed the loss of communication in Spanish often to their family as they go far apart for each other. While at the same time, he will be like every other people with the same identity, personality, and traits. In the end of the essay Richard Rodriquez explains he did not much listen his parent accent or their grammatical structure in the public. It had not made him worry to correct his parent word. The setting had shown the support the language has been greatly effective to his parent, but also shown Rodriquez personality has changed that transition from Spanish to English. What it has also shown Spanish had been the memory of him that give the idea of communication through songs, work days, and fun time. The skills also affect the main access to the main that show positive of getting the effective to the public, but it had it been making the connection to English to the public

Rodriguez argues that knowing English is an asset and his reluctance to learn lengthens his set of problems. He starts the narrative with illustrating his confinement and predisposition to failure in grade school. Rodriguez is forced learn English because of painful alienation in his home and school. In the beginning, Richard has a distaste for English while paradoxically if he would have accepted learning it sooner it would have been less painful. The underlying exalted virtue is flexibility to learn regardless of the discomfort. His persuasiveness is effective as he creates sympathy in the audience by depicting highly relatable emotions such as loneliness, unwillingness, and confusion.

In the Rodriguez family, Spanish was respected and appreciated while the kids were little. The children grew up using that language in this private sphere making the distinction of what they heard outside their home. English was the language reserved for the outsiders, the public language. The language their parents failed in producing, making Rodriguez developing shameful feelings to their parents’ slow English acquisition. By being so open with the reader, Rodriguez presents the discussion about what means for a child being immerse in two languages and two cultures. Brice-Heath (1983) refers to the ability of the speakers to shift not just language, but also their roles as ways to protect themselves from the outsiders’ expectations. Children are very sensible in this matter. Rodriguez grew up in two languages and adapting himself to two cultures. However, schooling was critical in shaping and maintaining the family language. Rodriguez attended a Catholic school, where almost all his classmates were white from the upper-middle class, rich people. His relationships with people from a different background, and more importantly from the privileged middle-class white society, put him in another perspective. Progressively, English was replacing Spanish as the private language at home. For the Rodriguez family, it was a way to gain acceptance by their white neighbors, and praise the importance of “good” education for their

Often, immigrant parents will push for their children to learn the official language of the country they live in. These parents claim that their children will be more successful in life if they acquire that second language, because of the pressure of versatility in society. By quickly enforcing second language, the children find themselves taken over by this incoming force. Constant exposure is the most efficient method of learning, but requires an immense amount of time and effort. Due to frequent subjection of practice, the second dialect will outweigh the original, taking its place as the most proficient language a person uses. Most importantly, the learner must have the eagerness within themselves to truly acquire a second language. Non-native speakers can be uncomfortable with residing in a country whose official language is not their primary. Virginia Gonzalez’s and Ana Celia Zentella’s reports analyze Latinos’ standard of living and the possible outcomes of children of immigrant families in an English governed community. Other works such as Aria by Richard Rodriguez reveals advantages from learning English, such as being able to communicate confidently and feeling included. However, the risk of losing the first language outweighs the advantages. The negative effects are often overlooked and unexpected as shown through the scholarly works of Lily Wong Fillmore, Monique Bournot-Trites and Ulrike Tellowitz. As I will argue in the paper, the common notion that learning a

They didn’t know very much english so they raised my two older brothers, little sister & I in spanish. This became our first language, we later learned english while attending elementary school. Luckily, we were able to grasp the language concept so it easily became our second language. Like Rodriguez stated in The Hunger of Memory “my mother and father addressed me only in Spanish; in Spanish I learned to reply.” (Rodriguez 12) I can relate to his autobiography

At the age of five, I spent my nights running through my house screaming "I don't like English and I will never learn it!" as loud as I possibly could in Spanish. I had just arrived to the United States and was so terrified by my new environment that I sought solace in my native tongue. My preschool teacher coaxed me out of my timidity and continually extolled the virtues of knowing several languages. Within a year, I was able to speak and read English at a sixth grade level; it was only then that I saw the value in living abroad and participating in the foreign. The ardent feelings I experienced at five years of age resurface whenever I leave my home. However, the fear that once plagued me in my immature state is continually being replaced by excitement and gratitude.

Despite that in school, he would have loved it if his teachers had spoke his language but they didn’t and instead encouraged him to speak more English by asking him questions and picking on him in class and to help him more the nuns went to his house to ask his parents to speak English at home and agreeing to this, is where their life takes a turn and everyone begins to change in good and bad. Problem started to occur, Richard was extremely hurt when he finds his parents speaking their language at home when the children’s are not around, this created distance between the family and all he wanted to do was escape and grieve in Spanish. When they were able to speak their own language, they were a happy family who spoke with each other, was connected and comfortable but once they were force to speak English at all times more silence had occurred and personalities of each family member had changed. Rodriguez became angrier until he finally got used to the second language and started to accept his new language as a part of his identity as well. For example, he mentions that in school he volunteers to answer questions and being around so many English speaker, he stopped hearing the American accent. Rodriguez after reflecting on his day, this boy finally accepts his identity of being an American citizen and was

As a young girl, I remember the uneasiness that would wash over me when I had to speak Spanish. Always seeking familial approbation, my bloomed cheeks were testament to my lack of proficiency with the Spanish language. My family constantly picked out the words I mispronounced or misplaced in my sentences. On several occasions, my grandparents would give me an ultimatum: to speak Spanish or not to speak at all.

For example, his father would open up and act as a complete different person when speaking Spanish with relatives and people who would speak the Spanish language. Rodriguez describes how his father would talk in Spanish, “… quickly effusive. Especially when talking with other men, his voice would spark, flicker, flare alive with sounds” (244). The fact that his father embraces his true Mexican identity, made him feel like he was being true to himself inside that then would display to the outside. To not change into completely leaving the Mexican culture they have, they need to use this same perception on the English side as well. Therefore, allowing the father to show his true individuality and using it as an advantage to learning