Most students at Reedley College who are currently taking English, or have taken English within the past year or so, know very well who Richard Rodriguez is. They have been assigned either one of his essays or his books – Hunger of Memory being his most notable piece – to read and write a paper on, and given the subject matter, it is no wonder why: language, race, ethnicity, family, religion, and governmental programs are just some of the topics and issues Rodriguez discusses upon in Hunger of Memory. Rodriguez’s work is articulate, thought provoking, and polarizing, to say the least, among admires and critics – and now students. A current student of Mr. Borofka’s English 1A class, Andrea, said that although she was able to relate to Rodriguez in a way – like Rodriguez, her parents were also from Mexico – and although she understood that you have to make sacrifices in order to be successful, she didn’t understand why Rodriguez seemingly pushed away his parents and family. “I would never have …show more content…
Garza’s English 1A class and is also reading Hunger of Memory, and, like Andrea, she didn’t agree with Rodriguez distancing himself away from his family. “It really bugged me how he stopped speaking Spanish and how he would talk about his family,” she said. A former student of Mr. Garza’s class and current tutor at the Reading and Writing Center, Isaiah, had similar remarks: “It seems like [Richard Rodriguez] wants to be called anything but Mexican, which I suppose is fine, but you can’t just erase your roots.” Some students didn’t mind the touchy issues or themes that were being discussed in Hunger of Memory, but took a more literary approach in their criticisms. Jamie, a student in her fourth semester at Reedley College, read part of the book just to see what the fuzz was about. “But after getting through the first few chapters, I had to put it down,” Jamie says, “I actually liked some of themes he discussed – but still, it just wasn’t my
What is it like to lose the most memorable moments in life in a flash? Richard Rodriguez, a Mexican and American writer, manages to answer the question in his memoir, “Aria.” The memoir elucidates the criticism that society has against Rodriguez and the impact towards him. Subsequently, the impact towards Rodriguez was the neglect of Spanish language. The memoir is originally a chapter of an autobiography, “Hunger of Memory,” published in 1982.
Richard Rodriguez’s claim about a person's identity is the using race as a basis for identifying Americans is not valid; culture should be what defines a identity. Richard Rodriguez says that newcomers were being “welcomed within a new community for reasons of culture. “ (136-137). Richard Rodriguez says that newcomers were welcomed when they were identified by their culture. Richard Rodriguez also says “I am Chinese, and that is because I live in a Chinese city and I want to be Chinese.“
Rodriguez uses the public vs private analogy multiple times in his essay. Spanish being the private language meaning that fewer people speak and know it, and that because it is private, people who speak it are at a disadvantage. He says, “What I needed to learn in school was that I had the right- and the obligation- to speak the public language of los gringos. ”(6-8) In the first grade, Rodruguez had to alter his personal life and individuality because English had to no
How is this purpose conveyed? The audience for this piece are people who are interested in Rodriguez’s childhood and education and seeing how scholarship children can become successful. The writer’s purpose is to explain why and how he became a scholarship and academically successful in a bilingual household with the family’s main focus on Spanish. This purpose is shown as the writer takes the reader on a journey through his childhood.
Overall, this article helped me reflect on the novel’s theme and gain understanding of the author’s
The Effects of Education with Affirmative Action In the Hunger of Memory Richard Rodriguez writes about affirmative action and how it gave him an advantage against the non-minority. [What is affirmative action? ] Rodriguez position stands against affirmative action despite the advantages it gave him.
As I read Hunger of Memory, Chapter 4, Complexion; I feel this topic played an important role in Rodriguez’s life. As a child he was always aware of his skin color, due to the fact that his mother was also calling attention to him. His mother was very sensitive to his skin color and always reminding him to stay out of the sun. For example, they were at a pool one day she called in Spanish “to put a towel over your shoulders,” (133) this would prevent him from getting any darker. His mother would even teach him ways to lighten his skin.
In the essay "Children of Mexico," the author, Richard Rodriguez, achieves the effect of relaying his bittersweet feeling regarding how Mexicans stubbornly hold on to their past and heritage by not only relaying many personal experiences and images, but also by using an effective blend of formal and informal tone and a diction that provides a bittersweet tone. Among the variety of ways this is done, one is through repetitive reference to fog. The word is used many times in the essay, especially in segments relating to Mexican-Americans returning to Mexico for the winter. One of the more potent uses reads as follows: "The fog closes in, condenses, and drips day and night from the bare limbs of trees.
In Richard Rodriguez’s essay, “The Achievement of Desire” he brings you through important memories of his life that impacted his education, and more specifically his reading and writing. As a child, he was eager to learn and ready to soak up all the knowledge he could get. He received many awards and good feedback from his teachers which gave him all the more motivation to learn more. Soon his motivation came out of annoyance of his parents.
Other messages like the cultural difference between native latinos and those who leave their home country to go to America. The narrator mentions this quite a few times throughout the text and it is very relatable for latinos who are mixed with American or move to America. I related to the text when he mentioned this because, although my Spanish is decent, I struggle sometimes finding the right words. Our ways in America are very much different than how they live in Peru and finding that balance of my Peruvian culture and my American ways is sometimes difficult. I really identified with the narrator in that
The immigrants entering the United States throughout its history have always had a profound effect on American culture. However, the identity of immigrant groups has been fundamentally challenged and shaped as they attempt to integrate into U.S. society. The influx of Mexicans into the United States has become a controversial political issue that necessitates a comprehensive understanding of their cultural themes and sense of identity. The film Mi Familia (or My Family) covers the journey and experiences of one Mexican-American (or “Chicano”) family from Mexico as they start a new life in the United States. Throughout the course of the film, the same essential conflicts and themes that epitomize Chicano identity in other works of literature
He shows this through his many experiences with bilingual court and education. At the end of his essay, Espada concludes with a basic summary of what he has learned. Espada claims “The repression of Spanish is part of a larger attempt to silence Latinos, and, like the crazy uncle at the family dinner table yelling about independence or socialism, we must refuse to be silenced.” Through the summary the reader understands despite English being the prevalent language the in the U.S. today the Spanish culture is still being preserved through bilingualism. On the other hand Rodriguez argues that in order to gain a public identity, one must be willing to sacrifice some part of their own cultural identity.
“Oranges,” “The Seventieth Year,” and “Avocado Lake,” showcase Soto’s ability to move a reader using an emotional story without the use of rhyme or rhythm. Through Soto’s poetry, he indicates the traits that define Mexican-American community
Confident Relationships Built on Language Wouldn’t it be exciting to grow up learning more than one language? Imagine being in Japan for a week on vacation with a group of friends, and one day decided to go to the oldest zoo in Japan, Ueno Zoo. To get to Ueno Zoo, riding the bullet train was a necessity, except knowing which line was the correct line, when to get off the bullet train, or even which ticket to buy was a daunting task. Nobody in your group has the confidence to ask the workers for help since they don’t have the knowledge of Japanese to help them.
Junot Diaz is a Dominican American writer best known for bringing to life the experiences of the latino immigrant (Kevane). According to New York Times critic Michiko Kakutani, he has proven himself to be, “one of contemporary fiction’s most distinctive and irresistible new voices.” In his short story, “Fiesta 1980”, we follow Yunior, as he recounts a story of his dysfunctional family as they attend a party. His father plays a significant role and is at the root of their problems. The author deals with the theme of machismo, revealing how men are often influenced to follow masculine roles.