Hunger Of Memory Analysis

Richard Rodriguez wrote “Scholarship Boy” to explain the range of conflicting emotions he felt over receiving an education while growing up at home with his immigrant parents. He enjoyed school and learned quickly, but soon he knew more than his parents could comprehend. He was ashamed of his parents for not knowing as much as he did and this drove him away from them and more towards his instructors and his books. Though his parents were proud of him, he struggled to feel anything but embarrassed of them and this affected how he viewed himself and the education he was blessed to have.

In the book Ain’t no Makin’ it Jay Macleod presents a theory very on in this book, he calls this the “Achievement Ideology”. From the reading, I understand that in today’s culture that there are still race relations. Even though both groups of boys came from the same educational background and the same impoverished living conditions. I believe his study and findings are still prevalent in today’s society. In this essay, I will be breaking down the parts and discussing social conditions, poverty, self-esteem and motivation between two “groups’’, the Hallway Hangers and the Brothers.

Richard Rodriguez wrote, Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood, in his essay he wrote about the problem he faced growing up as a bilingual Hispanic in America. Growing up as a Hispanic in United States was a struggle for Richard Rodriguez. This was because he was a Spanish speaking child and living in an English-speaking society. Rodriguez went to Roman Catholic school where many of his classmates were the children of business man, lawyers and doctors. Adjusting to the American culture helped Rodriguez feel more comfort among the other American students. He spoke English at home but when he got home he started speaking Spanish as a daily routine. Sometimes Rodriguez heard his parents speaking English in public but he felt safe in his Spanish speaking home because it was his first language.

In the article, “College Pressures,” William Zinsser discusses the many struggles college students face while trying to focus on their studying. He convinces the reader of his point by using different types of rhetorical strategies. Zinsser’s usage of the rhetorical strategies such as getting straight to the point, quoting, paragraphing, the use of word pictures, and choosing a title was effectively done in his article to persuade his reader of the struggles faced by college students.

When a teacher says, “We’re going on an all day field trip next Friday!!!” students get excited. A field trip means getting out of school and going somewhere fun. Sadly, then they say, “We’re going to the park to pick up trash for Earth Day! And then we will write an essay on why it is important to keep the Earth clean. Five paragraphs!” then all their dreams of having any fun next Friday are gone. This is similar to how the boy with the jacket felt in Gary Soto’s “The Jacket.” He was hoping for a leather jacket that was cool enough to “hold down a small town”. Sadly, he instead got a ugly greenish brown jacket, that looked like “day old guacamole”. Soto uses literary elements, such as conflict, setting and symbolism show that one can often let their expectations get in the way of their happiness.

In the essays, “Reading to Write” by Stephen King, “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie, “Learning to Read” Malcolm X, and “Learning to Write” by Frederick Douglas have three things in common. In each essay Reading has contributed towards the authors life leading to benefit from learning to read, allowing them to leave a legacy behind. In each essay the authors has thought their self how unlike Frederick Douglass.

Our lives and how we grew up has a lot to do with our identity. Where you came from, and your experiences have molded you into who you are today. Today you see many writers use their personal experiences to show portray the concept to the audience. In this essay we will explore personal experiences of both Malcom X in “A Homemade Education” and, “Learning to read and write” by Fredrick Douglas.

“In that instant I feel the thinness of his arms.” Rodriguez states this about his father and the current state that he is in. This is the first encounter and time Rodriguez and his father exchanged words that night. The reader can infer that his father is still upset about him being fluent in English. Rodriguez also notices the state his father is in and that he is getting old and that his mother looks very sad. Rodriguez’s attitude towards his family and himself can be described as caring, looking out for each other, and loving.

Luis J. Rodriguez went from being a gang member to governor, he is a 60 year old chicano and also a best selling author. He was a member of a gang and faced felony charges also struggled with drug addiction. Also Luis has some good things he has done such as work in various countries as a journalist, painted murals, organized against war and racism and ran a cultural center and bookstore in Los Angeles. From going through that his whole life since he was 11 years old he started to realize that a lot of stuff started happening to his friends more than him like getting shot or someone getting killed by a type of drug but it was not really affecting him the world would always save him but he never realized what it was. He was losing family and

The support of family and friends is essential to the growth and development of the two boys. Without the support you have no one to push you further than what you thought you were capable of. The reader witnesses how the author is pushed and supported by those around him. The author’s mother forces him into a military school, which he hated. He wanted nothing more than to escape “I had never

Using his Native American roots and experiences in life as guidance in his writings, Simon J. Ortiz became a poet who was widely known through the late twentieth century. He wrote about his struggles of attempting to fit in within American culture and society. During his career Ortiz received a variety of awards for his writings of the struggles Native Americans faced, and about his stories of Native American tradition. He also received recognition for accurately depicting life in an American society as told from an “outsiders” perspective. He expressed this concept in his poem “ Hunger in New York City,” published in 1967. He expresses his attempts of fitting into society but continually longs for his Native American culture and way of life. Ortiz is a well known and respected poet and short story write because of his background, many awards, and his poem “Hunger in New York City.”

“You remember what you want to forget and you forget what you want to remember,” (McCarthy 12). With most aspects of life, the horrendous moments are the times that no one can erase. This applied to The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Towards the end of the novel when the son loses his father proves to be the most indelible moment with the assistance of the feelings experienced during that part. The son encounters a variety of emotions including loneliness, loss and hope. In enduring these complex emotions, this section was the most remarkable part.

Although they come from different backgrounds Mark Mathabane, Richard Rodriguez and Malcolm X all learned the value of literacy and importance it has for success. They had different opinions during their childhood but at the end they both agreed on what was important to them and what benefited them the most.

The book Always Running by Luis Rodriguez, is an autobiographical novel of coming of age that faces immigrants economic and difficulties on society. This amazing story takes place in LA California and in Mexico City. Luis was born in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, he lived there until he was two years old, finally later moving to Los Angeles, California. Luis’ parents worked in the Mexican school; his father as the principal of the school and his mother as the secretary of the principal. Luis attends school, treated like something unusual as the teachers have no idea how to handle a Mexican boy who can’t speak the English language. After facing many social conflicts in his new life in LA with discrimination about his language, he decides to join a

The American Dream is the idea that all people in America, regardless of race, gender, nationality, or class, can be successful if they work hard enough. This term became more prominent in the early twentieth century as more immigrants came to America with the hope of a better life. These immigrants were willing to work hard in order to rise above their poverty and secure a future for themselves and their families. What is hard work? If a person becomes successful because they broke laws, have they truly fulfilled the American Dream? True success should be found through honest work, and because of this, Jay Gatsby is a manipulator of the American Dream.