Richard Rodriguezs Hunger of Memory Essay -- Hunger Memory Rodriguez

Richard Rodriguezs Hunger of Memory The universal "growing pains" that totally children experiencein adept form or another are easily recognized in RichardRodriguezs autobiographical excerpt from Hunger of Memory. Rodriguezs childhood was particularly odd given the detailthat while he was born and raised in the United States, hewas strongly influenced in the heathenish environment of aSpanish family. Although the subscriber is introduced to lone(prenominal) ashort excerpt from the autobiography, he learns a great dealabout Rodriguezs family and his consanguinity to it, hisconflict of speechmaking face versus Spanish, and theparadox that became evident as he used English as hisprimary language. Furthermore, the reader learns thatRodriguezs experiences have contributed to his beliefs thata bilingual education is harmful.&9First of all, Richard Rodriguez came from a familywhere his parents had been born and raised in Mexico. Aftermoving and settling in America, Rodrigu ezs parents gavebirth to him and his siblings. Rodriguez refers some(prenominal) timesto "los gringos" , a colloquial, uncomplimentary name chargedwith "bitterness and distrust" with which his fatherdescribed English speaking Americans. This evidence made itapparent to the reader that definite animosity existed mingled with his parents and the society around them. Resultingly, culture into the American culture was nota very comfortable process for his parents. Despite this,the writers parents created a comfortable haven for him andhis siblings in their adopted country. The author shareswith the reader how close and tightly-knit his family was.He describes in numerous instances the "special feeling ofcloseness" that he share with his family. He also mentionsthe fact that he used to feel a "desperate, urgent, intense"feeling of wanting to be home. Spending time at home,speaking his "personal" language of Spanish, and universe withhis family gave Rodriguez comfort and a feeling of base hitthat was not felt outside of his home. &9Rodriguez was forced to leave that comfort and safetyevery morning though once he began attending school. Theauthor describes hearing the cold, harsh sounds of the English language and wishing that... ...ory and viewpoints,allowing the reader to make his or her own personal sentiment regarding the issue. Rodriguez explains that"While one suffers a diminished sense of privateindividualism by becoming assimilated into domain society,such assimilation makes possible the achievement of publicindividualism" (39).&9Finally, it was the contrast between the home and the school settings that gave the reader a very clearunderstanding of the authors conduct experience. finished thetechnique of flashback, the author describes how thedichotomy that existed between his home identity and hissocial identity shaped the "public" individual that he hadbecome. While the reader is subjected to only a shortexcerpt from Richard Rodriguezs autobiography, herecognizes, specifically, that it was this inner core of thefamily setting that Rodriguez struggled with the trial ofgrowing up as an American citizen. Without this familysetting, he would not have confronted the same obstaclesthat influenced who he became without the school setting hewould never have grown beyond the sheltered life from whichhe came. Richard Rodriguezs Hunger of Memory Essay -- Hunger Memory Rodriguez Richard Rodriguezs Hunger of Memory The universal "growing pains" that all children experiencein one form or another are easily recognized in RichardRodriguezs autobiographical excerpt from Hunger of Memory. Rodriguezs childhood was particularly unique given the factthat while he was born and raised in the United States, hewas strongly influenced in the ethnic environment of aSpanish family. Although the reader is introduced to only ashort excerpt from the autobiography, he learns a great dealabout Rodriguezs family and his relationship to it, hisconflict of speaking English versus Spanish, and theparadox that became evident as he used English as hisprimary language. Furthermore, the reader learns thatRodriguezs experiences have contributed to his beliefs thata bilingual education is harmful.&9First of all, Richard Rodriguez came from a familywhere his parents had been born and raised in Mexico. Aftermoving and settling in America, Rodriguezs parents gavebirth to him and his siblings. Rodriguez refers many timesto "los gringos" , a colloquial, derogatory name chargedwith "bitterness and distrust" with which his fatherdescribed English speaking Americans. This evidence made itapparent to the reader that definite animosity existedbetween his parents and the society around them. Resultingly, assimilation into the American culture was nota very comfortable process for his parents. Despite this,the authors parents created a comfortable haven for him andhis siblings in their adopted country. The author shareswith the reader how close and tightly-knit his family was.He describes in numerous instances the "special feeling ofcloseness" that he shared with his family. He also mentionsthe fact that he used to feel a "desperate, urgent, intense"feeling of wanting to be home. Spending time at home,speaking his "personal" language of Spanish, and being withhis family gave Rodriguez comfort and a feeling of safetythat was not felt outside of his home. &9Rodriguez was forced to leave that comfort and safetyevery morning though once he began attending school. Theauthor describes hearing the cold, harsh sounds of the English language and wishing that... ...ory and viewpoints,allowing the reader to make his or her own personaljudgment regarding the issue. Rodriguez explains that"While one suffers a diminished sense of privateindividualism by becoming assimilated into public society,such assimilation makes possibl e the achievement of publicindividualism" (39).&9Finally, it was the contrast between the home and the school settings that gave the reader a very clearunderstanding of the authors life experience. Through thetechnique of flashback, the author describes how thedichotomy that existed between his home identity and hissocial identity shaped the "public" individual that he hadbecome. While the reader is subjected to only a shortexcerpt from Richard Rodriguezs autobiography, herecognizes, specifically, that it was this inner core of thefamily setting that Rodriguez struggled with the trial ofgrowing up as an American citizen. Without this familysetting, he would not have confronted the same obstaclesthat influenced who he became without the school setting hewould never have grown beyond the sheltered life from whichhe came.