Richard Rodriguezs Hunger of Memory Essay -- Hunger Memory Rodriguez

Richard Rodriguez's Hunger of Memory The universal "growing pains" that all children experience in one form or another are easily recognized in Richard Rodriguez’s autobiographical excerpt from Hunger of Memory. Rodriguez’s childhood was particularly unique given the fact that while he was born and raised in the United States, he was strongly influenced in the ethnic environment of a Spanish family. Although the reader is introduced to only a short excerpt from the autobiography, he learns a great deal about Rodriguez’s family and his relationship to it, his conflict of speaking English versus Spanish, and the paradox that became evident as he used English as his primary language. Furthermore, the reader learns that Rodriguez’s experiences have contributed to his beliefs that a bilingual education is harmful. First of all, Richard Rodriguez came from a family where his parents had been born and raised in Mexico. After moving and settling in America, Rodriguez’s parents gave birth to him and his siblings. Rodriguez refers many times to "los gringos" , a colloquial, derogatory name charged with "bitterness and distrust" with which his father described English speaking Americans. This evidence made it apparent to the reader that definite animosity existed between his parents and the society around them. Resultingly, assimilation into the American culture was not a very comfortable process for his parents. Despite this, the authors parents created a comfortable haven for him and his siblings in their adopted country. The author shares with the reader how close and tightly-knit his family was. He describes in numerous instances the "special feeling of closeness" that he shared with his family. He also mentions the 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 with his family gave Rodriguez comfort and a feeling of safety that was not felt outside of his home. Rodriguez was forced to leave that comfort and safety every morning though once he began attending school. The author 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 judgment regarding the issue. Rodriguez explains that "While one suffers a diminished sense of private individualism by becoming assimilated into public society, such assimilation makes possible the achievement of public individualism" (39). Finally, it was the contrast between the home and the school settings that gave the reader a very clear understanding of the author’s life experience. Through the technique of flashback, the author describes how the dichotomy that existed between his home identity and his social identity shaped the "public" individual that he had become. While the reader is subjected to only a short excerpt from Richard Rodriguez’s autobiography, he recognizes, specifically, that it was this inner core of the family setting that Rodriguez struggled with the trial of growing up as an American citizen. Without this family setting, he would not have confronted the same obstacles that influenced who he became; without the school setting he would never have grown beyond the sheltered life from which he came. Richard Rodriguez's Hunger of Memory Essay -- Hunger Memory Rodriguez Richard Rodriguez's Hunger of Memory The universal "growing pains" that all children experience in one form or another are easily recognized in Richard Rodriguez’s autobiographical excerpt from Hunger of Memory. Rodriguez’s childhood was particularly unique given the fact that while he was born and raised in the United States, he was strongly influenced in the ethnic environment of a Spanish family. Although the reader is introduced to only a short excerpt from the autobiography, he learns a great deal about Rodriguez’s family and his relationship to it, his conflict of speaking English versus Spanish, and the paradox that became evident as he used English as his primary language. Furthermore, the reader learns that Rodriguez’s experiences have contributed to his beliefs that a bilingual education is harmful. First of all, Richard Rodriguez came from a family where his parents had been born and raised in Mexico. After moving and settling in America, Rodriguez’s parents gave birth to him and his siblings. Rodriguez refers many times to "los gringos" , a colloquial, derogatory name charged with "bitterness and distrust" with which his father described English speaking Americans. This evidence made it apparent to the reader that definite animosity existed between his parents and the society around them. Resultingly, assimilation into the American culture was not a very comfortable process for his parents. Despite this, the authors parents created a comfortable haven for him and his siblings in their adopted country. The author shares with the reader how close and tightly-knit his family was. He describes in numerous instances the "special feeling of closeness" that he shared with his family. He also mentions the 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 with his family gave Rodriguez comfort and a feeling of safety that was not felt outside of his home. Rodriguez was forced to leave that comfort and safety every morning though once he began attending school. The author 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 judgment regarding the issue. Rodriguez explains that "While one suffers a diminished sense of private individualism by becoming assimilated into public society, such assimilation makes possible the achievement of public individualism" (39). Finally, it was the contrast between the home and the school settings that gave the reader a very clear understanding of the author’s life experience. Through the technique of flashback, the author describes how the dichotomy that existed between his home identity and his social identity shaped the "public" individual that he had become. While the reader is subjected to only a short excerpt from Richard Rodriguez’s autobiography, he recognizes, specifically, that it was this inner core of the family setting that Rodriguez struggled with the trial of growing up as an American citizen. Without this family setting, he would not have confronted the same obstacles that influenced who he became; without the school setting he would never have grown beyond the sheltered life from which he came.