Richard Rodriguez Education Theories

Even though those who supported the effort and idea of bilingual education were Hispanic, Rodriguez is trying to be as unique as possible, by making himself different than other Hispanic thinkers. Even though the language of Spanish feels like a return towards the joys of being connected, Rodriguez knows that English was the communication for survival and for the success of those who deemed it worthy for success. I believed that he is correct. Most of the change that comes in language can depend on how you speak to others. I did not have an accent when I spoke English or Spanish, but it was definitive that I learned more Spanish. Rodriguez wants to experience the sounds of the words that he was speaking when he was younger. Of course, I was the opposite; as I wanted to see what kind of sense the words had when I spoke them. The relationship between Rodriguez and the English language looked to be filled with misery for him because of the separation between him and his parents. For my own relationship between my personal goals and the language, it was better to be attuned to the silence that the language did not produce. This separation of identity and silence has made Rodriguez, and myself, master the language that came into our learning experience. That is what Rodriguez was pertaining towards in his contemplation towards feeling the premise of returning “home” with his language. The sense that he will be assimilated by the freshness of language makes the process of confidence more open-minded for Rodriguez. Fortunately, the warmth of his childhood comes through, not from the loss of sound that constitutes from the language, but from the public identity that has surfaced as a result of his education. It is from that education that Rodriguez has gained the opportunity to understand his change and his triumph from sharing his personal experiences when he was young.

The role of being bilingual can be seen as a foolish thought presented by Rodriguez, since he believes that the lower-class will not be as skilled of learning both languages as those of the middle or upper classes. There can be a goal in place for those who would like to consort the learning activity of bilingualism, but according to Rodriguez, it seems as though that goal would take someone else’s voice and not use it in a sensible way than the other person. Being bilingual can make those join together in the American culture, but since there are numerous Hispanics who would otherwise feel as though they have power within themselves to be alone, they too stand with the concept of being together, but doing it, alone.

I believe that he would consider himself not being identifiable with either being American or Hispanic because it would probably be a waste of breath and, with both sides of the spectrum having their own negative reinforcements, he sees it as somewhat of a struggle to pick one or the other. To me, I do agree that there is both a positive and negative aspect in both languages, but I would see both languages as having no flaws. I would enjoy speaking both languages and I would tell others, if they ask me whether I am Hispanic or American, I would proudly say that I am Hispanic. Rodriguez wants to show that effective communication can be a better view of building minorities to tackle education rather than separating their education based on class.

The vein of speaking, no matter what kind of language you want it to be, can qualify as the declaration of unity towards those you love or the declaration of separation. The first chapter breaks down the way Rodriguez deals with the incomprehensible knowledge of being socially disadvantaged from the other children. I am surprised that he becomes happy of earning an “English” version of his name instead of going to someone and telling them how to properly pronounce his name. Like anyone else with Hispanic origin, Rodriguez feels much more comfortable with the Spanish language more than anything. He says, “I’d wait for her [his mother] to return to soft-speaking Spanish, which assured me that the stranger was gone” (p.13). From that end, once he was assimilating himself within the socially advantaged by learning English, Rodriguez was now known as a “pocho” by his family. The book says in part: “He was a Pocho, a mexican-american who, in becoming an American, forgets his native society” (p.22). I can see that reading this portion of this first chapter shows Rodriguez taking apart the differential learning curve between private and public identity. Both can be used to make a language feel “triumphant” over the other. He would value both languages and explain the intimacy which both languages represent. After learning English, there was no more confidence in speaking Spanish (sort of like me). It took me a while to perfect the Spanish language and there would be times where I would try and speak to someone in Spanish, but in a shy manner. The confidence that I had to grow within my speaking habits took me a while to bring about for myself (since I began speaking when I was two or three years old) so it took me a while to develop.

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