A Sense of Identity: An Arugmental Piece

     This author, Richard Rodriguez, from the reading Aria, argues that when people who are bilingual gain their public identity and acceptance in society due to the fact that they are comfortable with the English language, they lose their private identity as a traditional and family oriented Spanish speaker. As we all got a sneak peek into what Rodriguez's life was like as a child, as he broke down his English language barriers in order to please his teachers in school; I can honestly say I felt for him. I have never ever thought of a bilingual student in this way, that they lose the sense of closeness in their families because as time goes on and they learn more English, they have less to connect with their older relatives about. Rodriguez shows us this first hand. He points out that he always thought that Spanish was indeed a "private language" for him, where only he and his family could communicate and really feel every word they exchanged with each other. But, even as a child, Rodriguez realized that he would not be able to get ahead in his schooling if he did not learn the English language fully and confidently. So, he and his family began to speak English around each other. He explained and made his readers see that as they spoke less and less Spanish together, they lost the true connections they had with each other as a family. Rodriguez makes it feel like this was not just his family, but what commonly happens to other bilingual families when they are trying to allow their children to transition to the English language that is all around them; especially at school. I truly feel for Rodriguez hen he says "Matching the silence I started hearing in public was a new quiet at home" (37). He spoke about how he and his family no longer rushed home after school to talk about their day and be with their parents. He spoke about how dinner became quiet, along with his father, who wasn't always this way. He felt that he could not even develop a normal conversation with his mother; or even refer to his parents by what he would have liked to call them, mama and papa. That is tragic, and Rodriguez knows that by telling his readers this about his life that we will be able to conclude that many other bilingual families can understand and experience what he went through as a child. Rodriguez constantly showed us that even though he learned the English language well, he felt like he completely had to shut out the Spanish language as he knew it. He even says, "Her voice, like so many of the Spanish voice I'd hear in public, recalled the golden age of my youth" (38). The golden age. The time period where he felt like he had a true VOICE. Yes, he can speak fluent English now, but can he fully communicate with his family members in the way he would like to? No. The sense of being and individuality for Rodriguez is completely lost, and that is his main point for writing everything he does.

To speak about in class: Towards the end of this reading, Rodriguez speaks about bilingual educators and their take on the transition bilingual students go through as they become familiarized with English. However, he makes the final statement that "...they do not realize that while one suffers a diminished sense of private identity by becoming assimilated into public society, such assimilation makes possible the achievement of public identity" (39). This is the main message he broadcasted to his readers throughout explaining to us what his childhood was like, which is that although he became accepted in the public eye for speaking and understanding English, he lost the private, comfortable, connected relationship he had with his family because he lost his true love for speaking the Spanish language.

How many English speaking people see it:

 

How everyone should see it:

 


Now, this is a short article, but it explains the being bilingual is a BENEFIT to the mind.

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Here is another one proving this theory from the NY Times.
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