Blog #7 Richard Rodriguez

 Aria written by Richard Rodriguez, in this text Rodriguez highlights what is like for a native Spanish speaker to have his/her language “taken away” from them. He talks about what his life was like when he was a child. He mentions how when he was younger Spanish was spoken at home, it gave meaning to him and was a strong part of his identity. But his school did not see the importance of his language like Rodriguez did. The school thought that Spanish would be a barrier to his education. The nuns from his school went to his home to talk to his parents and plead with them to only have him speak English. Because of the nuns authority figure within the church, his parents felt obligated to agree. This was the beginning of many events that impacted Rodriguez's life. His life at home was not long the same, Rodriguez mentions how it felt like the time he spent with his family became less and less. Without his family being able to speak Spanish to him they would have less interaction with him. This caused a lot of silence at home, making it a very uncomfortable environment. Rodriguez began to struggle with his identity, a huge part of his identity has been taken away not only during school but at home, the one place he's supposed to feel the most safe and secure. Rodriguez mentions that as he felt one identity slipping he also felt another one beginning, becoming an American citizen. He had always seen himself as being someone who was not the best at speaking English, he would mumble or speak very quietly. He eventually gained his confidence speaking English. 

I don’t think it was right for them to force Rodriguez to stop speaking the language he felt the most comfortable with. But it turned out that to be something he turned into a powerful story, he didn’t let it hold him back. However, it is also very important to respect everyone's culture and you definitely don’t go to someone's home and tell them they speak their own language to or with their child. I think the school could have done so much better to support him, first they needed to have the respect and understanding of others and their culture. They should have educated themselves and see what he needs to succeed.