While reading Aria by Richard Rodriguez i learned about a different culture in a different way that i was use to. i really enjoyed the reading and found it easy to comprehend. i found myslef feeling very sad for richard, and could not relate because english is my first and only language. however I was able to put myself in his shoes while reading because it read like a story.
the first quote i decided to use is "without question, it would have pleased me to hear my teachers address mein Spanish when i entered the classroom. I would have felt much less afraid." I really was taken back when he said this because I realized that a simple greeting was a barrior for him and people who speak a different language.I just never thought about it before. and the fact that he used the word afraid really showed how much of an issue it was.
what really made me sad was when the nuns asked Richard's family to start speaking English at home. after that they lost a very big part of their family. which brings me to the second quote I chose, "the family's quiet was partly due to the fact that, as we children learned more and more English, we shared fewer and fewer words with our parents." this made me very upset, he was losing a very big, important part of his life, yet he was gaining social acceptance and understanding. but really how important is that when you lose a part of yourself and who you are?
Because I can not completely relate to what Rodriguez is saying here, what i can do is try to make it easier for people who speak different languages to feel more comfortable, i think it is very important to keep speaking he language of your culture, it is part of who you.

After reading White privilege by Peggy McIntosh I feel that I have a better understanding and acknowledgement of white privilege and exactly what it entails. The most interesting part of the reading was the list of daily privileges that white people have. I was shocked at how many I deal with each day and at the expensive of others. It kind of scared me. I found myself becoming very uncomfortable and angry when reading the list because I agreed with most of them if not all. But I know that McIntosh did not write this to bad mouth white people but rather to state the issue and the issues with the issue and some possible solutiosns.
"The silences and denials surrounding privilege are the key political tool here."(pg 6) This line is very true an seemed to be the yeild in the solution. what I feel that McIntosh is saying here in this reading is that as white people we are aware of our privileges yet we are in denial about using them. I liked how she compared white privilege to other privileges to maybe help her readers identify that its not just about race but many other factors and also use them to compare. Like male privilege, race privilege is an everyday thing for example. But McIntosh believes that most men say they are nto at any advantages but are aware that women are at disadavantages.
I find it very interesting when she says that "i think that whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege...i have come to see white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets that i can count on cashing in each day."

Hello

Hello my name is Michelle Norbury and I am a sophomore here at Rhode Isaland College. I am enrolled in 5 classes this semester and so far so good! I am an Elementary Education Major with consentration in Special Education. I am from Newport, RI and have lived there my whole life. I love summer and going to the beach, hanging out with friends and family, and i have enjoyed my time here at RIC so far!