Monday, September 28, 2009

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.

2 comments:

  1. I think it is important not to lose part of yourself, no matter what. That is too major a sacrifice for anyone to give.

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  2. I agree with you, I too felt sad for Richard while reading the story. English is also my first language so I had no idea how he felt, but I emagined it wasnt a good feeling.

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