Talking Points #2

Richard Rodriguez
“Aria”

1. “What they seem not to recognize is that, as a socially disadvantaged child, I considered Spanish to be a private language. What I needed to learn in school was that I had the right-and the obligation-to speak the public language of los gringos.” Pg. 34

What Rodriguez says in this quote is similar to Delpit in that he already knew how to speak Spanish and he needed to learn the things that would help him succeed in our English speaking society. He sees Spanish as a language to use with his family and community and English as a language to be used out in the world. He doesn’t seem to see that there may be an opportunity to use Spanish out in the world.

2. “Hers [mother’s voice] became the public voice of the family. On official business, it was she, not my father, one would usually hear on the phone or in stores, talking to strangers.” Pg. 37

Normally it would be the father’s voice that is the public voice of the family, but because he cannot speak English well, he couldn’t be the public voice. The language barrier keeps him from fulfilling that role and forces the mother to take the lead; at least in the public view. He wasn’t able to express himself in English like he can in Spanish and it limits his ability to do certain things for his family.

3. “So they do not realize that while one suffers a diminished sense of private individuality by becoming assimilated into public society, such assimilation makes possible the achievement of public individuality.” Pg. 39

Rodriguez is saying that a student, no matter the age, learning English as a second language does not give up his or her individuality, but gains a new aspect of that individuality. It’s not only the person’s culture that recognizes the individual, but the whole society. A person’s language ability does not make them any less of an individual.

I liked reading “Aria” because it is the author’s story. It was written in first person so it was personal not just some collection of research. I felt more connected to the story and I could definitely relate. I remember a little boy that used to go to the summer camp I work at. He was a native Spanish speaker, but he had no problem speaking and understanding English. He was very shy and he would only speak when he was spoken to be a counselor. He eventually met another boy who was a Spanish speaker. He was so much more outgoing when he was speaking with this other boy and he even started interacting with the other kids more. He just needed someone who understood his situation to make him more comfortable in his new environment. I was reminded of the little boy when I was reading about the father and how he was so much more outgoing when he was in his element. We all want to feel comfortable and we all are more friendly or outgoing when we feel comfortable.

I could also relate when Rodriguez spoke about his communication problems with his family. The parents could not understand what the children were saying and the children would get frustrated. I think that everyone feels like their parents don’t understand at some point, but it must be even more frustrating when there is a language difference. I dance and it’s like a different language with all the terminology you need to learn. I’ll try to explain something to my family and they just don’t get it. It’s frustrating especially when you are trying to communicate something important to you.

Bilingual education helps a child acquire the skills they’ll need to live in our society, but it also distances a child from their personal culture. They might feel like two different people; who they are in school and who they are at home. However, there must be a way to rectify the situation and I don’t think that having this disconnect was the intention of bilingual education.