Books or family? (#13, ch 2 intro, 1 & 2 ) (p46-64)

13. Comment on the choices made by the characters or people in the book. What advice would you give them?

As Richard Rodriguez grew up, he became more and more interested in his schooling. At first he was angry with his parents for having forced him to learn English. He stopped talking to his family because he no longer felt connected as he had with Spanish." 'He (Rich) is enormously obedient to the dictates of the world of school, but emotionally still strongly wants to continue as part of the family circle' " (48). Rodriguez wanted to be connected to his family, but he did not know how to with the English language and so he began to study and read more and more.


Rodriguez started to feel embarrassed with his parent’s lack of education. They were helping him get the education that they had never had, but he didn't understand. He chose to be a bookworm and to hide in the pages instead of talking with his family. Rodriguez became very successful in school and received many rewards and scholarships. Richard Rodriguez was the youngest of 3 children, but the first who went to a distant college. His mother asked him why he wouldn't stay home, but he was determined to leave. His education had separated him from his family and his own life. "A primary reason for my success in the classroom was that I couldn't forget that schooling was changing me and separating me form the life I enjoyed before becoming a student" (45). When he came home for breaks and talked with his parents their conversations were more like interviews. "Silence! Instead of the flood of intimate sounds that had once flowed smoothly between us, there was this silence." (51) He was now a very successful adult, but had not yet figured out how to be intimate with his family or how to embrace his heritage.

If I could give him advice I would have told him how important it was for him to stay connected with his family. Yes, education is an important thing, but family is also very important. I think that if he had communicated with his family more, he would have been a happier boy. He would have also had people to share his troubles with, instead of keeping them all inside. I would have told his parents to keep their Spanish language alive. They needed to have him speak English, but not ALL the time. I think if they had been more persistent about having Rodriguez share with them as a child, he would have done so when he was older as well. I would have told Rodriguez that books were important for learning, but they weren't the most important part of life and he didn't have to read every single book before he spent time with others. I think if their family had stayed more connected and kept more of their Spanish language, they would have been happier and closer later on.