15. Illustrate, through a picture or a symbol, an idea scene, or some part of a chapter or the book. Explain your choice.
The whole section, Credo, is about how the catholic religion played a role in the life of Richard Rodriguez. The dictionary definition of the word Credo is “a set of fundamental beliefs or a guiding principle", so this obviously had a big impact on his life. Their is another part to the meaning of the word when used in the Catholic Church. When he was a child the priest would say this Latin word "credo" at the beginning of the creed. "I believe", he was the only one who said it. The church did not repeat anything because it was all in Latin. The modern church has changed that. They now speak English and they translated the word to mean, "we believe". Rodriguez believes that the special meaning of the word was lost when the "I" was changed to "we".
When he was young, Catholicism was his life. He was immersed in his religion. The nuns were always teaching him about it and he was always going to mass during the school week. As he grew older, school talked less about Catholicism and started becoming "more protestant". When he was in college he barely knew anyone who was Catholic at all. Now going back to mass, Rodriguez see's that everything has changed. His misses the old way and doesn't like the way that he has been forced to change with it.
This picture represents something that was always deep, down inside of him. Even as a grown man he still remembers that he is "un catolic" and still goes to mass, but it no longer has the same happiness as before. He does not feel close to those around him like he did when he was a child. All the colors have been washed out.
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