Blog 3

Rodriguez – extended comment – Mark

Mark chose to use quotes to explain Richard Rodriguez’s, “The Child’s Struggle Against Silencing”. He likens the quote, “What they understood was that I needed to speak a public language. So, their voices would search me out, asking me questions”. Mark likens this quote to the feeling of uneasiness he feels while being in a classroom, which is how I feel as well. Not only this, but neither mark nor I could even begin to understand how it would feel if we felt this way while also not speaking the language that the class is being taught in. Because Rodriguez believed Spanish to be a “private” language, the teacher would only allow him to speak in the “public” language of English. Because of this and the fact that the teachers did not want him speaking Spanish, Rodriguez became very shy and timid in school.

The next quote that Mark used was, “’Is it possible for you and your husband to encourage your children to practice their English when they are home?’, Of course, my parents complied”. Mark questions whether or not this would be a valid option in today’s society. After reflecting on if this could happen today, we both come to the agreement that this is unrealistic. I would like to add that if I were Rodriguez and I saw teachers and nuns coming to my house, I would automatically believe I was in trouble. This could have negatively impacted Rodriguez’s development because a child would infer then, Spanish speaking is something to be reprimanded for and that only English is accepted. This notion was solidified by his own parents because they felt it would be wrong to go against the Church.

The last quote Mark used is, “One Saturday morning I entered the kitchen where my parents were talking in Spanish. I did not realize that they were talking in Spanish however until, at the moment they saw me, I heard their voices change to English”. Mark and I agree that Rodriguez had a right in getting upset that his parents were essentially “hiding” their native tongue from their son. If I were Rodriguez, I would be extremely confused with my identity and how I fit in with the world. This, coupled with the fact that nuns from the Church told my parents I should speak English at school and in the home, would make me for sure believe that speaking Spanish is a bad thing. I find this to be extremely disheartening because Spanish is more than just a language, it’s a part of peoples’ culture, a part of who they are.