Talking Points #2: The Argument of Richard Rodriguez's “Aria"

A) Rodriguez, Richard. "Aria." Tongue-Tied: The Lives of Multilingual Children in Public Education. Ed. Otto Santa Ana. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2004. 34-39. Print.

B) ARGUMENT
    Richard Rodriguez argues that a fragment of a child's "individuality" (Rodriguez 39) can go missing as a result of abandoning his/her home language in order to achieve success in the language of public society. Upon reading Richard Rodriguez's piece regarding his personal experiences with the language barrier, I found myself contemplating the very first line of the text: "Supporters of bilingual education today imply that students like me miss a great deal by not being taught in their family's language" (Rodriguez 34). From my perspective, it does seem appropriate for educators/supporters to encourage the teaching of a student's home dialect. In the case of this particular author, however, I perceived that the methods that he, his family, and his school used to aid him in learning English had separated him from developing in the Spanish language, rather than helping him to become a proficient learner/speaker in both languages.
    Towards the start of "Aria," Rodriguez discusses how he considered his primary language (Spanish) to be his "private language" (Rodriguez 34), hence his reluctance to speak it in school. As I read Rodriguez's personal account of his struggle with specific languages and the corresponding dialogue, I took note that Rodriguez seemed to associate the English language as being an expectation of both the educational field and society itself. This enabled Rodriguez to observe that English was perhaps what was to be spoken in public. The "public identity" (Rodriguez 34) of an individual, according to Rodriguez, is formed through the language (i.e. English) taught in school.
    Rodriguez also expresses that he would have perhaps felt more comfortable with the Spanish dialogue in the school setting. However, he does state that incorporating the Spanish dialogue in school would have postponed the process of learning "public language" (Rodriguez 34). The language used in the classroom setting can differentiate vastly from home language, as was the case with Rodriguez. Both Rodriguez's family and school encouraged the teaching of English at home, but perhaps did not carry out this option as fittingly as they should have. Rodriguez's parents and his fellow siblings may not have executed the correct resolution to the issue either, for with the author's parents being more fluent in Spanish, teaching English to their children would prove difficult. Undoubtedly, I am sure that other individuals and schools do enforce these same opinions and policies.
    I believe that there are perks to learning a second language, and remaining fluent in both languages. However, the two languages should be used to one's benefit, not to dismiss him or her of his/her home language. Rodriguez, as a child, had viewed himself to be at a "disadvantage" in school prior to learning English. The author felt as though the instance of speaking English in class helped him to establish a sense of acceptance in school.
    Was Rodriguez upset, presumably, that this element (i.e. the Spanish language) of his identity had been seemingly neglected? He mentioned that upon grasping English, he came to feel as though he had "become" an American, despite the fact that he had always been one. The use of "public language in the home," and the pronunciation of words differing from words spoken, resulted in confusion for the Rodriguez household. What language was to be deemed appropriate in the home environment? The Spanish language no longer served as Rodriguez's "main" language. Rodriguez himself began to contemplate the intimacy of his family. Could this be relative to the American Dream? Public language appeared to have replaced Rodriguez's private one, making it arduous for his parents to comprehend spoken English word (Rodriguez 37). Rodriguez's father grew silent, opting for the absence of words as the new language used at home became more complex, only revealing more of his inner self through his home language. On the other hand, Rodriguez's mother took more charge where the English language was concerned. Their personalities/identities altered as a result of the language barrier.

C) QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/POINTS TO SHARE
    Regarding a point to share, it seems as though Rodriguez grew apart from the Spanish language as he further developed his English. He states on page 38 of the text that "At about the time I no longer bothered to listen with care to the sounds of English in public, I grew careless about listening to the sounds family members made when they spoke" (Rodriguez 38). However, it appears that Rodriguez is rather sorrowful when he reminisces of his culture and of his heritage whilst hearing the sound of Spanish dialogue. There is a familiarity to the language, as if the author is reminded of his family, and his mind refers back to his childhood. Had a part of his cultural identity dissipated through the pressure of enforcing public language in his home? The last sentence of Rodriguez's text depicts how a piece of a child's "individuality" (Rodriguez 39) is lost when his/her private language is traded for the public language. This, which I believe serves as the main idea of Rodriguez's text, coincides with Virginia Collier's quote from "Teaching Multilingual Children": "Don't teach a second language in a way that challenges or seeks to eliminate the first language" (Collier 227).

Additional References: Collier, Virginia. "Teaching Multilingual Children." Tongue-Tied: The Lives of Multilingual Children in Public Education. Ed. Otto Santa Ana. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2004. 222-235. Print.