As I read through "Aria" by Richard Rodriguez, I could immediately relate it back to Delpit's piece and Johnson's piece as well. But something that I really found interesting was Rodriguez's points of view and opinions. I have chosen three quotes from his piece that I feel are important and really stand out to me.
1.) "From the doorway of another room, spying the visitors, I noted the incongruity-the clash of two worlds, the faces and voices of school intruding upon the familiar setting of home. I overheard one voice gently wondering, 'Do your children speak only Spanish at home, Mrs. Rodriguez?'"
- As I read this quote, what stands out to to me the most is that the nuns take it upon themselves to go to their home to make sure that they are practicing their English skills. In one way I think this is reasonable but in another way I think it is wrong. Rodriguez tells us that English is known as the public language, while Spanish is known as the private language. When the kids are at school, yes they should speak English because technically they are in "public" so they should speak the public language. But if they are in the privacy of their own home, they should be able to speak their own language.
2.) "Again and again in the days following, increasingly angry, I was obliged to hear my mother and father: 'Speak to us en ingles.' (Speak.) Only then did I determine to learn classroom English. Weeks after, it happened: One day in school I raised my hand to volunteer an answer. I spoke out in a loud voice. And I did not think it remarkable when the entire class understood. That day, I moved very far from the disadvantaged child I had been only days earlier."
- In this quote, I think Rodriguez is trying to say two things. One is that he became fed up with the fact that he had to listen to his parents speak English with him and his siblings when in reality, the children were the ones who needed to use it more than their parents. Another thing that I think he is saying is that the more he got mad listening to his parents, the more determined her became to learn English on his own. When he gained some confidence, it was clear that his English speaking skills improved, especially because the whole class understood what he said.
3.) “Without question, it would have pleased me to hear my teachers address me in Spanish when I entered the classroom. I would have felt much less afraid. I would have trusted and responded with ease. But I would have delayed—for how long postponed? – having to learn the language of the public society…learning the great lesson of of school, that I had a public identity. Fortunately, my teachers were unsentimental about their responsibility. What they understood was that I needed to speak a public language.”
- After I read this quote, it made me think back to Johnson and Delpit again. In this quote, Rodriguez is fully aware that he needs to learn the "public" language of society, even though he lives in a "private" language society because he is Spanish. In Delpit's essay, she suggests that we need to give the children tools to understand the language that is known by most of our society and this is what I feel is being suggested here as well. I think that Rodriguez is saying in order to succeed in "the white man's world" you must learn the primary language of that society.
Alyssa, your connection to Delpit for the third quote is absolutely right. In order to obtain these "tools" the children must be taught. This gives teachers a vital responsibilty because they are the ones who give the Spanish children an impression of American culture. I think the nuns went to the home of the Spanish speaking family out of care for the children. They wanted to make sure the children were continuing their learning and at the same time made a connection with the parents. The parents probably found it helpful and felt more connected with their child's education by becoming aquainted with the teachers. The same effect would happen if the parents went to the school.
ReplyDeleteI especially agree with you on your response to the second quote, in which you said that after the child gained confidence, his English improved. Confidence is the key to learning because only then does the child feel secure in what he/she is doing.
Totally agree with your relations to the other stories we have read, the learning how to live in a white mans world is exactly like learning the "public language."I also like the quotes you chose, the third one stuck out to me because I think its something we will always think of when we become teachers. Making students feel comfortable and always taking into consideration their backrounds.
ReplyDeleteHey Alyssa. We shared the same last quote and I felt the same way you did. Rodriguez knew he had to learn the primary language, English. Although, he did wish it was more comfortable for him to use both languages. I also agree that his teachers were giving him to the tools to learn societies language, which is important and something Delpit agrees with. See you Tuesday!
ReplyDelete