"Aria" By Richard Rodriguez

Essay by simran1College, UndergraduateA+, March 2006

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Thesis:-learning English as a "language" gave Richard a confidence in public identity but he lost his native identity.

Representative Example: - "The loss implies the gain: The house I returned to each afternoon was quiet. Intimate sounds no longer rushed to the door to great me. There were other noises inside. The telephone rang. Neighborhood kids ran past the bedroom where I was reading my schoolbooks-covered with shopping-bag paper. Once I learned public language, it would never again be easy for me to hear intimate family voices." (pg. 302)

1."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". (Richard had a fear of speaking in English since it was not his primary language)

2."Speak to the entire class, not just me!"(His teachers really want Richard to learn and speak English which was unbelievable for him that this language was easy and he could speak in public)

3. He believed English as a public language and Spanish as a "primary" language.

4. He was soon able to speak English fluently at school.

5. He started experiencing trouble in communicating with his parents because of the accent.

6. As a result, the communication with his parents was narrowed.

7. He addresses his parents as "mother" and "father" instead of mama and papa.

8. The environment of his family communication changed from Spanish to English.

9. "Hearing Spanish speaking family walking behind me, I turned and look. I smiled..." (He wishes he could speak in Spanish again).

10. He lost his native identity.

Evolving thesis process:-

Working thesis: - learning English as a "language" gave Richard a confidence in public identity but he lost his native identity.

Supporting Evidence: "Once I learned public language,