Quotes

 Quotes in Aria by Richard Rodriguez

Hannah Kennedy | FNED546 | Link to a good Prezi on this memoir: Prezi| Link to book: Aria

• "But I couldn’t believe that the English language was mine to use. (In part, I did not want to believe it.)"

Throughout the chapter, we see Richard Rodriguez's struggle with learning English. It is evident that Rodriguez has emotional ties to his home language, Spanish. It is a part of his identity and his sense of belonging. It is obvious throughout that chapter that Rodriguez is struggling internally with learning English, not necessarily because it's hard, but because of his emotional ties to Spanish. Rodriguez is scared to lose his identity and the connection it has with him and his home. I love this quote because it highlights how Rodriguez did not want to believe that he could learn a different language, which really made me think about why he wouldn't want to learn English. It did not occur to me how much of a role language plays in people's lives, and I am glad I realize this now.

• "The moment after the visitors left, the change was observed. ‘Ahora, speak to us en inglés,’ my father and mother united to tell us."

In the book, Rodriguez's parents made the decision to have everyone in this house speak English instead of Spanish. This was to aid in their learning of English. Based on this quote, it is evident that this change hurt Rodriguez. This quote also shows us an important part of assimilation that we do not normally see, which is how it affects families. When a student is trying to assimilate into the English language and American culture, their families have to support them, which means major changes at home. This was definitely hard for Rodriguez and his family, as a big part of their identity is speaking Spanish. Rodriguez is losing a deep connection to his roots by not speaking Spanish at home to assimilate. 

• "But the special feeling of closeness at home was diminished by then. Gone was the desperate, urgent, intense feeling of being at home; rare was the experience of feeling myself individualized by family intimates."

While in the last quote, we saw Rodriguez's initial feelings of confusion and loss when his parents made him speak English at home instead of Spanish, this quote goes deeper into how Rodriguez felt. Rodriguez explains how assimilation caused him to feel differently about home. He used to love his home because of his love for his family and Spanish, but now Spanish was being taken away from him, and it did not feel the same anymore. This quote emphasizes to readers how hard assimilation is for students. Not only is it hard to learn a new language, but emotionally, it is extremely hard for kids to adjust. People who assimilate into a new culture have to sacrifice a big chunk of themselves, and we as a society expect this to be an easy transition. Along with this, Rodriguez felt like even though he was gaining confidence in society due to his assimilation progress, he felt like this cost him his intimate family life in which he felt was a big part of his identity. I like this quote because it really shows how hard assimilation is for more reasons than one.