Richard Rodriguez talks about the necessary evil of giving up ones private identity for a public identity. He uses the example of him giving up Spanish in order to convey this message. When Richard was younger, his family only spoke Spanish, and he spoke (or tried to) at school. However, during his schooling, his teachers forced him through an Americanization to phase out the Spanish he and his family spoke. Personally, I don't believe that someone should have to give up their private identity for a public one, because no one should have to give up what they love in order to look right in the public eyes. Now I'm not saying that it wasn't beneficial for Richard to learn English in a way where he could have intelligent conversation, but I don't think it was necessary for him to completely phase out his Spanish side, and I know that it can work. Some people that I work with only speak Spanish at home, and can have a very normal conversation with you in English as well. It wasn't necessary for them to have to give up their private identity for a public one, because they are able to have the best of both worlds.
Questions/Points of Discussion:
Is there any point where it would be necessary to have to give up your private identity for your public one? Not necessarily Spanish or any other language, but anything that you use to identify yourself in private.
I understand where you are coming from. Honestly when I was reading this I understood where Rodriguez was coming from because in America English is something that everyone has to know in order to be something. A lot of people I know who only speak Spanish are working in jobs that nobody want and are getting paid dirt cheap but, it probably would be a different story if they knew English. I don't know it is something I wonder from time to time. But either way I liked reading your blog!
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