Literature: Analytical updated

Richard Rodriguez shows readers what a bilingual education has done for him in his short personal story, Aria. In his story found in the book Growing Up Latino, he describes his experience as a boy having to go to school in the United States even though he only knew Spanish at the time. Both of his parents were Mexican immigrants living in California. His family and him lived around “gringos;” Americans. He remembers how every time he stepped out of his house, he’d “[remember] that in this world so big, I was a foreigner.” Outside of his home, Richard always felt separated. He would only hear English around him but would never know what was being said. His parents didn’t speak English all that well and every time they spoke it, they were hesitant. The only place he felt he belonged was in his home. In his home he was “delighted by the sounds of Spanish.” So when he was at home speaking Spanish, he would belong; “Like others who know the pain of public alienation, we transformed the knowledge of our public separateness and made it consoling- the reminder of intimacy. Excited, we joined our voice in a celebration of sounds.” To Richard speaking Spanish had meant a certain closeness. Spanish was something that always brought the family together. When he spoke Spanish, he wasn’t alone because his family was there with him. When the Bilingual Education Act was passed, Richard’s teachers told his parents to only speak English at home and was given a tutoring session everyday at school. Now, Richard had felt that he “had no place to escape to with Spanish;” English wasn’t only outside of his home but also in the inside. As time went one, English became more and more normal to him. Richard had begun to understand the teacher, and participate in class. With his new profound knowledge of English, Richard now belonged to the society. Because he knew the public language, he could play with the neighborhood kids and no longer feel alone. He now considered himself as an American citizen. “Only when I was able to think of myself as an American, no longer an alien in gringo society, could I seek the rights and opportunities necessary for full public individuality.” These rights and opportunities were his friends, being able to take part in a society where he can converse with people and no longer having to feel that he cannot belong because he doesn’t know the language. Richard is an example of what bilingual education can do to a student that wasn’t English proficient. Bilingual education can open the door to success in the society. In Richard’s case, he has become a successful, confident student, and now even a well-known author. He clearly shows what the goal of the US Department of Education wanted for every student; bilingual education had brought him success and many opportunities.