Richard Rodriguez’s intriguing style of writing adds to the interesting conflict between his public and private languages by emphasizing the eventual progression of, and opinions about, his struggle in a subtle manner. Rodriguez’s style appears during the nuns’ visit, where his troubled perception of the “intruders” who speak “gently” and “with great tact” is revealed (Rodriguez 283). These examples evidence Rodriguez’s implications of his early biased disdain for the public language and become interesting to me as I struggle to solve the mystery of the argument’s progression to an almost uncaring summarization and cryptic public “silence” (Rodriguez 285). The interest deepens as I connect to Rodriguez’s mental battle with societal languages, because of the similarities with his life and mine. I, too, am bilingual and was born in America, where I first learned Polish. However, unlike Rodriguez, I was assimilated into the English language in the hazy memories of my preschool years. Yet, more similarities appear between Rodriguez and I, as he becomes distanced from his parents. Rodriguez’s opinions and attitudes intrigue me, because of the foreign approach to a similar problem. This foreign, yet not too foreign, approach is necessary to cause interest.
Works Cited
Rodriguez, Richard. “Public and Private Language.” Life Studies. By David Cavitch. Seventh ed. Boston: Bedford/ St.Martin’s, 2001. 282-87. Print.
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