In Mary Louise Pratt’s “Arts of the Contact Zone”, Pratt establishes her definition of a contact zone, which is useful in understanding similar situations found in Richard Rodriguez’s “The Achievement of Desire”. In Pratt’s “Arts of the Contact Zone”, the idea of the contact zone is implemented so as to trigger off ideas on how to relate multifaceted concepts, such as language, communication and culture. In “The Achievement of Desire”, an autobiographical text of a young first-generation Mexican boy, Rodriguez feels a constant struggle between his family and education. I find that there are more similarities than differences between the ideas portrayed in these two texts, and I plan on pointing out these similarities and elaborating on how they contribute towards the same idea. By understanding contact zones and how to successfully handle them, one can effectively bridge the gap between cultures, and move towards the common goal of understanding and thereby become more complete.
Throughout Rodriguez’s narration in “The Achievement of Desire”, one cannot help but draw parallels between his story and Pratt’s concept of contact zones: “a social space[s] where cultures meet, clash, and grapple with each other, often in contexts of highly asymmetrical relations of power” (Pratt 501). Rodriguez frequently refers to a struggle; he feels that his parents’ lack of education limits him. Thus his concept of education, as a guiding light, and his parents’ culture “meet, clash and grapple” (Pratt 501) with each other, and Rodriguez feels that his parents’ traditions and culture ultimately overbear and control him. Pratt talks of a similar struggle of Guaman Poma, who wrote a letter to the King of Spain to try to resolve the conflict betwe...
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...er examples, from her son’s school tales to Guaman Poma’s argument. Rodriguez’s work is also another example of a contact zone, and he aptly concludes his work by stating how he was “relieved by how easy it was to be home”, after a long separation from his parents and their culture (Rodriguez 562). Thus, a contact zone essentially refers to how one can really learn from different cultures, and therefore how one can become further enriched with knowledge, and thereby become more complete.
Works Cited
Pratt, Mary Louise. “Arts of the Contact Zone.” Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers.
Bartholomae, David and Petrosky, Anthony, eds. Boston: Bedford/St Martins, 2008. (497-516)
Rodriguez, Richard. “The Achievement of Desire.” Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers. Bartholomae, David and Petrosky, Anthony, eds. Boston: Bedford/St Martins, 2008. (544-566)
Enrique’s Journey is a book that I would never read for fun. It is completely different from most of the books I have read, and intrigued me because the story was about a boy. Most of the books I have read in school are about a girl who goes through many hardships, and difficulties but I felt I could relate more to this one because it is about a boy who struggles. While I may not have been left thousands of miles away by mother so she could send money back, it was great to see what life was like on the other side. In this paper I will be talking about the micro and macro cultures of Enrique’s town Tegucigalpa. The situation and context of the characters decision making and how they adapted.
The push-and-pull factors in Enrique’s yearn for the U.S not only allows him to rediscover himself as an individual in a world of uncertainty, it also eliminates his constant fear of failing as a promising human being; in addition exhibits the undying hope of a desperate man found in hopeful migrants. In Sonia Nazario’s “Enrique’s Journey,” his mother’s trip streamed “emptiness” into the heart of a once comfortable child and left him to “struggle” to hold memories they shared. Enrique’s life after Lourdes’ departure triggered the traumatizing demise of his identity. He threw this broken identity away while facing many obstacles, nevertheless each endea...
of the native tongue is lost , certain holidays may not be celebrated the same , and American born generations feel that they might have lost their identity , making it hard to fit in either cultures . Was is significant about this book is the fact it’s like telling a story to someone about something that happened when they were kid . Anyone can relate because we all have stories from when we were kids . Alvarez presents this method of writing by making it so that it doesn’t feel like it’s a story about Latin Americans , when
As Rodriguez is looking back at the rise of his “public identity”, he realizes that “the loss implies the gain” (Rodriguez 35). He believes that losing a part of who you (such as your “mother tongue” is permitted since
In Aria,” from Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez, Richard Rodriguez shares his autobiography of when he first entered his classroom at catholic school. He writes of his transition through emotions of fear, insecurity, and self-doubt as he transitions from the privacy of his home to the public world. Richard develops an understanding that his that private language that is used in his home is different from the language that is publicly acceptable in school. His school teachers pushed his americanalization which led him to discover his identity, since he indeed was an American but grew up in a Spanish speaking home. Through this journey of journey of assimilation he discovers that learning this new language brought him a sense of comfortability and acceptance. Richard Rodriguez heavily relates to the Crevecoeurian immigrant because he was willing to learn a new language, leave his culture behind, and embrace his American identity.
Even from an early age, Rodriguez is a successful student. Everyone is extremely proud of Rodriguez for earning awards and graduating to each subsequent level of his education. But all his success was not necessarily positive. In fact, we see that his education experience is a fairly negative one. One negative that Rodriguez endures is his solitude. Education compels him to distance himself from his family and heritage. According to Richard Hoggart, a British education theorist, this is a very natural process for a scholarship boy. Hoggart explains that the ?home and classroom are at cultural extremes,? (46). There is especially an opposition in Rodriguez?s home because his parents are poorly educated Mexicans. His home is filled with Spanish vernacular and English filled with many grammatical errors. Also, the home is filled with emotions and impetuosity, whereas the classroom lacks emotion and the teachers accentuate rational thinking and reflectiveness.
In this story, the reader can see exactly how, many Puerto Ricans feel when living on other grounds. Throughout this time, the boy that Rodriguez presents us realizes he has his culture and that he wants to preserve it as much as he can. “Because I’m Puerto Rican”. I ain’t no American. And I’m not a Yankee flag-waver”
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Rodriguez would, for example, use words such as “unsettling” “cloistered” and “alienation,” to describe the beginning of his assimilation in the public English speaking world. While he would use “calm” “enchantingly” “consoling” and “intimacy” to describe Spanish. As Rodriguez is being pushed to assimilate and English is heard everywhere including his home he becomes “increasingly angry” only from being obliged from his parents and trying to participate in class he begins to feel a sense of belonging in public. Rodriguez’s diction was evident and continuous in his essay which abetted the audience to understand that the author wanted the audience to be addressed formally and be known that he wants to be taken seriously and able to connect to his background and why he made his
Through this essay Richard Rodriguez writes about his experiences as a son, and as a student. Through his relationship with his parents the reader can see how Rodriguez was separating for his
Pratt, Mary Louise. “Arts of the Contact Zone.” Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers. 9th ed. David Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky, Ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. 485-497. Print.
Literature: Reading and Writing about the Human Experience. 7th ed. of the book. New York: St. Martin's, 1998.