Summary Of Childhood By Richard Rodriguez

Rodriguez tells a story of his childhood, which appeals to those families in today’s world that struggle to adhere to the needs and wants of a society they aren’t accustomed to, and the difference between the language one uses at home versus the language in public. When he was a child, his parents were still learning the English language for themselves. So when he starts school, he is not yet knowledgeable in the language, and struggles a bit in class. Richard was a shy and timid child, “Richard, stand up. Don’t look at the floor. Speak up. Speak to the entire class, not just to me!” (Rodriguez 6). The nuns pushed him to come out of his shell, but he was so affected by sounds that their insistence caused him to bury himself further in the comforting

In
Rodriguez’s situation, his family had moved into the United States, and spoke Spanish, which is what he grew up with. He first learned his “home” language, and began, as a small child, to associate Spanish with the feeling of home, belonging, and comfort. To take that language away is to rob families of the intimacy and relationships they have with each other. In order to tell the story of the change in his younger life, Rodriguez shares stories of school and home, wielding narration to capture readers. In addition, a simple cause and effect mode is used, to describe his actions ultimately leading to the elimination of Spanish in his household. With tools such as these, the essay grips readers and tunes them into the drastic changes from Rodriguez’s childhood. To describe this childhood of his, Rodriguez uses narration, creating an image for the reader.
“For a second or two, I’d stay, linger there, listening. Smiling, I’d hear my mother call out, saying in Spanish (words): “is that you, Richard?” All the while her sounds would assure me:
You are home now; come closer; inside. With us.” (Rodriguez 5), showing that during his days