Burro Genius Summary

725 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The medical and social models of disability for children

In the Book “Burro Genius” by Victor Villaseñor talks about some of Villasenor experiences while on school, how he was discriminated by his intellectual and some of his main problems which was reading english. In this paper I will talk about three main points of the text english as a second language, disabilities, and discrimination. Victor Villaseñor with his beautiful story and eye opening experiences of learning english as a second language really helped me understand the obstacles he faced, as I myself went through the same obstacles of learning a new language, not only victor had to learn a complete new language but was also belittle of his race a mexican-american. Learning a second language can be difficult specifically when the teacher does not supports the student in the process of teaching ,Villaseñor argues that he feels no sympathy for bad teachers, for good teachers he believes that they deserve to go to heaven, as he often relates to his …show more content…

Most of Villaseñors perseverance came from the hate that his teachers gave him on school, not only gave him the strength to continue but to correct bad teachers. Another example of this is the fact that Villaseñor was a “C” student often falling behind on his levels of english and even failing third grade twice not to mention the hate from his teachers, Villaseñor became a published author despite of all the circumstances he had to encounter he persevered and that is something to be extremely proud had to another main point of the book is disabilities more in depth about learning disabilities like dyslexia, villaseñor was diagnosed with dyslexia at 40 years old, which explains the trouble and the extended time it took him to understand english and all the struggles villaseñor faced during school to learn english, as he encourages to be patient with

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Se Habla Español

    1063 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Se Habla Español,” is written by a Latin author, Tanya Barrientos; and Amy Tan, a Chinese author, wrote “Mother Tongue”. In both literate narratives the authors write about their experiences with language and how it impacted their lives. In This essay we will be discussing the similarities as well as the differences in the stories and the authors of “Se Habla Español” and “Mother Tongue”. We will discuss how both authors use a play on words in their titles, how language has impacted their lives, how struggling with language has made them feel emotionally, and how both authors dealt with these issues.

    Read More

  • Richard Rodriguez Thesis

    378 Words  | 1 Pages

    Richard Rodriguez uses many rhetorical strategies in his essay, “Aria: Memoirs of a Bilingual Childhood” to convey the differences between his native Spanish and the English spoken around him. Diction, pathos and anecdote elucidate the differences between native English speakers and his parents, effectively giving the reader a clear impression of how Rodriguez experiences life as a bilingual child.

    Read More

  • In Richard Rodriguez's Mother Tongue And A Memoir Of A Bilingual Childhood

    1026 Words  | 3 Pages

    Language is an important part of who we are. It influences the way we think and behave on a great scale. However, sometimes it is forced upon us to go in different directions just so we can physically and mentally feel as if we belong to the society in which we live in. Just as we see in Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” and Richard Rodriguez’s “A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood”, both authors faced some challenges along the way by coping with two different languages, while still trying to achieve the social position which they desired.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of From Hunger Of Memory: The Education Of Richard Rodriguez

    1079 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout Richards early childhood development he quickly understood that in order to succeed in America he would have to learn to confidently speak in English. Richard is Hispanic American and although he was born in America, Spanish was the only language that he was exposed to as a young child. He grew up in a home where Spanish flowed freely, but he soon realized outside of his home the language that he primarily knew was foreign. His parents spoke fluent Spanish along with all of his relatives. The brief encounters he experienced of his parents speaking English were only in public places and the proficiency was very poor. Rodriguez’s home was as a safety net for him and his Spanish speaking family with they are his only real connections to the outside world. It wasn’t until Richards encounter with his teachers that he and his family was heavily impressed on the importance of developing a public language. After the encouragement of the visit home from a teacher as a family

    Read More

  • Always Writing In Spanish Marjorie Agosin Analysis

    605 Words  | 2 Pages

    In her essay “Always Living in Spanish,” Marjorie Agosin justifies her preference for writing in Spanish as surviving to culture shock, a reminder of her childhood, and a vivid experience of her senses. As a member of an immigrant family, Marjorie Agosin deals with the sorrow and pain of leaving behind her native land to migrate from Chile to United States. She illustrates the frustrations of “...one who writes in Spanish and lives in translation” (167). During her teenage years, Agosin discovers writing in Spanish as the only getaway to escape from constant discrimination, because “... [her] poor English and [her] accent were the cause of ridicule and insult” (167). For this reason, in such times of emotional turmoil, the author decides that

    Read More

  • Bilingual Education in Richard Rodriguez' Aria

    1355 Words  | 3 Pages

    Richard Rodriguez offers an alternate yet equally profound truth: While our heritage and culture may remain forever tied to and expressed in our native or "home" language, only through the dominant language of our country (English in most cases) can we achieve a place in society that gives us a feeling that we belong amongst everyone else. The only way we can truly become a part of our community and fit in is to dominate the current spoken language. In the United States, the dominant language is Standard English. In this excerpt from "Aria," a chapter in his autobiography entitled "Hunger of Memory": The Education of Richard Rodriguez, Rodriguez discusses public and private languages, and agrees that his achievements in English separated him from his Spanish family and culture but also brought him "the belief, the calming assurance that [he] belonged in public." We as human beings want to feel we belong. We search for that place in society where we are most comfortable all our lives. One should consider the benefits of mastering the dominant language of the society they live in, but should also take into account the harm of taking your native language for granted. I will attempt to explore both of these considerations and examine Rodriguez place in life now, by stating the facts of who is now by the childhood decisions that were made.

    Read More

  • Richard Rodriguez Public And Private Language Summary

    771 Words  | 2 Pages

    The essay starts off by talking about a common belief shared by many parents now about how students miss out on “a great deal by not being taught their family’s language”(Rodriguez 525). But the author states that this isn’t always true especially considering the children who are socially disadvantaged in any way, they more than likely consider their native tongue or the language used at home to be just that a private language that should only be used around or with the family, he also highlights how odd it was that his childhood classmates

    Read More

  • Amy Tan Mother Tongue Quotes

    848 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the story “Mother Tongue,” by Amy Tan, Mrs. Tan talks about (in the book) her life and how she grew up with different Englishes was very hard and how it has affected her today. The setting of the book goes from being at lecture to the past of Amy Tan and her mother along with the different Englishes she had to come accustomed to. In “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, the author’s attitude towards the “different Englishes” she grew up with is fascinated. Amy Tan conveys this attitude through wanting to learn all different kinds of Englishes, her use of Englishes in her novel, and the acceptance she developed of her mother’s broken English.

    Read More

  • The Banking Concept of Education and The Achievement of Desire

    1470 Words  | 3 Pages

    Education is a topic that can be explored in many ways. Education is looked at in depth by both Richard Rodriguez in his essay, “The Achievement of Desire”, and by Paulo Freire in his essay, “The ‘Banking’ Concept of Education.” After reading both essays, one can make some assumptions about different methods of education and exactly by which method Rodriguez was taught. The types of relationships Rodriguez had with his teachers, family and in life were affected by specific styles of education.

    Read More

  • Mother Tongue By Amy Tan And Richard Rodriguez

    740 Words  | 2 Pages

    The writings of Amy Tan and Richard Rodriguez’s depicts a bilingual story based on two differing culture. On Mother Tongue, “Tan explores the effect of her mother’s “broken” English on her life and writing” (506). On the other hand, Richard Rodriguez “recounts the origin of his complex views of bilingual education through Public and Private Language” (512). From a child’s eyes, Tan and Rodriguez describe each joys and pain growing up in a non-English speaking family. Hence, may be viewed that cultural differences plays a major role on how one handles adversities.

    Read More

  • The Human Cost Of An Illiterate Society Rhetorical Analysis

    1365 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kozol argues that the lack of education not only inhibits the lives of illiterates, but greatly affects the lives of their children as well. He states, “Illiterates cannot read the letter the children bring home from their teachers. [...] they cannot help with homework. They cannot write letters to the teacher. They are afraid to visit in the classroom. They do not want to humiliate their children or themselves” (188). Ensuring that the next generation is literate and prepared with the knowledge to function out in the world is crucial to stopping the spread of illiteracy. As the references state, illiteracy complicates matters of education for the children of illiterates, making it more difficult for them to overcome the shortcomings of their parents. Illiterates themselves also face their own struggle with education. Kozol states that “Illiterate mothers, as we shall see, already have been cheated of the power to protect their progeny against the likelihood of demolition in deficient public schools and, as a result, against the verbal servitude within which they themselves exist” (189). His statement reinforces the difficulty that illiterates face when it comes to educating their own children, and how they are completely helpless to provide any meaningful help when it comes to ensuring a proper education for both themselves and their

    Read More

  • Public And Private Language Summary

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the beginning of the article, Richard started out by mentioning how his public language which is Spanish will not get him nowhere in life, however by learning a public language which is English will help more in life and make stuff way easier for him. He mentioned being scared and hard for him to learn a public society language. When I came to America 11 years ago, it was hard for me to learn a second language and I doubted myself all the time, however I had family members, teachers and friends pushing me to learn and telling me to not give up even

    Read More

  • “Richard Rodriguez: A Bilingual Childhood”

    1376 Words  | 3 Pages

    For more than 300 years, immigrants from every corner of the globe have settled in America, creating the most diverse and heterogeneous nation on Earth. Though immigrants have given much to the country, their process of changing from their homeland to the new land has never been easy. To immigrate does not only mean to come and live in a country after leaving your own country, but it also means to deal with many new and unfamiliar situations, social backgrounds, cultures, and mainly with the acquisition and master of a new language. This often causes mixed emotions, frustration, awkward feelings, and other conflicts. In Richard Rodriguez’s essay “Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood”, the author describes the social, cultural and linguistic difficulties encountered in America as he attempts to assimilate to the American culture. Richard Rodriguez by committing himself to speaking English, he lost his cultural ties, family background and ethnic heritage.

    Read More

  • Espada's Criticism: The Definitions Of Bilingualism

    1249 Words  | 3 Pages

    He also talks about if his teachers did not push him to speak English, he would not have learned the language as easily. He stated, “I would have felt much less afraid. I would have delayed- for long postponed- having to learn the language of public society” (Rodriguez 4). His teachers forced him to learn the public language, but that also encouraged his family to learn too. Now knowing the public language, they speak it more fluently and regularly.

    Read More

  • How to Assimilate into a New Culture in Julia Alvarez's Bilingual Sestina

    818 Words  | 2 Pages

    The author’s diction heightens the confusion and difficulties the English language evokes, as her simple method of communication progressively becomes more complicated. Words are “sifting” around solely as “vocabulary words” it becomes difficult for her to connect and understand this “closed” language. The author learned Spanish during her childhood through past memories and experiences which helped her form a closer knit bond to the language as a whole; however, English does not root any deep connections for her causing her to doubt the importance of words. The negative connotation when she refers to vocabulary words and closed is due to the fact that she is frustrated with her inability to communicate exactly what she perceives as they are not connected to experiences. Similarly, the language seems “frail” and essentially “bottled up” as she is unable to express her thoughts in a manner other than exclusive “translations”. Unlike Spanish, English seems to have a complicated and confusing aspect tied to it where the author is feels trapped because she cannot convey her emotions or relate to it culturally. The repetitions of these words that have a negative connotation draw out the significance behind communication and the true value of connecting to a culture. Overall, the dictio...

    Read More

More about Burro Genius Summary

Open Document