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

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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. 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 …show more content…

Rodriguez “would dishonor [] intimacy by holding onto a particular language and calling it [] family language” (Rodriguez 41). Just as Rodriguez realized the importance of “public identity” over time, he realized that intimacy is not felt and remembered with a bunch of words, but instead with feelings, memories, and the times spent together. Rodriguez recalled a few days prior to the death of his grandmother. He states that within all the conversations they had, he can simply only say what she had said to him. However, he argues that the intimacy was not simply between what she had said but the way she said it. It was the voice, the scents, the noises that was reminiscing along with her memories. Rodriguez emphasizes that it’s not about what you say that makes you have “intimate” relationships; instead it’s the people that are involved in making those relationships strong and …show more content…

Coping with two different sides of you can be challenging especially in American society. By being bilingual you always have a small character inside of you telling you what to do and how to react. As being an immigrant myself, I agree on the importance of public language. Human beings have a natural instinct to be happy in socially involved activities. To communicate with your peers and have a mutual understanding is a great blessing. However, that doesn’t mean you disregard the importance of your own mother tongue that made you who you are and gave you a unique identity. Using myself as an example, I speak a tribal language that is full of rich culture and identity, signifying the story and history of our people. My father prefers my siblings and I do not speak any English at home and only speak Pashto. I try to go by his sayings because I believe that by living in a western society and going to English speaking schools, I will gradually assimilate into their community and will be able to communicate without difficulty. Contrary, by not speaking Pashto at home and with family, I will not only lose my language, but my intimacy to my unique culture and heritage. Therefore, I believe that you can use your mother language and public language together to only enhance your confidence in both

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