Richard Rodriguez "Aria" Quotes

     " The odd truth is that my first-grade classmates could have become bilingual, in the conventional sense of that word, more easily than I."

 

     To me, this quote is saying that the kids in his school had more resources than he did which meant that they could have bridged the language gap more easily than he did by simply learning some Spanish. But since Spanish, in the authors words, is a "private language" that is lower on this hierarchy of language that we as a society have created all of the pressure and responsibility was his. He had to learn the English language in its entirety. No one met him in the middle.

" One night his children and even his wife helplessly giggled at his garbled English pronunciation of the Catholic Grace before Meals."

      

     This quote explains why the authors father became a lot more reserved when in situations that called for using the English Language. He felt embarrassed and even the people closest to him made him feel bad about the way he spoke and didn't take him seriously so he just stopped talking. This is one piece of the larger and more dramatic change that took place in the authors family and home life when his teachers conveyed to his parents that the children needed to practice their English at home. It changed the close dynamic that they had with their parents and with each other. 

"So they do not realize that while one suffers a diminished sense of private individuality by becoming assimilated into public society, such assimilation makes possible the achievement of public individuality."

       

     Advocates of bilingual education argue that students should not have to give up their native languages. It takes away from the diversity of the environment and it isn't fair to make children give up such an important part of who they are, which includes where they come from and how they communicate. Rodriguez argues that while that might be true, assimilating into the predominant or more socially accepted culture is the only way that they can fit in and become a part of the larger society. He argues that maybe assimilation is not as bad as they think. (Article that explores this more in depth: Assimilation Is Not A Dirty Word) If students continue to speak in their native languages it can further divide them from other students. Having a more uniform or creating language standards for everyone to abide by may just make everything easier.

Black Lives Matter (Hyperlink Prompt)

     Me every time someone says "all lives matter" in response to "black lives matter":

     Here's why: 10 Things You Sound Like When You Say All Lives Matter

     Both the reading and the poem are trying to explain to people that no one is saying that black lives are the only lives that matter. The reason that people say "black lives matter" is because the world could clearly use the reminder. When you have a race of people getting dis-proportionally locked away in prisons, harassed, abused, or murdered by police without any consequences, and being discriminated against in systematic ways it makes it seem like everyone forgot that black lives indeed do matter. Of course all lives matter: Asian lives matter, white lives matter, Hispanic lives matter, Middle Eastern lives matter, lgbtq+ lives matter, straight lives matter, etc but this movement isn't about everyone. This movement was founded for a specific purpose. It's the same thing as the movement "Save the Bees" It is bringing attention to the fact that bees as a species are in danger. I have never once seen anyone respond to the saying "save the bees" with "all insects lives matter." Every post about saving the bees is essentially like this:  

But if you search "black lives matter" you will find so many hateful and diversionary responses.

So why is black lives matter so controversial??? SPOILER ALERT: it's because of racism. When someone says "all lives matter" in response to "black lives matter" it is silencing and unnecessary. It is said by people who can't get behind any movement that isn't about them or more specifically directly benefiting them. 

So next time you're about to say "all lives matter" in response to "black lives matter" just say you don't care about black people and go.

Reacting to Kozol Reading

     Me talking to myself: "Alright everyone, let's get this bread. First up FNED reading and blog post, cool.
     Me opening the link to Kozol's "The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation and getting ready to create another superior blog post:

     Me: A little longer than I was hoping for but okay..."
     Kozol: Describes a neighborhood full of violence, drugs, hunger, and disease
     Me: Wow... It really makes me think about how lucky I am. The Johnson reading was right, we always are so aware of what we don't have that we become blind to what we do have. I have only ever been consciously aware and surrounded by one of two types of people. The first being those who grew up in my neighborhood or similar ones. In elementary and middle school everyone was pretty much equal. We all got free lunch, we all lived in neighborhoods that were falling apart and where bad things happen (Example), nobody batted an eye if you said you spent your Sunday morning/afternoon in line at the food pantry, it was all normal. But going into high school and college was so different. On my first day of freshman year (high school) we went around the room and said what we did this summer and I had two thoughts: 1: "Whoa I have never seen so many white people in one spot" and 2: "Oh my god I think I'm poor, these kids traveled internationally and did all these cool things wow what do I do? Should I lie??"   Being in that bubble made me think that I was at the bottom. But I'm not. Also that part of the discussion we had after the egg drop thing where we mentioned that you can't truly understand things unless you see them or experience them is so true. I know that I just read about this neighborhood and how dangerous it is but it still doesn't seem real to me... Maybe I am a part of the problem

     Cliffie: "I saw a boy get shot in the head right over there... Would you like a chocolate chip cookie?"
     Me:

   
     Kozol: "Then we get illegal dumpers. People who don't live here come and dump things they don't want."
     Me: *Thinks about all the stolen cars and car parts, discarded furniture, litter (everything from wrappers, mail, food, to used diapers), and genuinely anything else you can think of that has been dumped onto my street.
     Kozol: "There's a whole world out there if you know it's there, if you can see it. But they're in a cage. They cannot see"
     Me: It is so easy to feel trapped. Everywhere I go, I see it. I see people who sit around outside all day just drinking, not really striving for anything. It would be so easy and simple if I just thought that they were just "losers" or something but it isn't simple. Maybe they just really don't think that there is anything else that they can do.

     Me after finishing the article and getting back to my life and my ignorance and denial of the world's problems:

Nicholas Kristof's "U.S.A., A Land of Limitations?" But Better (Argument Prompt)

                         

Expectation

   

Kristof argues that once upon a time people in the United States could relatively easily engage in economic mobility. Your circumstances did not define your future or overpower your potential.

Reality

But overtime things have changed and it is much harder to move up in the world and many people just remain stuck.

So now people are either like this:                                               

                             

Gif from Marina and the Diamonds Primadonna Music
Video

          

                                    

"So let’s just drop the social Darwinism. Success is not a sign 
virtue. It's mostly a sign that your grandparents
did well." (Disclaimer: Kylie does work hard and
deserves praise but we also have to acknowldge
that it wouldn't have happened without her family's
previous work and success)

This image shows Phillip "Lip" Gallagher from the
television show Shameless. He was always
known as the smart sibling who had a bright future ahead
of him. However he was constantly held back by where he
came from (poverty, addiction, neglect, etc.) As much as he
tried he was stuck, just like the article described.

"Sure, there are extraordinary people who have
overcome mind-boggling hurtles. But they're like N.B.A.
centers with short parents."

                                       Or like this:

 

This has also caused the class gap to grow exponentially: John Oliver on the Wealth Gap

                     

                                                          Conclusion: