Tuesday, 21 February: Mexican Americans: Immigrant / American Dream story, or Minority? Richard Rodriguez, from Hunger of Memory

·        Text-objective discussion leader: Christina Whitener

Objective 3. To compare and contrast the immigrant narrative with the minority narrative—or, American Dream versus American Nightmare:  . . .

·        Mexican Americans may have an identity somewhere between the immigrant and minority patterns.

The immigrant experiences and historic identities of Mexican Americans in relation to the United States are unique in a number of ways that may make them more ambivalent regarding assimilation to the dominant American culture. Other Hispanic immigrant groups like Puerto Ricans may have similarly ambivalent attitudes toward assimilation or separation.

I think of Richard Rodriguez as being very educated. Educated does not seem like a bad thing to me. He thinks of himself as being a minority student who benefited from the education he received. His family had a different idea of his education. They found him to be someone who was alienated from his Mexican American Culture and heritage, because he did not speak fluent Spanish.

-          “ As I grew fluent in English, I no longer could speak Spanish with confidence.”

-         “I was cursed with guilt.”

-         “Pocho then they called me. Sometimes playfully, teasingly, using the tender diminutive- mi pochito. Sometimes not so playfully, mockingly, Pocho. (A Spanish dictionary defines that word as an adjective meaning “colorless” or “bland.” But I heard it as a noun, naming the Mexican-American who, in becoming an American, forgets his native society.”)

-         “Embarrassed, my parents would regularly need to explain their children’s inability to speak flowing Spanish during those years.”

-         “Most of those people who called me a pocho could have spoken English to me. But they would not. They seemed to think that Spanish was the only language we could use, that Spanish alone permitted our close association.”

-         “For my part, I felt that I had somehow committed a sin of betrayal by learning English. But betrayal against whom? Not against visitors to the house exactly. No, I felt that I had betrayed my immediate family.”

-         “ But once I spoke English with ease, I came to feel guilty. I felt that I had shattered the intimate bond that had once held the family close.”

Questions:

1. Can anyone relate to what this young man was going through?

2. Do you think that his family really thought that Spanish was their own way to stay close?

3. Do you think that his family was mad because they felt like he abandoned the Spanish language? Do you think that they felt that he did not care about where he and his family came from?

On the other hand his grandmother spoke no English.

-“She had no interest in the gringo society. She remained completely aloof from the public. Protected by her daughters. Protected even by me when we went to Safeway together and I acted as her translator.”

His grandmother was completely different than him. She had no interest in learning English, and she had people to protect her and translate for her.

I did not think it was fair for everyone to give him a hard time for not knowing Spanish fluently. English was his stronger language. But his grandmother was allowed to get by without trying at all to learn any English. At least he was trying to learn Spanish. On the other hand it is ok for her to only speak only Spanish and not want anything to do with the gringo society.

Does anyone have any opinions on that?