Hunger Of Memory

Hunger of Memory

Richard Rodriguez is a writer that was born to a Mexican Immigrant couple in the 1940’s. Rodriguez had to consider the fact that his parents spoke Spanish, almost no English, and because of this he had to learn it. His parents where devoted Catholics. Something he later decided to question because of the limits of its beliefs and the cap on ideas it had.
When he was achild, Richard accepted the Catholic religion just like any good Mexican boy. The reason behind it was simple; his parents had chosen it for themselves. He attended, for 12 years, Catholic school. This brought him closer to the Catholic religion, but it also cut him off from understanding other religions, or even knowing that other beliefs existed. In his mind, the Catholic religion was the right andonly important one. Now he chooses to question the Catholics rituals.
Richard talks about how English separated him from his parents and how this affected his relationship with them. Because he accepts that learning the English language will open more doors he starts to speak it more fluently. He also noticed that his parents also speak the English language but have a lot of problemscommunicating with native speakers. Richard concludes that he should speak English in public and Spanish at home. Also, during this chapter he expresses how his thoughts about bilingual education.
He now is honorable student who has decided to attend the University. He is faced with a decision of staying in the local university, because his parents think there is no point in going out of the house tostudy, or going to Stanford. One of the reasons why Mexican families don’t like the children to move out is because the families tend to be closer. In graduate school he finds out he is a “scholarship boy” or in another word a bookworm. One of the things that helped him out the most with his studying was that he had a passion for reading books. At first he was afraid of reading books, due to himthinking reading books would make him educated, which is something that most Mexican people lack. Richard felt guilty about getting an education his parents where incapable of understanding.
The label “minority student” is one that he chooses to takes advantage of so he would save money in his academic career. He founds out about affirmative action. The program, in Richard’s opinion, will not workto the students’ advantage, unless it is set up correctly at the beginning of the academic career, not at the last years of higher education. Richards accepts that what he had been denying. He has gotten ahead with affirmative action; a program he thinks is badly executed and is against.
Richard realizes that he lives in a world that places a value on his complexion or in other words the color ofhis skin. He was teased most of his childhood, mostly by his parents, on how he resembled a black boy or a poor Mexican boy. Richard’s parents where afraid that he might take hard labor jobs that show some income and spending money. He, Richard, chooses to take a summer job as a construction worker. In that summer he finds out that stereotyping of people can be wrong. Also, this summer job helpshim deal with his being ashamed of his dark color and accepts this and overcomes it.
The book is composed by five themes. It starts with “Aria” which is his childhood. Followed by “The achievement of desire”, this chapter is basically about his education. “Credo” talks about his faith and beliefs in the Catholic Religion. “Complexion” mentions race and ethnicity. In “Profession” he expresses hisfeeling about affirmative action towards minority students. Finally, in “Mr. Secrets” he discloses his relationship with his parents and his mother’s feelings toward his writings.
Richard finally found the courage to examine his past and admit his flaws. He admits not to like writing, but his efforts to complete a biography about himself show something deep and profound.
Richard was the...