Aria
In "Aria" by Richard Rodriguez he reflects on his life with a Spanish-speaking world at home to a public, English-speaking identity in American society. Growing up he was able to form a strong bond with his family through Spanish as it gave him comfort and a sense of identity. As life when on and he started to learn English he began fitting into public, and gained confidence in school. Because of that he found himself drifting away from that family closeness. His father, who was very talkative in Spanish, grew quiet, and Rodriguez noticed that family interactions lost their warmth, and was replaced with a quiet distance. In this piece he challenges the idea that blending into a new culture makes people lose their own identity. He argues that learning to fit into public helps people grow, but it means losing some of the personal closeness at home.
I sympathize for a reality I understand deeply, but have never known myself. I think of my grandfather coming to America eighty years ago and having the outside world shut his family for speaking Italian. It is because of that my great-grandfather decided to cut his last name in half to create a more American name; going from Cicciarelli to just Relli. My grandfather, who only spoke Italian, was made fun of so much that he has never uttered a single Italian word after learning English which means my mom nor did I get the language passed down- only our cut last name remains of our history and Italian roots. This is almost the opposite of what Rodriguez was talking about due to the lack of warmth the language gave my family in America. However, I think it does show proof of the pressure to fit into an American society and giving my family "confidence" to blend in as much as they could. Now for me being a second generation in America it is almost like my heritage was wiped from me to make it look like I have been here all along, a result I am curious if my great-grandfather really meant to have.
I also think about the classroom I am in right now when it comes to speaking Spanish. I work with four little girls who only speak Spanish and due to my many years of schooling and being around Spanish speakers for so long I feel confident to hold a conversation and teach them as much as I can. The first time I went to the table and talked in Spanish I do not think they were expecting me to know it, but I will say it felt like relief washed over them. You see the lesson was being taught in English and as a Kindergartener they have it the worst because not only are they learning how to count and recognize numbers for the first time, but they have to do all that and translate it and essentially know it in two sentences. I do think in life it will be immensely helpful for those girls to learn English, but for right now I will continue to translate for them because, unlike their peers, they are learning two things for the first time at the same time and I can only imagine what fear and pressure it causes them. I think by using their home language I did bring a feeling of reassurance and peace into their lesson. I hope they understand they hold such power by being bilingual in this world and they do not have to drop one language to fit in, nor do they have to lose any connection with their home.
As I said before I have been around Spanish speakers for a few years now and that is from my best friends family only speaking to each other in their native language. Her parents are both from Mexico and they do know English but to preserve their children knowledge of Spanish (since they are all old enough to be in the English speaking world) they speak it at all times at home. Being exposed to this language and their love for their culture only inspired me more to keep up with my own knowledge which is why I can proudly say I am able to translate for these students. I will continue to translate for them as long as they need, I will never be able to know what it feels like to learn math, history, and science all in a language I do not understand. Those four girls, and the rest of all children like them, inspire me daily to remember your language is not something to be ashamed of, but something to embrace and I hope to aid all I can.
I really enjoyed reading your reflection on your own family's experience with the themes suggested in "Aria." My grandparents also came to America from Italy around the same time period as your grandfather, and I've talked with my grandmother in the past about the different struggles she experienced in the U.S largely due to not being able to speak English when she first arrived. It is truly heartbreaking that so many families from an array of different cultures are having the same experiences in terms of being pressured to abandon their identities to become "more American," like with your great-grandfather cutting his last name in half.
ReplyDeleteHi Leah! I enjoyed reading your reflection. I really do sympathize with your family's experiences, and I feel that you are not the only one that this has unfortunately happened to. There are so many people in this country that have had to lose their familial and cultural ties to fit in. Actually, I have seen this in my placement. There is a girl in our class that is Latina, and so her name is said with a Spanish accent. However, on the roster, her name is "Ruby", an Americanized name. The teacher calls her by her real name and not by her Americanized name because that is what the student prefers, but I really think that it's sad that her family felt that she had to have an Americanized name to begin with.
ReplyDeleteI appreciated being able to see your own families examples as well as ways that you see in it your current placement :)
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