Richard Rodriguez: Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood

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This activity contains 3 questions.

Discuss the drawbacks and benefits for Rodriguez and his family as he makes the transition from using Spanish as his only language to giving English primacy. Consider how Rodriguez characterizes each language, along with the personal associations Spanish and English have for him.

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

Discuss Rodriguez’s arguments against bilingual education—or at least against some forms of it, as he delineates in his essay. Explain his reasons for opposing using students’ native language and instead immersing them in English.

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

Write an essay about your own experience with language—particularly if you speak more than one. Reflect on experiences you have had at home, in school, or at work, in which your use(s) of language had important ramifications for you personally, and perhaps beyond yourself as well.

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

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