To begin with, "The Achievement of Desire" by Richard Rodriguez was a little bit hard for me to get into at first because I did not understand fully why the author made references to the "Scholarship Boy." However I did find some of the points that the speaker made to be interesting. First he talks about a what he finds to be the trend in many classrooms. He says "typically most working-clas children are barely changed by the classroom. The exception succeeds. The relative few become scholarship students" (433). I find his conclusion to be unfortunate although true. A lot of times "working-class" or poor children do not do so well in school and I am not sure why. I think some of it may be due to a lack of hope or encouragement as well as due to other reasons but whatever the reason makes for a sad outcome; many unsuccessful children who must work all of their life for very little as their parents also had to do.
The article also noted that some working-class children who do succeed in school may no longer want to relate to their parents and furthermore they may be ashamed of them. The speaker talks about how "the scholarship boy...permits himself embarrassment at their lack of education" (434). I find this to be sad because I would not want my children to be ashamed of me if I were uneducated or for any other reason. However I can see why this "scholarship boy" was ashamed, because although both of my parents are very educated I have other relatives who are not and even though I love them I find it embarrasing when they try to speak their minds on certan subject matter and it comes out as foolishness due to their lack of education. And what makes it worse is that some of them do not seek education, which I find to be the embarrassment in itself.
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Rodriguez uses Hoggart's concept of the "scholarship boy" as a critical lens to help him analyze his own experience in school. That's a typical strategy in academic discourse, one that helps a writer write more vertically. Rodriguez didn't just tell his story...he analyzed his story in order to help us see how his story isn't just his story, but the story of others like him.
ReplyDeleteI love the quotes she has picked. The first quote can be so true. I wish that it was not. I hope there can be away of changing this in the future but for now I think its here to stay. I believe that they just seem to not have the resouces that others have. And the lack of support at home to help them succeed is just not their cause they themselves did not have the support. I hope that their can be a change in this so they can succeed.
ReplyDeleteThe second quote in her backing up of it I find to be true. It can be really hard to have conversations with them. They always seem to lack something. They missed out on not learn in a different way but they do learn something else from not continuing their education but parts can just be missing.
From taking my intro to teaching in urban schools class and just being a student in school my whole life in general, I see how true Rodriguez's point about working class kids is true. You are right when you say that it is unfortunate. Children of parents who are educated are more likely to enjoy and engage in school, and are also more likely to continue higher education. Education is the KEY to success and although I would not necessarily be embarassed of my parents for the lack of education, I would be embarassed at their lack of education.
ReplyDeleteAs I read "The Achievement of Desire" by Richard Rodriguez I had some of the same feelings about the essay. I have had many friends who come from working-class families who started college, with grants allowing them to go to for almost free, but end up dropping out. I never understood why this was. I often have felt jealous and frustrated with these friends of mine because I would be so grateful to go to college for a fraction of the price. It's interesting how society works because I come from a family that is probably considered middle class, but I am the first to go to college. Sometimes I feel like my parents don't understand how hard college is because they never were there, so I often do not get rewarded for my achievements. Because of this, when I started school I did not do very well. Now, however, I have made honors two semesters in a row with straight A's. I have been continuing to push for those achievements - perhaps like the "scholarship boy" - because I want to show my parents that I can do what they did not. I know that's wrong of me, but I think everyone needs some sort of drive to push them to achieve.
ReplyDeleteWow, Kendal! I admire your honesty. What you said took real courage to admit.
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