Talking Points 2

Richard Rodriguez "Aria"

Matthew Sawyer

QUOTES
1. It's not possible for a child - any child - ever to use his family's language in school. Not to understand this is to misunderstand the public uses of schooling and to trivialize the nature of intimate life - family life.

-this quote is Rodriguez's way of explaining why children must be taught in english, his reasoning is that since schools are public institutions, and a child's entrance in to public life, he must learn to communicate in the public's manner. Also, not using english in schools, minimalizes the intimate nature of the family and the family language by making it public

2.So they do not realize that while one suffers a diminished sense of private individuality by becoming assimilated into public society, such assimilation makes possible the achievement of public individuality.

-Rodriguez is explaining the flaw in the argument that a student loses his identity when forced to speak only a foreign language, to him, in school rather than his native language. What this argument fails to recognize, that Rodriguez does point out, is that although the student may feel a drop in his private individuality, he will become an individual in the greater society and no longer be an outsider.

3.Intamacy is not created by a particular language, it is created by intimates.

- Here, Rodriguez states that while some feel full immersion into a new language takes away the intimate feelings of one's native language, the truth is that the intimate feelings conveyed by that language has nothing to do with the language itself, but everything to do with whom those intimate feelings are conveyed between.

POINTS TO SHARE

Richard Rodriguez's "Aria" is an interesting look inside the argument for bilingual education because not only does it support the opinion of the "culture of power," its an opinion put forth by someone outside said culture. Though one could argue, that by learning the rules of the "culture of power," Rodriguez has attained his own power within the culture. Rodriguez's position is one that calls for a full immersion technique for foriegn language speakers despite cries about a decrease in private identity. Rodriguez points out that while a private identity is somewhat diminished, it is more than made up for with a public identity. Only by learning the language of the culture in which you wish to live, are you able to become accepted by that culture and no longer face the hardships and ostracism of an outsider.

Talking Points 1

Talking Points 1

Johnathan Kozol “Amazing Grace”

Matthew Sawyer

QUOTES

1. “That’s how it is. What can I say?”
- Mrs. Washington uses this as her reasoning for why horrible things are happening the way they are at St. Anne’s

2. “If poor people behaved rationally, they would seldom be poor for long.”
- Professor Lawrence Mead’s conclusion on why poor people are poor

3. “But they’re in a cage. They can not see.”
- David’s reasoning behind why St. Anne’s does not become “better”

POINTS TO SHARE

This article is a more “real” look into the culture of power because it focuses less on the theoretical concepts and more on an actual example of its practice. I chose the quotes above because they represent 3 main views on why the situation doesn’t change. Mrs. Washington’s view is one which is drained of hope and replaced with acceptance. It represents a view of someone whom has lived long enough to see change fail and has come to accept the situation as what it is. Professor Mead’s view is one that represents the “culture of power.” it acknowledges the situation but fails to take responsibility for its occurrence, rather it places the blame on those affected, citing non-conformance to the “culture.” David’s view is unique because it gives and explicit reason for the situation: those in the situation are shown it is the only way. He also alludes to the fact that if just one person can see the outside world, they can get out.

Hello :)

HI, my name is matt, and i'm currently a seinor taking this class for the second time. I'm studying to be a special education teacher and recently transfered to the major last semester. Outside of class, I work with special needs kids in their home. I have an autistic\adhd diagnosed brother who is just turning 6. He is the reason i got into the field i'm in and has taught me more than any classroom ever could. I play guitar as a sideproject, have built my own guitar, and am always listening to some kind of music weither it be classic rock, heavy metal, rap, techno, synth pop, classical or anything else you can think of. I'm obsessed with movies and watch them on a daily basis and by Netflix's count have seen nearly 1,000 movies\tv seasons in my life though its most likely more. i'm a very open person and am always available for questions if the need arises.