In my Chicano/a Autobiography class (de Profesora Rebolledo) we are covering some very interesting material. We just read Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez, an author I had never heard of and now find fascinating in many ways. I had to present his life/work yesterday in class, and while doing research on him for the presentation, I found a video of a talk he did years ago on the importance of libraries and books. The topic didn't sound particularly interesting to me,but it was one of the most dynamic and intriguing speeches I've ever heard. If you know what he is known for, you may cringe. If you don't, it just so happens that he speaks out against bilingual education and Affirmative Action. Yes, it is a bit shocking that a Chicano/Mexican-American (what do these mean anyway??) speaks out against these programs, but after reading about his life and listening to his perspective, I am surprised to say that I partly agree with him. He makes some very valid points, and I think it's worth listening to him speak (and reading his books). The talk is about an hour but it's so interesting you won't even notice the time. That was my experience anyway! Let me know what you guys think. I find him incredibly fascinating because he's so controversial, and he makes me think about race, culture, identity and language in ways I hadn't before. Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz2wLvK9p9Q&ob=av3e
His book depressed me a little when he talked about education, and how education will transform you to living a life of solitude and that even though you have an education, you're learning what others have already learned, therefore, what's the real value unless you are doing something new? His point, of course. Even though much of what we are learning has already been discovered, analyzed, I think we can use what we learn and interpret it, extrapolate it, and relate it to our own experiences. Such an interesting character this Rod-ree-guess. I also struggle with his bilingual education stance even though I have to admit that I have acted so similarly...perhaps I will write a blog about it :)) On the other hand, I agree with a lot of his points when it comes to Affirmative Action.
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