In his autobiography Hunger of Memory, Richard Rodriguez tells his readers about his journey through his education, highlighting his struggles of not feeling comfortable at school, and later, not feeling comfortable at home. He talks about the emotional struggles of being isolated from his family because of his intellect, as well as his long path from knowing “some fifty stray words in English” to being the “scholarship boy” at Stanford University. In his Banquet Speech, William Faulkner discusses the “duty of a writer”. He mentions that the writer should conquer and move past their fears, they should teach himself universal truths, and help by reminding other of courage compassion, and other positive qualities a person could have. In Hunger
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This is translated in the Banquet Speech when Faulkner says “He writes of love… not lust, of defeats in which [somebody] loses [something] of value… with pity and compassion.” Throughout Hunger of Memory, Richard Rodriguez goes into details about the the struggles he faced such as dealing with the cultural stereotype of being dark skinned, expressing his emotion even though it was viewed as unmasculine, and the biggest struggle, having to balance the public and private life that he has created himself because of being a bilingual student. He shows the audience that he has sacrificed a lot to get where he is today when he says, “Many mornings at my desk I have been paralyzed by the thought of their faces, their eyes. That image has weakened my resolve. Finally, however, it has not stopped me. Despite the fact that my parents remain in my mind a critical, silent chorus, standing together, I continue writing” (184). This quote shows the audience that he has a soul to be compassionate enough to write about his story, but it also shows he sacrifices his parents’ approval to show his private and true self to his readers. This gives the audience confidence to do the same, telling them to let go of their insecurities and embrace what they want to do with their lives. By teaching them this, Rodriguez appeals to the audience’s emotions, by getting them to sympathize and relate to his
This is translated in the Banquet Speech when Faulkner says “He writes of love… not lust, of defeats in which [somebody] loses [something] of value… with pity and compassion.” Throughout Hunger of Memory, Richard Rodriguez goes into details about the the struggles he faced such as dealing with the cultural stereotype of being dark skinned, expressing his emotion even though it was viewed as unmasculine, and the biggest struggle, having to balance the public and private life that he has created himself because of being a bilingual student. He shows the audience that he has sacrificed a lot to get where he is today when he says, “Many mornings at my desk I have been paralyzed by the thought of their faces, their eyes. That image has weakened my resolve. Finally, however, it has not stopped me. Despite the fact that my parents remain in my mind a critical, silent chorus, standing together, I continue writing” (184). This quote shows the audience that he has a soul to be compassionate enough to write about his story, but it also shows he sacrifices his parents’ approval to show his private and true self to his readers. This gives the audience confidence to do the same, telling them to let go of their insecurities and embrace what they want to do with their lives. By teaching them this, Rodriguez appeals to the audience’s emotions, by getting them to sympathize and relate to his