In Richard Rodriguez’s essay, “The Achievement of Desire,” from his autobiography Hunger of Memory, Rodriguez describes how his early life choices shaped and directed him toward both academic success and familial failure. Rodriguez does not hide his conflict between logical reasoning and illogical emotions, and constantly chooses to distance himself from his family to focus on his desire—academic success. While Rodriguez’s decision to become an academic is intentional, throughout his essay, Rodriguez suggests that to achieve academic success, one must choose to change permanently, and accept the consequential losses along the way.
Rodriguez refers to himself in the first and third person to separate two lives. He often writes in third person …show more content…
He feels almost obligated to make the logical, and not the emotional choice by analyzing which world is more beneficial. He is, theoretically, aware of the losses that may come after his decision, because the choice carries, as he says, a “consequent price—the loss” (569). The two worlds share the same limited resource—time—the consequent price of spending time with school is losing time with family. Likewise, he analyzes which world is more relevant, and question if family is more relevant than school. Rodriguez notices, that “he goes home and sees in his parents a way of life not only different but starkly opposed to that of the classroom” (570). The negative opposition seems to be a threat against his education that directs him to refuse his parents’ way of living—his family’s identity—while his teachers’ way of living is his ambition as he expresses: “I wanted to be like my teachers, to possess their knowledge, to assume their authority, their confidence, even to assume a teacher’s persona (574). The teachers’ role is significant to Rodriguez, which implies that he considers the academic world superior than the familial world because his parents’ life is less desirable for him. Correspondently, Rodriguez feels obligated to make the “logical choice” and suppresses the “illogical emotional choice” because the emotions are a possible threat to his education. Rodriguez chooses to become a student, and feels …show more content…
Yet, even after years passed, Rodriguez comprehends that an uncertainty remains when he describes that he is “bright enough to have moved from his past, yet unable to feel easy, a part of a community of academics” (583). The choice is intentional, but his emotions conflicts with his main goal, and Rodriguez dynamically moves away from his past, but he cannot, and does not want, to ignore his feelings any further. Then, a noticeable shift from third to first person occurs, which indicates that Rodriguez is finally harmonizing the two personas by accepting the two identities as one, as his own identity. During the latest stage of his education, he explains: “I wanted something—I couldn't say exactly what. I told myself that I wanted a more passionate life. And a life less thoughtful. And above all, I wanted to be less alone” (584). Since early in his life, Rodriguez struggled, but chose, to be socially separate from his family, and at this point in his life he identifies that he is, and probably will continue to be, lonely in the academic
Rodriguez refers to himself in the first and third person to separate two lives. He often writes in third person …show more content…
He feels almost obligated to make the logical, and not the emotional choice by analyzing which world is more beneficial. He is, theoretically, aware of the losses that may come after his decision, because the choice carries, as he says, a “consequent price—the loss” (569). The two worlds share the same limited resource—time—the consequent price of spending time with school is losing time with family. Likewise, he analyzes which world is more relevant, and question if family is more relevant than school. Rodriguez notices, that “he goes home and sees in his parents a way of life not only different but starkly opposed to that of the classroom” (570). The negative opposition seems to be a threat against his education that directs him to refuse his parents’ way of living—his family’s identity—while his teachers’ way of living is his ambition as he expresses: “I wanted to be like my teachers, to possess their knowledge, to assume their authority, their confidence, even to assume a teacher’s persona (574). The teachers’ role is significant to Rodriguez, which implies that he considers the academic world superior than the familial world because his parents’ life is less desirable for him. Correspondently, Rodriguez feels obligated to make the “logical choice” and suppresses the “illogical emotional choice” because the emotions are a possible threat to his education. Rodriguez chooses to become a student, and feels …show more content…
Yet, even after years passed, Rodriguez comprehends that an uncertainty remains when he describes that he is “bright enough to have moved from his past, yet unable to feel easy, a part of a community of academics” (583). The choice is intentional, but his emotions conflicts with his main goal, and Rodriguez dynamically moves away from his past, but he cannot, and does not want, to ignore his feelings any further. Then, a noticeable shift from third to first person occurs, which indicates that Rodriguez is finally harmonizing the two personas by accepting the two identities as one, as his own identity. During the latest stage of his education, he explains: “I wanted something—I couldn't say exactly what. I told myself that I wanted a more passionate life. And a life less thoughtful. And above all, I wanted to be less alone” (584). Since early in his life, Rodriguez struggled, but chose, to be socially separate from his family, and at this point in his life he identifies that he is, and probably will continue to be, lonely in the academic