1. What are the turning points in the narrative? What are the most important things the writer seems to learn? In this narrative, the author tracks his development as a student compared to his family life. At first, in the second grade, he tries to speak with his parents, correcting their mistakes and asking for their help on homework assignments. However, in the third grade, he begins to keep his school and family lives separate while focusing mostly on his education. Later, a distance is developed between his family and himself as he becomes ashamed of his parents’ lack of education. Thus, these two changes in his life provide a basis for his defining characteristics. Through this, the author seems to learn about the change in his family
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This is exemplified when he admits that the “primary reason for my success in the classroom was that I couldn’t forget that schooling was changing me and separating me from the life I enjoyed before becoming a student” (Rodriguez 17). Afterwards, this concept is explored throughout the rest of his essay as he follows his past actions and comes to think of his parents as simply “not like my teachers” (Rodriguez 21). However, throughout his work he only keeps one perspective that is supported by a reference to another author. Thus, while reviewing his past, it is difficult to recognize his argument. He provides the “special qualities in the child. High-strung child. Brooding. Sensitive. Haunted by the knowledge that one chooses to become a student” (Rodriguez 19). While this seems negative, he goes further to say that this is the basis of his success. Hence, he creates a negative and positive response in the reader’s mind through his work, but keeps a single viewpoint without reviewing the other. Despite this, through his use of emotion and reference in his work he creates a conversation. Rodriguez uses sentences such as “Sad. Enthusiastic. Troubled by the excitement of brand new ideas” in order to interact with the reader through his emotions (Rodriguez 21). Furthermore, he responds to Richard Hoggart’s work through making connections as “Hoggart’s calm prose only makes me recall the urgency with which I came to idolize my grammar school teachers” when Hoggart observes that boys such as Rodriguez “make a father-figure of his form-master” (Rodriguez 19). Therefore, through his analysis, Rodriguez implements the academic habits of
This is exemplified when he admits that the “primary reason for my success in the classroom was that I couldn’t forget that schooling was changing me and separating me from the life I enjoyed before becoming a student” (Rodriguez 17). Afterwards, this concept is explored throughout the rest of his essay as he follows his past actions and comes to think of his parents as simply “not like my teachers” (Rodriguez 21). However, throughout his work he only keeps one perspective that is supported by a reference to another author. Thus, while reviewing his past, it is difficult to recognize his argument. He provides the “special qualities in the child. High-strung child. Brooding. Sensitive. Haunted by the knowledge that one chooses to become a student” (Rodriguez 19). While this seems negative, he goes further to say that this is the basis of his success. Hence, he creates a negative and positive response in the reader’s mind through his work, but keeps a single viewpoint without reviewing the other. Despite this, through his use of emotion and reference in his work he creates a conversation. Rodriguez uses sentences such as “Sad. Enthusiastic. Troubled by the excitement of brand new ideas” in order to interact with the reader through his emotions (Rodriguez 21). Furthermore, he responds to Richard Hoggart’s work through making connections as “Hoggart’s calm prose only makes me recall the urgency with which I came to idolize my grammar school teachers” when Hoggart observes that boys such as Rodriguez “make a father-figure of his form-master” (Rodriguez 19). Therefore, through his analysis, Rodriguez implements the academic habits of