Reading Aria by Richard Rodriguez for me was very interesting because I could relate to what his piece was about. I was born in Dominican Republic and came to the United States when I was very young. I could not speak a word of English. As I began to attend school I was expected to speak English because English is considered to be the dominate language in the US. However, as time began to pass I began to take on the challenge of learning this new mysterious language called English. Being young it was easy for me to the learn it but I felt this disconnect from my culture. It was like I lost apart of myself. I no longer spoke Spanish at my house nor did I even bother communicating with my parents. My mentality changed, I no longer thought that speaking Spanish was acceptable because if I ever did I felt like someone, somewhere was judging me. My opinion is that being "Americanized" doesn't mean that we, and by we I mean anyone who is born in a different country, should throw away what defines us. Being able to speak English and know that costumes is something that we should all acquire while living in the US but not to the point where like in the text, the children lost their inner selves. “I perceived that the methods the he, his family, and his school used to aid him in learning English had separated him from his developing in the Spanish language”(Andrada’s Blog). I believe that it was okay for his loved ones to help him learn English but boundaries should have been set. Instead of encouraging him to focus on learning English only they should have encouraged him to strengthen both languages. In this day and age bilingual people are considered very important and rare. I can relate to this because I too was in this position, however because my parents at home spoke in only Spanish and English only was spoken in school so I got the best of both worlds. Richards argument is that a child can miss out and become someone they’re not when leaving behind something as important as their native language just to fit in and become socially acceptable to the people of society. Sunday, September 29, 2013
Richard Rodriguez - Aria
Reading Aria by Richard Rodriguez for me was very interesting because I could relate to what his piece was about. I was born in Dominican Republic and came to the United States when I was very young. I could not speak a word of English. As I began to attend school I was expected to speak English because English is considered to be the dominate language in the US. However, as time began to pass I began to take on the challenge of learning this new mysterious language called English. Being young it was easy for me to the learn it but I felt this disconnect from my culture. It was like I lost apart of myself. I no longer spoke Spanish at my house nor did I even bother communicating with my parents. My mentality changed, I no longer thought that speaking Spanish was acceptable because if I ever did I felt like someone, somewhere was judging me. My opinion is that being "Americanized" doesn't mean that we, and by we I mean anyone who is born in a different country, should throw away what defines us. Being able to speak English and know that costumes is something that we should all acquire while living in the US but not to the point where like in the text, the children lost their inner selves. “I perceived that the methods the he, his family, and his school used to aid him in learning English had separated him from his developing in the Spanish language”(Andrada’s Blog). I believe that it was okay for his loved ones to help him learn English but boundaries should have been set. Instead of encouraging him to focus on learning English only they should have encouraged him to strengthen both languages. In this day and age bilingual people are considered very important and rare. I can relate to this because I too was in this position, however because my parents at home spoke in only Spanish and English only was spoken in school so I got the best of both worlds. Richards argument is that a child can miss out and become someone they’re not when leaving behind something as important as their native language just to fit in and become socially acceptable to the people of society. 
Monday, September 23, 2013
Peggy McIntosh- Unpacking The Invisible KnapsacK
As I began to read White Privilege by Peggy McIntosh I noticed that she began with talking about male privilege and how men compared to women are over privileged. She then begins to talk about how that lead her to the issue of white privilege and how it is intermingled with the issue of male privilege because of how these issues are “denied and protected” (1). She talks about how being white automatically brings with it so many advantages but are taught not to really acknowledge or “recognize” (1) the fact that they have the upper hand in society. I however, feel sort of the same way because society is in-favor of white privilege. We live in a world where it is easier for white people to live. Now in this case I am going to speak from my perspective since I am not of the white race and I believe that it is harder for me to get a car loan based on my race, and the majority of people I work with are white, I am more than likely going to get followed at a store, and I am bound to do worse in school compared to someone of the white race. There are many more I can name but I won’t because there are just too many. In her article a little later she lists numerous things that are in-favor of white race in our society and I completely agree with her. I believe that white people are less aware of this issue people of color go through because they have never been exposed to this kind of life. Having being exposed to a life like mine I feel like they would then be more aware of White privilege. I mean I’m not saying I live a terrible life because of this issue but if society was in favor of not white privilege but in favor of everyone I feel like maybe it would help to decrease the number of colored people who label white people as racist. While reading through the class blogs I found something that one of my classmate said in her writing about the same piece and that is that “In the world today all races need to be equal from the minute they are born, not just one race" (Greenman). I agree with her, people should look at each other as equals because after all we as humans are all striving for many of the same things in life.
Friday, September 20, 2013
About Me !
Hello everyone:
My name is Nelsy Ogando. This is my second year at RIC and I am loving every second of it. I am very quiet and shy but once you get to know me I can be very fun and outgoing. I am very athletic and a hard worker. This summer I did many exciting things. Even though I didn't travel like people usually do I still got to create some great memories with my friends and family. For the Fourth of July I spent the whole day in Newport and at the end of the night I got to see the amazing fireworks on the Newport Harbor. I got to go camping, Zip-lining and water rafting. I also went kayaking and to the mystic aquarium and last but not least I got to go to the Maroon 5 and Kelly Clarkson concert. It was my first concert ever so I was super excited I got to go!The picture above is my loved one and I, sorry its so blurry. I am taking this course because it is a requirement before I apply to the school of education. I hope this semester is filled with lots of adventures!
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