Hunger of Memory
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Richard Rodriguez, in Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez, writes about his education and socioeconomic success, as well as the high price he has paid for it in terms of his alienation from life. Like many self-centered individuals, Rodriguez is a young man who believes that his own experience should be the basis for social and educational policy. Also, like many self-centered individuals, he fails to see the contradictions in his philosophy. He bemoans his alienation from his Mexican heritage, but he is against bilingualism and seems even to speak at times with contempt for Spanish. He wants to both enjoy the material fruits of his success as a writer, and at the same time feel guilty about that success in order to elevate himself above others who are not ethical or intelligent enough to feel such guilt for their material wealth. The theme of the book, from Rodriguez's point of view, is that society and the educational system need radical revision in order to produce individuals who have not been alienated from life as he was. From this reader's point of view, however, the theme of the book is one man's endless complaints about everything and everybody in life who has caused him pain or failed to appreciate what a special person he is. Rodriguez claims to be an alienated individual, alienated from his past, his success, from society, from his family, from himself, and from his cultural and ethnic roots. He paints himself as a victim of success, of educat
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is an ungrateful lout who blames everyone but himself for his misery. If he loathes his "dandy" clothing so deeply (136), he should change them immediately. If he feels alienated from his culture or other human beings, he should do whatever he needs to do to nurture the connections that remain, rather than further alienating himself with his relentless whining.
Rodriguez admits his obsession with the symbols of success, with the "symbols of leisure and wealth" (136). He wants to acquire them in order to feel acceptance and respect from society, while at the same time disdaining society and its rewards for success and conformity. He claims to have accepted his family, but this reader sees little but contempt in the author's attitude toward his parents. For an intelligent and educated man, Rodriguez appears to be thoroughly helpless in trying to relate to his family on a human level. He sees himself as an artist who does not care about money as his mother does, but he shows no inclination to give up his wealth. He feels sorry for his father but little understanding of what makes his father a special person, even in his inability to express himself. Rodriguez is finally too involved with his own suffering to feel empathy or compa
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Richard Rodriguez, American Mexican-American, affirmative action, York Bantam, educational system, society educational system, Hunger Memory, theme book, guilty success, speak english, special person, social educational, self-centered individuals, focused own, success alienated,
Approximate Word count = 1620
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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