Bilingualism In Hunger Of Memory By Richard Rodriguez

620 Words3 Pages
Bilingualism, fluency in or use of two languages. To many people who speak a single language that is all bilingualism is, but to those who are bilingual it is something that is deeper than that. To be bilingual is to be a part of something larger, it is rooted in one’s identity and connects them to a vaster community.
Richard Rodriguez, author of Hunger of Memory, believed that a first language or native tongue was personal and exclusive. He felt that one’s original language was only for family and those who already spoke it, he writes, “ I considered Spanish to be a private language.”(19). In this he means exactly what is stated. He feels that Spanish is only for him and his family since no one else in public spoke to him in anything but English.