In the essay "Children of Mexico," the author, Richard Rodriguez, achieves the effect of relaying his bittersweet feeling regarding how Mexicans stubbornly hold on to their past and heritage by not only relaying many personal experiences and images, but also by using an effective blend of formal and informal tone and a diction that provides a bittersweet tone. Among the variety of ways this is done, one is through repetitive reference to fog. The word is used many times in the essay, especially in segments relating to Mexican-Americans returning to Mexico for the winter. One of the more potent uses reads as follows: "The fog closes in, condenses, and drips day and night from the bare limbs of trees. And my mother looks out the kitchen window and cannot see the neighbor's house." (Rodriguez). The fog, as it appears on multiple, yet specific occasions, could be considered a symbol, a motif. Fog is generally related to not being able to see, and this can be applied and suggest that the fog in wintery Mexico has something to do with the author's attitude towards his home country, or perhaps how Mexicans choose to stubbornly cling to customs. Whatever it was intended to mean. It is clear that the symbolism is not the most positive, and provides a dreary tone. …show more content…
The paragraph breaks and the next begins with "HAIIII-EEE. HAI. HAI. HAI." (Rodriguez). At first, it almost seems out of place in the essay, but it conveys a feeling that the author must have thought of as important. It is worth noting that the cheers end in periods rather than exclamation marks, suggesting the cheers are bittersweet. Perhaps they are happy to be going back home, but know that soon they will return to California? It could lead one to believe that they aren't too fond of