In “Family Values” by Richard Rodriguez, the author first begins on a bit of a personal note, setting up the scene for the reader. Readers immediately learn that Rodriguez is sitting in a car outside of his parents’ home, debating on how to tell his family that he is in fact homosexual. The author then begins to expand on the term “family values” by introducing different opinions of what family values means to different cultures. For example, in traditional American culture it is common for the children to move out and find their own way in the world. They are expected to, as Rodriguez puts it, “become [their] own man” (257). He elaborates on this, explaining to readers that for immigrants, this is
The structure of “Family Values” is