Summary Of Chinese In All Of Us By Richard Rodriguez

From a modern viewpoint, arguments are thought to be the cause for rifts that occur in relationships. Only when thinking objectively will it become apparent that the arguments themselves are harmless. The real reason relationships turn sour is due to ineffective arguing. When each viewpoint of an argument is conveyed successfully, along with coherent reasoning, the opposer will be able to clearly understand the conclusion. The purpose of an argument is to compel someone to agree with a certain set of views. Furthermore, if ideas are unable to be shared by both parties, then no effective argument will take place and neither side will come out ahead. Richard Rodriguez begins The Chinese in All of Us by bluntly pointing out that he considers

For example, if a mathematician were to make claims best left to a historian, the public would automatically invalidate those claims due to the lack of credibility the author has in that particular field. Fortunately, Rodriguez possesses an immense amount of credibility on the subject of his essay. This becomes evident as readers discover that some of the main supportive evidence for his claims derive from his own life experiences. An instance of this can be seen when he speaks about the intrusion of American culture in his home, pushed for by nuns from his school. Rodriguez states that “one Saturday three nuns appeared at our door … asking my parents if it would be possible to use English around the house” (246). In other words, the nuns were asking the family to no longer condone the use of their culture’s native language to make the transition to a new culture easier for their child. As a consequence of experiences such as this, Rodriguez is deemed more credible than his counterpart when debating how culture can change based solely on environmental

Additionally, when claims that coincide with evidence are built up over the course of an essay, the reader will inevitably believe that the conclusion is plausible. Thus, Rodriguez arranged key events in his essay in such a way that made the reader reevaluate their concept of culture. He introduces the topic of the essay with the recollection of a phone call from the talent coordinator of the Oprah Winfrey Show. As a result, the reader infers just how ignorant people can be in regard to culture. Rodriguez then moves forward in his writing with several sets of claims and evidence, all while the reader is getting a better understanding of the subject by channeling Rodriguez’s thought process. In the end, these steps in organization will guide the reader in preparation for the appropriate mindset in order to accept the conclusion as