Public and Private Language--Richard Rodriguez

Through his essay “Public and Private Language”, Richard Rodriguez describes how from an early age he recognized his public and private identities as separate. His home was a more private world than the homes of his English-speaking peers since his family members were able to bond over their feelings of estrangement and the Spanish language they shared. Further, Rodriguez recognized his public identity at an early age, since he was more self-conscious when he spoke English, both because it was an unfamiliar language with unfamiliar sounds and because when he spoke English, there was always an audience. As his ability to speak English rose, so did his confidence in his public identity.

As I grew up, I too realized the existence of a public identity, but unlike Rodriguez, I became more silent with this realization. I have never been good at stringing words together quickly and in a way that truly conveys what I mean. Because my family and friends have gotten used to the way I speak, they usually do understand what I mean to say, or they at least have the patience for me to fully spell it out. As Rodriguez pointed out in regards to public language, “the point was not self-expression alone but to make oneself understood by many others” (p. 283). As my confidence in my ability to speak publicly declined, my public identity has become more silent and reserved, drifting farther away from my silly and easygoing private self.

I found Rodriguez’s uncertainty over how to address his parents to be the most interesting part of his essay. After English became his primary language, the words “mother” and “father” did not suit his parents, yet he did not feel as if “mamá” and “papá” were words and sounds that belonged to him anymore. The lost connection between his parents and himself due to the differences in the English and Spanish languages is particularly visible and emotional in this example he provides.

I noticed that Rodriguez’s essay was extremely personal. Not only does he delve deeply into personal content, but his style of writing is also very intimate. He uses parentheses to let the reader in on more information than what a straight narrative would provide. “Sentences needed to be spoken slowly when a child addressed his mother or father. (Often the parent wouldn’t understand.)” (p. 285) Furthermore, he italicizes words to place emphasis on them, allowing the reader to almost hear Rodriguez tell his story and connect more deeply to him.