Bilingualism As Depicted In The Short Story 'Aria' By Richard Rodriguez

In the short story “Aria” by Richard Rodriguez, he explains how he grew up in a bilingual household and used Spanish as his “family’s language”. (Rodriguez 225) His childhood experiences made him realize that it is a challenge to learn English as a Spanish speaker. Therefore, he is against children using their family’s language in school or in a public society. It is an academic enrichment (Kim Potowski) for children to know two or more languages. Students are successful and prepared to face the challenges ahead of them (Potowski). Being bilingual is not a disadvantage to society or to education. In 2016, people see that being a bilingual speaker is more of an advantage to children than people did in the time that Richard Rodriguez wrote his memoir.

In Richard Rodriguez’s memoir he explains how children who speak another language, excluding english, do not receive the best education, as in today, being a bilingual speaker is an academic enrichment (Potowski). In today’s time, language is an advantage for both children and adults. It is an advantage for children because they can communicate with more people and can be more open-minded towards different people and would grow up with better communication skills. Bilingualism at a young age also has many advantages for children's

futures, such as getting into a good college and having more career options
In adults, being bilingual is a lead for them in the “real world”, most jobs prefer bilingual workers. Therefore, being bilingual can help an adult get just as far as children. One of the most spoken languages in the United States is Spanish. Richard Rodriguez sees being bilingual speaker not as beneficial as much as people do today, there would be so much controversy on that one topic. Being bilingual broadens your mind and expands your communication levels so when traveling to talk to many different people. People that speak Spanish can communicate with people from 21 different countries. In today's society, being bilingual is important because it allows people to become a dependable source. It benefits a person in many ways, it allows people to work globally, open job opportunities and opens doors to learn about a new culture.
Today, speaking or learning to speak two or more languages is very beneficial in anybodys life.

Being bilingual will help students be more successful. In the time that Richard Rodriguez wrote “Aria”, the Chicano Movement was going on and he saw being bilingual in a different view. People saw being bilingual as non-beneficial due to the little diversity and the little mindedness of people in the United States. Now, people see being bilingual as one of the biggest advantages there could be. The United States now has more diversity and people are more open-minded. Spanish being one of the most spoken language in the United States is no longer a private language and belongs in a public

society.