In Chapter 2, Achievement of Desire, Richard Rodriguez discusses his love for literature as well as what he credits his success to and the idea of the "scholarship boy". Rodriguez claims that while there were other important factors which led him to his academic advancement, the "primary reason for [his] success in the classroom was that [he] couldn't forget that schooling was changing [him] and separating [him] from the life [he] enjoyed before becoming a student,". Rodriguez knew that indulging himself in his studies had cause a negative impact on his family bonds and he wanted to make this loss of intimacy a positive thing by making the most of his education. He began to lose himself in the words and read constantly which only made his parent's lack of education more apparent to him. He was often ashamed of his parents and they lost his authority which led him to find this authority in his teachers. Despite his past, Richard regrets putting everything aside and while he values his education, he longs for a more passionate life with that intimacy he only felt with his family. Nowadays, his colleagues are bright thinkers and while his conversations are advanced, he misses that bond and those intimate conversations which contrast his now professional and lonely lifestyle. In turn this level of education does help him to realize he could never form his own point of view and he became an imitation of others he had read. This academic advancement makes it possible for him to see himself through others and be conscious and critical of himself. This is what makes him a "scholarship boy". Not only is he a middle class child struggling for academic success but his change in authoritative figures, his embarrassment of his parents, his acknowledgment that education "requires self-reformation", and even his nostalgic feelings in which he misses his intimate bonds and personal level conversations all contribute to the persona of the "scholarship boy". His search through other educational writers to find why his education has severely removed him from his personal past further confirms his need to find things out about himself through others.
After reading Chapter 2, I feel much better about getting into the book than the first chapter as this one was much more interesting and relatable for me. Similar to Rodriguez, education is something that sometimes comes between my parents and I. For example, in the book Rodriguez recalls one instance of his childhood where he became frustrated when his father could not help him with his homework. That is definitely an act I can say I'm guilty of as my parents only completed high school and some college and the educational system is much different now than it was then in terms of what we learn, so going to them for homework help has become somewhat of a rare occurrence. I often don't realize it but I can be hard on my parents about things which I feel are common knowledge but might not be for them and this is an example of generational differences. Additionally, I can relate when Richard's mom wants him to stay closer to home and doesn't understand the need for Richard to achieve a better education elsewhere. While my mom fully supports me with everything in her, she often doesn't realize that she is trying to convince me to stay closer to home for college. This chapter was a reality check for me because when I do these things where I easily become frustrated with my parents for something they might not understand I don't think too much about it. But reading Rodriguez do the exact same thing and realizing how insincere he sounds makes me see that I can't look at him as an impolite individual because it would be hypocritical. Looking through the lens of someone else does make me see that I have to be more patient with my parents and remember that they are responsible for who I am today.
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