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Lives in Two Languages: An Exploration of Identity and Culture
by Linda Watkins-Goffman
A Reader's Guide
These questions will guide you as you read the novels and excerpts from the novels that appear in Lives in Two Languages.
Questions from the excerpt in Lives in Two Languages (pp. 17-20)
- What do you think Rodriguez meant when he said, "I grew victim to a disabling confusion." (p.17)
- What would happen whenever relatives spoke to him in Spanish? Why?
- What does the word "pocho " mean, and why was Rodriguez called that name?
- What did Spanish mean to the people Rodriguez met at home when he was growing up?
- What insight did Rodriguez gain when his grandmother called him as he was playing with an English-speaking companion?
- According to Rodriguez, what is the definition of intimacy, and why is it important?
Questions from the Autobiography Hunger of Memory (1983)
- Richard Rodriguez takes the position that the acquisition of a public language, English, is more important than using the native language in class to make students feel at ease. Why do you think he feels this way? Do you agree or disagree? (p. 19)
- According to Rodriguez, even though his parents were supportive of his academic success, they were a source of shame to him because of their lack of education. What effect do you think this had on Rodriguez' developing identity?
- What role did the church and the language used there play in the development of Rodriguez's private language and identity? His public language and identity? (pp. 96-110)
- Why was the color of his skin important to Rodriguez? What was the origin of this issue, and how did it contribute to his feeling about his own public identity? (pp. 114-130)
- How did Rodriguez feel towards his siblings? (pp.190-192) How has his writing affected his family relationships?
For more on these topics, you might choose to read Rodriquez's two follow-up books: Days of Obligation: An Argument with My Mexican Father (1993) and Brown: The Last Discovery of America (2003).
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