Hunger of Memory-Attitude

Hunger of Memory- Attitude

“For me there is no way to say it with grace. I say it rather with irony sharpened by self-pity. I say it with anger. It is a term that should never have been foisted on me. One I was wrong to accept.” (Rodriguez, 153)

Not only this passage, but many of the words spoken and   written by Richard Rodriguez, signifies the crucial attitude he tries to imply toward his readers: what other peoples opinions can do to oneself. Everyone, young or old, charming or monstrous, tall or short, always has a slight insecurity with themselves. Some may have their heads up higher than the sky, while others show insecurity easily. The passage here describes the emotional attitude Rodriguez feels inside, being a minority was something he would never accept. But what happens when majority of the population goes along with one sort of discrimination ? When a young boy goes to trouble such as is bathed in tea, with the superstition to get a lighter skin color. All this, just to “fit in”.
In this passage, Rodriguez introduces an idea of the lifestyle he entered as he began the scholarship life. We come to see not only do market supplies have labels on them, but so do people. Rodriguez was known as a minority student. The name itself implies a negative concept, being minor, little, voiceless. Based on your racial identity, whether you were tan or dark skinned, you forever carried the label of a minority. As many stories we hear, we are not aware of how the “minority” were treated. In the year we live in, we have come to accept each and every person for who they are, not judge them by their skin color. Rodriguez describes how the dark skinned ones were left with the dirty jobs, how his own mother called him an “ugly” child. How can one judge another without spoken words, but by the color of their skin? Why weren’t their more independent people such as Rodriguez, to come out and speak? He denied being a minority as he spoke to millions of crowds. His...