Brianna Cruz

May 1st, 2015

Professor Decker

English 152

Minorities and Education

Both of the main character from Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez and With or Without

You by Domenica Ruta were not only minorities but also placed an importance on their

education. Although they desired to do well in school, each character faced many different

struggles while pursuing their education. Some of the main differences between both characters

lie on the surface and involve human characteristics. Domenica Ruta is an Italian-American

female with Caucasian skin. Her first language is English and her as well as her parents were

born in The United States of America. Richard Rodriguez is a Mexican- American male with a

dark skin tone. His first language was Spanish but he adopted the English language a very young

age. Rodriguez was born in America however his parents were Mexican immigrants. Both

characters expressed an interest in books and learning at a young age, however Rodriguez

developed this passion more after he mastered the English language. Although they both had

different experiences, they did not let their personal lives interfere with their education. It seems

as though Ruta went through more common struggles such as boys and alcohol, while

Rodriguezs struggles were a bit more severe such as racism and extreme loneliness. Although

Ruta did not grow up with the best support system, her mother had big dreams when it came to

her education while Rodriguezs parents would have been happy with anything due to the fact
that during this time, they did not really know any better. Both characters were not only

minorities but placed a high importance on their education. They reached their goals although

their road to the finish line varied greatly for each author, as they were presented with different

challenges.

At a very young age, Richard was cut off from his comfortable Spanish-speaking lifestyle and

entered the world of English as a first language. In the memoir, he writes about how being cut off

from the Spanish language and forced to only speak in English had effected his ability to speak

Spanish later on in his life. Rodriguezs parents were immigrants from Mexico, which required

them to learn English and adjust to a new lifestyle as well. Although Rodriguezs parents did not

fully understand the school system in America, they enrolled their three children into a Catholic

school system and encouraged them to be become educated by Americas standards. Richard

Rodriguezs first sign of struggle occurred when he was in the first grade. As he writes in his

book, With great tact the visitors continued, Is it possible for you and your husband to

encourage your children to practice their English when they are home? Of course my parents

complied (Rodriguez, p. 20.) Soon after Rodriguez became fluent in the English language, he

became an avid reader. He spent all of his time, at school and at home, reading and learning.

Unfortunately this created a divide in his home life. Rodriguez felt that his new American

education and his passion for books affected his relationship with his family.

Not only does Richard experience family issues, at one point in the memoir he also writes about

dealing with racism as he grew up. Rodriguez writes,

In public I occasionally heard racial slurs. Complete strangers would yell out at me. A teenager

drove past, shouting Hey, Greaser! Hey, Pancho! Over his shoulder I saw the giggling face of
his girl friend.... (Those times I happened to be with white grammar school friends, they shouted

back. Imbued with the mysterious kindness of children, my friends would never ask later why I

hadnt yelled in my own defense) (Rodriguez, p. 125.)

This instance where his race is addressed, is also one of the few times throughout the book that

Rodriguez mentions spending time with his schoolmates. Rodriguez often writes about his

struggle with his family and his race but very rarely about his friendships. His lack of solid

relationships in his life makes his journey through the academic world makes things a bit harder.

Based on personal experience, many people find dealing with stressful things easier when they

have a family member or friends support.

The lack of relationships didnt put a damper on Rodriguezs academic life. According to

Paravisini-Gebert, Rodriguez graduated from Stanford University, received an M.A. from

Colombia University in 1969, and attended graduate school at the University of California,

Berkeley (Paravisini-Gebert.) He continued to struggle with family and racism but these were

simply additional road blocks for Richard to climb over while climbing up an academic

mountain. Richard spent most of his later school years thinking back to his childhood and his

relationship with his parents. Schreiber, with the New York Times, wrote,

Some 20 years later, Richard Rodriguez was in London on a Fullbright Fellowship studying

English Renaissance literature. Then came the crisis. Looking round the reading room of the

British Museum, he realized he had forsaken his family to join a lonely community (Shreiber.)

This event in his life was somewhat foreshadowed in his memoir. Richard often wrote about the

times he would spend alone, reading in his bedroom. This isolated him from not only the outside
world, but his family as well. Rodriguez carried this burden, along with his Masters degree and

graduate diploma, through his life with him.

Domenica Ruta went down a very generic path through her education with the typical female

speed bumps. Ruta was of Italian decent and was reminded of that more days than not by her

mother. Her mother went to the same elementary school as Domenica when she was a child, so

Rutas mother was familiar with the school system. Similar to Rodriguez, Ruta showed an

interest in reading at a very young age. Fragoso writes, Nikki, who used to read TV Guide and

the electricity bill to satisfy her wolfish appetite for the printed word, but in order to acquire

the wisdom necessary to write her book (Fragoso.) Ruta recalls many instances in which

reading and books were scarce for her at a young age. Unfortunately, her mother didnt often

encourage her studious habits. Early in her memoir, Ruta writes,

Then sometimes shed bellow, Honey! You have to watch this movie with me.

Im doing my homework.

This is more important. I promise. Youll thank me later.

I watched the canon of American cinema in my mothers smoky bedroom (Ruta, p. 13.)

Her mother was very influential in throughout her life. During middle school and her first year of

high school, Ruta became involved with boys, drugs, and alcohol. Although she was dipping her

toes into her mothers lifestyle, she still attended school and made time to do her homework.

Rutas mother wasnt the best influence on her however her mother occasionally pushed her

academically. In an article about Domenica Ruta, the author writes, But Rutas mother had big
dreams for her daughter, who made good grades in high school. Ruta eventually transferred to an

elite boarding school in a much richer town nearby (Loving but Leaving a Toxic Mother In

Without You.) At certain points in her education, Kathi encouraged her daughter with her

academics.

Ruta often recalls times in her life with old friends and ex-boyfriends in her memoir. Unlike

Rodriguez, Domenica balanced her academic life with a social life. In many instances, Ruta

describes her mother as being her best friend. Even after leaving for college, Ruta still spoke

with her mother on the phone every day and even visited quite often. It wasnt until later in her

life, when Ruta acknowledged that her alcohol addiction and decided to detox her life; starting

with her mother. This was a very difficult time during Rutas life as it was a very difficult

decision for her to make considering her mother was the one person that she spoke to every

single day since she was born. Unfortunately her mother was also the doorway to her addiction

to alcohol at a very young age. Despite going through tremendous amounts of turmoil, Ruta

managed to graduate Oberlin College and has a Master of Fine Arts from the Michener Center

for Writers at the University of Texas, Austin (Loving but Leaving a Toxic Mother In Without

You.) Ruta carried her diploma and Masters along with an alcohol addiction and a broken

family foundation.

Each family did show their support in some way during the two authors lives. In Rutas case,

her mother sent her to an elite boarding school so that Ruta could excel and have a better

educational future. Rodriguezs family showed their support when his parents refused to speak

Spanish in their household so that Richard could become more fluent in English. Although this

caused emotional damage to Rodriguez as he grew up, he ended up majorly benefiting from
learning English in an academic standing. Rutas main topic of her memoir wasnt her education,

however, it played a major role throughout her life in a similar manner to how much of an impact

Rodriguezs education had on his life. Each character followed a different path through their

educational journey however, Rodriguez faced most of his journey alone due to his very private

life and his lack of family closeness. Rodriguez also had to deal with issues such as racism due to

the time period he was born in. Ruta faced many challenges that people in todays world face.

Neither character lets anything block them on their educational paths. Unfortunately it is

apparent the Rodriguez goes through more of a struggle due to his time period, color, and

ethnicity. Rutas ethnicity never affects her education directly however it is something that is

brought up several times throughout the memoir. Both main character from Hunger of Memory

by Richard Rodriguez and With or Without You by Domenica Ruta were considered minorities

however they did not let this affect their education. Each character faced difficult challenges to

reach their educational success today.

Works Cited

Rodriguez, Richard. Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez:

An Autobiography. Boston, Mass.: D.R. Godine, 1982. Print.

"Books of the Times." The New York Times. The New York Times, 28 Feb. 1982. Web. 17 Apr.

2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/1982/03/01/books/books-of-the-times-255556.html>.

Paravisini-Gebert, Lizaebth. "Richard Rodriguez's Hunger of Memory and the Rejecton of

the Private Self." Web. 17 Apr. 2015. .

Ruta, Domenica. With or without You: A Memoir. New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2013. Print.
Fragoso, Margaux. "Mommy Highest." The New York Times. The New York Times, 23

Mar. 2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. .

"Loving but Leaving a Toxic Mother In 'Without You'" NPR. NPR, 24 Feb. 2013. Web. 17 Apr.

2015. <http://www.npr.org/2013/02/24/172598258/loving-but-leaving-a-toxic-mother-in-

without you>.