"Aria" - Richard Rodriguez

Reflection:
The short story of "Aria" is one that seems all too familiar to such stories that still take place in present day 2015. The constant pressure for all citizens or immigrants to fit into "American Culture" is evident everyday. Take for example, students in public schools pledge their allegiance to the American flag everyday before the school day begins.

With the background in mind, I personally have a similar connection to this story. Living in an area that is bilingual and full with people of different backgrounds, one day the house up the street from me went up for sale. Within the next three to four months, a Hispanic family had moved due to the relocation of the fathers job. There was a young girl, Sadie, who was a few years younger than me. One day her and I finally met. Although she could speak very good English, she had told me that she did not have much relation to her family. From the outside looking in, her father (who always talked to my father) could speak very good English. This man was typically always at work and never home. Her mother however knew very little of the English language and almost filled her sentences with half English and half Spanish.

After reading this short story I made the connection that maybe this is why Sadie was not very close to her family. With her father always working and her being an only child, the house was always just her and her mother. Sadie could not speak very good Spanish, but the mother could not speak very good English. This makes me think now that I'm older, how frequently does this happen? What are the effects of a bilingual family? Coming from a family where English is the first and only language spoken I tend to wonder are their many houses out there that are broken up due to a language barrier?