The Achievement of Desire by Richard Rodriguez - Essay Example

Both parents were unable to assist him in his assignments. They have no knowledge to share with. They cannot relate to his unexplainable desire to learn and succeed. They were even the source of his humiliation in school for not being able to write, much more speak in clear and grammatically-correct English. They did not even have the idea of the nature of his accomplishments, his trophies and awards . . . but they were surely proud of him though Richard was not. Despite this, his parents were truly supportive of him and his endeavors.

They never complained of his lack of participation in the household chores, his diminishing respect towards his parents during short conversations, his increasing expenses brought about by his refusal to stop reading even during nighttime that required additional electrical expenses, and so on. Richard on the other hand seemed to grow more impatient about his parents’ situation and their behavior. He felt ashamed upon hearing his parents talk in a way that his teachers in school totally abhor.

There were times when he felt compelled to directly teach (or preach) his parents in his frustrating attempt to correct their attitude, more so their grammar. Richard seemed to forget that his parents were not Americans, thus, their mistakes in grammar and diction. He also seemed to forget that his parents did not receive higher education, not because of their own fault, but because their parents failed to give them the opportunity to attend formal school at the proper time. What Richard had in mind during the early part of the essay was that it was shameful to have them as parents and they will never contribute to his dream of success.

The Achievement of Desire 2 Contrary thereto, Richard looked up to his teachers as his idols. He appreciated his teachers’ manner of communicating, their seemingly endless flow of ideas, their educated manner of presenting themselves, and almost everything about them. Thus, at an early age, Richard came to a conclusion that the easiest way to succeed is to mimic his teachers. He listened to them carefully, tried to understand and memorize their statements, and used exactly the same sentences in class.

He did everything to get his teachers’ appreciation and approval. Every small achievement that he made, whether it was mere reading of a good book, or a citation in a competition, he proudly and timely reported to his teachers, with the expectation that they would complement and appreciate him, to the dismay of his classmates. On the contrary, he never made the same effort toward his parents. Despite his awareness that his parents will surely be proud of any achievement he had, he underestimated their capacity to understand the nature of his accomplishments.

He never regarded his parents’ appreciation as something to be proud of. What was more important to him was the appreciation of his learned and educated teachers. Richard took every opportunity to learn. He did not stop learning in school. Even when he was home, he would bring books with him and read them. In the same way that he appreciated his teachers, Richard took note of the ideas he got from his readings. And as expected, he made use of these lines in his recitations and reports. Truly, the lessons he learned from his teachers and books were reflected in his writings.

However, it is disheartening to learn that Richard came to realize the true meaning of success and knowledge quite belatedly. He was already in his thirties when he learned to confront himself and accept his negative side. Although quite late, Richard accepted the fact that he was not a good student after all. He had lots of ideas, but none of them were original. They The