A Hope in the Unseen and Achievement of Desire

Richard Rodriguez’s “The Achievement of Desire” is a story about how Richard battled between education and family. Richard grew up in a family where parents remained with the traditions of Hispanic culture. Throughout Richard’s essay he talked about his great desire and ambition to learn and become educated. He also mentions not once how badly he wanted to become like his teachers to “possess their knowledge, to assume their authority, their confidence, even to assume a teacher’s persona”. The achievement of his desire however cost him a close relationship with his parents. Almost immediately at a young age Richard realized that learning requires quiet time and space he did not have much at home. The more he read and wrote, the farther away he became from his parents. Richard often referred himself as a “scholarship boy” who had to be capable of learning in the classroom and at home. It was not easy for Richard to learn at home while everyone around him was distracting him by doing their daily chores and activities. In the classroom he tried his hardest to imitate his teachers and even their dictation and accents. The more time he spent in school, the more respect he feels towards his teachers and the less respect he felt toward his parents.  
At Ballou Senior High School, a school full of violence in Washington, D.C., honor students have learned to keep their heads down. Like most inner-city kids, they know that any special attention in a place this dangerous can make you a target of violence. But Cedric Jennings did not swallow his pride and with support from his mother, he diligently studied. The summer after his junior year, at a program for minorities at MIT, he got a fleeting glimpse of life outside, a glimpse that turned into a face-on challenge one year later: acceptance into Brown University, an Ivy League school. At Brown, Cedric found himself far behind most of the other freshmen. Cedric managed many intellectual and social challenges. He   hoped that... [continues]

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