Name
Professor
Course
Date
The Lonely Good Company of Books
According to Richard Rodriguez, reading books is a lonely experience for a beginner, and it takes much effort and patience for one to develop an interest (Rodriguez, 11). For him, it took both time and intervention from a nun before he could become passionate about reading books. The prominent writers in the world write volumes of books and articles because they first read very many books. For Rodrigues, he decided to make books his best companion because of various reasons. First, he believed that reading was a form of education. Secondly, he wanted his teachers to recognize his reading efforts by showing them his achievement once he completed a book (Rodriguez, 12). It was through the author’s reading routine that he was able to become a confident public speaker and a writer of English in High School. Additionally, the author acknowledges the fact that it is only through reading an endless list of books that an individual can produce complex ideas (Rodriguez, 12).
Family Values
Richard Rodriguez further uses his exemplary writing skills to challenge the fundamental values of a family in America. Contemporary issues such as gay marriages, feminism and culture diversity being the principal determinants of the family values. From the essay, it is clear that America has no business with family values but rather a nation where each person including a child lives a life that makes them happy. It is through the freedom that women hold equal and competitive positions at workplaces rather than spend all day babysitting. Children as young as ten years can now make a decision to live a life that is different from that of their parents. Nevertheless, there exist consequences for every action that a person takes. The narrator expresses his fear of the disintegration of the American family values considering that the Asian continent is doing great by valuing family more than an individual’s interests. Conclusively, the writer acknowledges the fact that the society does not entirely ignore deviants of family values but rather accepts them in silence.
