ENGLISH 105/846, ESSAY PROMPT #1 In his memoir Hunger of Memory,

ENGLISH 105/846, ESSAY PROMPT #1 In his memoir Hunger of Memory, Richard Rodriguez makes a provocative claim that still rubs contemporary readers the wrong way. He writes, “…because of my schooling, I had grown culturally separated from my parents…” His claim seems relatively simple on the surface, but with some critical thought, it fluoresces into a deeply contentious and complex argument: while education certainly changes the way we think (and as a result, the way we live), according to Rodriguez, education fundamentally (and necessarily) changes who we are from the ground up. If, as Rodriguez suggests, schooling leads to an “inevitable miseducation” that necessarily means alienating yourself from your social class and cultural heritage, he seems to suggest that students have to “buy” their success by “playing the game,” “selling out” their former selves in order to assimilate with the status quo. So, in short, sure, it’s possible to gain an education, but what will you have to sacrifice to achieve your goals? For your first essay, we’d like you to respond directly to Rodriguez’s provocation from your own subject position: what are the defining factors the shape who you are, and how can you both preserve and amplify your identity in order to gain success at the college level? Is your identity at odds with “institutions of socialization” (those institutions that most shape who we are?), or do you believe that your unique identity can make you especially successful as you take on this next challenge in your life? In short, we’d like you to show how it’s possible to retain the most important elements of your identity in order to claim an education for and as yourself. How might it be possible to assimilate without “selling out”? What choices can you make in your life to achieve an education without turning your back on what makes you essentially and uniquely you?
Please highlight or underline your thesis when you turn in your final draft, double space your lines, use twelve-point font, title your essay, use page numbers, and set your margins to the default setting (one inch). Most importantly, please turn in ALL of your prewriting (outline and brainstorm) with your essay (each piece is part of your grade!).

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