Rodriguez, in his essay Aria, writes about how his education in English transformed his private family life

and public identity. He sees this transition as a sacrifice that although he lost the intimacy of the Spanish language within his home, English brought him into public life with assertiveness that had not previously been manifest in the language. He also likens it to a coming of age. Rodriguez writes, ...the day I raised my hand in class and spoke loudly to an entire roomful of faces, my childhood started to end. The value of cultural heritage is present in his argument. This essay is a response to the notion of bilingual education, which is motivated by the notion of preserving a child's cultural heritage. There is no denying that some of his heritage was lost in assimilation, however; The value of private heritage is considered inferior by Rodriguez to a position in public society. When he was young, the home was a refuge of expression and individuality. Rodriguez's parents, though not hostile toward gringos and their language, were not immersing themselves in it either. His fathers words, slid together to form one word sounds as confused as the threads of blue and green oil... He writes about the embarrassment he felt at watching his parents mumble through the unfamiliar language, longing for the security in the home where only their language (Spanish) was heard. A turning point for Rodriguez was the decision of his parents to begin using English in the home, to help their children learn the language. He talks about how, Sentences needed to be spoken slowly when a child addressed his mother or father. It is as if who his parents were was lessened because they could not express themselves fully anymore to their children.

The competition early on his life between his family's way of tongue would hinder Rodriguez, and promoted his fear. But as soon as his family authority showed submission to the culture they lived in, the fear left at the cost of the feeling of family. You could call it a culture war but I think it to be an assimilation of one culture to another, a peaceful surrender, but not without drastic consequences.