The essay "Gains and Losses" by Richard Rodriguez deals with one of the most important and controversial questions in American society-what is the role of the English language in the United States and throughout the rest of the world? As one finishes this essay, though, one might be left with an additional, and possibly quite different question - what role should the English language play in the United States and throughout the rest of the world? I have long believed that English is most definitely a national language in the United States, but that it should not be the United States' official language . Rodriguez's essay is unique in that it supports this idea from his personal experience. The childhood story which Richard Rodriguez tells here should be more than enough to convince anyone that it is imperative that the English language is not forced upon everyone who lives in the United States, and that the United States never adopts English (or any other language, for that matter) as its official language.

Throughout this essay, Rodriguez constantly refers to the contradicting public and private aspects of his family's life. It is interesting to n

with other men, his voice would spark, flicker, flare alive with sounds. In

father was not shy, I realized, when I'd watch him speaking Spanish with

Rodriguez also tells how his mother became the public figure in the family due to his father's inability to speak English well, and it is very likely that this only served to further wound the father's pride.

relatives. Using Spanish, he was quickly effusive. Especially when talking

Rodriguez does acknowledge in that last half of the essay that English did eventually become his primary language, and while he does appear to be content with his life at this point in time, he will not ever forget the negative impact that the English language has had upon his life, and the lives of those close to him: "I would have been happier about my public success had I not sometimes recalled what it had been like earlier, when my family had conveyed its intimacy through a set of conveniently private sounds" (52-53). A question arises when one compares this statement to when he earlier said that he wrongfully assumed that English was a public language, and that Spanish was a private language. Rather, it would appear that, for him and his family, English was indeed a public language. It succeeded in tearing their private life apart taking the place of their native Spanish language. While his family still spoke Spanish at home, their private life was thriving; however, as soon as he heard his "mother and father speak... in a moment of seriousness in broken-su

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1022
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)