Voices and Silences: Language is Power

   
                                   
     While reading about Rodriguez's experience, my mind kept going back to a previous article we read called "USA Land of Limitation?". Rodriguez states that "by becoming assimilated into public society, such assimilation makes possible the achievement of public individuality." He saw his language and culture as a barrier, or limitation, in being part of his society. Before, when Rodriguez and his family only spoke Spanish at home, he had a special bond with his family to the point where his brother and sister would rush home after school. Once they learned Spanish, that closeness was no longer there, but with the English language came confidence in communicating with others, and as Rodrguez described it "public individuality". They found a way to overcome that limitation, but this only serves to show that, like Kristof mentions, we are a land of limitation, and Rodriguez's story is a perfect example.
     The second article that came to mind while reading "Aria" was McIntosh's "White Privilege".  I didn't so much think about "White" privilege but the privilege, language can offer. McIntosh starts off by saying that he thiught himself as a "socially disadvantaged child" due to the fact that he knew very little English.  It took him disconnecting from his culture more specifically his language, to be able to realize the privileges he had which eventually lead to what he called his "public success" and "own public identity".

Question: I believe it is important for all students to speak a second language, so my question is should all students start learning a second language in elementary school?