MONTAIGNE/AUSTEN ESSAY- revised to Richard Rodriguez

      Humans are often thinking a mile per minute, reflecting on everything going on around them. But, through all this thought, how often do humans get to express all their thoughts? David Foster Wallace once wrote in his 2001 story "Good Old Neon": "What goes on inside is just too fast and huge and all interconnected for words to do more than barely sketch the outlines of at most one tiny little part of it at any given instant."  This idea of words not being able to justify our thought process can be found in the writing style of Richard Rodriguez.  He reflects on this idea directly and indirectly in his autobiographical essay, "The Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez".   
      As you read Rodriguez's work, you feel the way his internal struggles have affected him and changed him as a person.  Growing up as a bisexual Mexican Roman Catholic in such a prejudice world while aspiring to become a successful educated writer has been a huge challenge that he has faced during his lifetime.  You can sense his doubts, fears, and insecurities as he tries to convey his thoughts to his audience through his works.  Although, words could not always justify and express all he is thinking.  Words could not capture his feelings of depression, the hatred he had towards himself, and the emotions he went through after being disapproved of by so many people, including his family.  While he stated what his struggles were, he did not always state how they made him feel or what thoughts they brought to his head, supporting the fact that thoughts cannot always be expressed effectively.
      Rodriguez directly reflects on the way words can be expressed in his work, "The Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez".  This reflection can be found in his quotation, “Intimacy is not trapped within words. It passes through words. It passes. The truth is that intimates leave the room. Doors close. Faces move away from the window. Time passes. Voices recede into the dark. Death finally quiets the voice. And there is no way to deny it. No way to stand in the crowd, uttering one’s family language.”  The first line of this quotation: "Intimacy is not trapped within words," supports the fact that words do not always efficiently express emotion and internal feeling.  Our minds are capable of retaining endless knowledge and thought, making it impossible for simple words to express.  This is why humans are not be able to fully grasp ideas such as religion, human existence, and some of the ideas reflecting the internal struggles faced by Richard Rodriguez, passed down through word of mouth.  Therefore, while there's only so much words can express, mindful thoughts are endless.