Richard Hoggart’s book, The Uses of Literacy, provides his definition of the “scholarship boy”; Richard Rodriguez experiences what it is like to be a sholarship boy and shares his life story in his essay “The Achievement of Desire”. Changed by Hoggart’s essay, “A Scholarship Boy,” Rodriguez explains what experiences he goes through and the sacrifices he makes during his adolescence to be a scholarship boy. In doing this Rodriguez pulls passages and quotes to insert throughout his writing to compare himself to Hoggart’s definition. Hoggart appears to act as Rodriguez’s guide by showing him the description of the scholarship boy. Rodriguez takes on Hoggart’s ideas in his essay and uses them in a powerful way, not by repeating what Hoggart has said, instead by using it as a frame to relate and also dispute Hoggart’s ideas.

Hoggart can be considered as Rodriguez’s teacher and higher authority because Hoggart is the one who introduces Rodriguez to the scholarship boy. Rodriguez discovers the description of the scholarship boy which defines his life and is enlightened. In this passage Rodriguez describes his realization:

Ways of Reading: AN ANTHOLOGY FOR WRITERS. Sixth Ed. David Bartholomae, Anthony Petrosky. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002. 652-670

Rodriguez’s essay might be looked at as a copy of Hoggart’s ideas and a copy of what he has to say. However for Rodriguez to build his knowledge he just like anyone else would have to base it upon existing ideas. Looking at Rodriguez’s essay closely will prove that Rodriguez doesn’t agree with everything Hoggart has to say. In Rodriguez’s essay he states that Hoggart’s account is “more accurate than fair.” The meaning of this could be that Rodriguez sees Hoggart’s ideas as flawed and doesn’t agree with everything he has to say. The facts Hoggart includes about a scholarship boy are correct, but the general description is more negative than it really has to be. Separating Rodriguez from Hoggart is also view on the outcome and future of the scholarship boy. Hoggart claims in his essay that the scholarship boy:

Hoggart, Richard. “A Scholarship Boy.”

Rodriguez, Richard. “The Achievement of Desire.”

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