Ben Mammel
Mrs. S Mann
English 1501.1
30 September 2013 Compare/Contrast: Dillard and Rodriguez In Annie Dillard’s “American Childhood” and in Luis Rodriquez’s “Always Running” both share similarities. Both are autobiographies that involve children running from an adult, both stories paint vivid descriptions of their communities and childhood memories. The authors also dramatize their stories to make them more exciting Although Dillard and Rodriquez share many similarities the two stories differ. The most significant contrast about the stories is the environment the children grew up in. In an “American Childhood” Dillard grew up in a middle class neighborhood with nothing to be afraid of, on the other spectrum Rodriquez spent his childhood running from “gangs” “junkies” “police” and even “teachers. The titles itself contrast drastically, “An American Childhood” sounds pleasant, enjoyable, and cliché whereas “Always Running” sounds hopeless, tiring, and dangerous. Descriptions in the stories show how the environments differ, in “Always Running” Rodriquez describes constant abuse that Luis and Tito go through in paragraph 26 “We were constant prey” “sometimes the teachers who jumped on us Mexicans as if we were born with a hideous stain”. In an “American Childhood” it can be inferred that it is a more privileged environment because the man that chased Dillard left his car with his keys in the ignition to chase after kids that threw a snowball. In South San Gabriel nobody would leave a running car abandoned for such a minor event. Mammel 2

Both Dillard and Rodriquez use thrilling diction, specifically verbs. Dillard used “flung” (1) “clanking” (7) “pounding” (13) and “chased”