The Myth Of The Latin Woman Summary

For most of the twentieth century, the United States was embroiled in a racial battle that consumed the social stage. In addition, even after the outlaw of segregation, differences as far as ethnicity persisted within the American society, having caused much strife in one’s daily life. In literature two authors, Dr. Judith Ortiz Cofer of “The Myth of the Latin Woman” and Malcolm X of “My First Conk”, convey these destitute times with a multitude of emotions, ultimately expressing a desire be accepted into society. Malcolm X and Dr. Judith Ortiz Cofer are both minorities who handled their assimilation into the American culture differently. To start, the two individuals’ actions towards those of other races differed wildly. For instance, Malcolm

To illustrate, Malcolm X described in contentment “And on top of my head was this thick, smooth sheen of shining red hair – real red – as straight as any white man’s.” (Malcolm X 285) For the first time X believed he was amongst equals in comparison to the revered “white man”. In such a developing society that X lived in, having straight, clean hair was a social standard held in high esteem. Eventually, X exclaims that many of his peers took to the same conk route, utilizing the hairstyle for many years, hoping to achieve a distinguished social status. In a similar fashion to be accepted, Dr. Cofer regarded that while on the way home from an Oxford University shuttle, she tried a “... version of an English smile: no show of teeth...” (Cofer 231). One can infer that a smile baring all teeth is not a common emotion to exhibit in the United Kingdom, as Dr. Cofer had a feeling of desire to shake off the stereotypical gesture that is so accustomed to Latin American women. Moreover, while she, at times, believes that being a Latina gives her extra attention, she despairs in the fact that it does more harm than give herself an overall benefit. In sum, these individuals had an ache to fit in, even going about on describing their