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Impacts on latin american literature
Impacts on latin american literature
Latin american literature essay prompt
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Critical Analysis Paper
“This is How you Lose Her”
Topic one
In This Is How You Lose Her, the narrator/character of Yunior faces various dilemmas and struggles with who he is as a person. It is a story of how a character, Yunior, loses the love of his life through his own infidelity. The book also goes into detail into how men are taught to think that woman are not fully human and the very difficult process to which they learn the truth. In general, Yunior struggles with being a son, a brother, a lover, and many more throughout the novel. We see Yunior grow as a person and blossom into adulthood. While the book gives an overall outlook into his life and of those around him, we can piece together a chronological understanding of his childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. We can also see an overview of the people around him and in his life experiences and growth. The entire book is a collection of several unconnected stories that told by the same narrator, Yunior. Yunior appears as a reckless Dominican guy who’s unable to love others full heartedly. Throughout the book, Yunior’s stories portray love, betrayal and violence compressed and written in a textured tone while expressing difficult emotions mixed with cultural displacement and rejection from his adopted country.
The novel starts with the most unique statement, “I’m not a bad guy. I know how that sounds-defensive, unscrupulous- but it’s true. I’m like everybody else: weak, full of mistakes, but basically good.”(Junot Diaz, This Is How You Lose Her, page 3). The straight forward morality spoken by Yunior in this quote is a comparison from the theme of the rest of the book, which is c...
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...alf-life of love is forever.” (Junot Diaz, This Is How You Lose Her, page 18).
Yunior’s character evolves throughout the entire novel and we see him go from a boy into a man. The evolution of his character relates to the actual titles in book in various of different ways. We see him struggle with the relationships he has in the stories, including his mother. His step mother was a major part in his life, and many may argue that the relationship he did not have with his real mother may have been the reason for all his failed relationships with women and how he viewed them. Also the relationship he had with his father could have taken a major role as well. Although his father tried his best to be a great dad, he was not there too much emotionally and use money has a way to make up for it by buying him numerous amounts of gifts, clothes, and various of other things.
By reminiscing on his upbringing from living in Lima, Peru, a third world country. Father would constantly recall his biographical anecdotes to share with the family. Some stories were beyond gruesome in detail. Going in depth to the painful memories that still lingers around like a scar, my father told us how our grandfather, his own father, was abusive for even the most minute things. For instance, when my father would wore outfits that did not meet my grandfather’s standards, or looked into his father’s eyes fearfully when he was being punished, and even when he did not walk my grandmother to and from the grocery store. The mistreatment had reached the end of father’s patience when he became a rebellious son, breaking curfews and refusing to return home at the end of the day. In Junot Díaz 's short story Fiesta, 1980, narrated by an son, Yunior, who describes the hardships he and his Dominican family shared as they drove to a party in the Bronx in New York City. At the age of twelve, Yunior loses his innocence as a result from the never-ending verbal, emotional, and physical abuse his father, Papi, had taunted him with. This lost innocence was caused by what he had said, did, and did
Now, in modern times, affairs seem to be a natural phenomenon of daily life. They are popularly seen in movies, novelas—soap operas and also expressed through literature. Although they are conventionally characterized as passionate and exciting, they can also catalyze a lot of thought and uncertainty for the individuals involved. “Migration” written by Rosa Alcala is a poem that takes a different approach in describing what an affair is. In her poem she rather focuses on describing the stressful cognitive affects that occur as a result of being involved in an affair. Through figures of speech, persona and images the author is able to establishes the feeling of the poem as cautious uncertainty.
By examining the narrative voice as well as the cultural restraints placed on them, readers can see the sexist culture in the novel and that the novel itself does not necessarily advocate this misogyny. Yunior, a Dominican man, is the overall narrator of the novel, so readers essentially see everything through his masculine eye. When discussing a brief fling with Lola, Oscar’s sister, Yunior says, “Even those nights after I got jumped she wouldn’t let me steal on her ass for nothing. So you can sleep in my bed but you can’t sleep with me?” (Diaz 169) His question suggests that it is his right to sleep with her, and his discussion of Lola herself objectifies her by noting only her body and her refusal to use it. This objectification is clearly sexist, but it is a reflection of the narrative voice, Yunior, not of Lola. Yunior will casually refer to a woman as “a bitch” (Diaz 183), which is clearly demeaning, but it is a man’s view and does not reflect on the substance of the women. It shows readers the culture he was raised in, not an actual portrayal of the women, illustrating a misogynist society but not a misogynistic novel. In the Dominican Republic, gender-based violence is the fourth leading cause of death, hinting at the overall problems caused by the hyper-sexualized nature of the country. Sociologist Denise Paiewonsky
Rafaela is married to an older man and “gets locked indoors because her husband is afraid Rafaela will run away since she is too beautiful to look at” (79). The narrator Esperanza notes that because Rafaela is locked in the house she gives the passing kids money to run to the store to bring her back juice. Esperanza states that “Rafaela who drinks and drinks coconut and papaya juice on Tuesdays and wishes there were sweeter drinks, not bitter like an empty room, but sweet sweet like the island, like the dance hall down the street where women much older than her throw green eyes easily like dice and open homes with keys. And always there is someone offering sweeter drinks, someone promising to keep them on a silver string” (81). Esperanza is being to notice a common occurrence in the treatment of women on Mango Street. Rafaela is locked away by her husband as he wants to keep her from running off. This mirrors the relationship between Earl and his wife. Rafaela is described in more detail however allowing readers a deeper connection to her experience in her marriage. Esperanza witnesses Rafaela’s confinement in the house each time she passes by with friends and Rafaela sends them down money to buy her a drink from the store since she is unable to go herself. There is also an interesting comparison in which the confined room is compared to being bitter whereas the sweet drink is compared to being the
This is How You Lose Her is a book written by Junot Diaz consisting of short stories, told by the protagonist, Yunior. Yunior’s character is described as the Dominican guy who struggles with infidelity and unable to love others full-heartedly. Diaz also shows how in Dominican culture; men carry the reputation of being womanizers and usually is pass from one generation to the next. Throughout the book, he tells us stories pertaining to the relationships he had with the women he had in his life, and his family. From the stories one can assume that Yunior, caught up in a vicious cycle was destined to follow into patriarchy; a father who cheated on his mother, and an oldest brother who followed
Since the protagonist leads the story as a narrator, the loneliness of the narrator is depicted through internal and external conflicts that arise by situations and the feelings of being alone. The first person point of view allows readers to be immersed in her situation easily. For instance, no one gives her love after she gets measles first which further get extended to Porphyria. The narrator’s father does
Yunior is an immigrant from the Dominican Republic who is living in the urban communities of central New Jersey. Struggling with the life he has he currently lives with his mother. Yunior's father left them for another women and lives in Florida. Yunior dislikes his father and calls him" a sad guy" because he only calls his mother to beg for money. In the story "Drown" Yunior he is a high school teenager who loots and sells drugs to make extra cash to help his mother to pay a few things around the apartment. Which I have notice in the story "Drown" his mother doesn't ask nor suspects where her son is getting this money from. His mother is very quiet as he describes and seems to be depressed that the fact her husband left. The looting continues when gets older even though he has a
The novel “This Is How You Lose Her”, by Junot Diaz, consist of multiple short stories that connects with the main overall story and character. All of the story, except for one, is narrated by the main character, Yunior. Yunior was once a bookworm but began leading down the path of uncertainty, and multiple love affairs that many times ruined his relationships. Although the story has some focus on his family affairs, everything would always tie back to love lost. One chapter focused on his families struggle to live in the US. It exemplifies that every human being does not like being alone. Yunior definitely had a thing going with Ms. Lora. Theoretically, the relationship that Yunior had with her had put a strain in his lust for a “secret” type
The most preeminent quality of Sonia Sanchez “Ballad” remains the tone of the poem, which paints a didactic image. Sanchez is trying to tell this young people that we know nix about love as well as she is told old for it. In an unclear setting, the poem depicts a nameless young women and Sanchez engaged in a conversation about love. This poem dramatizes the classic conflict between old and young. Every old person believes they know more then any young person, all based on the fact that they have been here longer then all of us. The narrative voice establishes a tone of a intellectual understanding of love unraveling to the young women, what she comprehends to love is in fact not.
In this chapter Reyna is reunited with her father, however she is disappointed of their detachment. Even though, she has complicated relationships with both of her parents with the inclusion of this scene the reader learns of the relationship between her and Mago. To Reyna this sisterhood bond is valuable and fundamental to Reyna’s growth. Due to the emotional distance between Reyna and her parents the siblings foster a stronger bond as an act of resilience against their complex relationships with their parents. Taking in consideration the achievements of Reyna Grande as an author, aside of growing up in poverty and the difficult relationship with her parents is an act of personal resilience. By sharing her story Grande can foster community resilience for those that find representation in her work. Also, due to her vulnerability and act of letting the reader into her healing process, her narrative creates a sense of empathy in the reader and for those with similar experiences solidarity and
In the short story, “The Good Man Is Hard to Find” the grandmother describes a “good man” vaguely. The grandmother pertains the label “good” broadly, putting a shadow over the definition of a “good man” until it loses its meaning completely. She first applies it to Red Sammy after he furiously complains of the universal untrustworthiness of people. Red Sammy states, “Two fellers come in here last week, driving a Chrysler. It was an old beat-up car but it was a good one and these boys looked all right to me. Said they worked at the mill and you know I let them charge the gas they bought? Now why did I do that?” (1,045). The grandmother said he did this because he is “a good man.” She next relates the label “good” to the Misfit. After she identifies him, the grandmother asks, “You wouldn’t shoot a lady, would you?” (1,049). Even though he hates to admit it, The Misfit says, “I would hate to have to” (1,049). Because being a lady is such a meaningful part of what the grandmother believes as being ethical, the Misfit’s answer confirms to her that he does not share the same moral principles as she does. The grandmother begins to desperately call him a good man and that he comes from ...
“Papi pulled me to my feet by my ear. If you throw up— I won 't, I cried, tears in my eyes, more out of reflex than pain” (307). As this scenario presents violence, it displays innocent Yunior’s response towards his abusive father as he pulls Yunior’s ears. In the short story Fiesta 1980, Junot Diaz depicts the life of young Yunior as he struggles with his Dominican family issues. Yunior was picked on the most in the family, especially from his dad. As Poor Yunior was the victim of his dad’s affair with a Puerto Rican woman, it affected him psychologically. Yunior suffers from the fact his beloved mother is being cheated on; therefore, he vomits as he rides his dad’s van, as his first ride in the van is linked to his first meeting with
Throughout the story there is evidence that the main character is ashamed of himself and his background. He hides the government cheese, which tells us that he is in a low economic class. He also takes down embarrassing photographs of his family and himself, which is more indication that he isn’t proud of his family, background, or heritage. Yunior also tells us many things to do in order to be like other people, especially white people. He tells us that you need to run your fingers through your hair and to write directions for parents in your absolute best handwriting (Diaz 236). It is also evident that he is ashamed of his background when he states “You’ll wonder how she feels about Dominicans. Don’t ask.”(Diaz 237). Also, when he is telling the girl stories about the neighborhood, he says not to tell her that his mother knew immediately what t...
In the age of industrialization when rural life gradually was destroyed, the author as a girl who spent most of her life in countryside could not help writing about it and what she focuses on in her story - femininity and masculinity, which themselves contain the symbolic meanings - come as no surprise.
person of the novel, different traits that can lead us to talk about virtue, and one of them is