There are two major themes that are associated and unique to Nuyorican and Dominican-American literature. The first is that of an identity crisis. Although Mexican-American/Chicano literature also addresses the theme of an identity crisis, there exists a major difference between these two ethnic groups. A majority of Mexican-Americans and Chicanos were willing to give up their culture and manipulate their identity to assimilate into society better. El Norte is an excellent representation of this difference. The two main characters in the film, Rosa and Enrique, illegally immigrate to the United States of America for a better life. Once they cross the border, they do their best to shed off their former life. In order to do this, they practice …show more content…
The first is The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, written by Junot Diaz. In this story, Yunior, a young man from the Domincan Republic, is living in New Jersey. Despite this, Yunior has no characteristics of a Dominican Republican. He is not a machismo man like the other Dominican Republican men. Furthermore, he doesn’t have a physique like a Dominican Republican nor is he really into girls like a Dominican Republican. However, because he is a Dominican Republican and a Nuyorican, he feels a strong connection to it. The story always alludes to, or reverts back to, life in the Dominican Republic and the Era of Trujillo. Yunior, like every other Nuyorican, was caught in between wanting to be both an American and a Dominican Republican, but not knowing how to do so.
Another story that addresses the theme of an identity crisis is “The Boy Without A Flag,” written by Abraham Rodriguez. In this story, a young boy from Puerto Rico is told of several injustices that the United States of America has accomplished from his dad. However, when the young boy protests the flag due to this revelation, his dad does not come to his rescue. The young boy is torn, and has no idea whether or not to continue his protest against the flag because of his love for Puerto Rico, or to stop it in order to become more American. Once again, an identity
San Miguelito... It has what you like is officially founded April 14, 1597 by a group of tarascan Indians and Mexicans from the village of Tlaxcalilla, commanded by the Mexican Francisco Jocquinque. In the application of Foundation, approved by Luis Valderrama Saavedra, Mayor of San Luis Potosí, settled at the new town, you were granted 2 thousand 500 rods of land in table, measured from the orchard of the convent of San Francisco more or less in the present street of Pascual M. Hernandez. Quickly named a Government for the Administration and good order of the new settlement, initially consisting of a regular Mayor, one more Deputy and one or two topiles. Like other peoples of Indians and Spaniards in the territory of San Luis Potosí, San Miguelito was subject to the greater mayorship of San Luis Potosí, civil and ecclesiastical to the Franciscan order. Over time is avecindaron in the new town families of Otomi, mulattos, mestizos and blacks, which caused some friction. In the early years of the 17TH century settled in the place other two villages: San Francisco - also appointed in diminutive - and the Holy Trinity, and in the last decades of the century is also mentioned as part of its jurisdiction, San Juan de Guadalupe. These villages, until the beginning of the 19th century, were usually identified as part of the territory of the town of San Miguel. It is worth clarifying that since the 17TH century and until the beginning of the 19th the people as a whole was interchangeably known as San Miguel or the Holy Trinity, but from 1821 and until now has been preponderado the name of San Miguel, although expressed in diminutive: San Miguelito.
Just as their father wanted, the girls kept their Dominican roots alive and never forgot where they came from. This novel, “How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents”, is a coming of age novel, where four girls learn through experience how it is like to grow up in a tough time period. In America, the girls had the freedom to attempt almost whatever they wanted because they were free from the constricting rule of the patriarchy that ruled the Dominican Republic. All four were growing up but took separate paths during life to get to where they are as adults. Through the use of multiple narrators, Alvarez creates different perspectives throughout the story. The girls have come a long way from their mother’s color coding system when they were identity less to the women they are today. Each sister fought and conquered some sort of internal or external battle, helping them to overcome obstacles given by society that marked them as different. As adults, the sisters can keep their Dominican roots alive while living in the United States through
She explains how Mexican and Chicano literature, music, and film is alienated; their culture is considered shameful by Americans. They are forced to internalize their pride in their culture. This conflict creates an issue in a dual culture society. They can neither identify with North American culture or with the Mexican culture.
El Norte and My Family, Mi Familia, films directed by Gregory Nava, depict how Latino-Americans migrate from their native countries to the United States, challenges they face through their journeys, and the time they spend in America. Some critics say that El Norte is a stronger film politically in comparison to My Family, Mi Familia because of how El Norte keeps the journey raw and emotional. Through the trials Enrique and Rosa face as they travel from Guatemala to California, the viewer gains sympathy for them and rejoices with them when they reach Los Angeles; however, as the protagonists live in Los Angeles, we as the viewer learn through their failure to assimilate to America’s lifestyle, they will never reach their ultimate goal, the
The Life of Two Different Worlds In “Into the Beautiful North,” Luis Alberto Urrea tells a well-known story of life for thousands of Mexican people who seek a better future. He presents his novel through the experiences of the lives of his main characters that have different personalities but share a common goal. Through the main characters we are presented with different situations and problems that the characters encounter during their journey from Mexico to the United States. Urrea’s main theme in this novel is the border that separates both the U.S. and Mexico, and the difficulties that people face in the journey to cross.
The novel ‘The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao’, by Junot Diaz gives a very entertaining insight towards many social dynamics that are relevant to Dominican culture, and it fits very well within the scope of the course; and, although it is a work of fiction, this novel is set in New Jersey, and deals specifically with the Dominican Republic experience under the Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo. From what I’ve learned after reading the first half of this book, there is certainly a lot that can be discussed. Thankfully the book’s versatile portrayal of vivid topics that are seldom discussed shine light upon these many issues that face such an overlooked culture, especially for the American audience.
Using both English and Spanish or Spanglish the author Gloria Anzaldua explores the physical, cultural, spiritual, sexual and psychological meaning of borderlands in her book Borderlands/La Frontera: A New Mestiza. As a Chicana lesbian feminist, Anzaldua grew up in an atmosphere of oppression and confusion. Anzaldua illustrates the meaning of being a “mestiza”. In order to define this, she examines herself, her homeland and language. Anzaldúa discusses the complexity of several themes having to do with borderlands, mestizaje, cultural identity, women in the traditional Mexican family, sexual orientation, la facultad and the Coatlicue state. Through these themes, she is able to give her readers a new way of discovering themselves. Anzaldua alerts us to a new understanding of the self and the world around us by using her personal experiences.
Identity is primarily described primarily as what makes a person who they are. While it is seen as an individual asset, one’s identity can be shaped and persuaded not only by life experiences, but by society as well. Bryan Stevenson speaks on several controversial issues and proclaims certain societal problems and the typical behaviors noticed in response to them. How one approaches the issues that are spoken about may expose their true identity. Stevenson argues that how one reacts to racial inequality within the criminal justice system may regulate their identity. In addition to that, how dealing with the nation’s history may force a growth on one’s identity, eventually bringing peace and acceptance to the nation. Lastly, how one views the
Huntington, Samuel. 2004. “Who Are We? The Challenges to America’s National Identity”, New York: Simon & Schuster.
Everyone struggles with identity at one point in their life. It will eventually happen to everyone. Identity is how people see one another, it is one of the most important things about someone. Identity goes hand in hand with experience. One’s experiences can impact one’s identity.
...community, equal rights and the right to follow your roots) with the central focus of the poem. As Susan Bassnett states in her essay Bilingual Poetry: A Chicano Phenomenon , there is a “Latin American tradition of the poet who occupies a prominent place in the struggle for freedom and national unity”, and as Cervantes and Gonzales demonstrated, the poet’s role in Latin America has not been diminished.
Becoming Mexican- American has been such a great book so far! I truly favored how Sanchez focused on factors that contributed to the migration of so many across the border north to the United States during the first many years of the twentieth century. During that time, immigrants experienced groups of people trying to Americanize and Mexicanize them and their people. This is a fascinating topic, and Sanchez pulls it off really well. It makes it better because Sanchez is Mexican-American himself, the son of Mexican immigrants, and his sensitivity to the nuances of the culture are very apparent throughout the book. It is the story of the creation of the Mexican-American culture, specifically in the early 1900's in Los Angeles. In addition, also in Los Angeles, Majority of the immigrants would experience the efforts to Americanize them, which was then proceeded by counter attempts to mechanize the immigrants to maintain their loyalty and to return to Mexico. This back and forth contribution developed a Mexican American identity, which was evident in food, and clothes. For example, it was particularly evident in the
...against them and it seems that the Hispanics are taking over white Anglo-American society according to racists. Two of the movies presented in class which had Latin American theme were «Spanglish» and “A better life”. Though “Spanglish” was not about racism instead it was about letting go of fear, cultural differences and language, next to “A better life” which had couple scenes of prejudices and stereotypes. For example when the police officer was sure the young boy had tattoos that indicated him being a part of a street gang, and wanted him to take off his shirt for evidence.
What is identity? Identity is an unbound formation which is created by racial construction and gender construction within an individual’s society even though it is often seen as a controlled piece of oneself. In Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum’s piece, “The Complexity of Identity: ‘Who Am I?’, Tatum asserts that identity is formed by “individual characteristics, family dynamics, historical factors, and social and political contexts” (Tatum 105). Tatum’s piece, “The Complexity of Identity: ‘Who Am I?’” creates a better understanding of how major obstacles such as racism and sexism shape our self identity.
The theme of identity was clearly stated in How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez and Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki. In both novels families are forced to emigrate from their homeland as an act of protection. As the main characters try to adjust themselves into their new surroundings they undergo extreme pressure into trying to remain comfortable and stable in such a way that their identity (who they are) changes. But once they go back to their homeland and these characteristics are soon acknowledged by them and they then realize that you can't change who you are and your identity well always remain the same.