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Literature Review of cultural diversity
Globalization cultural diversity
Literature Review of cultural diversity
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What are borders and what do they represent? In Gloria Anzaldua’s reading Borders/La Frontera, she writes about how borders are all invisible and they exist to create separation and difference. Not only that, but she refers to an area called the “borderlands”; which is an area of “mezcla”. Mezcla is spanish for a mix, and that can refer to the people today in our society and unique areas unknown to the American or Mexican culture. Through Anzaldua’s writing she is arguing that today barrier have been created that separate society and even people close to us. Whether that border be invisible or actually there, language and sexuality are major contributors to the disconnect between human beings today. To begin with, Anzaldua incorporates her …show more content…
You can tell she is full of pride and values her culture very much since she talks highly of it, using Spanish instead of the English translations of many sentences throughout the reading. One of the major points Anzaldua brings to our attention first, is in regards to sexuality. In the section titled Half and Half, she brings up a close neighbor that used to live near her and everyone was cautious about the kind of person he/she was. “They said that for six months she was a woman who had a vagina that bled once a month, and that for the other six months she was a man, had a penis and she peed standing up” (1019). The neighbor apparently wanted to be either gender and their sexual identity was not just one necessarily, but everyone in their culture looked at it strangely and called the person names that ruined their reputation so much they were afraid to express themselves. Anzaldua expressed her opinions strongly in regards to this situation and said, “What we are suffering from is an absolute despot duality that says we are able to be only one or the other. It claims that human nature is limited and cannot evolve into something better” (1020). Her …show more content…
“Chicanos, after 250 years of Spanish/Anglo colonization, have developed significant differences in the Spanish we speak” (1025). Spanish has been around for many years but Anzaldua writes that there are essentially eight languages in the Chicano culture. She names standard English, working class English, standard Spanish, standard Mexican Spanish, North Mexican Spanish, Chicano Spanish, Tex-Mex, and Pachuco. Depending on which one someone is speaking, another Chicano can almost identify where they are from. There are little differences and significant ones one can use in their language that will self-identify them. For example, “We collapse two adjacent vowels into a single syllable and sometimes shift the stress in certain words such as maiz/maiz, cohete/ cuete” (1025). This is one distinct thing one can notice when they are speaking the Spanish language. Another thing Chicanos commonly do as well is they “shift // to y and z to s. We leave out initial syllables, saying tar for estar, toy for estoy, hora for ahora {cubanos and puertor-riquenos also leave out initial letters of some words)” (1026). These small qualities distinct someone and shows how language could affect our identity
I was able to relate to when Jessie said that borders are symbols of the divisions we make of each other. These borders are made up by people to keep each other apart from one another. Whether it is for social, economic, or cultural reasons, the division remains. As Brooke pointed out, these borders prevent freedoms and deny opportunities.
When Gloria Anzaldua writes in The Homeland Aztlan “this land was Mexican once, was Indian always and is and will be again” one can assume or conclude that she recognizes that the land was taken away from the Indians by Americans. Therefore, you can say that she catecterize the border as Indian Land. To my way of thinking,Gloria Anzaldua blends poetry, personal narrative and history to present the view and experiences of people affected by living in the borderlands and to establish credibility to the poem. On the other hand, this chapter and the two poems present a connection because the three of them express the drwabacks of being Mexican- American.
In T.C. Boyle’s The Tortilla Curtain, it should be easily noted that each wall comes with a much deeper, metaphorical meaning. The literal and figurative boundaries in the story appear as symbols for what keep the characters in their own “worlds.” These boundaries symbolize the fear of outside forces which each character struggles to keep away from what they cherish the most. Although the boundaries in the story can both be real and imagined, each one of them can allude back to the main issue of the Mexican-American border.
Another struggle for identity with Latinos is their struggle with the Spanish and English languages. While some Latinos may speak Spanish in their homes, the language may not be conversationally used in their schools. Some Lat...
Although our society is slowly developing a more accepting attitude toward differences, several minority groups continue to suffer from cultural oppression. In her essay “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” Gloria Anzaldúa explores the challenges encountered by these groups. She especially focuses on her people, the Chicanos, and describes the difficulties she faced because of her cultural background. She argues that for many years, the dominant American culture has silenced their language. By forcing them to speak English and attempting to get rid of their accents, the Americans have robbed the Chicanos of their identity. She also addresses the issue of low self-esteem that arises from this process of acculturation. Growing up in the United States,
Gonzalez, Araceli. “Discussion #2.” Chicano Studies 10. University of California Davis. Wellman 229. 8 October 2013.
Hispanic America language has some strengths and weaknesses as observed in the article and this makes it one of the influential groups in the United States. It is also important noting that those who belong to this group originated from various parts of the world. The strengths in the pattern of communication make this language one of the most adorable languages in the world as many people feel respected whenever they talk to someone from this particular group. The weaknesses that can be identified only show how people tend to believe they are shy, but it is as a result of respect for
Anzaldua grew up in the United States but spoke mostly Spanish, however, her essay discusses how the elements of language began to define her identity and culture. She was living in an English speaking environment, but was not White. She describes the difficulty of straddling the delicate changing language of Chicano Spanish. Chicano Spanish can even differ from state to state; these variations as well as and the whole Chicano language, is considered a lesser form of Spanish, which is where Anzaldua has a problem. The language a person speaks is a part...
Borders are an important part of any nation. They allow nations to govern and enforce laws
In Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza, Gloria Anzaldua recalls lived experiences of oppression and the matric of domination. She uses her writing as an act of rebellion from her culture that outcast her. It entails Anzaldua and her family’s history of oppression, her memories of their hard work and contradictions, and her knowledge of her ancestry in the borderlands. She calls out two contrary frames of reference, the Mexican and the American, which depend on the dualities of the racist, the sexist, and the homophobic. These two frames of reference are riddled with rigidity and dichotomies that limit Anzaldua's identity. But as each side of the dualities continuously clashes, the line in between where they converge is the existence of
The normalization of being a heterosexual presence would classify you as normal and you’d feel accepted by many different groups and communities by default. Certainly no one would deny that being true. What seems to be the issue is why is being heterosexual is the only type of normality society seems to accept. While reading Gloria Anzaldua’s Borderlands/ La Frontera, the author brought up her personal struggles with her sexuality within her culture and with society. As well as other difficulties when being a female and being lesbian (Anzaldúa and Saldívar-Hull, 41). The scope of this essay should cover the many different borders we face as humans when it comes to where we draw the line on sexuality.
Chapter four is even more interesting, as a reader, I get the sense the Anzaldua is getting more and more comfortable with revealing her sexual identity to her audience. For example, she states that "her body is sexed; she can't avoid that reality, although it could change through transgendering or transexing"(65 Anzaldua). In interesting to note that, she feels her body is also race; that she cannot help the reality of how people will look at her or their perception of her.
At the opening of the book Borderlands, La Frontera, Gloria Anzaldua conceptualizes the borderlands as being a burden and a cause of her pain and hopelessness. Anzaldua expresses her feelings towards the boarder using physical traits, but also using non-material descriptions. Anzaldua then goes on to talk about the experiences of oppression and, violence and discrimination of those queer folks of color and how her metaphors used in this book help understand better the meaning of such experiences. She also examines how the queer bodies are marked as locations for all kinds of violence through the power of gender binaries. In the first chapter of her book, Anzaldua explores many aspects of the borderline, and she portrays strong feelings about this matter.
Anzaldua also refers to herself as a “Chicana” which refers to an American woman of Mexican descent. Chicano, also is an American man of Mexican descent. She says the Chicanos speak Standard English, Working Class and Slang English, Standard Spanish, Standard Mexican Spanish, North Mexican Spanish Dialect, Chicano Spanish, Tex-Mex, and Pachuco. She refers to Chicano Spanish and Tex-Mex to be close to her heart. Everyone can relate to having a certain dialect or slang that says a lot about them or is close to their heart.
The eternal endeavor of obtaining a realistic sense of selfhood is depicted for all struggling women of color in Gloria Anzaldua’s “Borderlands/La Frontera” (1987). Anzaldua illustrates the oppressing realities of her world – one that sets limitations for the minority. Albeit the obvious restraints against the white majority (the physical borderland between the U.S. and Mexico), there is a constant and overwhelming emotional battle against the psychological “borderlands” instilled in Anzaldua as she desperately seeks recognition as an openly queer Mestiza woman. With being a Mestiza comes a lot of cultural stereotypes that more than often try to define ones’ role in the world – especially if you are those whom have privilege above the “others”.