The American dream, a complex myth that is sought out by many who risk their lives to migrating to America in search for a better life. For those that sacrifice everything to come to America, it is quickly learned that the American Dream isn’t as fulfilling for those who weren’t born on this side of the illusive border, or look different. The Latinx experience in America is a unique experience. Scapegoated for many economic and social ills in America. The identity crisis that many Latinx children go through, and the discrimination that immigrants suffer through have a profound experience on the Latinx community. Since, the acquisition of one-third of Mexican land by America the dynamic of life for those who the border crossed them and for those …show more content…
Art is fueled by experience. Latinx poets do a good job of painting the Latin experience in words for an audience of kind ears or emotionally attentive eyes. Stand up poetry is powerful and not only narrates a story or words, but of a powerful experience. “Volver, Volver” by Ariana Brown, “Borders” by Denice Frohman, and “To Be A Mexican Man in Texas” by Zachary Caballero. Each uniquely, encompasses the features of being Latinx in America. The discrimination, and the hardships. The experiences that shape ideologies, and one’s own view of the world. These stand up performances speak about revolutionizing experiences. How the performer and the Latinx community has been affected by how they are treated and how what they experience shapes who they are. Zachary Caballero, speaks about the stereotyping of Mexican men in American and the acceptance of his culture by others but not of himself and his people. Denice Frohman tells a narrative of a girl named Ana Maria who crosses the border at a young age and sees how she is unwanted in America by her systematically and by her peers. Ariana Brown talks about language, and the suppression of the Spanish language by the American system, Americans and even American born Latinx
Sandra Cisneros “Never Marry a Mexican” and Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao are stories that reflect on the cultures in which the characters grew up in. In Never Marry, Clemencia, the narrator, reflects on her past sexual relations as well as her childhood. She speaks of her parents’ marriage and then transitions into her relationship with college professor and his son. In Oscar Wao, Yunior, the narrator, gives a second-hand retelling of Oscar’s experiences in New Jersey growing up as well as in the Dominican Republic. A person’s identity is largely influenced by their culture, this is especially the case in Hispanic cultures. The social constraints that these cultures place on social class, sexuality, and gender norms can be very detrimental to a person’s self-esteem.
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.
In a story of identity and empowerment, Juan Felipe Herrera’s poem “Borderbus” revolves around two Honduran women grappling with their fate regarding a detention center in the United States after crawling up the spine of Mexico from Honduras. While one grapples with their survival, fixated on the notion that their identities are the ultimate determinant for their future, the other remains fixated on maintaining their humanity by insisting instead of coming from nothingness they are everything. Herrera’s poem consists entirely of the dialogue between the two women, utilizing diction and imagery to emphasize one’s sense of isolation and empowerment in the face of adversity and what it takes to survive in America.
A question that every high school student is faced with is: “What extracurricular activities so you participate in?” Some can answer confidently while others are slapped with a moment of sudden realization. These people are just floating along with the crowd, with no driving force or motivation. What I believe differentiates me from my peers and gives me a sense of uniqueness, is what I do outside of my academia. Out of the deluge of activities that are available, Latinos In Action is the one that I feel the most passionate about and shapes my persona the most.
When someone say’s “hispanic,” what definition comes to mind? Hispanics are not one nationality, nor one culture. Instead, Hispanics are greatly diverse people. Our language and cultural origins are Spanish and Latin American, regardless of race and color. Hispanics can be European, Indian, or of African descent, or any combination of the three. The culture could be linked to Mexico, the Caribbean countries, Central America, South America and Spain. Hispanics were once considered a rarity in the United States, now we are found throughout the country.
Preceding her youth, in 1977, Anzaldua became a High School English teacher to Chicano students. She had requested to buy Chicano texts, but was rejected to do so. The principal of the school she worked for told her, in Anzaldua’s words: “He claimed that I was supposed to teach “American” and English literature.” She then taught the text at the risk of being fired. Anzaldua described, “Being Mexican is a state of soul – not on of mind.” All in all, the reprimanding she had to endure only made her stronger: “Until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself.” It led to Anzaldua embracing her Mexican culture even more, contrary to shoving it aside. Anzaldua transformed her beliefs into something both cultures can applaud, and be honored
The increase and changing demography in the United State today, with the disparities in the health status of people from different cultural backgrounds has been a challenge for health care professionals to consider cultural diversity as a priority. It is impossible for nurses and other healthcare professionals to learn and understand theses diversity in culture, but using other approaches like an interpreter is very helpful for both nurses and patients. In this paper of a culturally appropriate care planning, I will be discussing on the Hispanic American culture because, I had come across a lot of them in my career as a nurse. The Hispanic are very diverse in terms of communication and communities and include countries like Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, South and Central America, and some of them speak and write English very well, some speaks but can’t write while some can’t communicate in English at all but Spanish.
At the beginning of the essay, Anzaldúa recounts a time when she was at the dentist. He told her, “We’re going to have to control your tongue” (33). Although he was referring to her physical tongue, Anzaldúa uses this example as a metaphor for language. The dentist, who is trying to cap her tooth, symbolizes the U.S. who is similarly seeking to restrict the rights of minority groups. Nevertheless, the tongue is preventing the dentist from doing his job. Likewise, there are several minority groups who refuse to abide to the laws of dominant cultures and are fighting back. Anzaldúa also touches on a personal story that happened at school. When she was younger, she was sent to the corner because apparently, she spoke back to her Anglo teacher. The author argues that she was unfairly scolded because she was only telling her teacher how to pronounce her name. Her teacher warned her, “If you want to be American, speak American. If you don’t like it, go back to Mexico where you belong.” This short story provides an understanding of what Anzaldúa’s life was like. It demonstrates how even at a young age, she was continually pressured because of where comes
Martinez, Demetria. 2002. “Solidarity”. Border Women: Writing from la Frontera.. Castillo, Debra A & María Socorro Tabuenca Córdoba. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 168- 188.
In Cháirez’s, “From the Closet to the LGBT Radio Host in Dallas,” he illustrates his endeavors to create a Latino arts collective called Artists Relating Together and Exhibiting (ARTE). ARTE was an inclusive group of artists which strived to showcase as many Latina/o artists regardless of sexual orientation, however he does note that if any members were found to be homophobic they were asked to leave. In addition to this, Cháirez’s worked to form a strictly “gay Latino” radio show under the direction of Dallas’s KNON-the Voice of the People-a nonprofit radio show. Titled Sin Fronteras, without borders in Spanish, his radio show acted as the voice of the LGBT Latina/o community in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Sin Fronteras only featured out Latinas/os as a way to actively promote gay Latina/o pride. This radio show primarily featured gay Latina/o singers and poets. In this way, Cháirez also provided an outlet for artists to express the struggles of LGBT Latinas/os even though these stories were often overlooked when considering the entirety of the LGBT community.
Mexican Americans have become emotionally connected with the story of Gregorio Cortez. The Ballad may be exaggerated and not factual to Gregorio’s life, however, many saw this story as a hope to change the status quo. Today, people look back on this story and feel culturally connected to it. This legacy has translated into an academic movement to address a non-white-washed version of history. Many other stories like the one of Gregorio Cortez also share symbolic properties.
In Francisco X. Alarcon’s 2002 poem “Mexican Is Not A Noun”, we see that the author is writing using cinquain stanzas. The author is also writing in a lyrical form as evidenced by his strong expression of thought and feeling on what “Mexican” is or is not. As I read this poem, I can feel the author’s intense frustration in the systematic generalization of “Mexican” as versed “Mexican is a life long low-paying job A check on the welfare police form” (Kirszner and Mandell, 2012). Likewise, the use of alliteration by using the word “it” to emphasize Mexicans in this piece allows the reader through the author’s viewpoint to feel the empathy in his writing as he states “it hurts it points it dreams it offends it cries” (Kirszner and Mandell, 2012).
Gloria Anzaldua, born and raised near the border of Texas and Mexico, experiences first-hand the distinction between the proud identity and language of the Caucasian, and the ashamed tongue of her own mixed language: Chicano Spanish. In an excerpt titled, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” from her memoir, the author explains the extent of her cultural outcast from a peer, “‘Pocho, cultural traitor, you’re speaking the oppressor's language…’” (Gloria Anzaldua, 35). For someone who was born in an English society with Spanish roots, cultural assimilation in all aspects of life is inevitable. However, by facing scrutiny from the two cultures one is a direct result of, the narrator experiences a loss of cultural and social identity.
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”.
The experiences that built the ideology of many DREAMers who are fighting to get an education and to stay in the U.S. This narrative about the life of Ana Maria is using describing her experiences to show case the struggles of the undocumented community. This text analyzes the superstructure of society. The racism that is inherent to the American way of life. The structures that oppress.