Much of my childhood, despite being American-born, was heavily influenced by my Mexican culture by way of my immigrant mom and my predominantly Mexican neighborhood. Thus, the foundation of my upbringing included the same norms and values that one, particularly a young female, would experience in Mexico. As a young person, disrespecting an adult was a huge offense; so, my default was to be silent around older people. As a female, it was expected that I would learn how to cook, clean, care for younger siblings and to have restrictions placed upon my social life. With love, my mother was simply preparing me for a future, one with a husband and kids, which could be considered limiting beyond the perimeters of our Mexican community. And yet, being an obedient child never felt oppressive and, for the most part, enforced because, to me, it felt intuitive. At the time, I could not foresee how my upbringing could produce a silence that was harmful once it was challenged.
My step-father became part of my family when I was eight years old. Like any young person, especially one that is prote...
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
No matter what background we come from, we all have some type of language barrier. The immigrants in America, forming and identity means more than just learning English and acclimatizing into the society. People who are born in a foreign country and immigrate to the United States of America (first generation immigrants) have difficulties adapting to the American culture and learning the language. Second generation immigrants usually have no difficulty in adapting but tend to have difficulties in learning to function between the two cultures (American culture and their native culture). A Chicana who grew up in South Texas to a Mexican immigrant mother faces a similar type of problem. In the essay “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by Gloria Anzaldúa. The author expresses her feelings about the social and cultural differences Mexican immigrants face when being raised in the United States of America. Anzaldúa also brings to debate about the important social problems such as sexism, racism, and identity construction.
Suppose your mother has hammered into your head over years to marry a man unlike your father. You may not ever marry, you may even become a harlot. Now, suppose have six siblings and you are the only daughter. Your Mexican fathers’ only expectation is for you to marry. You end up not marrying, but always seeking your father’s approval. These are the fascinating cultural enriched protagonists in “Never Marry a Mexican” and “Only Daughter” by Sandra Cisneros. The cultural expectations of these women and the roles they decided to take went against what older generations had demanded or saw fit. These protagonists challenged these expectations with the roles they chose and I instantly became a fan. Sandra Cisneros is a Latina American
Growing up everyone has certain roles to perform; gradually your roles can change once you are freely able to express yourself without any restrictions. Unfortunately just like thousands of other women in the world at the time, the women of Mexico were limited and had role in which they followed. A challenge Mexican women had during their early times was that, “no unmarried women under thirty could legally leave her parental home” (Soto, 10). This limited women to their own individuality as they were force to stay home and take care of their parents since there was no husband to tender for. Every women wanted to get married so that they can grow older a...
Cultural influences have formed who I am. “Every aspect of global communication is influenced by cultural differences”(Goman). Being both Mexican and American has affected my upbringing. “Culture is, basically, a set of shared values that a group of people holds. Such values affect how you think and act and, more importantly, the kind of criteria by which you judge others”(Goman). Since values of both cultures have been instilled in me, my family has certain expectations for me. In Mexican culture women marry young and are supposed to maintain the household and children. An education past high school is not necessary. In the U.S a woman is encouraged to have a career and be independent. My parents mix these two values together. I am expected to be able to maintain
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,
My family’s Mexican traditions and life experiences played a great role in shaping my individual beliefs and values. I learned to embrace important values, roles, and norms from the Mexican culture. However, the experiences I have encountered throughout my life have influenced my interactions with others, life’s point of view, and the development of having my own sense of reasoning that differs from my family beliefs and values.
Increasing your knowledge in many cultural backgrounds can be beneficial to you and to understand how life is for other people with different cultural upbringing than you. Three stories I found that would be really interesting to not only the students but also to the other teachers that I could be working with are “From Shadows of a Childhood” by Elisabeth Gille, “From Catfish and Mandala: A Two-wheeled Voyage through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam; Last Gamble” by Andrew X. Pham and “Shadows on the Wall” by Charles Mungoshi. I have chosen some articles that will provide more information on the topics and to help understand and explain that learning about other cultures will help the children become more educated with other cultures that
I was a somewhat unwanted child, because the culture exalted male children and despised female children. I was my parents’ third daughter. I was also the darkest skinned, another trait that was undesirable in my culture. I cannot forget that my mother was unsatisfied when she had me. When I was at my tender age my told me about her past and why she wanted a son and dissatisfied when I was born. From her upbringing and the cultural praise of male children, she too wanted a son. However, my father was always proud of us even though we were daughters. As a little girl I would go to my father and touch him in order to become light like him, and he told me I was his precious gold. His love and acceptance of everyone inspired me to aim higher. My father doesn’t believe gender determines a person’s intelligence, so he always hoped for the best for his three daughters and son. I realized that my parents’ had different perspectives on their children because of their varying upbringings. Coming to America I...
Growing up in a marginalized minority is a difficult task because there are a lot of differences between cultures. In the Mexican American culture, family is crucial, this is where one comes when one needs someone to talk to. In my experience, I had was raised being stuck in the middle of two different cultures I had to know what my identity was through, family, school, and through my travels.
“You are in America, speak English.” As a young child hearing these words, it did not only confuse me but it also made me question my belonging in a foreign country. As a child I struggled with my self-image; Not being Hispanic enough because of my physical appearance and not being welcomed enough in the community I have tried so hard to integrate myself with. Being an immigrant with immigrant parents forces you to view life differently. It drives you to work harder or to change the status quo for the preconceived notion someone else created on a mass of people. Coming to America filled me with anxiety, excitement, and even an unexpected wave of fear.
This story is a small image of what generally happens to an a child of an immigrant family. Among many immigrant families, younger family members tend to adapt to the culture faster than members of older generations. Members of the older generation may dislike the influence that American culture has on the younger members. On the other hand, the younger generation may view their elders as too set in their views and beliefs. Because of this, arguments can occur and can create divides among family
When I was a young child I would love to hear my parents tell me that we were going on a trip. I would be full of excitement, because I knew that we would be going to a place that I had never seen before. My parents, my brother, and I would pack our luggage and venture out in our small gray minivan. Three of my most cherished memories in our minivan are when we went to Disney World, the beach, and the mountains.
I was adopted by my father when I was 8. My step brothers and sisters did not recognize me as a sibling and in many ways were cruel and unkind. They negatively influenced my self-concept. I felt that I had no place in my family. Though this was many years ago, I still have moments of feeling that I do not belong because of this.
I grew up in a predominately Hispanic neighborhood, where I was one of the twelve Asian students in my grade of three hundred and fifty and the only Chinese student in my class. I struggled to understand what my classmates, friends, and teachers talked about because they spoke primarily Spanish outside of the classroom, and I could barely count to ten. Fitting in was hard not only because of the language barrier but also the racial and cultural differences. Making friends with people who have little or nothing in common is difficult, so I attempted to copy whatever my classmates would do. I ate what they ate, watched what they watched, and played whatever sports they played. I took Spanish lessons with the family who lived below me, and in exchange I taught them a bit of Mandarin. By the second grade, I had eased into the community around me despite only having two close friends. They helped me to embrace my Chinese side while being assimilated. I could stop being someone I wasn’t, and I was not scared to be myself with them because they were fascinated by my unique characteristic from having Chinese heritage. I enjoyed living in Corona, since everything I needed was so close, and this i...