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More handpicked essays just for you.
The importance of cultural identity
The importance of cultural identity
The importance of cultural identity
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In the poem, “legal alien” by Pat Mora, pat talks poetically about her culture and her ethnicity and some people fail to see both sides and only see one side; all the less she; herself sees both sides of her culture. She herself I assume is a Latina and is considered legal thanks to her parents. All the better, she has the best if both worlds. She has her Mexican side and her American side. But she also expresses her problems like I previously stated, that she is not considered a Latina. She was told “you may talk like me but you are not like me.” it supports my thesis which was the one I just wrote by stating how even if you're from both sides you are just in between; you're nothing but just a nobody to them. Some people may accept you as
I can personally resonate with Anzaldua is trying to convey to her audience. Although I identify as heterosexual Latino male Anzaldua sums it perfectly, in the following quote. "If you're a person of color, those expectations take on more pronounced nuances due to the traumas of racism and colonization"(65
In the book Drink Cultura by Jose Antonio Burciaga talks about how it is not easy to get into one place and get anything you want in this world or something you wish for, but it’s something you have to work for, like any other person. It also explains how it is being an immigrant, and how it is to grow up in the United States as in immigrant and how had it is, and the obstacles that as in immigrant we have to overcome. Antonio Burciaga specifically talks in his book the Chicano history, the language that we speak as a person, the family values and how we as a Chicano stick together. One quote of Burciaga is “Naces pendejo, mueres pendejo --- You were born a pendejo and you will die a pendejo (Burciaga10)”. This particular quote caught my attention because the author gives you a taste of what he experienced, and what kind of language they used. “When the wells of emotion are filled only by resentment, a crying sense of injustice, racist, affronts, deliberately designed frustrations to personal development and social worthiness (Burciaga131)”. This quote talks about how we as Chicanos have the motivation by bringing in our passion from the past, but as soon as someone brings that wall down of us having that one positive outcome, we can go into a lot of resentment towards other people, and think to ourselves at some point that we are worthiness. In chapter “The Motherland” the author talks about the pride people take about being Latinos, he talks about being back in Mexico and how it’s all so different once you’ve lived on the other side, a quote that gives you a mental picture would be “Many white Euro-Mexican will shrug their shoulders, declare they are 100 percent Mexican do not partition or categorize their ancestry. On the contr...
To begin, Charlotte and The Mother from “Borders” have both struggled with society trying to shape them into a certain type of person. Charlotte has always tried to conform to what her mother wanted since she was you. She would “...obey all rules without question or argument.” (pg.226) when it came to her mother. As she got older she began to realize that thing can be done different ways then what her mother wanted. The Mother from “Borders” has a similar problem as Charlotte. She is a proud Blackfoot citizen living in Canada but doesn't consider herself a Canadian. While she is going to visit her Daughter in Salt Lake City she must cross the border. While at the border the guard asks her about her citizenship. She answered with Blackfoot; that wasn't the answer the guard was looking for. The guard tells her “...you
I am a Mexican American in the eyes of the American society. As a child, I have always been aware that my treatment was particularly different than that of friends whom were black and white. Despite the fact that I was born in the United States and lived here all my life, it was always assumed up into Middle School that I only spoke Spanish. As a result of this, I would have to go to ESL a program that would help students learn English. I knew perfect English and wondered why is it necessary for me to feel different from that of my friends. Another factor that has made me feel oppressed like Lorde as a Mexican American is my skin color. However, now that I have read Lorde’s article I come to understand that neither aspect that makes who I am is less or more important and that I should accept it because that is who I
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.
America is a presumptuous country; its citizens don’t feel like learning any other language so they make everyone else learn English. White Americans are the average human being and act as the standard of living, acting, and nearly all aspects of life. In her essay “White Privilege: The Invisible Knapsack,” Peggy McIntosh talks about how being white has never been discussed as a race/culture before because that identity has been pushed on everyone else, and being white subsequently carries its own set of advantages. Gloria Anzaldua is a Chicana, a person of mixed identities. In an excerpt titled “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” she discusses how the languages she speaks identifies who she is in certain situations and how, throughout her life, she has been pushed to speak and act more “American” like. McIntosh’s idea of whiteness as a subconscious race that carries its own advantages can enlighten why Anzaldua feels like she
This quote, taken from the play Los Vendidos by Luis Valdez, well illustrates the ambivalence and hypocrisy Anglos have projected towards Mexicans for the last two centuries. Specifically, this quote refers to the United States government needing a "brown face" in the crowd at one of their meetings to showcase their supposed support and inclusion of Mexican-Americans in the U.S. However, it is more important that the "brown face" act American, or embody Anglo characteristics deemed to be more reputable and civilized. Valdez’s play showcases an important theme in Mexican-American history and still today which, as the title implies, is that Mexicans and Mexican Americans have been forced to sell, or disregard their culture, language, and ideals for Anglocized ones in order to become citizens of the United States. Moreoever, their presence in history has been romanticized or has gone unnoticed by American citizens. By examining the characters and dialogue in Valdez’s work Los Vendidos, along with complementary written and oral historical accounts, I will first describe the stereotypes and racism Mexican-Americans have endured both historically and presently. Secondly, I will detail how the Chicano’s struggle for equal rights in education, workforce, and politics, has been thwarted by the Anglo Americans’ desire to "mold" or "control" Chicano’s destiny in the United States and maintain them as second-class citizens. Finally, I will argue that even those of Mexican descent that have attempted to assimilate themselves into American culture still face an insurmountable task due to the racism that clouds the cultural len...
I decided to analyze the poem English con Salsa by Gina Valdes, because I can identify myself with this poem in many different aspects. Both my parents and I were born in Mexico, but decided to move to the United States on February of 2000. With us moving here, we brought along our traditions and customs. My family has a blend of American culture with Latino culture since a few of my uncles married American women and had children. I feel that Valdes poem is about finding that “in between” feelings that are brought up when two cultures are mixed together.
The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria, an essay written by Judith Ortiz Cofer, discusses the racial stereotypes Cofer struggles with as a Latin woman who travels across America. Throughout her life, Cofer discusses her interactions with people who falsely misjudge her as a Latin woman. Additionally, Cofer mentions other Hispanic women she has met in her life, who also suffer with racial assumptions. Although several people would disagree with Cofer and claim that she is taking racial remarks too seriously, racial stereotyping is a significant issue that should not be overlooked in our society. People should not base someone’s worth by their outward appearance or their ethnic background.
In the essay "It’s Hard Enough Being Me," Anna Lisa Raya relates her experiences as a multicultural American at Columbia University in New York and the confusion she felt about her identity. She grew up in L.A. and mostly identified with her Mexican background, but occasionally with her Puerto Rican background as well. Upon arriving to New York however, she discovered that to everyone else, she was considered "Latina." She points out that a typical "Latina" must salsa dance, know Mexican history, and most importantly, speak Spanish. Raya argues that she doesn’t know any of these things, so how could this label apply to her? She’s caught between being a "sell-out" to her heritage, and at the same time a "spic" to Americans. She adds that trying to cope with college life and the confusion of searching for an identity is a burden. Anna Raya closes her essay by presenting a piece of advice she was given on how to deal with her identity. She was told that she should try to satisfy herself and not worry about other people’s opinions. Anna Lisa Raya’s essay is an informative account of life for a multicultural American as well as an important insight into how people of multicultural backgrounds handle the labels that are placed upon them, and the confusion it leads to in the attempt to find an identity. Searching for an identity in a society that seeks to place a label on each individual is a difficult task, especially for people of multicultural ancestry.
... did Pat Mora mention that she tries to hide from one culture behind another or that she is trying to replace one culture with the another. She's just trying to figure out the misunderstanding perspectives from both parties. The title fits perfectly because this individual is a Mexican-American who doesn't know her position in the eyes of others. She feels as if she does belong to a group but at the same time she feels as if shes an outsider to another. In other words a "Legal Alien" . After one analyzes and views the different perspectives of the individual's family and co-workers, the female character in the poem can realize that hybridity and binaries make her who is she.
According to Anzaldua, “ Chicano Spanish is considered by the purist and by most Latinos deficient, a mutilation of Spanish”(Anzaldua 32). The Chicano Spanish versus Spanish conflict that occurs in Latino society is a prime example of people considering themselves to be right in a situation where there is not a right answer. The Latino’s who speak Spanish that they believe to be normal are disturbed by the Spanish language changing. They believe that their own views are being challenged, they believe that they are correct, and they believe that anyone who challenges their views is inferior. The people who view all other views are, in reality, just trying to make themselves look more powerful. Like in Tan’s essay, people demeaned others in order to promote their own views, therefore, gaining power over the others who they demeaned. According to Tan, “ She said they would not give her any more information(...) And when the doctor finally called her daughter, me, who spoke in perfect english-- lo and behold-- we had assurances the CAT scan would be found”(Tan 2). The doctors treated Tan’s mother differently due to her use of what they considered “broken language”, leading to her being treated inadequately. People have an image of what they consider to be the right English, anyone who does not speak the right English is usually considered to be uneducated. In both Tan’s and Anzaldua’s essays, the lack of open-mindedness is one of the reasons that people want to become more powerful than others. People fail to realize that what they believe in is not always the right answer, like with stereotypes, the people are trying to gain power over others in order to make themselves seem more
Latinos who were raised in the United States of America have a dual identity. They were influenced by both their parents' ancestry and culture in addition to the American culture in which they live. Growing up in between two very different cultures creates a great problem, because they cannot identify completely with either culture and are also caught between the Spanish and English languages. Further more they struggle to connect with their roots. The duality in Latino identity and their search for their own personal identity is strongly represented in their writing. The following is a quote that expresses this idea in the words of Lucha Corpi, a Latina writer: "We Chicanos are like the abandoned children of divorced cultures. We are forever longing to be loved by an absent neglectful parent - Mexico - and also to be truly accepted by the other parent - the United States. We want bicultural harmony. We need it to survive. We struggle to achieve it. That struggle keeps us alive" ( Griwold ).
Kevin Johnson’s book How did You Get to Be Mexican is a detailed account of what it is like to live a life of mixed identity. He illustrates the issues of diversity, assimilation, race relations, and affirmative action in our society today to attempt to give us a better understanding and view from the “insider’s” perspective of what it is like to be of mixed heritage.
Francisco Alarcon was a Mexican-American writer who used simple language to explore the complexities of Chicano Life in the United States (Siegel, 2016). According to the American Heritage Dictionary (n.d.), Chicano is described as an American citizen of Mexican origin or descent, especially a man or boy. Alarcon uses alliterated words such as “Mexican”, “a”, and, “it” in this poem to emphasize the meaning of each stanza. He uses short lines because the last word in a line is just as important as the word at the beginning of the next line. By using informal diction, he is able to focus on the everyday life of a “Mexicans” with words in each verse as well as creating the mood and tone of the poem. This poem reveals to America the true feelings