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Essays on chicano literature
Social Masculinity
Social Masculinity
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In Hombres y Machos Alfredo Mirandé attempts to rectify what he considers misconceptions about Chicano/Latino masculinity that have been perpetuated in the writings of foreign social scientists, whose research is based on "meagre, nonexistent, and misinterpreted evidence" (5). Mirandé calls into question the negative, monolithic view of machismo and Latino masculinity according to which men are powerful, aggressive, and dominant and women are weak, submissive, and self-sacrificing. He further suggests that these negative images are used to legitimate the economic and political subordination of Latinos.
In the opening chapters Mirandé establishes a clear distinction between positive and negative concepts of machismo and provides an overview, particularly useful for the non-Hispanic reader, of explanations for the emergence of Mexican hypermasculinity. The most prevalent theory sees hypermasculinity as arising from a profound sense of impotence and inferiority caused by the Spanish Conquest; a second sees
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His questionnaire, which examines how Latino males view themselves, inquires into men's beliefs on the topics of machismo, masculinity, and fatherhood, but it ignores their day-to-day sexual and gendered practices. It is constructed as a series of statements with which the respondent should agree or disagree--for example, "It is natural for a man to fool around before marriage"; "A man should help his wife with chores and child care" (92-93)--and not as questions that directly ask about the behavior of each interviewee. While Mirandé praises the sincerity and integrity of his respondents, it is obvious that, had he conducted anonymous interviews and asked direct questions about marital fidelity and the equality of partners in marriage, he would have obtained very different results. He does not even question the discrepancies and
In Mario Suarez’s essay “El Hoyo” it is mainly about a small section of the city of Tucson. It is the area that has been inhabited by Chicanos. The term chicano is the short way of saying Mexicano. Suarez explains the good and the bad about El Hoyo. He says that he does not understand why people come back to El Hoyo, but there is something unexplainable about it that it does. It is possibly the human kindness of El Hoyo that brings people back.
North Americans and Mexicans must also attempt to overcome the ideas that women should be seen and not heard. In Anzaldúa’s words, “Hocicona, repeloma, chismosa, having a big mouth, questioning, carrying tales are all signs of being mal criada. In my culture they are all words that are derogatory if applied to women – I’ve ever heard them applied to men” (2947).
Throughout time, stories have been passed down from generation to generation in order to make sense of our world and to share that understanding with others. “Los tres hermanos (The Three Brothers)” and “El indito de las cien vacas (The Indian and the Hundred Cows)” are two Tales of the Hispanic Southwest that I feel the reader could truly relate to in terms of the important moral lessons that were meant to be taught, inferred and understood. The lesson in “Los tres hermanos (The Three Brothers)” involves understanding that the characters involved failed to reflect on the needs of the thirsty, hungry and poor, the lonely, as well as the elderly and are ultimately fairly served by means of moral ruin, death, and worst of all, eternal damnation, while “El indito de las cien vacas (The Indian and the Hundred Cows)” in due course, involves the notion that God helps those who help themselves.
Batlla argues that an “imaginary Mexico” exists, a minority culture within Mexico that represents Western, colonial interests. In opposition to this imaginary Mexico is the México profundo, or “deep” Mexico. México profundo underlies the imaginary Mexico and has its core in Mesoamerican culture, which reaches back into history for centuries upon centuries. According to Batalla, the relationship between these two cultures is fraught and, at times, violent, as “the imaginary Mexico tries to subordinate the rest of the population to its plans”. He argues a position different from that of the course’s themes, which emphasize the joining and mixing of Mesoamerican and colonial culture. According to Batalla, “[n]o room has been allowed for a convergence of civilizations through a slow fusion that gives rise to a new civilizational plan, different from the two original ones of arising from
To say that many countries in Latin-American and in Europe are machistas is not a surprise for anyone. People who have born in Spain or in Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela grew in a society with fewer rights for women than men. The word machismo means "arrogant attitude of men towards women". This occurs in every single moment in our lives from our born to our death. But, at this moment I want to analyze the machismo in three areas: family, school and work.
My readings suggest the Hispanic culture gender roles are very common and strict. Starting early in life children are taught to follow the strict guidelines of their gender (American Home Resources, 2010). There exists three common gender specific scripts in Hispanic culture; females can either be “Marianismo” or “Hembrismo”, and, males are classified as “Machismo”. The two female roles differ greatly; “Marianismo” defines behaviors of women as being obedient, dependent and caring for their children. The “Hembrismo” role stresses a female’s strength to persist through life’s difficulties; however, this role is not accepted widely in their culture. The “Machismo” role describes behaviors of men as being dominant and independent. This role views the man as being in charge of the family. (Peñalosa,
Young males have tendencies to pay attention to their physical attributes as sort of trophies that indicate certain levels of maturity. The socialization of this comes from all institutions of social life, but Mora makes distinctions as it pertains to the ten Latino boys he observes: focusing on peers, neighborhood and media influences. Within the poor and working-class Latino neighborhoods, Mor...
Cofer uses the rhetoric appeal of ethos to establish her authority to make the argument that Latina stereotypes are just myths. Growing ...
Gonzalez, Araceli. “Discussion #2.” Chicano Studies 10. University of California Davis. Wellman 229. 8 October 2013.
Montoya, Margret E. "Masks and Identify," and "Masks and Resistance," in The Latino/a Condition: A Critical Reader New York: New York University Press, 1998.
Growing up in a Latino base community there were numerous instances that metaphor,“si me voy con la Luna o el Sol”, which means either you choose the Sun (Dad) or Moon (Mother), was used just to see who the kids prefered .Therefore creating, the environment that children would be repeatedly asked to choose the ultimatum between parents. In the reading “Mamitis and the Traumas of Development in a Colonia Popular of Mexico City” by Matthew C. Gutmann and “Bad Boys and Good Girls: The Implications of Gender Ideology for Child Health in Jamaica” by Carolyn Sargent and Michael Harris correlations between class in their countries and how it impacts family developments. The Essay will focus on Gutmann’s reading on mamitis gender expectation, secondly how Sargent’s reading tackles the issue of
Kanellos, Nicolás, Felix M- Padilla, and Claudio Esteva Fabregat, eds. Handbook of Hispanic Cultures in the United States: Sociology. Houston: Arte Publico Press, 1994. Print.
Judith Ortiz Cofer, a professor of english and creative writing, tackles gender roles as well as cultural stereotypes in “ The Myth of the Latin Woman” and challenges them by attempting to replace the stereotypes with the realities. In “The Myth of the Latin Woman” Cofer discusses her life in America as a Puerto Rican woman. She also shares her stories of when she was stereotyped and how gender roles play a role in how Latinos are viewed. Stereotypes will follow you around because of your appearance and how the media portrays Latinas.
Manhood had not always existed; it was created through culture. Depending on the era, masculinity claimed a different meaning. But in all of its wandering definitions, it consistently contains opposition to a set of “others,” meaning racial and sexual minorities. (pp.45) One of the first definitions was the Marketplace Man, where capitalism revolved around his success in power, wealth, and status. A man devoted himself to his work and family came second. Although this is one of the first standing definitions, it still finds its spot in today’s definition, where masculinity consists of having a high paying job, an attractive young wife, and
During a class discussion, the topic of machismo was brought up because students had started to notice characteristics of it during their outings in Rio de Janeiro. Machismo is the belief of some men that they are superior to women. It causes men to abuse women in a variety of ways causing physical, mental, or emotional damage. It was interesting to hear this brought up during a discussion, because despite observing it, it was not something that stood out to me enough to discuss it. In hindsight, I realize I had stopped noticing it because of how often I see machista behavior during annual visits to visit family in Mexico. This toxic masculinity in Latin American countries, however, took on a whole new meaning for me during my time in Brazil.