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Comparing Mexican and American culture
Cultural comparison america and mexico
Latin american culture compared to american
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In Latino culture it’s typical for the man of the household to be seen as “machismo” or “virile”. I know this because I’ve witnessed the black and blue bruises left on my mother’s soul from her father, an abusive macho Latino man. My mom would tell me about the times grandpa would chase her and her siblings around the house with a leather belt that had a giant metal buckle that stung like hornets when you got hit by it, because they didn’t finish their homework by the time he got home from work. She told me about the time grandpa called her a prostitute because she was wearing red nail polish and makeup, words like that can damage a girl’s emotions, especially a teenage girl. I love my grandfather but I know the verbal abuse he’s caused has stuck with my mother since she was a little girl, to now, and probably forever. Like the antagonist Papi, my grandfather would talk down to my mom, her siblings, and my grandmother; He would constantly cheat on my grandmother with the women that lived in the apartment complex and beat up on his two sons. Throughout the course of the short story Papi …show more content…
Yunior had an issue with getting carsick if he ate before going for a drive in Papi’s new Volks Wagon van. Every time Yunior ate something he would throw up. Before Yunior’s family went to the party Yunior ate, when Papi found out he said to him “coño muchacho, why did you eat?” (par 14) Normally as a parent you would be happy that your child is eating enough and not starving, even if they do get car sick. Also you certainly would not refer to your child as “coño” which technically translates to “cunt” either, it’s just hurtful. Even Yunior’s younger sister was frightened by Papi when he yelled at the family “Madai was too scared to open her eyes. Being around papi all her life has turned her into a major-league wuss.” (par 24) It’s horrible that Papi’s own children fear him and his wrath, his words stabbed like
Yunior’s father is no exception to this culture. Yunior describes his father as the typical violent macho. He notes, “Papi was old- fashion; he expected your undivided attention when you were getting your ass whupped” (Diaz 26). This indicates, like most males in general, Papi likes to have a sense of being in control at all times. He enjoys the fact that he can exert power or dominion over his children. While being punished, Yunior had to stay focused. It might have very well been a case where crying is not even an option, as the act is seen as weakness. This is reminiscent of how some males in the Caribbean regions are raised. Men are seen as soft if they cry, even while getting flogged. According to Kevane, the “Macho is the accepted and expected single- word description synonymous with Latino men and male culture” (Kevane 502). The protagonist’s father is of the idea that he is the greatest, a tough guy. Papi is very proud of the man he
Gonzalo and Maricela are two examples of that. Gonzalo and his family moved from Guatemala to Cleveland, which left his great-uncle, as Gonzalo says, “like a baby.” Gonzalo’s mom trusts him to babysit him, but Gonzalo is disgusted by the thought of it. Tio Juan, often wanders off and Gonzalo has to find him. One day, Gonzalo realizes he has wandered off and he rushes to find him. He finds him at a nearby vacant lot that had been turned into the community garden. He grabs his hand, but Tio Juan pulls him through the trash into the lot. Tio Juan tries to give advice to a man, but the man can not understand his poor english. That night, being the farmer he used to be, Tio Juan told Gonzalo’s mother about the garden, and the next morning they picked out a spot for him. At the end of the chapter Gonzalo acknowledges his intelligence about gardening and respects him more. “He’d changed from a baby back into a man.” This quote tells how the community garden leads Gonzalo to respect Tio Juan more. Maricela’s chapter starts off on a sour note. She shares several stereotypes and about how they are directed towards her. It leads us to the fact that she might be depressed, because she says how she wouldn’t care if she died. Being pregnant as a teen causes her to be mad at the world. She wants an abortion, a miscarriage, or to put the baby up for adoption,
Today, women are more conquering and stronger than before. Women can do anything men can do and should be treated equally. Mothers tend to take care of their sons more than their daughters. It is especially shown in this novel, between the Awful Grandmother and Inocencio. The relationship they have is strong because the Awful Grandmother was abandoned by her parents and when she got pregnant before being married to the Little Grandfather, he wanted to run away.
By examining the narrative voice as well as the cultural restraints placed on them, readers can see the sexist culture in the novel and that the novel itself does not necessarily advocate this misogyny. Yunior, a Dominican man, is the overall narrator of the novel, so readers essentially see everything through his masculine eye. When discussing a brief fling with Lola, Oscar’s sister, Yunior says, “Even those nights after I got jumped she wouldn’t let me steal on her ass for nothing. So you can sleep in my bed but you can’t sleep with me?” (Diaz 169) His question suggests that it is his right to sleep with her, and his discussion of Lola herself objectifies her by noting only her body and her refusal to use it. This objectification is clearly sexist, but it is a reflection of the narrative voice, Yunior, not of Lola. Yunior will casually refer to a woman as “a bitch” (Diaz 183), which is clearly demeaning, but it is a man’s view and does not reflect on the substance of the women. It shows readers the culture he was raised in, not an actual portrayal of the women, illustrating a misogynist society but not a misogynistic novel. In the Dominican Republic, gender-based violence is the fourth leading cause of death, hinting at the overall problems caused by the hyper-sexualized nature of the country. Sociologist Denise Paiewonsky
The story “Woman Hollering Creek" by Sandra Cisneros describes the lives of Mexicans in a Chicago neighborhood. She depicts the life that women endure as Latino wives through her portrayal of the protagonist, Cleofilas. For Cisneros being a Mexican-American has given her a chance to see life from two different cultures. In addition, Cisneros has written the story from a woman’s perspective, illustrating the types of conflicts many women face as Latino wives. This unique paradigm allows the reader to examine the events and characters using a feminist critical perspective.
Men felt superior, “Hombres with the devil in their flesh who would come to a pueblo… never meaning to stay, only to have a good time and to seduce the women,” which made women feel inferior. Women were only used for a man’s pleasure. For that reason, they would not wed them. As generations progressed, they soon found an exception to wed, which considered the woman as the man’s property. Women were never looked as individuals if they got married. Women found control within themselves to not be recognized as only a man’s property, but that they have the opportunity to achieve much greater things than just being a housewife. The women found that their bodies shouldn’t be used for pleasure, but for greater achievements such as widening their education career. Worry, her uncle went missing. It affects the family’s lifestyle since her uncle did not land in the U.S. but somewhere unknown. Mamá, “went wild with worry” which is normal since it is her son (33). Her son is missing, while Mamá’s husband had premonitions of where their son could be located. Terror filled mamá with the “nightmares… she saw her son mistreated and worse,” which can be a mother’s worst fear (33). Mamá fears for the life of her son, the tone is fear and worry. In a Puerto Rican woman’s life, this is far one of her top priorities, her family. Family is one of the biggest priorities in a woman’s life, especially if they sense
Social problems include difficulties with family relationships, isolation, interpersonal conflicts, and pressures of social roles. The Latino culture tends to place a higher premium on the well-being of the family unit over that of any one family member, a concept termed familialism (Smith & Montilla, 2006). In general, familialism emphasizes interdependence and connectedness in the family, and often extends familial ties beyond the nuclear family (Falicov, 1998). Given these values, Latinos often describe depression in terms of social withdrawal and isolation (Letamendi, et al., 2013). Social roles also play an important role in mental health, traditional gender roles in particular are strongly enforced and can be a source of distress. In Latino culture, men and women are expected to fulfill the roles outlined in the traditions of Machismo and Marianismo respectively. Machismo indicates that the man is supposed to be strong and authoritative, while Marianismo designates the woman as the heart of the family both morally and emotionally (Dreby, 2006). Although there is little research on causal factors, adherence to these traditional gender roles can pose a psychological burden and has been found to be strong predictor of depression (Nuñez, et al., 2015). The centrality of social problems in the conceptualization of depression for Latinos may be reflective of the collectivistic values that are characteristic of the group. Although these values have the potential to contribute to depression, they also have the potential to serve as protective factors and promote mental health (Holleran & Waller, 2003). Therefore, it is imperative that the counselor carefully consider cultural values, both in terms of potential benefits and drawbacks, to provide appropriate counseling to the Latino
In the documentary Crime After Crime, Deborah Peagler suffered abuse from her intimate partner through her life. The abuse started in High School. When her mother introduced her to Oliver Wilson, his charming personality fooled everyone. Oliver forced her into prostitution to make money for him. When she refused, he beat her until she promised to sell herself. The beating gradationally evolved to bull whipping. In addition, all of this occurred during her junior and senior year in high school. Oliver felt it was his right to have ultimate control over Deborah, this fact is generally accepted in the society (Belknap 247). The male dominance, male authority over women is something taught to young children. It is sought to be the place of women to wait for the husband by the door when he comes home. The male masculinity fact kicked in and it drove him to force his dominance over Deborah into physical abuse. When Deborah refused to do his bidding, he felt it was necessary for him to show her who is in control by beating her. This is the message sent to young boys of past generations and a bit less for the current one through media and entertainment.
As a traditional, collectivistic cultural group, the Latino population is believed to adhere deeply to the value of familismo. (Arditti, 2006; Calzada, 2014). Familism is an emphasis on the importance of the family unit over values of autonomy and individualism”. (Santistaben, 2012). Family is considered to be the top priority in the Latino culture. Comparatively, at times, this isn’t true of our busy, work devoted western culture. In western culture we think of our family in a nuclear sense made up of a: mom, dad, and siblings. Conversely, Hispanic culture focuses on the whole extended family including aunts, uncles, grandparent, and cousins. Their culture believes having close connections with the entire extended family benefits the development of their children. The entire family helps the child by giving them differing levels of social and emotional support. (American Home Resolutions,
Men in family have more privilege than women in my family. My grandfather believed he had the privilege to be abusive to my grandmother and this passed down to his sons. My mother witnessed abuse from grandfather, she went through herself and accepted it. My grandfather made all the rules in the family, he could go out for days and not come back and he believed he had the right to do that. My step-father was abusive to my mother when I was living with them. I don’t know if he still does because my mother would never tell him because she does not want me to worry. My step-father met my mother when she was working but as years went by she decided to be a stay at home mom. I feel my step-father
Most Mexican families are extremely traditional, with the man as the head of the house hold, and the authority figure. Machismo (masculinity) in all latino countries is a huge problem, not only because women are being deprived of their freedom, but because men abuse their power. I asked five Mexican women how they felt about Machismo in Mexico. Two of the five women told me kind of the same thing; They believe that it is not a bad thing, but it depends on the man. The other three were very against it, and they ...
In sports today, the stakes of a game are higher than ever. This causes all those invested in the sport to become on edge. Although this may cause some beneficial effects in the game, there are still a few downsides to it. One such downside would be the bullying of athletes from their very own coaches. That’s right, the intensity of sports causes some coaches to take drastic measures to make their chances of winning greater, even if said measures are detrimental to the confidence and mentality of their players.
In the story "Woman Hollering Creek" Sandra Cisneros discusses the issues of living life as a married woman through a character named Cleofilas; a character who is married to a man who abuses her physically and mentally .Cisneros reveals the way the culture puts a difference between a male and a female, men above women. Cisneros has been famous about writing stories about the latino culture and how women are treated; she explain what they go through as a child, teen and when they are married; always dominated by men because of how the culture has been adapted. "Woman Hollering Creek" is one of the best examples. A character who grows up without a mother and who has no one to guid and give her advise about life.
Through the origins of her unconsciousness, her father’s abusive behavior caused the start of Junita’s scarring trauma, which influenced her decision making in life. After Juanita’s mom died, her father was the only one who was able to educate them for adulthood. However, when he drank too much he became aggressive and enforced violence in order to educate them and teach them to behave. All her father ever did was tell them to behave, for example, ‘“Behave yourselves!’
In Latin America, women are treated differently from men and children. They do lots of work for unexplainable reasons. Others for religious reasons and family orders and others because of the men involved. Women are like objects to men and have to obey their orders to either be rich or to live. Some have sex to get the men’s approval, others marry a rich man that they don’t even know very well, and become slaves. An important book called Chronicles of a Death Foretold is an example of how these women are treated. Purisima del Carmen, Angela Vicario's mother, has raised Angela and her sisters to be good wives. The girls do not marry until late in life, rarely socializing beyond the outsides of their own home. They spend their time sewing, weaving, washing and ironing. Other occupations include arranging flowers, cleaning up the house, and writing engagement letters to other men. They also keep the old traditions alive, such as helping the sick, comforting the dying, and covering the dead. While their mother believes they are perfect, men view them as too tied to their women's traditions. The men are afraid that the women would pay more attention to their job more than the men. Throughout the book, the women receive the respect they deserve from the men and others around them.