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American literature has many ethnic groups
Multicultural literature
Multicultural literature
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“Strength comes from struggle. When you learn to see your struggles as opportunities to become stronger, better, wiser, then your thinking shifts from ‘I can’t do this’ to ‘I must do this’ was said by Toni Sorenson. Through hardships comes growth, through growth comes opportunities. This is a popular theme explored throughout the short stories “Reflection: Growing Up Grown” by David Jacobsen and “The Storyteller” by Sandra Cisneros. Each has written about their experiences during trials and how their Latin roots influence their decisions in reaching their pinnacle. Both autobiographies reveal the journey they face in finding the voice within themselves and the strength to carry on. Coming from their strong heritage, Jacobsen and Cisneros are …show more content…
Jacobsen references to his heritage, Latin, more often than Cisneros. He uses the terms “‘real’ world” and “Americanism” as if he does not feel fully integrated and engrossed into the culture. Although he never mentions not being happy with the “American dream” he is living, his reference to these general terms suggest a contradicting spirit, along with, a sarcastic tone. For example, he says, “The obsession at arriving at Americanism whatever that means--...” (45). Cisneros, however, causally references her Latin heritage by referencing Mexico and using direct quotes used by her father in spanish. “ She wants to write stories that ignore borders between genres, between written and spoken, between highbrow literature and children’s nursery rhymes, between New York and the imaginary village of Macondo, between the United States and Mexico” (49). Instead of approaching this lifestyle change as Jacobsen did, she accepts her past and embraces her future in America. In fact, she uses her Latin roots to inspire her style and shape her as a writer, molding Latin and American culture as one, a beautiful unity not as prevalent a theme in “Reflection:Growing Up …show more content…
In “ Reflection:Growing Up Grown”, Jacobsen sticks strictly with the 1st person point of view. Following a simple chronological order, he tells his story and inputs bits and pieces of personal emotions felt on account of his journey. His style is “The Storyteller” tells the growth of Cisneros in both 1st and 3rd person. “I feel like a bad daughter ignoring my father, but I feel worse when I don’t write. Either way I never feel completely happy” (50). By transitioning through these point of views, it is easier to gain a broader spectrum of emotions felt by the author. From the initial point of discovering her place as a writer, to establishing a home in San Antonio, all her emotions are put into focus and applied into her writing. Not only is Cisneros frustrated and confused, she is confident and bold and imaginative, seeing the beauty in a “herd of clouds grazing overhead” (49). She delves deep into her emotions, which can not be said of Jacobsen. Cisneros subtly applies her poetic influence into her writing, and both employ straightforward language to highlight their main points. While both accomplish their intentions of retelling their story, the technique used by Cisneros, point of view transitioning, makes her story more personable, which adds to the readability of her
When Cisneros fragments sentences in the chapters “The Three Sisters,” “The Monkey Garden,” and “A House of My Own,” she is conveying that when things stand on their own they can have more meaning that when following
The short story Eleven by Sandra Cisneros, focuses around the main character Rachel as an insecure developing girl who lacks the experience to handle everyday encounters. Rachel, an eleven year old girl truly encapsulates the thoughts that are present within an adolescent. The lack of confidence in herself, excessive fear of being judged, and ideas of growing up are ideals that are relevant within each and every one of us. The reader is able to relate to Rachel because her feelings and experiences that are described by the author are similar to what most people have been through and are currently experiencing. The characterization of Rachel is expressed through the author’s usage of point of view, imagery, and repetition.
By educating herself she was able to form her own opinion and no longer be ignorant to the problem of how women are judge by their appearance in Western cultures. By posing the rhetorical question “what is more liberating” (Ridley 448), she is able to get her readers to see what she has discovered. Cisneros also learned that despite the fact that she did not take the path that her father desired, he was still proud of all of her accomplishments. After reading her work for the first time her father asked “where can I get more copies” (Cisneros 369), showing her that he wanted to show others and brag about his only daughters accomplishments. Tan shifts tones throughout the paper but ends with a straightforward tone saying “there are still plenty of other books on the shelf. Choose what you like” (Tan 4), she explains that as a reader an individual has the right to form their own opinion of her writing but if they do not like it they do not have to read it because she writes for her own pleasure and no one else’s. All of the women took separate approaches to dealing with their issues but all of these resolutions allowed them to see the positive side of the
of the native tongue is lost , certain holidays may not be celebrated the same , and American born generations feel that they might have lost their identity , making it hard to fit in either cultures . Was is significant about this book is the fact it’s like telling a story to someone about something that happened when they were kid . Anyone can relate because we all have stories from when we were kids . Alvarez presents this method of writing by making it so that it doesn’t feel like it’s a story about Latin Americans , when
Sandra Cisneros’ writing style is very unique and allows the reader to engage with the characters making them so realistic. She makes the reader sympathize so easily with the characters. Cisneros uses incredible metaphors, similes, and imagery to make the reader connect with the setting and characters.
Elena Poniatowska escrita durante una epoca de cambio en Mexico. Antes de sus obras las mujeres mexicanas eran sometidos, docil, y pasivo. En la tiempo de sus obras las mujeres estaba tratando salir de los estereotipos de antes. Esta problema social tomo un afecto en Elena. Aunque ella no viene de un movimiento literatura directamente, ella escrita con el concepto de compremetido. En su narrative El Recado ella crea un mujer estereotipical que no puede controlar sus emociones. La titula es eso porque ella viene a ver su amante, pero el no esta, asi ella escribe las cosas que sentia. La perspectiva es de un personaje y ella nunca interacta con otros personajes. En facto la unica descripcion de un personaje otro de la protagonista es de su amante Martin. Habla de otros personajes, pero solamente de sus acciones. Porque ellas es la unica perspectiva que tenemos es sencillo a sentar compasion para una protagonista de quien nombre no aun sabemos. Ella da la descripcion de toda que vea, y mas importante todo que se sienta. Tambien tropos y figuras retoricas dan un tono significante al poema. Estos sentimientos de la portagonista y el tono emocional de la narrativa transporta una tema de una mujer estereotipical y debil quien quiere ser reconocido.
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.
Growing up in two cultures, Sandra Cisneros witnessed the major impact of poverty and racism (Norton Anthology 1587). Using literature as an outlet, Cisneros wrote her first piece of literature at age ten (Norton Anthology 1587). The best lessons come to a person once the lesson is experienced. She often writes about the intricate dynamics between men and women. Cisneros displays colorful aspects of the Chicana culture. The Chicana culture is a unique combination of North American and Mexican American traditions. The skilled writer dominates her field by explicitly revealing the similarities and differences between the two societies.
The role of strong female roles in literature is both frightening to some and enlightening to others. Although times have changed, Sandra Cisneros’ stories about Mexican-American women provide a cultural division within itself that reflects in a recent time. The cultural themes in Cisneros’s stories highlight the struggle of women who identify with Mexican-American heritage and the struggle in terms of living up to Mexican culture – as a separate ethnic body. The women in Sandra Cisneros’ stories are struggling with living up to identities assigned to them, while trying to create their own as women without an ethnic landscape. In Sandra Cisneros’ stories “Woman Hollering Creek: and “Never Marry a Mexican” the role of female identities that are conflicted are highlighted, in that they have to straddle two worlds at once as Mexican-American women.
... middle of paper ... ... Sandra Cisneros took a risk and got remarkably far with her passion for mixing the cultures and the identities of women. Her voice is what emphasizes the article to show how the goal is to redistribute the language and culture, not criticizing the “New World”.
The Chicano people are lost in their identities as both Mexican and American people. In the 1960’s there was a rise in Chicano literature in response to the social and political changes in society. Chicano literature is often misunderstood due to cultural ambivalence, “Cultural ambivalence can be defined as an attitude that expresses the diverse nature of the Chicano experience in American Society. It expresses the central dilemma of the Chicano who is conscious of being a product of both Mexican and American cultures” (Treviño 1). The Chicano literature embraces the cultural ambivalence that is existent only with both cultures. In the United States literature that has Mexican lore or representation but still takes place in America making it relatable to all American citizens. In reference to the “Education of Popo” by Maria Cristina Mena, “Mena directly interprets the Chicana experience from this dual consciousness that incorporates elements of both the dominant culture and of her subculture. The theme of this satirical narration is the conflict that results when the value systems of Mexican culture are contrasted with those of Anglo-American culture” (Treviño 1). The drift between the cultures highlights the isolation Chicanos face in a literary social protest. The Chicano literature movement has helped American society by making a stand about not belonging to one culture and the beauty that can come from a diverse culture. “Don José María similarly is characterized as being representative of a unique cultural experience in the Southwest which early Chicano authors like Jovita González are attempting to define. The narrator states: "Monotonous and uninteresting from the outside, his home was the center of border culture--not the culture of Mexico, not the culture of the United States, but a culture peculiar to the
Julia Alvarez was an example of how a Latina writer identified herself in a new culture outside of her comfort zone. She, as a Dominican Diaspora, had to reinvent herself as she migrated into a new scenario. Her assimilation into the United States culture allowed her to understand and relate to the reader’s needs and points of interests. After all the effort, Alvarez kept in mind that she could not comfort to all the reality that she lived in, so she re-reinvented herself all over again to process her thoughts and beliefs into her life. She put her perspective on her writing so that the new wave of readers, even if they did not understand, could relate in some way and appreciate the differences. The sole purpose of her writings was for everyone to change their perspective from “walk to the other side of the street in order to avoid sharing the same sidewalk” to “I do not know them, but I do not avoid them because I do not know them”. She instilled in her reader’s mind how ordinary events were viewed differently through other cultures’ eyes. Her story Snow was a great example of how she portrayed her technique.
Cisneros starts the essay by reflecting on an anthology for a work that she wrote where she stated “I am the only daughter in a family of six sons. That explains everything” (Cisneros 366). Right after she introduces herself as how she sees herself now as the statement that she had written she feels does not explain enough about her to the reader. Next, she then goes into her story of how she sees herself and what has made her who she is. This explanation is taken throughout the entire essay as she explains how she got to where she was in her career. Her thesis is that growing up alone in isolation made her work hard to prove herself to her father. The thesis is very obvious in the essay and Cisneros successfully uses proves her thesis as she explains her childhood with her dad in the center of attention. Although others may argue that Cisneros’ relationship affects who she is in a negative way, Cisneros successfully proves the relationship between the two positively affects who she
Writing has incessantly been a struggle throughout my short life. Within writing, everyone possesses the entirety of tools needed to produce greatness, but many lack in the manufacturing of the product. You may have the greatest ideas for novels and short stories, though be unable to truly express yourself within the confines of only words. This precise issue faces me on a daily basis. All these exceptional visions spinning in my mind, yet I have not been able to master the art of putting these visions onto paper. However, I do admit I have grown as a writer over this single semester, and have major goals set for myself, not only as a writer but also in my career field.
About a boy is a novel which follows the lives of two people: Marcus and Will. Marcus is a strange kid who struggles with growing up, he is in need for acceptance outside of his own family, he is searching for his own identity, he is a victim of constant bullying and is suffering with his lack of parental care. Will is the complete opposite to Marcus. He is a 36 year old who is in his own extended childhood, he is searching for his identity not wanting to lose his youth, he ‘prides himself on his cool’ and simply can’t find a way to grow up. It is when these two opposing characters meet that they soon act as catalysts for each other. From their dependence on others they find independence for themselves within one another.