Analysis Of ¿ Que Onda By Cynthia Bejarano

In the black community it's seems that we are the most critical of each other, especially in relation to White-Americans. We criticize each other for talking “white”, although we are well aware that the slang in which we communicate deems us illiterate by American standards of English. In addition, we judge, point fingers and frown upon each other and leading distant lives and neglecting our responsibility as a family and a community. These cultural barriers and expectations based on who you identify as culturally, and who you are brought up as ethnically are also evident in Cynthia Bejarano’s ¿Que Onda? as she analyzes Chicana/o and Mexciana/o borderland youth and their interactions with American culture at Altamira High School. Bejarano’s …show more content…
Additionally, she allows her readers to hear Latino/a narratives from Latina/o youth undergoing the social stratification experiences developed in their dominant society and imposed in their high school setting. Through redefining the Chicano/a and Mexicans/o experience, exposing the borders constructed and imposed by Latino/a youth to further segregate and devalue each other, and emphasizing the importance of having access to diversified communities; Bejarano succeeds in characterizing Chicano/a and Mexicano/a border identity and the oppressions they internalize and face everyday to still be accepted as second-class citizens. She ensures that her readers are able to identify the lack of support for Latino/a youth who must learn to balance and navigate between their native culture and the American culture. Therefore, Bejerano allows her readers to conclude from her text that it is inevitably important for Latina/o youth to be exposed to different experiences outside of their ethnic identities. It is vital to their character development for them to learn and engage with other communities outside of their