Matt De La Pena wrote Mexican Whiteboy, which is a young adult novel. The main character in the novel is a sixteen year old named Danny Lopez who lives in a wealthy northern San Diego county. He is biracial, his mother is white and his dad is Mexican. Danny’s dad left him and his mother, leaving him confused of his sense of identity. What ethnicity does he belong to?…
This week’s readings discusses different aspects of the Mexican war. In “Mexican Views of the Mexican-American War discusses the origin of the war between Mexico and the United States, it states “To explain then in a few words the true origin of the war, it is to say that the insatiable ambition of the United States, favored by our weakness, caused it”, the weakness that it’s referring to is the Mexican government. Like we discussed on Thursday, Mexico has always had a chaotic government that contributed the loss of Mexican land. It can be lead to think that if Mexico had a secure government, the loss of the land wouldn’t have happened. Mariano Otero’s “Considerations Relating to the Political and Social Situation of the Mexican Republic in the Year 1847” relates to the previous reading because he explains the Mexican government and weak army contributed to the loss of…
Caridad had married with her high school sweetheart, Memo, until she found out he’s been cheating on her with his ex-girlfriend. “You could bet that Caridad was making it in a pickup off a dark road with some guy who name the next day would be as meaningless to her as yesterday’s headlines”, Caridad relied on guys to ease her broken heart to get her mind off of her three abortions and her failed marriage (Castillo 27). She went through a lot of pain as her ex husband Memo didn’t seem to care about Caridad’s pregnancies since it was implied that she didn’t want to be a single mom. Caridad was rejected by her own community because of her one night stands with strangers because in this society, it was a male-dominated society where women weren’t supposed to have one night stands, rather “females were expected to have only one sexual partner, none before or outside of marriage” (Machismo Sexual Identity). Men were the only ones who could do this which even made their reputation “extramarital affairs are the primary way in which males prove their masculinity” (Machismo Sexual Identity).…
1. FOR WHAT AUDIENCE WAS THE DOCUMENT WRITTEN? a. The audience that it was written for were for Chicanos. Chicanos advocated nationalism and sovereignty for Mexican Americans.…
I definitely agree with Maria in that Paredes did a great job in associating his characters’ life experiences with those of authentic Texan Mexicans / Mexican Americans’ of today’s world. The book’s storyline made it easy for readers to grasp some of the struggles that an individual with Mexican descent experiences, for example racism. Feliciano said it best when he remarked, ““They tell you, these Gringos, ‘If you don’t like it here, don’t want to be American, get out… Why? Let them get out, they came here last.…
Identity is a concept that literally shapes a person’s life experience. The way they act, think, and feel are all intertwined both with the way they see themselves and the way other people see them. Julia Alvarez tackles a difficult concept having to do with identity, which is immigration and how a person or a family finds a way to fit into a new country. She has two books about a family called the Garcías who immigrate from the Dominican Republic to the United States, and throughout these books is a multitude of examples and ways through which identities shape people and families, and what affects them. The Garcías consist of a mother named Laura, a father named Carlos, and three daughters named Carla, Sandra, Yolanda (or Yoyo), and Sofía.…
Through the experiences of Puerto Rican author and narrator Judith Ortiz Cofer, The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria, exemplifies misconceptions and stereotypes Latin women face, as well as how American and Latin cultures differ. “You can leave the island, master the English language, and travel as far as you can, but if you’re a Latina, the island travels with you” (par 1), when being at the other side of the world, Judith witnessed a man kneeled before her, performing for her a rendition of “Maria” from West Side Story, while this gathered other people’s attention, it did not amuse the…
A Cup of Water Under My Bed: A Memoir by Daisy Hernandez Daisy Hernandez, a Cuban-Colombian, depicts her life challenges in the memoir “A Cup of Water Under My Bed.” Her mother grew up in poverty in Colombia, her father in Cuba. She was born in the United States, where she lives in Northern New Jersey with her parents, sister, and aunts. As a young child, Hernandez blamed her Hispanic culture for the injustices she faced including how she was looked at differently by her Caucasian teachers, her limited English vocabulary, and the long hours her mom had to work at a factory. She wants to convince herself that she is like her Caucasian teachers— with “no history, no past, and no culture.”…
Since the Marquesa was married to a cold and unloving nobleman, she pushed all of her pent up emotions onto her daughter, Dona Clara. With an idolatrous love, the Marquesa doted upon Dona Clara and gave her more attention than she desired. Thus, to escape her mother’s exhausting and unceasing attention, Dona Clara intentionally chose to marry a Spaniard. After her daughter has left for Spain, the Marquesa determined to reach her daughter by writing vibrant letters about several different topics, including the happenings in Lima and the condition of her husband.…
Not all african americans and white people have the same cultural. I Am Mexican, born in the united states but, i have been in Mexico most of my life. I miss one of the main parts of my culture, my language. My first language is spanish, there is a lot of different type of spanish.…
The story, “The Shunamite” by n Ines Arredondo is filled with gender conflicts within a young girl’s culture affecting her experiences and the way she perceived herself. Gender misconceptions go greatly unnoticed, and will cause harm more than people realize. Luisa is a young woman in Mexico. Her uncle who raised her was on his deathbed, and requested to see Luisa before he died.…
Never Marry a Mexican represents a different type of violence between women and men. Clemencia has been told all her life “Never marry a Mexican.” Since her mother was an American Mexican, her husband 's family thought he downgraded and gave her grief. However, this is not what deterred Clemencia from ever marrying, “I’ll never marry. Not any man. I’ve known men too intimately.…
There are many stereotypes that we as “Mexicans” or “Latinos” hear and have to put up with everyday. Us Mexicans are not here to: mow lawns , sells drugs , make tacos , or even be called “beaners”. We are people trying to provide for our loved ones just like anyone else. Everywhere we go there is a different name for us to be known or called by to inform people who we are.…
That is exactly what one of an American poet, novelist, and memoirist Gary Soto’s grandmother told him to do so. Not only his grandmother wanted him to marry to a Mexican girl but also his mother. My mother wanted me to marry someone of my own social class- a poor girl (Like Mexicans 392). Instead, Soto married to a Japanese woman and he knew that she is the one.…
Gender inequality is a problem in the Latina world and with this article we can see how females are treated within their family. Within the Latina family boys are treated differently from girls. Girls are expected to grow up and find a husband and if they do not accomplish this task then they are a disappointment to the family. As we see in the passage how Cisneros’s dad was disappointed when she left college without a…