Many people see the U.S Mexico border as a marker of territory belonging to the U.S and the territory belonging to Mexico. However, to many others the border symbolizes and means much more than that. Gloria Anzaldua, Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz and Alejandro Lugo speak of these other meanings that many times are swept under the rug.
In The Homeland, Aztlan from Borderlands: La Frontera, Gloria Anzaldua speaks of the differences between the experiences of people living on the U.S side of the border and of those that live on Mexico side of the border. Anzaldua tells us the history of the Americas and of the forceful taking of Mexican and indigenous land which eventually led to the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo and creation of the border …show more content…
Mexico border symbolizes the struggle to achieve the “American Dream”, the sacrifices that need to be made to reach this aspiration and a separation of families and a loss of culture. Most of my fathers’ family lives in the U.S. and have assimilated to American culture; however, most of my mothers’ family lives in Juarez, Chihuahua. My mother came to the U.S. as a sixteen year old; she came in search of a better life, hoping to find a job to help her family. However, what she had hoped for was not a reality, and she was left homeless. The border symbolizes heartache and homesickness and a longing for family, as my mother would say. She had to leave her family, she was not able to see her father in his last days, and she was not able to see her younger siblings grow up nor her nephews and nieces. As for me, I have yet to meet my mothers’ side of the family because it isn’t safe in Juarez, where my Tia has been extorted, living in fear of not seeing her children ever again, praying that her daughters do not get abducted. After crossing the border my mother felt the need to assimilate, just like my father. This assimilation led my mother to slowly lose her culture and traditions and as for me, I have had very minimal exposure to my Mexican heritage and culture to the point that I sometimes feel as if the Mexican culture is not part of me. The border symbolizes false hope of a better life, a destruction of culture, and a destruction of
In The Homeland, Aztlan from Borderlands: La Frontera, Gloria Anzaldua speaks of the differences between the experiences of people living on the U.S side of the border and of those that live on Mexico side of the border. Anzaldua tells us the history of the Americas and of the forceful taking of Mexican and indigenous land which eventually led to the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo and creation of the border …show more content…
Mexico border symbolizes the struggle to achieve the “American Dream”, the sacrifices that need to be made to reach this aspiration and a separation of families and a loss of culture. Most of my fathers’ family lives in the U.S. and have assimilated to American culture; however, most of my mothers’ family lives in Juarez, Chihuahua. My mother came to the U.S. as a sixteen year old; she came in search of a better life, hoping to find a job to help her family. However, what she had hoped for was not a reality, and she was left homeless. The border symbolizes heartache and homesickness and a longing for family, as my mother would say. She had to leave her family, she was not able to see her father in his last days, and she was not able to see her younger siblings grow up nor her nephews and nieces. As for me, I have yet to meet my mothers’ side of the family because it isn’t safe in Juarez, where my Tia has been extorted, living in fear of not seeing her children ever again, praying that her daughters do not get abducted. After crossing the border my mother felt the need to assimilate, just like my father. This assimilation led my mother to slowly lose her culture and traditions and as for me, I have had very minimal exposure to my Mexican heritage and culture to the point that I sometimes feel as if the Mexican culture is not part of me. The border symbolizes false hope of a better life, a destruction of culture, and a destruction of