The Legacy Of Americo Paredes Analysis

Improved Essays
In the book “The Legacy of Americo Paredes” the author Jose Lopez Morin described the experiences of Americo Paredes a Mexican American whom was a great asset to the Chicano Folklore and the Mexican American history. The book focused on Americo Paredes work which eventually led to the challenge of Mexican American stereotypes since the U.S literature had annotated for many years otherwise. The book is organized in five different chapters, which emphasize The Lower Rio Grande, His Life and Work, With his Pistol in His Hand, Toward New Perspectives in the Folklore and Cultural Anthropology, and the conclusion. Jose Lopez Morin supported the book argument by using literature, life experiences, and stories as references in supporting his focus of demonstrating Mexican American experiences. The book focused on three different themes which are the American conquest, Texas rangers, and stereotypes which help demonstrate the Mexican American experiences through their lenses.

The history of El Rio Grande connected with the American
…show more content…
Europeans had their own perspective about the Mexican American, the reason they were portrayed as savages in films. “At a point Gregorio Cortes is pictured as a savage, long- haired and dirty, unable to speak, and eating his food like a caveman”(95). In the work that Americo Paredes focused on he used his knowledge and knowledge to challenge such stereotypes. By demonstrating that placing focus on one perspective is not realizable, but the use of songs, tales, and facts coming from a different perspective gives a clearer image of the true history. In bringing light to the new perspective of history, was not commonly accepted. Jose Lopez Moring explains how this new perspective being told by the research of Paredes was not accepted, when Paredes tried to publish his book “With a Pistol in the

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Andres Resendez’s work A Land So Strange interprets Cabeza de Vaca’s journey across America as “an extreme tale of survival” in which he was able to bridge two different worlds in order to survive. Resendez’s central argument is that Cabeza de Vaca transformed over his journey across America from a conquistador with conquering intentions to a medicine man that advocated for diplomacy and alliance with the Indians. Resendez’s interpretation of Cabeza de Vaca’s transformation and commitment to a more peaceful and kind conquest aligns with Cabeza de Vaca’s personal account at surface level, however; when Cabeza de Vaca’s intentions are evaluated from his personal account on what happened, it becomes evident that Resendez did not interpret Cabeza…

    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The text directly relates to the test item, “otherness and ethnocentrism”, “western notions of the attributes of an organized society”, and also “Spaniards response to linguistic barriers with Native American peoples.” Villagrá construes the Spaniards actions to gain the approval of the king, yet the truth lies within the lines of poetry he writes. Throughout Villagrá’s violent recount of the founding of New Mexico, he uses comparisons and conflicting language when it comes to the depiction of Natives and the attacks that were brought forth upon them. In the canto III, Villagrá details the vast and beautiful land which is New Mexico.…

    • 1231 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In order to truly understand human society as it exists today, it is first necessary to be able to distinguish between all of the variables that culminated to yield the present. For, if even one condition was to vacillate, the whole outcome of human development could have been drastically different. The man undertaking the arduous task of trying to classify and decipher human history is Jared Diamond, who, through his work, Guns, Germs, and Steel, is able to show just how interconnected the different factors were. Starting off with the infamous incident of the Inca collapse to Pizarro and his army, Diamond seeks to explain exactly what events—and why—lead to this climax. “How,” he questions, “did Pizarro come to be there to capture him [Incan Ruler Atahuallpa], instead of Atahuallpa’s coming to Spain to capture King Charles I?”…

    • 963 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    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…

    • 786 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Diaz and his small band of elites were captivated with foreign influence and wanted to install as many of their ideas like, “leisure and ritual” as possible into every aspect of Mexican society. But more importantly, Diaz and his confidantes used European ideals as a vehicle to adjust and even…

    • 1427 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    I Am Joaquin Summary

    • 1230 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Torn by the inequalities and the inability to truly acclimate himself into mainstream society, Rodolfo Gonzales’, wrote the poem “I Am Joaquin” in 1967 . Rodolfo Gonzales created an epic poem that was able to convey the feelings of his community in conjunction to that of his own. What makes this narrative into an epic is the manner in which the conflict is not a solely against his self imposed identities, but instead the externalities of society, history, and culture. He places himself at the forefront of the conflict and battles against all the predisposed thoughts that circulate society. His internal conflict with society truly allows for him to revolutionize the manner in which Mexican Americans viewed themselves.…

    • 1230 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Identity is a key importance to the overview of any individual’s culture. Without the culture it begins to develop this confused identity that does not have a clear connection to oneself. Identity is important to the main body to understand history, language, and family connection. The loss of identity is caused by the forced assimilation to the Indigenous culture to create this blind imagery that one does not clearly demonstrate their own culture. Throughout the book Bad Indians by Deborah Miranda, it explains why an individual who has lost their true identity has lost the whole self of their character.…

    • 722 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Throughout the years there has been much controversy on what events in history have influenced the world the most. Many scholars have agreed that both the Spanish conquest and colonization of Mexico and the Caribbean and the U.S. acquisition of Mexican and Caribbean territories are important turning points in history that have helped shape the social, economic, political and cultural characteristics of different Latin American countries. In order to comprehend the great importance of the Spanish and the American’s invasions, the reader must analyze the readings of Born in Blood & Fire by John Charles Chasteen and Harvest of Empire by Juan Gonzalez. Both of these works are useful in discerning ideas that make the Spanish conquest and colonization and the U.S. acquisition similar and different. The Spanish conquest and colonization of Mexico, the Caribbean, and the U.S. acquisition of territories are similar because both had a racial and hierarchical, political and social system that rose from the transculturation of different races but different because they had different ideas on what Manifest Destiny meant, and they imposed their invasions in different ways.…

    • 720 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    She says that being a Dominican-American novelist is the perfect illustration of the in-between that she has felt throughout her life. Alvarez describes one of the scariest pasts of coming to the United States as “losing [her] Spanish before getting a foothold in English” (Alvarez 1749). “I was without a language, without any way to fend for myself, without solid ground to stand on,” Alvarez tells the reader, illustrating with her own truth what she expresses through the fictional stories of the García family. Through this essay, Alvarez actively ties together her experience as an immigrant…

    • 830 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Both Oscar Zetas Autobiography of the Brown Buffalo and Ana Castillo’s Novel So Far From God are examples of the use of magic realism and mythology in Chicano/a literature. However, both pieces of Chicano/a literature display their own unique interpretation of self-identity. Beginning with the plot of the Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo, Oscar is a lawyer at the East Oakland Legal Aid society. He drives to his office in downtown San Francisco only to discover that his secretary, who usually does most of the work for him, has died over the weekend.…

    • 1678 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Sandra Cisneros’ “Never Marry a Mexican,” the narrator of the story recalls her troubled affair with a married white man. It is evident that the narrator is a Hispanic female, but her age is unknown. Nevertheless, most readers will infer that the events in “Never Marry a Mexican” occurred over a long period of time. Hence, “Never Marry a Mexican” is a brilliant, short story that discusses self-hatred and white privilege. White people are extremely influential in the Western Hemisphere due to the fact that their ancestors conquered the New World.…

    • 838 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Vamonos 'Pancho Villa'

    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Mexican Revolution was another example of this universal crisis between the individual and the collective. This “aspiration” of the Revolution is complicated by internal conflicts and contradictions shown throughout the film Vamonos con Pancho Villa. The lack of a consistent heroic cause or passion is evident; particularly in regards to the “lions” of San Pablo (Rodrigo, Tiburcio, Fatso, Calf, Martin, and Maximo), when they do not offer any valid justification as to what is driving them to join the revolution. Their lack of individuality is reinforced by their inability to collectively coalesce around their leader’s values. One assumes that the revolutionaries as organized and seemingly ambitious they are, would be portrayed as the heroes; this film does the exact opposite; it renders them as “savages” (Robe), especially the leader, Francisco “Pancho” Villa” through his cruelty and indifference towards his own men.…

    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Objectively, after learning of Venegas’ social class background his literary authenticity in an accurate representation of the working class immigrant becomes questionable. Yet, however questionable Venegas’ capability to represent the immigrant working class his objective for this novel was not lost in translation; which was to educate and persuade Chicanos to stop immigrating to the United States in order to avoid being exploited by the systems that were, and are, in place for the…

    • 1201 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Alvarez shows us in the depths of the Hispanic culture set in the conflict of the Trujillo dictatorship. The conflict in the story is what gave Alvarez the opportunity to highlight the true Hispanic culture: a family in distress, how they are brave, and deeply care for each other. The de la Torre are a tight-knit Hispanic family who is living under the rule of El Jefe. The family in the story shows us how to be brave, with strong family bonds. Strong family bonds in the Hispanic culture is comparable to other cultures.…

    • 1502 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    This paper will analyze the short novel Aura by Carlos Fuentes, a well-known Mexican writer who was part of the literary movement known as Boom. I argue that Carlos Fuentes creates a mythical reality to reference Mexican history. He uses Aura, Felipe Montero, and Consuelo as a reflection of the past and the present, where Consuelo represents the past and Felipe the present. In this analogy, Aura represents what Mexico could become. Mexican history is hard to understand because it is intertwined with myth, therefore to understand Mexico we need to understand its mythical past.…

    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays

Related Topics