The Myth Of The Latin Woman Analysis

“The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria.” By definition, stereotype is grouping races and individuals together and make judgement about them without knowing them. Most common stereotype remarks are racial, sexual, and gender wise. For instance, the common and absurd misconception that if you’re a lesbian you hate men, or if you’re Arab you must be a terrorist, or if you’re a Latina woman you must be a “hot tamale or sexual firebrand” (par 6). 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 …show more content…
Now, there would be nothing wrong with being a Maria if that didn’t come with the common misconceptions and stereotypes which is what the author conveys.