Identity can be defined as the composition of traits or conditions that establish one being from another. This concept of identity is prevalent in Judith Ortiz Cofer’s “The Myth of the Latin Woman: I just met a girl named Maria.” In it, Cofer recounts personal experiences of systemic racism, hypersexualization of the Latin woman, and casual misogyny. She then uses them to show how her identity was ultimately created despite and because of these forms of oppression. What makes this work especially impactful is that it manages to be both a manual for successful self-discovery and a manual for those who need to learn how to respect non-male people of color. This is supported primarily by her use of imagery and emotional appeal. Cofer’s use of
…show more content…
This is an easy conclusion, that I feel is consistently overlooked. Being relatively familiar with this text, this is the first time I have been encouraged to look past racial issues and to look at the greater message; Cofer aims to empower women and she believes that education is the tool needed to do it. More often than not, readers misinterpret this essay to solely be about racial and sexual inequality. This is especially frustrating because, as stated in Cofer’s essay, the image of the uneducated Latina as comedic relief or “as whore, domestic, or criminal” has permeated American culture and affects Latinas in the same way the “Mammy” stereotype has negatively affected black Americans and African American women (109). It has become a permanent fixture in the minds of Americans, an inescapable summary of one’s identity. I personally decided to cease the pursuit of my acting career after narrowly losing the serious dramatic lead to a skinny white girl one too many times. It’s always been because I am too short, too curvy, and too brown to be taken seriously, but not brown enough to suffer real oppression. Cofer and women like her are so important because they give a voice to those who have remained silent for far too long. They make dreams seem a
This is an easy conclusion, that I feel is consistently overlooked. Being relatively familiar with this text, this is the first time I have been encouraged to look past racial issues and to look at the greater message; Cofer aims to empower women and she believes that education is the tool needed to do it. More often than not, readers misinterpret this essay to solely be about racial and sexual inequality. This is especially frustrating because, as stated in Cofer’s essay, the image of the uneducated Latina as comedic relief or “as whore, domestic, or criminal” has permeated American culture and affects Latinas in the same way the “Mammy” stereotype has negatively affected black Americans and African American women (109). It has become a permanent fixture in the minds of Americans, an inescapable summary of one’s identity. I personally decided to cease the pursuit of my acting career after narrowly losing the serious dramatic lead to a skinny white girl one too many times. It’s always been because I am too short, too curvy, and too brown to be taken seriously, but not brown enough to suffer real oppression. Cofer and women like her are so important because they give a voice to those who have remained silent for far too long. They make dreams seem a