Ana Castillo

“La raza! / Méjicano! / Español! / Latino! / Chicano! / Or whatever I call myself / I look the same / I feel the same / I cry / And / Sing the same. / I am the masses of my people and / I refuse to be absorbed. / I am Joaquín” (Gonzales, 1969). These powerful words were taken from Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales’s, poem “I am Joaquin”, which revolutionized the definition of “Chicano” in the late 1900’s. Although many are challenging the traditional definition of Chicano social identity as it was seen during the civil rights movement, it is still valuable and evident in Chicano social identity today. Before going into detail on the definition of Chicano social identity, what is the definition of social identity? In our second lecture, Professor Romero mentioned that social identity is a part of one’s self identity and derives from one’s “knowledge of being a member of categories and groups, together with the value and emotional significance attached to those membership” (Hurtado & Gurin). Traditional Chicano social identity, is definitively composed of three things: cultural pride, “pride in Mexican culture, [and] history, [with] special emphasis upon indigenous heritage” (Lecture: Week One), consciousness, “awareness that Chicanos are and have been unfairly treated” (Lecture: Week One), and commitment to activism, a “lifestyle of social activism and advocacy on behalf of [the] Chicano/Latino community” (Lecture: Week One). Although the definition of traditional Chicano social…

States. Throughout the poem the author makes it clear about what a Latinx person is and what Latinx person is not. This is seen right when the poem starts “we would like you to know we are not all docile nor revolutionaries, but we are all survivors” the fact that the author had to do this manifest the inequality between white and people of color, which people of color are the minorities. This poem is interesting because there are two representations of minorities in the poem. Castillo mentions…

The Mixquiahuala Letters, a novel by Ana Castillo, tells a story as a young poet writes to her best friend as way of recalling their past adventures through a series of letters. These stories often portray examples of the many issues that the young women faced in both Mexico and the United States from the 1950s and into the 1970s. One of the recurring themes in the novel is the sexual objectification of women. During their travels, these women encounter a new realm with a high presence of sexual…

Average.”, Ana Castillo’s “We Would Like You to Know.”, and Malcolm X’s “Coming to an Awareness of Language.” I chose “I Wanna Be Average.” because he explains his experience in high school, and how he was able to overcome challenges to become successful. This is important to me because many of the situations brought up in the story are very relatable to my high school experiences. “We Would Like You to Know” has descriptions that are connected to current day. It focuses on some of the main…

Memories and Emotions The work of fiction, The Things They Carry, can be categorized as either a novel or a collection of short stories. If one were to put it into a genre, or a sub-genre, then realistic fiction or a memoire would not be inaccurate. All the stories are told through memory; every chapter is a story told through the point of view of one of the men from the Alpha Company. Half as many chapters are about the surviving characters and them reliving their experiences, but the…

can. Anorexia does not just come to a person at a random time. There is usually always a source that sparks one 's interest. Believe it or not, most of these sources are found on the web that is observed by the whole world. The "10 Thin Commandments" are known by most participants of anorexia or an eating disorder. Some sites even include a pledge such as the "Letter to Ana" pledge that reads: "I pledge to fear food and to see obese images in the mirror, I will worship and pledge to be a…

My Friend Ana In a world filled with women of different shapes and sizes, there can only be one true solution to the perfect body. Welcome to the Pro-Ana lifestyle, a blog, out of many, where young, teen girls are introduced to the life of feeding on what people think of them, and nothing else. The beauty of a thin body is all that matters in this lifestyle, and this can only be defined by “ana,” anorexia. “Stay strong. Starve on” is tagged upon multiple posts along with “What the scale says is…

as the Santa Ana Winds.because This wind comes from the desert and then travel around the Southern California area. The Santa Ana Winds are known for being hot and extremely powerful. Due to the conditions of these winds they bring destruction to the areas that they affect. In the passages “The Santa Ana” By Joan Didion and “Brush Fire” by Linda Thomas real life experience of the Santa Ana are revealed. Joan Didion and Lina Thomas both use imagery in their passages to express what the Santa…

In the situation of guatemala one of the most important factors to focus on was what each dictator wanted to gain and why, while also analyzing their purpose due to the current situation. After the assassination of Carlos Castillo Armas Guatemalan politics then dissolved into a series of coups and battles for power that were fought between guerrilla forces, each with their own ideology of how the country should be controlled, which started the countries thirty six year war. In the case of…

Notebook Joan Didion characterizes the Santa Ana winds using various stylistic elements. Her essay characterizes the Santa Ana winds as Controversial, Theoretic, and Catalytic. The stylistic elements Didion uses to convey these views are Diction, Logos, and Metaphors. Joan Didion exemplifies diction conveying the controversial characterization early on in the first paragraph of the essay with the following quote. “We know it because we feel it. The baby frets. The maid sulks.” This fits the…