Oscar Zeta Acosta

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is the tragic story of the young Oscar de Leon. As the author Junot Diaz puts it, “Our hero was not one of those Dominican cats everybody’s always going on about---he wasn’t no home-run hitter or a fly bachatero, not a playboy with a million hots on his jock.”(Diaz 11). Poor Oscar was just a pawn in this play between good and evil, light and dark, the fuku and the zafa. Oscar’s entire identity was the product of his family’s curse, destined to live a short,…

promiscuous, and dominant in all social aspects. This perception of men and “maleness” is dangerous; it negatively affects society and the male psyche. Junot Diaz’s story The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Woa vividly explores the machismo concept in the Dominican – American culture through the characters of Oscar and Yunior, although they are total opposites, this sexist…

Brief Wondrous life of Oscar Wao is a story about a guy named Oscar Wao and his adventures. One of the major theme is supernatural or superstition, Fuku Americanus. Yunior the narrator, introduces the book with this curse. So many of the characters have troubles upon the Fuku in the Dominican Republic due to the dictator, Trujilllo. Even though he was assassinated, his spirit lurks and he represents the curse. The Fuku curse has a great impact on the main character, Oscar. The curse also ties to…

Mrs. McQuay English 11 May 15 2017 Marginalization in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Time and time again people see how marginalization of a group can create psychological and emotional problems such as anxiety, fear, and depression. In The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz explores these specific issues through the brief life of Oscar de Leon and his family. The repeated marginalization of Oscar and his his family causes him to express self-doubt and depression, eventually…

The Faceless Man and the Golden Mongoose Author, Junot Diaz, starts off his novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, with the explanation of fukú, a key element in his work. Diaz’s way of symbolization through mystical characters to be very unique. Fukú, to be a form of “bad luck,” tends to “travel” with us throughout the storyline. Further into the story we come to understand the influence fukú has on the development of Diaz’s characters. It shapes the fear and cautious behaviors of…

through the life of Oscar Grant III, 24 hours before his murder. The ethnophaulism that is used is both derogatory and uncalled for; As well, the prejudice that someone encounters on a daily basis is unbelievably sad. The struggles of minority people in the United States often disregarded, and the outcome of hate crimes and prejudice is becoming an enormous problem. The movie Fruitvale Station covers a 24-hour, minute by minute_ fictional_ play by play of Oscar Grant III life. Oscar was a…

In the story “Geraldo No Last Name,” Sandra Cisneros writes about a mysterious young man, who is a victim of a hit and run accident after a dance and dies heartbreakingly in the hospital at the end of the story. Cisneros left us hanging and wondering why this poor young man dies tragically, due to slow responsiveness of medical attention. In “ Geraldo No Last Name,” we can discuss the misconception of immigration and the unfair treatment of immigrants. The misconception of the young immigrant’s…

Spanish throughout both texts serves as the primary method of alienation between both society and the protagonists, as well as between the reader and the characters. In “Oscar Wao” this is compounded by the use of “nerd speak”- constant references to comics and science fiction. Even the title of the book: “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” is taken from a line in an issue of the comic “Fantastic Four”: “Of what import are brief, nameless lives...to Galactus.” The reader who is not familiar…

In Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, the author illustrates a society of internalized prejudice and racism. His representation of this society is symbolized by the relationship between Belí and her daughter Lola; a mother- daughter relationship of control and resentment that creates a microcosm of the societal pressures and values of the Dominican Republic. On pages 208-209 of Oscar Wao, Lola narrates her life experiences: her conflicts with her mother, her discontent with her…

Throughout The Brief Life of Oscar Wao sexuality is a poignant element of Oscar’s identity. Not only does he consistently try to pursue women as romantic partners, but he also acknowledges that his lack of sexual experience governs the way people view him in this society. For example, Yunior articulates the significance of sex in this Dominican culture when he says, “it’s against the laws of nature for a dominicano to die without fucking at least once” (Diaz 174). Ultimately, sex parallels power…