Recommended: Traditional female roles in latin america
Jovita Gonzalez & Eve Raleigh’s Caballero: A Historical Novel, took place during the Mexican American War. While military officials from the United States were occupying Texas, Mexican men such as Don Santiago de Mendoza y Soria resisted the presence of the Americano. The novel focuses on the many injustices that occur within the Mexican population. One main problem that is presented is the social viewing of race and class. Mexican people with Spanish ancestry were more likely to be respected or accepted, while those whose blood was mixed were perceived as inferior.
Situated near the U.S.-Mexico border during the early twentieth century is the fictional setting of Fort Jones, the outskirts of which is where Americo Paredes’ short story “Macaria’s Daughter” takes place. Emblematic of the disappropriation of Mexican land, as well as the increased marginalization of the Mexican people, the overbearing presence of Fort Jones reveals the struggle for preservation that characterizes the Mexican-American community of the story. “Macaria’s Daughter” is the tragic account of what happens in a small community when the upholding of Mexican values and institutions, and opposition to Anglo-American culture, become more important than a young woman’s life. In this essay, I will argue that “Macaria’s Daughter” is a text
“Oranges,” “The Seventieth Year,” and “Avocado Lake,” showcase Soto’s ability to move a reader using an emotional story without the use of rhyme or rhythm. Through Soto’s poetry, he indicates the traits that define Mexican-American community
Selena Quintanilla, one of the most iconic figures in Latin America, excelled in many talents while captivating the world with her remarkable abilities. Her strong ethics and morals have destined her toward a path of revolution that has been inherently utilized by a vast majority of Latin Americans throughout the decades. Although her life was cut short by a distraught catastrophe, the impact she provided upon many has not gone unnoticed. Many of the traits that she chose to cast upon us were guided by her prominent upbringing. While Selena went on to become one of the most recognized Latin advocates, her childhood consisted of an equitable amount of similarities that many Latino children face daily.
“Aztlan, Cibola and Frontier New Spain” is a chapter in Between the Conquests written by John R. Chavez. In this chapter Chavez states how Chicano and other indigenous American ancestors had migrated and how the migration help form an important part of the Chicanos image of themselves as a natives of the south. “The Racial Politics behind the Settlement of New Mexico” is the second chapter by Martha Menchaca.
Octavio Paz, a Mexican poet and essayist, is one of the many philosophers with a written piece regarding his understanding of Lo Mexicano. Paz’s “Sons of La Malinche” was first published in the Labyrinth of Solitude in 1950 and is a rather grim interpretation of the Mexican character, however, it captures the crisis of identity that Mexico was burdened with after the conquest. Paz uses the Spanish term “chingar,” (when literally translated means “to screw, to violate”) and its associated phrases to understand the conquest and the effect
Through Antonio and Ultima, readers identify the creation of a culture that has been forge by war, discrimination, and common hardships. With Ultima being a powerful curandera, the story shows the importance of the female character within Mexican culture. Today, this is prevalent in many Mexican-American households, as the elderly women are held in the highest respect. Another aspect of Mexican-American Culture is masculinity, which is shown in Bless Me, Ultima when Antonio’s father says, “a man of the llano does not run from a fight” (Anaya, 1999, p.37). There are countless examples of Mexican-American masculinity in this novel, like when it mentions that Gabriel’s two eldest sons are fighting in WWII.
Cofer addresses the cultural barriers and challenges that Latinos experience through emotional appeal, anecdotal imagery, parallelism and the use of effective periodic sentences. In her article, Cofer assesses the difficult cultural hurdles of Latin Americans with emotional appeal. She provides insight on her cultural barriers by first conveying the way she had to dress and her struggle, as it shows in this piece of text, “That morning I had organized… which to base my decision” (Cofer 5). This poignancy works to stress an agonizing feeling of uncertainty and restraint towards the author.
The readings that I choose to compare for this research paper was: El Periquillo Sarniento and El Lazarillo de Tormes which both reflected how in two different eras and countries we have some similarities, in the Mexican and Spanish society. The two societies of these eras were the cause the picaresque appeared. It is known that literature has heroes and antiheroes. In the Hispanic literature there is a special kind of antihero called ‘el pícaro’ which is a poor and humble boy. Since he is poor, his life is a continual struggle.
To many people “I am Joaquin” is more than just an epic poem, it is the anthem of the Chicano movement which embodies our peoples struggles and culture. What made the work become the Chicano Movements anthem is the fact that it is a piece that seems to evaluate the Chicanos and their history from the good to the bad. It also seems to emphasize the Chicanos search and struggle for identity starting from the beginning of the Spanish conquest to our modern times. Basically this poem has become such an iconic work because it attempts and succeeds in encompassing as much Chicano history into it and makes no bias choice as it has both positive historical moments and negative, but they all tie back to Chicanos and their history. One of the main aspect that makes “I am Joaquin” an interesting piece of work and an icon for the Chicano movement is how the work seems to
African Americans, across generations, have struggled for freedom experiencing significant losses, destruction, and even deaths. Maya’s poetry highlights these adversities, bringing out the conditions that African Americans had to survive. Her poems also bring out how the African Americans gained courage and pride to overcome, hence the proliferating the theme of survival.
A Homage to Feminism Feminism revolves around the notion that men and women are equal, an idea that is seldom accepted or embraced at the end of the twentieth century in Latin America. In the autobiographical novel, The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende weaves a story about the lives of women through four generations during the revolution of 1970. The idea of male dominance is prominent throughout both the political and social arenas of Latino communities. However, Allende uses members of the Del Valle family to portray the theme of feminism evolving during this time. Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits, highlights the intertwined lives of two Latin American women, Clara and Alba, to parallel the feminist attitudes that associate with
In Mexican American society , women are deemed inferior to men, evident in traditional family roles, the male is the head of the family who provides for the family , while the woman stays at home to look after the children she is expected to provide for her husband . In the third vignette of ‘The House on Mango Street’ titled ‘Boys and Girls’ the reader is informed of the division between men and women when Esperanza refers to herself and her sister Nenny , and her brothers, “They’ve got plenty to say to me and Nenny inside the house. But outside they can’t be seen talking to girls”. The male dominance begins at a very young age.
All cultures have historical figures that it’s people look up to. For Hispanic American people the connection to their past is very important so remembering figures such as Ché is a way to keep roots with their culture. The last portion of traditions explored in this narrative is the inclusion of the phrase “para la libertad” which translates to for freedom and/or for liberty (17). Given the nature of this poem, it is interesting to note that the use of “la” denotes that libertad is feminine. The ways in which the poem explores traditions of Hispanic American culture is subtle, but definitely a theme
Before writing this essay I decided to look up the word “Oppression”, which means the state of being subject to unjust treatment or control. I thought about this and notice how women are more likely to be in this state of being, due to most women being sensitive, vulnerable, and caring. In the short stories of Interpreter Of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, Girls At War by Chinua Achebe, and Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat, one can recognize how there are women in these stories who are oppressed in some type of way; however, find a way to escape this oppression although they’re unjustifiable oppression ends up strengthening them and leading to their success. Personally, I am a man who appreciates what women do in society, at home, everywhere because if it was not for women us men would not be here and could not continue living.
