Mexican Whiteboy Summary

The immigrants entering the United States throughout its history have always had a profound effect on American culture. However, the identity of immigrant groups has been fundamentally challenged and shaped as they attempt to integrate into U.S. society. The influx of Mexicans into the United States has become a controversial political issue that necessitates a comprehensive understanding of their cultural themes and sense of identity. The film Mi Familia (or My Family) covers the journey and experiences of one Mexican-American (or “Chicano”) family from Mexico as they start a new life in the United States. Throughout the course of the film, the same essential conflicts and themes that epitomize Chicano identity in other works of literature

Gary Soto brings the impoverished, crime filled streets of the Mexican-American communities where he grew up to life by “evoking the harsh forces that often shape the life for Chicanos” (“‘Gary Soto’: Poetry Foundation” p. 1). He combines an archetypal young love poem with the concept of poverty to create the powerful poem: “Oranges” (1985). Soto also works with the notion of old age and the importance of life in his somber poem: “The Seventieth Year” (1986). Finally, he portrays the result of a young death through the affected family’s mourning in the solemn poem: “Avocado Lake” (1975). Through the use of powerful imagery, precise descriptions, and free verse poetry, Gary Soto’s poems evoke a sense of sympathy for the underprivileged Mexican-American community where he grew up, while telling a beautiful story.

Assimilation means to adapt into a new culture and become a part of them. “People of different backgrounds and beliefs undergo assimilation when, through living together, they come to see themselves as part of a larger community.” The reason why you see assimilation often in Chicano/a Literature is because many Mexicans try to blend into the American culture. Many Chicanos write stories about what they have lived through the years or stories they have heard from their love ones growing up. Some have had first-hand experience of assimilating into the American culture by trying to blend in and become accepted that they start to lose or deny a part of their identities. In the story of “Aria”, by Richard Rodriguez, being Mexican American was a challenge for him in which he struggled with having two identities. Since he spoke Spanish in an American society,

“The common denominator all Latinos have is that we want some respect. That 's what we 're all fighting for” - Cristina Saralegui. Judith Ortiz Cofer published the article, “The Myth of the Latin Woman,” where she expresses her anger towards stereotypes, inequality, and degradation of Latin Americans. Cofer explains the origins of these perceived views and proceeds to empower Latin American women to champion over them. Cofer establishes her credibility as a Latin American woman with personal anecdotes that emphasize her frustration of the unfair depiction of Latinos in society. Cofer addresses the cultural barriers and challenges that Latinos experience through emotional appeal, anecdotal imagery, parallelism and the use of effective periodic sentences.

Secondly, the literary structure of the text is analysed in terms of setting, plot, language play, and theme. The setting consists of the basic context given in the narrative

In “Se Habla Espanol,” Tanya Barrientos elaborates on her personal experience growing up in the United States. In the first couple decades of her life, Barrientos distanced herself from her cultural roots fearing that she would be judge and belittle. It was essential for Barrientos to fit in with the American society.

The book I have chosen to review is Boy 21, a fictional read that is written by Matthew Quick. Quick is a New York Times best-selling author debuting in novels such as The Silver Linings Playbook and Love May Fail. To best describe this book, it is a captivating read that is comforting for the mind, as it canvasses the raw and unflinching life of a high school senior who displays love for basketball and life relationships. Furthermore, set in a troubled Belmont city of Philadelphia, Quick incorporates the presence of mobs and violence which is captivating towards the reader and audience. I was intrigued about how the novel was written through Finley the main protagonist, which was Quick’s childhood perspective of life in Philadelphia and his passion towards basketball.

Culture is an essential part of a community’s identity, because it links individuals to a collective bond. The Americas have always contained a vast variety of cultural communities, especially in the United States. The US is known for being one of the most diverse nations in the world, housing hundreds of different cultures. Mexican-Americans display a strong sense of a cultural background, which falls as a subset of the bigger Latino culture that links all Latinos. Oral history is a major aspect on the Mexican culture, which contributes to the truth of how history in the United States actually happened. Many stories embody the cultural aspects of Mexican-Americans and their struggles with living in a discriminatory society. Stories like With

Up until the 1960s Anglo social scientists wrote most of the literature about the people of Mexican- descent in the United States. Their analysis of Mexican American culture and history reflected the hegemonic beliefs, values, and perceptions of their society. As outsiders, Anglo scholars were led by their own biases and viewed Mexicans as inferior, savage, unworthy and different. Because Mexican scholars had not yet begun to write about their own experiences, these stereotypes were legitimized and reproduced in the literature. However, during the mid- 1960s scholars such as Octavio Ignacio Romano, Nick Vaca, Francisco Armando Rios, and Ralph Ricatelli began to reevaluate the literature written by their predecessors. In their work they analyze

From the start, it is clear that T.C. Boyle’s Tortilla Curtain aims to shed a light on the topic of Mexican immigrants in the United States. However, by having both a Mexican and an American woman share similar violent experiences with men, Boyle also places an emphasis on the less pronounced theme of sexual violence and discrimination against women, even in polar opposite realities.

The setting shapes the mood and tone of a story and has a great affect on what happens in a story. The setting influences the events that take place, how the characters interact and even how they behave. Settings show where and how the character lives, what they do, and what they value. Characters have a relationship with the setting just as much as they do with other characters in the story. This is seen in the effects the setting has on the development of the Character Elisa in the story “The Chrysanthemums.”

New York for Hispanics up on Washington heights was everyone’s second home, that’s were most decedents of the Hispanic race had migrated too. Growing up with practically another Dominican republic just a few blocks away allowed me to reconnect with my origin with actually visiting the mother land. I learned so much in so little time such as the diversity in food different ways to make and serve them, and the interests that everyone had. The union that we called family even if we didn’t know each other we looked out for each other because face it were all we have. Now despite what some people might think, no not because someone is Hispanic in Washington heights doesn’t mean their automatically in a gang or all for violence but when it comes to defending your own its everyone for their people. Even though growing up I didn’t visit Dominican Republic as much as I would have liked to when I did it was an experience that opened my eyes deeper into my culture. Learning to read and speak Spanish in “El barrio” alongside of my abuela and other family members it helped me progress because I now had more doors open to me in my future due to my ability to fluently speak both

Have you ever been in a tough situation? An over arching theme for the books The Bean Trees, and Mexican White boy is having grit and mental toughness under pressure. In the books there are good examples of people under pressure showing their true selves.

"Never Marry a Mexican" by Sandra Cisneros is the story of Clemencia the daughter of a Mexican immigrant. The story demonstrates the culture surrounding Mexican family values, and the hold that still has on Hispanic families living in America. It embraces a stereotypical idea of a traditional Mexican family where the dad works, and the mom stays home and raises a houseful of children. It is the false image that in the Mexican culture a woman having a family is the only thing that counts. While it is based on those core values it is seen from the one person point of view of Clemencia and how those values mold her life. Her mother is not happy with the life she has and blames it on the fact that she married a Mexican. She teachers her daughters

"A Mexican Trilogy: An American Story," presented by the Latino Theater Company, was a clever production written by Evelina Fernandez and directed by Jose Luis Valenzuela. The production, which was separated into three full-length plays, documented the experiences of a Mexican family throughout four generations. In the production, all of the actors had multiple roles, giving them the difficult task of creating a different character for each role. One of the talented actors who was able to achieve this goal was Xavi Moreno. Adding to the overall portrayal of the play, Moreno uses his body and voice as an instrument of dramatic expression to create the characters of Charlie in "Faith" and Juan Francisco in "Charity."