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Stereotyping In Judith Ortiz Coher's The Myth Of The Latin Woman

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Stereotyping is defined as fixing or oversimplifying an image or idea of individuals of a certain race, gender etc., however, those assumptions may or may not be true. Stereotypes are hazy generalizations influenced by a number of sources such as, past experiences, media, friends and family. The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met A Girl Named Maria written by Judith Ortiz Cofer offers a philosophical reflection and personal insight into ethnic stereotypes. The author 's assertion- that the media promotes stereotypes- still applies today and is justified through her personal experiences told with logos, ethos, and pathos as well as through my personal experiences. Coher uses an appeal to logos to justify her assertion. She uses logos to appeal to the audience 's’ sense specifically by citing examples in her life. The type of logos that Ortiz Cofer uses are cause and effect reasoning. Her cause and effect can be seen through her going out in public and receiving stereotypical reactions. She shows her readers that because of a Latina’s choice to wear “tight skirts and jingling bracelets…” (Ortiz Cofer), as well as scarlet rather than pale pink, they are stereotypically thought of as fiery sex symbols. Another example of the stereotyping she experienced. “It is custom, however, not chromosomes, that leads us to choose scarlet over pale pink” (Ortiz Cofer). In this antithesis is used to access the reader’s sense of logic (logos) regarding the nature of self-identification. By
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