Family: How do you define it?

Family is one that everyone can identify with in some way.  No matter what the life experience, everyone has a person or group of people they call family.  These are the people we turn to for love, support, and help; this is not limited to the people we are blood related to.  In Latino culture, we have seen how large of a role family plays in the characters’ lives.  Throughout the novels Bless Me, Ultima, Bodega Dreams¸ and Dreaming in Cuban, we see the main characters identify with their family; however, the people they call family are not always those that are their biological family.  The definition of family changes as the stories and characters develop.  The novels Bless Me, Ultima, Bodega Dreams, and Dreaming in Cuban demonstrate different aspects of family and how family can have more than one definition.   

           

Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya is a novel about a Mexican-American family.  The family has lived in Guadalupe, New Mexico for most of Antonio’s life.  However, the family welcomes one more person into their home that is not a part of their family.  Her name is Ultima.  She is a midwife and caregiver.  The family has a strong connection with her because of the help she has given to the family.  She birthed María Márez’s children and has helped the family in other ways as well.  For these reasons, she is considered a part of the family and so, the Márez allows her to live with them.  María said, “She Tended me at the birth of my sons–…Gabriel, we cannot let her live her last days in loneliness–” (Anaya, 4).  María is displaying her sense of family connection to Ultima through all she has done for their family.  In response, Gabriel says, “No… it is not the way of our people” (Anaya, 4).  He is referring to the cultural notion that they should ask Ultima to live with their family because it is not the way of their people to live alone when getting older.  Both María and Gabriel feel a connection to Ultima; they demonstrate their connection and gratefulness for her kindness by welcoming her into their home as a part of their family, even though she is not technically family. 

            

Debra Black from Arizona State University wrote in the “Bilingual Review” about family in Bless Me, Ultima.  Black discusses how the family in Bless Me, Ultima is a model to the reader of what a Latino family can be (148).  At the beginning of the story, Antonio talks about the people in his family and includes Ultima (Black 148).  Then, as mentioned in the paragraph before, we see why she was included in their family.  This family picture is common in the Latino culture: Debra Black quotes, “In Chicano culture, ‘the emphasis on familism is such that it includes not only the immediate family and extended relatives but fictive relations’ (Mirande 107)” (148).  Black refers to another article stating that this relationship and welcoming someone into their home is very much a part of the Latino culture.  Throughout the novel, we see Ultima as a part of the family.  She heals their relatives, she works around the house, and she looks after the family, especially Antonio.  We see how the family has accepted her when Ultima is being attacked by Tenorio.  He is accusing her of being a witch and Narciso sticks up for Ultima.  He tells them the accusation of being a witch is a serious one; so, “to discover the truth of the charge there is a very simple test” (Anaya 139).  He goes on to describe a way they can test their theory as to protect her, knowing it will show them she is not a witch.  This demonstrates how Ultima has been accepted as family and so they are willing to stick up for her even when accused of being a witch.

            

Bodega Dreams by Ernesto Quiñonez also displays another family that is defined differently than blood relatives.  In the novel, the characters are further developed and they describe themselves as family even though they are not related.  They call this their “pana” which to them means when you have each other’s back and take care of each other; you are family.   Sapo and Chino, two main characters, have had this type of relationship for most of their lives.  Chino describes his friendship with Sapo as beginning in grade school, especially when he was trying to make a name for himself, which was done by getting in fights.  Chino says, “…he was my pana, my friend.  This gave me hope, and getting a name seemed possible” (Quiñonez 4).   He views Chino as someone he can rely on, someone that will take care of him.  The novel describes their relationships throughout the novel and we see how their relationship is seemingly more like family than simply friends.  Chino repeatedly does things for Sapo that he does not necessarily approve of, such as storing drugs for him.  In return, Sapo gives Chino the opportunity to work for Bodega which will help him provide for his wife and baby.  We see their relationship resemble a family more than a friendship by the way they support and help each other.

            

This same type of relationship is what motivates Willie Bodega.  When his character is developed, we see that he does most of what he does because of the loyalty that it brings from those he helps.  For example, Bodega is describing his business and in the end, he claims it helps everyone.  Bodega says, “…what it means is fourteen families that would riot for Bodega.  Fourteen families that would take a bullet for Bodega…  I take care of the community and the community will take care of me” (Quiñonez 29-30).  Bodega relies on this family type of relationship for his everyday business.  He believes that if he takes care of the people in the community, they will have his back and take care of him in return.  The entire community, Bodega dreams, will be a part of this relationship and they can then take care of each other. 

           

In the novel Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia, we see family defined yet again; but this time, family is defined within the parameters of blood relatives.  As the characters are developed, we see strong family bonds between women that extend through generations and even across an ocean.  Pilar discusses how she never made it to Cuba to visit her grandmother, Celia.  She feels as though this is a journey she must take so that she may know her grandmother; she feels as though this journey will make her destiny her own.  So, after many nights thinking about how she was unable to make the trip, Pilar says, “I call my mother and tell her we’re going to Cuba” (Garcia 203).  This quote has several meanings.  First, Pilar is displaying the strong family bond she feels to go and see her grandmother.  Second, she does not want to make the journey alone so she tells her mother they will make the journey together.  This shows the strong family ties and how family is defined through Pilar’s eyes.  The relationship between the women is strong and that seems to be the people they turn to and see as their family. 

           

In the novels Bless Me, Ultima, Bodega Dreams, and Dreaming in Cuban, we can see the different aspects of family and the different definitions family can have.  The novels each include their own idea of family.  We can see the importance of family in the Latino culture but more specifically, we can see how that broad statement is more clearly defined by specific cultures through the novels. 

Works Cited

Anaya, Rudolfo. Bless Me, Ultima. Berkeley : Warner Books, 1999. Book.

Black, Debra B. "Times Of Conflict: Bless Me, Ultima As A Novel Of Acculturation.”  Bilingual Review 25.2 (2000): 146.  Academic Search Premier.  Web.  14 Apr. 2012.

Garcia, Cristina. Dreaming in Cuban. New York: Ballantine Books, 1992. Book.

Quiñonez, Ernesto. Bodega Dreams. New York: Vintage Books, 2000. Book.

Machismo

Throughout Latino culture, we can see machismo.  In the novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, we see aspects of machismo as well, especially through the main character of Oscar.  In the novel, Oscar embraces this machismo.  He is pushed onto girls at parties and dances with them.  Then, he ends up having two girlfriends.  The machismo is very common and prevalent in Latino cultures.  I saw this when I lived in the Dominican Republic.  To me, it felt like men were more forward.  It was like they expected that I would want to dance with them, want to go out with them, or even want to marry them.

This makes me wonder how the women feel about this machismo.  It made me feel uncomfortable.  I did not want to marry someone.  I didn't want to dance, especially the way they were, and I did not want to go out with someone I barely knew.  Now, is this simply how I feel because it is much different than my culture?  There are some forward men but it has never made me as uncomfortable as it did when I was there.  Do women enjoy being expected to comply with a man's request?  Or are they reluctant but feel as though they need to comply because it is so "normal?"

One other aspect of machismo that is found in the novel is the rejection.  Oscar has an expectation that the girls want to be with him.  However, he then decides to choose one and then she rejects him.  He is surprised and hurt by the rejection, as would most people.  However, part of me wonders if he is hurt by the rejection because of the expectation she should want to be with him.  It seems that with the machismo comes the expectation that the men can be forward because the women will accept.  So what happens when the man is rejected?  Is this a sign of machismo changing, that women are becoming more comfortable with making the choice themselves?  Or, are they enjoying the power of challenging the machismo of the man that is forward with them?

Family

There are many themes found in Latino literature that can be seen in many different novels.  In Latino cultures overall, family is a big part of their every day life.  Most times, your family is the people with whom you are the closest.  In both Bodega Dreams and Dreaming in Cuban, family is defined in different ways, which also affects the characters’ decision making.  Bodega Dreams ties into the family theme differently than Dreaming in Cuban.  However, in both novels, we can begin to explore the importance of family, the roles it plays in people’s lives, and how it is defined in the two different cultures. Family, as explored in Bodega Dreams and Dreaming in Cuban can be defined in more than one way and can include more than one group of people. 

Bodega Dreams is a novel that takes place in Spanish Harlem in the context of a Puerto Rican environment.  In this book, the characters are seeking to better their family lives as well as seek out those they care for.  Chino bases a lot of his decisions on his family.  However, I think that his family has two aspects.  At the beginning of the novel, Chino makes a lot of decisions for his family, his wife and child.   He begins to work for Bodega because he wants to provide for his family, especially with a baby on the way.  He wants to be the father, the provider, and the husband for his wife and child.  His other family is later defined.  Bodega and Sapo are another family that Chino strives to care for and protect.  Throughout the novel, Bodega, Sapo, and Chino all talk about having each other’s back.  It is all about being there for each other, supporting each other, and caring for the others as if they were your brothers.  Family can be defined in several ways and I think Chino and his different families demonstrate this. 

Dreaming in Cuban is a novel that takes place in Cuba as well as the United States with a Cuban context.  In this novel, the characters have their family and it is developed throughout the novel.   The family relationships in this novel are more related between the female characters.  It develops the mother-daughter and sister-sister relationships more than the entire family.  The relationship Pilar has with her family demonstrates many layers of family relationships.  In the beginning, Pilar has a strong relationship with her father and rebels against her mother.  However, this changes when she is let down by her father, finding out he is cheating on her mother.  After this, Pilar forms a close relationship with her mother.  Her family aspects and relationships change when she sees discovers the mistakes her father has made, how he has let her and her mother down.  Her relationship with her grandmother then grows especially strong when she and her mother travel to Cuba.  It allows her to bond with her family, a part of her family to which she hasn’t ever really connected.  This novel demonstrates how family sticks together.  This drove her decision from rebelling against her mother to supporting her.  Her mother was hurt because of her father and therefore, she wanted to protect that part of her family and relationship.

In both Bodega Dreams and Dreaming in Cuban, family plays a large role.  However, the definition of family changes as the story and characters develop.  These novels demonstrate the different parts of family, and how family can have more than one definition and more than one group of people.  They both demonstrate the important aspect of seeking to protect your family, especially when being attacked by another, whether verbal or physical.  Dreaming in Cuban and Bodega Dreams display the desire to protect those you care for.  In Dreaming in Cuban, Pilar grows closer to her mother and wants to be there for her when her father lets them down.  In Bodega Dreams, Sapo and Chino always have each other’s backs in fights, physical fights.  These two novels show how families protect each other, whether it is biological family or otherwise defined as such.    

Dreaming in...

Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia was an interesting book.  One thing that plays a lot into the book is dreaming.  It plays a variety of roles.  In some sense, the entire novel is similar to a dream because of the way it reads.  It is in the present tense and is like it is happening right now.  The feel of it is dreamlike.  I think that one of the main ways dreaming plays into this book is knit into the title.  After reading the book, I see the title and Cuban becomes an adjective.  It makes me think of it more as a "Cuban Dream"as compared to the "American Dream."

The "American Dream" is defined as "a national ethos of the United States in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility achieved through hard work" and further described on this webpage.  It turns out to be what most people hope for and believing that they can achieve this by working hard.

Then, from the book, I compare it to the "Cuban Dream" that can be found throughout the novel.  I think that the "Cuban Dream" can't be defined as "clearly" (I put clearly in quotes because I think the "American Dream" has a definition that most people know and strive for however it still differs for different people).  It is very different depending on the character.  I think Celia has a very different idea of her "Cuban Dream" than Lourdes has.  Celia's dream is very for the revolution.  She believes in the revolution and is very passionate about it.  She wants others to believe in the revolution as well.  It says, on page 117, "If only Felicia could take an interest in the revolution, Celia believes, it would give her a higher purpose, a chance to participate in something larger than herself." Celia's dream is for a new Cuba, a revolution, and a change.

Lourdes, however, has a different dream.  Her "Cuban Dream" is quite the opposite.  She is very anti-revolution and for a variety of reasons.  One is because of an experience she had.  She was raped by the soldiers.  This is one big reason she is against the revolution.  The influence of her father has also played into her views of being against the revolution.

These are just two examples of two different "Cuban Dreams" found in the novel.  Dreaming in Cuban has many different aspects of dreams throughout and this is just one I found interesting.  

It Don't Matter if you're Black or White

I know that my title isn't exactly grammatically correct.  Let me explain why.  Those are lyrics. Whenever I hear someone refer to things being black or white, I immediately think of the old Michael Jackson song, "Black or White." It is a song that I used to listen to a lot with my brother and sister.  We would put the CD in and listen to this song over and over and dance and sing.  Whenever I hear black and white, it always takes me back to these memories.  However, this song has nothing to do with Puerto Rico or what my post will continue to be about.  

Clara E. Rodriguez wrote an article titled Puerto Ricans: Between Black and White.  She talks about many racial issues about Puerto Rico.  As I was reading her article, there were a few things that stuck out to me, which is what I will discuss in this post.  The first thing I found interesting is when she was talking about Puerto Ricans being stuck between black and white.  She says that Puerto Ricans are not identified with either race, especially in a biracial society such as the United States.  This causes them to feel caught between black and white, which can end in them connecting with neither.  For some reason, much of our identity is based on our race and how that plays into our every day life.  In Puerto Rico, race is based on more than just color of skin.  It is based on facial features, class, color, and hair texture, according to Rodriguez.   This allows for a wide variety of races of Puerto Ricans rather than what the United States falls back to as a biracial culture. 

Another thing she mentioned was one-way integration vs. two-way integration.  One-way integration is the "norm"in the United States.  This means that blacks are usually sent to schools where the majority of the population in the school is white.  It doesn't go the other way around.  Rodriguez also refers to this within the culture as a whole with the example of in the United States, a black family doesn't adopt a white child but it does happen the other way around.  I find this very interesting to think about because being an education major, it made me think a lot about how this plays into education.  Only recently has education begun to be more open with including different races in education.  Before, students learned based on stories about white Americans.  It was a very one-way integrated system.  I think that things are changing and it is getting better, especially with the experiences I had during my student teaching.  I was able to see how this is slightly changing with stories and lessons not only based on white Americans as well as not only white American teachers.  I hope to see this continue to improve because I think that it is also important for the white American students to realize and think about the other people in the world and not look down on them. 

These were just things from her article that struck me.  It always surprises me how shallow it seems the United States can be sometimes.  I know that doesn't mean everyone but when I see things like this, it makes me hope that things continue to change. 

The Reflection of My Essence

I look at myself in the mirror.  I see my dark brown eyes, my dark but thin hair, my nose with my nose ring, and my lips.  My skin is white but tan.  My reflection does not display the mixture of races that lies within the Italian, the German, and the Dutch.  Despite the background, I am viewed as American.

As I stare, I see the reflection of the cars driving by, the train stopping on the tracks, and the clouds rolling in front of the sun.  The squirrels are scarce as winter weather is here.  The ground is lightly dusted with snow, which will probably melt by tomorrow.  I see the many college students walking and riding their bikes to class.  I see the ones racing the train as to not be late. 

Photo found on etruth.com

My mirror reflects the college life in northern Indiana.  It reveals the “norms” of college students.  I can see some doing dishes in the house next door.  I see others waiting to cross the busy street after a train has just passed.  I see a crowd of bikes outside of buildings all around campus.  I see the students with their book bags.  I see one of two looks on their faces: oh dang I forgot to do my homework or, I would rather skip this class and be in bed. 

If I look further, I see more than the cold of northern Indiana.  I can see into my home life in Ohio.  I can see the corn fields outside of my small town.  I can see Main Street lined with old buildings and empty lots where the oldest used to be.  Then I see the town.  I see the few local shops, the best Mexican restaurant there is, and one of the biggest super Wal-Mart stores in the area.

Then, I begin to see my second home.  As we ride in a mix between a 15-passenger van and the college sports bus, we drive into San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic.  I see the arch as we enter the town.  I see the motorcycles weaving in and out of the cars.  I see the traffic signs that most don’t pay attention to.  I see the beautiful mountains of the countryside.  I see the apartment building where my Dominican family lives.  I see the beautiful walkway into the apartment.  I catch a glimpse of a life that affected me so much that it will never be forgotten.       

I look in the mirror and see more than a simple reflection.  I catch a glimpse of three lives rolled up into one.  I see a reflection of the culture and lifestyle of a college student.  I see a reflection of a life at home that was so normal for the first 18 years of life.  I see a reflection of the cross cultural experiences and newfound family.  I see my life rolled up into a bottle of experiences. 

Adela Najarro

Photo from Najarro's Blog Profile

Adela Najarro’s family emigrated from Nicaragua starting in the 1940’s and concluded in the 1980’s.  From what I understand, she is a second or third generation immigrant and was born in the United States.  Her family immigrated and settled in some settled in San Francisco and some in Los Angeles.  Najarro has a doctorate in literature and creative writing and is currently teaching at Cabrillo College.  She is also a board member of Poetry Santa Cruz.  Najarro still posts current poems on her blog.  There was not much information about Najarro outside of her blogspot profile.  However, this still gave me some insight into her connection with her poetry.

When I hear a description of the desert, of the hot sun, the cactus, and the color of the sand and rocks, I immediately go back to an experience of my own of being at the Grand Canyon.  Poetry is used to achieve a similar goal.  Poetry gives us a sketch instead of a detailed painting of a larger scene so that readers can connect to their own experiences and fill in the rest themselves.  Adela Najarro’s poems give a snapshot of an experience so that we can use our imagination and experiences to fill in the cracks.  Adela Najarro’s poems in the anthology The Wind Shifts can be appreciated by second and third generation Latino Americans because they explore the experiences of being a bicultural American in an easily accessible and descriptive way.

One of Najarro’s poems that explore bicultural American experiences is “San Francisco.”  This poem is written in first person as a very descriptive snapshot of part of her life in San Francisco.  When she says “Above a Cuban restaurant…hangs the gay pride flag alongside a Direct TV satellite dish” and “my Papi rode a bicycle delivering Lela’s nacatamales” she highlights some of experiences of being a bicultural American.  The first quote references a restaurant where she sees a Direct TV satellite Dish.  This presents the luxury of TV many Americans have, even in restaurants.  The second quote is relating a lot to the Latino culture.  Not only does it include a Spanish word, but the food itself is largely a part of the Latino culture.  These quotes by themselves are directed towards different cultures, that of Latin America and that of the American life of luxury.  However, when these quotes are used together as things she sees daily, it demonstrates the bicultural aspects of her life.  This is just one example of how Adela Najarro gives a snapshot of an experience of being a bicultural American. 

Another poem that portrays Najarro’s bicultural American experiences is “My Mother’s High Heel Shoes.”  This poem is also written in first person with a detailed description of a memory.  She says, “Saturday at three o’clock old movies re-run on KTTV” and she refers to her “Abuelita” scolding her as well as a magazine “de Los Estados Unidos.”  The first quote is portraying the common occurrence of old movies being shown on TV in the United States.  The second is again using Spanish to demonstrate the bicultural American life.  With these two quotes used together to describe the same memory, it shows how Adela Najarro explores the experiences of being a bicultural American.

With the audience being second and third generation immigrants, the poetry plays an important part in Adela Najarro’s exploration of being a bicultural American.  Poetry is a way of giving an easily accessible glimpse of a larger picture to the reader so they may relate it to their own experiences and finish the picture with their experiences and imagination.  It gives a descriptive shell that can fit over a variety of experiences rather than describe a scenario that some can relate to and some can only picture.  When she says “All holds still with permission to touch a knee, hip, shoulder, a slight seductive brushing back and forth as we sit on pre-fabricated easy-to-clean subway seats” in her poem “Throughout New York City” it allows me to picture what she is describing and fill the rest in with my experiences or imagination.  Najarro uses this to her advantage throughout her poetry.  The bicultural audience can connect to the images she describes: her descriptions become a mirror into their life.  Others who have not immigrated as recently see her descriptions through a window, as I did when I read Najarro’s poems.  The descriptive language allows me to form a picture of what she is describing but my image comes from my imagination, not from an experience of my own.  For me, the poems provide a glimpse through a window of what that experience is like whereas for the intended audience, her poetry provides a mirror to a memory with which they are more connected.

The poetry can be used to teach others about Latino culture as well.  As literature, poetry offers that glimpse or snapshot of an experience or idea so that others may fill in the rest with their own imagination or experiences.  So, to teach about Latino culture, Najarro mixes the unfamiliar Latino culture with the familiar American culture.  One simple way this is accomplished is by including some Spanish words among the English words.  For example, in her poem “San Francisco” she says “my tía Teresa double-parks in front of the mercados on 24^th street para los quesos y los chiles in the back room.”  This one sentence contains both Spanish and English to communicate what is happening.  This is just one example of how represents both cultures in her poetry.  I also believe that this is used to demonstrate the process Latino immigrants go through by being bicultural Americans.  Sometimes, Spanish is the language used in their home while English is used in most other places.  They adapt to the American culture while still preserving their Latino culture.  This is a shared experience for most immigrants and Najarro provides either a window or mirror into it in her poetry. 

Adela Najarro, a poet found in the anthology The Wind Shifts, uses easily accessible and descriptive language to explore the experiences of being a bicultural American.  She uses poetic aspects, like giving a glimpse into an experience, to her advantage for her descriptions and poems so that others can relate and picture what she is describing.  Her snapshots into the life of a bicultural American allow other second and third generation immigrants to easily connect to her experiences while providing a window into the experiences for those who have not immigrated as recently. 

My Understanding of the Border and The Devil's Highway

My understanding of the border between the United States and Mexico was very uninformed before reading some of these novels.  I knew that there was a wall but I actually thought it was across the whole border.  I knew there was a wall because I have been to the El Paso/Juarez border.  I did not expect what I saw.  There was a wall and a lot of border patrol all around it.  To get through it, there was a place to drive through that was like a toll booth.  On either side of it, there were cement barriers that created a small maze to drive through.  Someone said they change the formation at least every other month so that no one can memorize its formation and try to drive through it.  I knew that the border was an extreme place of trying to only let certain people in certain places.  But I didn’t realize the extremity until I saw it.  Then, I learned so much more from the novels.  It may have been something most people knew, but I didn’t know that there was only a physical wall on part of the border.  I didn’t know of the parts with sensors.  I also didn’t know that some people crossed more than once illegally. 

The thing that had the most impact on my view of the border was the book The Devil’s Highway. The way that Urrea describes the experience of crossing the desert, suffering and dying from the heat, and trying to find your way through it, and simply trying to survive changes a lot in how I think.  I cannot believe the things people are willing to go through to come to the United States.  People are willing to give up everything they have, try to cross a desert, to come to a place where they are judged and oppressed because of legal status and yet that is still their dream. 

The way in which Urrea describes the desert made it that much more real for me.  His use of language and descriptive words made it easy to relate to even though I have never had the experience.  I feel as though I had just a small taste of what it is like to go through that type of experience.  What I don’t understand is how nothing is being done to minimize the deaths in this desert.  Yes, I understand that technically they are people trying to come to the states illegally.  However, they are still humans.  How right is it to let them die trying to get here rather than doing something to save some lives?  Now, I understand that the wall and the sensor areas a very separating.  However, I would rather see a wall causing less people to go through the desert and die than people being stranded, having their organs harvested, being raped, or anything of the sort happen. 

The Guardians

The book The Guardians was an interesting book. It highlighted the struggles families go through when they are split up. Coming to the United States is no easy thing to do. There are so many immigration laws that cause many to be unable to come to the United States illegally. This journey is long and hard for most.

This is the basis of the story. Rafa never finds his family on "the other side" once they have arrived in the United States. The family doesn't know if he is dead, alive, in the United States, or back in Mexico. This is the main focus.

The family goes to extreme lengths to figure out what happened to Rafa. They do things like going to the coyote's house. From my impression, this house seems to be a dangerous place. However, the family is so dedicated to find Rafa, they are willing to take the risk. This is one aspect I am looking to explore for my final paper: family. Family seems to be a unifying factor throughout this book. They are constantly joining together to try and find Rafa and figure out what happened to him. They are not satisfied until they found out about what really happened.

I find this very interesting. I can't imagine being in this type of situation. It makes me think a lot about what I would do if I were. Would I have the courage to stand up to someone like a coyote for the sake of finding someone in my family? I don't know since I have never been in this type of situation.

The extreme situation pulled the family together. Would my family and I be able to unite to find my dad? The Guardians shows an interesting aspect of family that most people don't experience.

9500 Liberty

This movie was disturbing, to say the least. Throughout the movie, I was in disbelief in how much hatred people have for a certain people group: Latinos. There were so many things I felt were inaccurate claims and simply hateful. Honestly, I saw many things that seemed as if they didn't research the facts before making a ridiculous claim. One claim I found particularly interesting was when they began to discuss language as being a factor for knowing if someone is illegal. They did say it is not the only factor, but a factor nonetheless. I found this very interesting. One of the main reasons this struck me was because what constitutes as a foreign language? The United States has no official language. So, maybe some languages are foreign, but that is on a case by case basis. So, my question remains, what constitutes as a foreign language? If anything, I do not believe that Spanish is a foreign language. I partly believe this because I am in the process of learning Spanish. However, with that aside, there are many people in the United States that come from Spanish speaking families or have learned it one way or another. I would agree that there are foreign languages for most of the general population. However, I wouldn't agree that Spanish is one of them. The movie even showed one of the board members switching to Spanish as a way of relating and making the conversation more personal. This was just one of the claims I found troubling.

The movie was based on the discussion of probable cause but in this area, seeming like all they really wanted was to kick out all of the Hispanic population from that area. This concept of wanting to kick out a certain population, it seems so hateful. I found this thought of hating a people group so much as to want to kick them out very disturbing. I compared this thought process to all of the experiences I have had in a foreign country. Never once have I felt as though they wanted to kick me out of their country. The people welcomed me with open arms and loved getting to know me. The only stereotype that came with me being American was that I am rich. However, this didn't hinder the relationships I had in Mexico, Spain, Morocco, the Dominican Republic, or Venezuela. This made me question a lot about different cultures and how much more loving other cultures seem to be on certain topics.

The last thing that I will mention, even though there were many more claims I disagreed with, is when they started talking about the civil war. The claim was made that the Hispanic population should be kicked out and then they connected it somehow with the civil war and slaves. He started saying that we then learned better and that's why they had the civil war or something along those lines. For me, this DIRECTLY connected to the issue of which he was so supportive. People are being very racist and judgmental, just like in the time of slavery. Now, in present time, we don't have people as slaves obviously. But, we were then and are now repressing a people group. This is also an example of how throughout the movie, they twisted the facts to say what they wanted to say.

While this movie was very disturbing, I did find that I learned a lot about the border and the racism still happening in many places. I can only hope that there is an end in sight to this undeserved judgment.

A Day without a Mexican

The movie A Day without a Mexican was an interesting movie, to say the least. I actually don't know if I really liked it. Yes, I understand that a lot of it was said in a way to show the racism that really exists. However, I still felt as though a lot of it was a little too much. The movie covered a lot of interesting topics. One that I found most interesting: the movie discussed a lot of people’s feelings and problems with the Latino population, and immigrants in general. When the Latinos disappeared, some people were happy at first. They were glad that the people who “had taken their work” were gone. However, once a short amount of time passed, many people realized how hard they worked and how many things depended on their hard work. This appeared within several of the families in the film. First, the family that owned the farm: the farm owner was unhappy from the beginning. He appreciate the hard work of his workers and treated them as they were employees, not based on their race. However, his son had a different view. He was happy that the Latinos were gone. He had a view as if they shouldn’t be here in the first place so why not get an American to do the work. However, when they tried this, the prisoners ran off and the others weren’t hard workers. This made the owner appreciate his employees that much more and it never seemed to change the son’s mind.

Another example of this is the Abercrombie family. The Senator was very racist against the Latinos. His wife hired painters to paint their house, and trying to keep it within the budget she had been given. However, when she brought Latino’s home to have them paint, he automatically assumed they were illegal and threw them out. Then, once all the Latino’s disappeared and reappeared, he realized how much could not run without their work and began to see them as humans not just Mexicans, especially since not all of them were from Mexico. These are just two of the many examples from the movie.

The movie was supposed to be a humorous exaggeration of the racism that occurs against Latinos. One thing the movie made me realize is the prejudices that some people actually have. I cannot imagine judging a person based on their race. We all come from different backgrounds so how does that change our ability to work and function in society? The movie opens my eyes to the many prejudices that people act on every day and it makes me sad that people are being judged like this when many people come simply to find a job to be able to support a family.

Bless Me, Ultima

Bless Me, Ultima ended up being better than I expected. Normally, I am not much of a reader. I read kind of slow and struggle to find books that I am interested in or even finding the time to look into them. However, this book ended up being a book I wanted to finish. I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I wanted to keep reading.

The story was very interesting. The struggle Antonio had throughout the book seemed to be that of many people. He was trying to figure out who he was and what he wanted to be, a very common struggle, especially during college years. Antonio was introduced to two very different choices early in his life. His mother was a Luna. She was very religious and wanted Antonio to become a priest. His father was a Márez. He didn't seem to have much faith and wanted Antonio to follow in the footsteps of his brothers: fight in the war. Antonio was torn between the two. Then, he began to grow closer with Ultima. Ultima seemed to be a caregiver to the family but she had something special: she had healing power. Antonio then sees this third option of learning the ways of Ultima. Throughout the book, his parents seem to be pushing him in their direction while he remains in learning the ways of Ultima. I find this very interesting. I can see some mirrors in this situation. Parents raise their kids and sometimes hope their child will grow to be in a certain profession. My dad is an engineer. My mom has an engineering degree but is a stay at home mom. My parents wanted me to pursue something with math, possibly engineering, because I love math. However, there is something nice about being able to choose your own life. I chose a different route entirely: something I didn’t hear from my parents but from family friends. It sometimes seems more exciting or captivating to choose something my parents didn’t suggest.

Another thing that struck me was the knowledge Ultima seemed to have. Towards the beginning of the book, Ultima is called upon to save Lucas. The family is desperate to keep him alive, no matter the cost or result. Ultima almost seems to hint at a result her healing could have. Before she agrees to heal Lucas, she asks them if they are willing to accept the results of healing him. She does mention that it may change some things in the future. They agree to accept the results and so she proceeds with the healing process. This healing process seems to have an impact on the three witch sisters. They begin to die. This causes Tenorio to develop a deep hatred for Ultima and a desire to seek revenge. In the end, this is what kills Ultima. This makes me wonder, if they wouldn’t have agreed to the consequences, or if she wouldn’t have healed Lucas for some other reason, would Tenorio have found a reason to hate Ultima? Would Tenorio’s three daughters still have gotten sick and passed away? This was something I found very curious: it seemed as though she knew what could happen and that it may put her life in danger. Yet, she agreed to help and fulfilled her journey here on earth.

The book was very interesting and had many aspects that would be interesting to discuss. However, to keep this post at a reasonable length, I will keep it at these two things.

Sor Juana

The movie, I, the Worst of All, was an interesting movie. As we were watching, I felt that I saw many more windows than mirrors. Part of that is because I come from a non-denominational church background whereas most of the traditions found in that movie are found in the Catholic Church. But, even beyond that, the struggle that women had then is foreign to me. Yes, I have heard about such oppression. However, I have not experienced it in the way Sor Juana did. She was told that women should not have the knowledge she did and that there was only one path in her life: to become a nun. Now, I have absolutely nothing wrong with people choosing to become a nun. However, I question the thought that it is the only way to be a servant of God. But that is a whole different discussion. But, I have not experienced most of the oppression that Sor Juana did. I am not a writer. However, if I were, I would not be ridiculed for writing as a woman. The constant desire to hold in her thoughts and knowledge seems unfair. That draws me to the interest of why people thought women should not think, have opinions, or learn. Why? Why are women superior to men? I do believe that there are some things that usually one gender can do better than the other. There are always exceptions to this but generally, I find this to be true (I might be sheltered but who knows). However, how would we be able to live if only one gender existed? Once again, I seem to be getting lost on a tangent…

Sor Juana’s life journey throughout the movie seems to be sad. I understand humbling yourself before the Lord. I believe that all of our gifts should be used to glorify God. However, I also think that critiquing other beliefs is how we actually form our own. It is how we learn about out relationship with God, not just believe things we are told. Human nature questions the unknown. So, usually, people have to discover things for themselves to actually believe them. I have found this idea to be true in my life so I find it interesting to see how it was criticized in Sor Juana’s life. The lifestyle seems to be very hierarchical, minimizing the life of individuals.

The end of the movie also makes me wonder how she lived throughout the rest of her life. Did she ever go back to her literature? Did she stay in the convent for the rest of her life? Did she follow her confessor for her life? The movie provided me with a lot of curiosity and questions about the lifestyle, especially in regards to the ritualistic aspects. But that will be saved for another day.

My Name

My parents named me Krista Marie. They almost named me Jennifer. Jennifer isn't a bad name but leads to nicknames. One reason I know my parents didn't choose Jennifer was because my mom didn't want me to be called Jen. Then, my mom liked Victoria, but the same thing: she didn't want people to call me Vicki, she wanted me to be called the name she chose. Most people don't shorten Krista. It's short, simple, and easy to learn how to write. So, my name is Krista. It became interesting when I started school. There were two other Krista's in my grade and in third grade, we all ended up in the same class. One was spelled Krysta and then myself and the other were spelled the same: Krista. So, we had to do something. We had to have a distinction between the three of us. Krysta became Krysta with a y. Why people were willing to say that and not say Krista R. and Krista S. I do now know. So one of us had to have a nick name. one of us was about to become Kris. As much as my mom didn't like nicknames, I now had one. I can't say that I remember much about how I felt when it happened but I do remember in 5th grade trying to get people to go back to Krista. Thankfully, I haven't been called Kris since, thankfully.

My middle name is Marie. It seems like a pretty common middle name. It is one of the first guesses people have when trying to figure out someone's name. Except mine has more meaning than just another middle name. My middle name was passed down to me through my dad's side of my family. Marie is the name of my ancestor that brought my dad's side of the family from Italy to the United States. I love how my middle name has meaning behind it.

I lived in the Dominican Republic for three months as an alternative to SST. My time there was the time of my life. My name there was different than it is here. I said my name was Krista. However, when you look at my name and are thinking in Spanish, the pronunciation is a bit different. The "i" turns into a long "e" sound. My name in the Dominican Republic became Kristal. I am not sure how the "l" got added on the end but as I got introduced people started putting an "l" on the end. Maybe it is a more common name or maybe it is easier to say. But that became my name. My favorite part of my name changing: my 4 year old host brother, Luis, was always very excited to see me when I got home. I think that excitement came from the fact that I played with him and his cars, and always let it go the way he wanted. However, when he said my name, he accented the "i" and made it an extra 2 syllables and slightly louder and higher pitched. I could hear and see the excitement every time I saw him. Every once in a while, my dad will say my name like Luis. It makes me miss my Dominican family.

The different pronunciations and different nicknames tell me what part of my life people are from. It is fun to remember the differences in my name and remember times, especially my time in the Dominican Republic, that are near and dear to my heart.

I am taking a class about Latino Literature. This is just one way we will be able to share thoughts and reflect on our readings.