Woman Hollering Creek

I have to say I absolutely love this book, and that I’d honestly pick it up and read it in my spare time. I’m glad to finally be reading anoher book in english, and the fact that it’s so enjoyable is just a cherry on top of it all. Reading a book from a child’s perspective seems to be a theme lately in class, and I’d agree that it is quite effective. Children are naive enough that their views on the word are yet to be tainted by societal norms. This child speaks so frankly about her life, and is so eloquent with spewing out her feelings on even mundane problems (like the red sweater story) that you forget about as you grow up. These stories are written in an almost run-on sentence style, and this helps solidfy the character behind the words: a child doesnt have the time to pause in her excitement or anxiousness to be more coherent. We can all imagine listening to a little girl who is somewhat of a chatterbox. This book reminds me somewhat of a dictionary I once received as a child in which every definition was something a child had said (for example grandma was defined as the fat lady who always gives me money). The child refers to those around her with very frank words: Uncle Fat-face, churches smelling like ears…
Although I did not exactly enjoy Marti’s excessive descriptive style, Cisnero’s is quite appealing. I am also enjoying the way the most mundane and quotidian affairs are described in the story. It’s a completely different style from Rivera’s, in which only very tumultuous events are described and the reader gets this heavy feeling in their chests. This book’s suffering is of a different scale. I was surprised to hear the story of the man who raped her. It is never outright said, mentioned as an initiation of sorts. I couldnt believe what I was reading, and I wonder how old the girl is. By this time I believe a few years have passed since the first chapter, and so it’s hard to think of this girl’s future ruined because one person has no soul. However, it is nice to hear about her life so plainly, it reminds me of my childhood and brings good memories. It’s not often that one feels this way, and mostly because it’s not often one reads a book from this point of view. Its very fresh and raw and I’m very much looking forward to out class discussions to see what the rest of the class has been thinking about it as well.

Martí…por fin

Sincerest apologies for my tardiness, I know everyone is long over this, but alas, it must be done. Sooo, what to say about José Martí? His writing is exquisitely detailed? Done and done.

Well, let’s see, to elaborate slightly, I have to say that I did find this style, although beautifully eloquent and conducive to sparking the imagination, a little over the top in the article on the Brooklyn Bridge. I appreciate the desire to stress the grandiosity of the New World, and its ever-growing tentacles of imperial power, but I found the excessive description almost off-putting to the reader. And I can’t imagine that his audience at the time was comprised purely of Spanish speaking scholars, so I fear that it may have been lost on more than a couple people back in the day as well. Nonetheless, if tackled with the right state of mind, it certainly does offer a wealth of richly stylized literature and more importantly, keen insight into the ways of the new American people and where they might be heading.

On that note, I found the essay on Coney Island to be the most enjoyable in its shrewd criticisms of the glutinous society it portrayed. To return to the passage that we discussed in class, I came across an interesting (and I believe unintentional) similarity between the Hispanic and Anglo cultures being compared. Naturally, Martí feels as though the tendencies and aspirations of his people are superior to those of the Americans, which may in many ways be a just opinion, but I think that while singing the praises of the Latin-American spirit, and its constant search for betterment, he touches upon a universal truth that applies to the society under attack as well.

On the top of page 126, he says that the Latin soul is in a never-ending quest for a higher level of love and idealism, which, once attained, seems insufficient and an even more glorious goal takes their fancy. This is all well and good, and I am not one to argue that on the whole, America seems to be lacking in spiritual truth and goodness, but he is describing the exact same process that he criticizes in the “other”. You strive for something with all your heart, be it moral or physical, but once you have it in your grasp, it loses your interest and you need something else to fill the gap. This is the very course that has lead to overindulgence and mass consumption of products and entertainment in the United States. You can think it more noble to be in pursuit of moral and spiritual enlightenment, but I believe that the cycle itself is the same, and is destructive and pointless in any circumstance and with any goal. Desire and avarice only lead to emptiness and insatiable longing.

Ok, sorry to get all philosophical on your asses, but I think it would do everyone good to remember that we are all essentially the same and that we all struggle with the same demons. Oh, and the other stories were alright too.

Second installation of thoughts on Rivera

The overwhelming sentiment running through the individual tales of this book is tragic. The second half chronicles a betrayed love-induced suicide, a burning truck of Mexican workers, a house-ridden mother who suffers extreme anxiety and encounters blatant racism when she finally gathers the courage to venture into white America, and a sheisty businessman who tricks his own people not only out of money, but of beloved personal memories as well. This unforgiving view of the Mexican and Chicano experience on the northern side of the border is what gives the book its appeal as a genuine account.

However, Rivera takes a turn towards the hopeful in the last chapters of the novel. By entering into the minds of various passengers aboard a stopped truck, we are privy to a broader perspective, and I think the sense of community that Rivera wants to portray becomes much more obvious. Personal suffering is transformed into public compassion and acceptance. The end of chapter “morals” that the author provided us with throughout the book often had a negative note, but the final one we are given is undoubtedly positive. It speaks of a traveling Mexican poet who incorporates specific people from his community into his work and reads it to them aloud, creating not only a sense of interconnectedness, but of love and hope as well.

Of course, the final entry solidifies this idea, as we realize that, indeed, all of the events retold in the book were interrelated and contained within a fairly small group of families. The narrator, although remembering some harrowing stories, comes to a point of inner peace and joyfulness at the simple thought of being part of a community, and his only desire is to join all of these people in a massive embrace. He realizes that the key to a happy existence is inclusion, not segregation, an important message for Americans (and people in general) of all backgrounds.

Wow, so it would appear based on my last two entries that I am starting to see the world in a somewhat cheesy new light. Hahahaha. Sorry, I just watched Zeitgeist: Addendum and I really can’t help it. Also, I think I actually believe it.

resumen

I realize this is a little late but the internet has either been unavailable to me or i have been studying for other midterms, but now its time to focus on this class!

I have really enjoyed the readings for this class. i think that the themes we have covered such as gender, discrimination, the search for acceptance within a foreign society, identity, etc all concerning a relatively small group of people in the world are essential to understanding chicano culture. a culture that i had very little previous knowledge of. in each book we get a unique perspective of a chicano living in America. each experience is different from the next and it has helped me realize that there is no common chicano story to be read. every chicano writer has a different story to tell with different criticisms on american culture. 
In “who would have thought it” Ruiz de Burton criticizes the unblinded attraction the new englanders have for money, the importance of (false) appearances and deception and the absolute rudeness of americans towards one of another race. 
In Jose Martí’s writing, he sees a new population, growing quickly but completely unaware of their surroundings, or the advantages they have. he has come from cuba and seen a small nation strive for independence and was rejected for voicing his opinions. america lets him speak his mind and allows him freedom but the people that were born in to it do not seem to be so grateful. his outsider approach is essential to this perspective.
Salt of the Earth shows a large population of migrant workers striving for equality. the director shows the hardships borne by chicanos as well as the unjust, racist ways of his own kind from the chicano point of view.
its time to run to class. i really look forward to the books we have yet to read.

Todo Junto

Well, these past weeks have flown by! I’ve really enjoyed our class overall. I think that the combination and variety of the readings really made for some diverse discussions. I do think we came back to the same issues a lot of the time, that’s just a reality when you take into consideration the era and group of people we’re reading about. I think a lot of us brought some really interesting points and ideas to the table, and we came up with some great observations all together!

I’m going to say a bit about Marti, as a lot of people have put down his readings. I really enjoyed them overall. Partly perhaps because I read them in English afterward, but also because I really enjoyed, as we know was extremely prevalent, his descriptive style. I loved how he used lists of Spanish words most of us had never heard, but had important meanings. Words which some of the time, only exist in Spanish!

As most have said about “Salt of the Earth”, it was so much fun! I am guilty as I voted for the 80’s movie, but I am quite happy we watched the one we did. I’m suspicious about how realistic it was, as this idealistic version of New Mexico with Anglo’s and latinos living together. Obviously there was some racial tension, but I’m talking about the workers and the lower class. Everyone seemed so happy! It was a refreshing break from the readings, that’s for sure!

Despite the slow start and dragged out chapters, I ended up taking a liking to “Who would have thought it”. I think that Ruiz de Burton does an excellent job of portraying this mass transition over time of a New England family during the civil war. Her detailed chapters and stories within the novel show us the importance of class, race and gender obviously. But also taking into consideration her being a Chicana, I think it’s interesting reading knowing the thoughts in the novel are coming from her mind. Funny how her name wasn’t on the book to begin with…

I’ll stop there, and say that I’m so exited for the next few books that are coming! You’re all in for a treat with Julia Alvarez, let me tell you! I think as we now slide to somewhat more contemporary literature, primarily in English I believe, we’ll all be able to relate much better, and form some interesting discussions.

Borders

I was in a film studies course prior to this class and I remembered one of the required reading was Michael Cieutat’s account on Mexican iconography. “On the one hand, there was a Mexican Catholic, subject to a harsh social hierarchy (from hidalgo to peon, crushed by tradition… on the other, the American Protestant on racial purity, rejecting miscegenation, unlike the Mexican who accepts the mestizo.”

Religion seems to be poignant issue regardless of the period in which the novel is set. Ruiz de Burton uses Catholicism to distinguish Spanish Catholics and Irish Catholics through Lola’s refusal to sleep beside Mrs. Norval’s Irish maid. The boy in Rivera’s novel seems to have a problematic relationship towards religion. Rivera juxtaposes images and ideas.

The novels also better informed me of Chicano history. The theory of Manifest destiny was reflected in Who Would Have Thought It? and migration seemed to be the pressing concern in …y no se lo trago la tierra before it was published in the 1970s.

I have enjoyed the books we read so far. They constantly questioned the concept of borders and its fluidity. In my introduction, I had restricted myself in defining North American literature and in a way confined myself within a personal border. By reading Ruiz de Burton, Marti and Rivera, I now have a better understanding of North America in its entirety.

La clase

I wrote the wrong blog on Sunday……

I’ve enjoyed most the various styles of writing employed by the writers. I’m a bit of a sucker for Barton’s eloquence and her coy narratives in her book, which are reminiscent of a hipster music critic reviewing 19th century white society. As well, her characters are so poignantly created they linger in your mind for days after reading it, whether it be Hackwell idiosyncrasies and conniving speeches or Mrs. Norval’s silly points of view. There are elements of humour which are strewn throughout it, so once you get over the fact that it’s not an easy read you can enjoy the richness that bleeds over the pages.

Marti’s observational stylings are quite sensational, though for someone whose Spanish skills need some crimping I couldn’t grasp every one of his descriptions. He does open our eyes to the experience of New York as the bustling, almost supernatural metropolis that it remains as today. Having seen New York City it was interesting to read someone who shared the same awe as I did after visiting the city. It was also enjoyable that his views of America were taken from an objective way, and didn’t let many of his own opinions barge in.

Rivera was a good read as well, though more emotional then it was eloquent, it certainly captures all the pains of the labouring Mexican-Americans in a surreal way in many ways incomparable to anything I’ve ever read.

All in all, it’s interesting exploring different methods these authors comment on society and how it’s experienced by Mexican-Americans, and I look forward to delving in further.

It’s about that time….

it’s about that time of the year…. midterms, papers, (blogs…wikis), not to mention all of the readings that go along with these academic endeavors. So far this term we’ve covered such a variety of readings and i think that i have enjoyed tomas rivera’s work the best (convenient since he is also my wiki-subject…. but a coincidence none the less). i think i enjoyed this the most because of its abiguities – it’s structured chaos within the very format of the novel. i enjoyed that there were no characters and that you had to jump from one ‘chapter’ to the next without very much warning.
going back to the beginning with “who would have thought it”; i didn’t not enjoy this book, but obviously (and with, from what i can tell from class/blogs) with a class consensus, the books ending was somewhat ________. Despite this blank ending, the characters were vivid and, in my opinion, probably quite accurate with how people in the time and area would have reacted to such scandal.
marti’s readings were, on the other hand, difficult and at the same time, rewarding. i struggled to no end with these readings but what i did comprehend from them, i enjoyed very much. marti is a poetic writer with a beautiful fluidity in his writing. he can take something like the brooklyn bridge and turn it into this living creation of the people. i loved that he took the time to describe the people alongside the bridge (even if it was difficult to read…) and how they impacted each other.
finally, i wanted to mention once again, that i enjoyed the movie very much, despite it’s dated, and cheesey appearance. i can only imagine what it would have been like at that time to go through what the characters did and the rough, black and white images really enforced what we had read up to that point.

Hasta ahora…

Hasta ahora tengo que decir que la mejor cosa que hemos leido ha sido lo de Jose Marti. Simplemente porque es la lectura que me hizo sentir algo mas profundo que las otras. Cuando escribi mi blog de Jose Marti, estaba llena de sentimientos, pasiones, ideas que corrian por mi cabeza. Las imagenes que pintaba Marti eran las mas bellas, las mas reales, las mas humanas, y el las describia con su profundo talento literario y filosofico. Y aunque el era cubano, ni Chicano o imigrante a los Estados Unidos, el entendia realmente, perfectamente, lo que era America y lo que sigue siendo hoy….vio el pasado de America, el presente, y tambien el futuro que vendria. A veces la vista del exterior es mejor que la interior; Marti entendia mas claramente el espiritu de America que los Americanos que observaba.
Asi que releyendolo no me cuesta demasiado.

322 So far

Sorry if it is a little late but there was so much to do over the thanksgiving weekend that I had no time to blog.

Anyways,  so far my favorite read has been Who Would Have Thought It? I came to appreciate how everything was in flux in this novel.  Every single character changes for better or for worse.  The personalities of each character do not change, they seem to be the only thing that is truly constant in this novel.  Even though certain characters travelled upwards in their social assent their personal qualities remained in tact.  I thought this was quite funny because each person who ascended in the social hierarchy of the time only did so because of the money from a woman who mostly all of them shunned.  As much as I enjoy comedies of error, I was happy with Y no se lo tragó la tierra.  Even thought the book was depressing at times I was mostly entertained by it.

I enjoy the content and the atmosphere of the class. The Spanish readings have been challenging for me but they have helped my Spanish immensely. Even though for me it can be intimidating to speak Spanish I think I’ll live.  Anyways, I’m looking forward to the second half of the semester.