Hard to believe the semester is coming to an end, but alas, here are some concluding thoughts. All in all, I am very glad that I decided to take this class. I was initially looking for a class to brush up on my Spanish and was slightly disappointed that the structure would be primarily based on literature, most of which would be taught in English. However I feel that I have walked away from this class having gained a great deal of insight into the struggles of identity that people face in new cultural settings. I was moved by many of the works that we read and feel that it was the best selection of literature that I have read in a class at UBC.
Having lived 18 years in California, the Chicano experience is something that has been simultaneously close and far away from me all at once. It has been close to me in the sense that I have geographically grown up in an area with a large demographic of Latino immigrants. I have worked in kitchens with all Mexican laborers, have gone to school with Spanish speakers learning English for the first time, and have witnessed movements of solidarity that are often pushed to the margins of society or ignored by the government. I once tried to organize workers in my restaurant to participate in the Day Without a Mexican but was discovered and scolded by my boss. Needless to say, work still ran because too many of the immigrant workers were afraid of losing their jobs. I have felt far away from the experience because despite the physical proximity and certain elements of a collective experience I have shared with Chicanos in my area, I am still a representative of the dominant white English speaking demographic of my country and have lived the majority of my life feeling comfortable in my cultural environment.
Reading the books that we read in this class provided a certain bridge of understanding to the experience of immigration and identity. These books provided a voice that is often underrepresented in dominant cultural discourse. They told tales of the emotional experience of cultural assimilation, created a sense of collective identity, and asked questions of identity and the possibility of hybridizing cultures. Who Would Have Thought It? providing a historical context for Latin immigration and dealt with issues of fluidity of borders. Jose Marti provided insight into American culture as understood by someone who exists outside of it. Y no se lo trago la tierra created a mosaic of collective experience and unstable identities. Women Hollering Creek brought up many elements of the female experience and How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents dealt with issues of cultural confusion, assimilation, and attempts of creating a 'hybrid' culture. And lastly, And a Body to Remember With dealt with the deeply emotional side of memory, uprooting, and political exile. All have offered valuable insights and I am glad to have had the experience of reading them. All in all, I felt this was a very rewarding class.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
and a Body to Remember With
I must say, I really enjoyed this book. Rarely do I sit down and read a book cover to cover, but for some reason, that was the experience I had with this novel. When I first started it, I was a little unsure of how I felt about her general writing style, but within a few chapters I began to get into it and found it a very easy, insightful, and emotion-filled read. What I liked most about the book was the relatablitiy I felt to the settings in which it took place. Having lived that last three years in Canada, and specifically Vancouver, it was very interesting to read about the local places that she described; the Britannia center on Commercial drive, Kits, Stanley park, etc. Being new to Canada, it was interesting to read an account off someone with fresh eyes adjusting to the differences that are for me, subtle, but for her, far more substantial. I was also able to understand many of the situations that she discussed in Chile because a few years ago, I spent a summer in Chile living with a family that was very politically involved in the resistance of the dictatorship and military coup of 1973. Reading these accounts conjured potent memories of my time in Chile, and though I did not myself experience the hardships that the country has faced, I learned a great deal about them from people who did.
Like many of the other books we have read in this class, the story is non-linear nor straight-forward in its telling of events and emotions. Rather, it is like a mosaic of snippets of many peoples experiences and understanding of political upheaval, loss, desire, uprooting, and assimilation. I think that this is a conscious choice of many of the authors that we have read, as these experiences and emotions are not concrete or easily explained, but rather dynamic and complex. Just as Julia Alvarez mirrors the fuzziness and fluidity of memory in How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, layering this book in such a way seems to be a more accurate depiction of the complexity and collective voice and collective struggle that Chilean exiles have faced.
What made the book feel very human to me was the fact that that though the stories were heavily laced with political commentary and the experience of cultural assimilation, she did not exclude other human sentiments of her telling of events. She included stories of romantic love and loss, of the common struggles that families face, and lighter stories including the one about missing the Astor Piazolla concert twice. Also, I would say that this book would fall into the category of a feminist novel based on the way that we have defined it in this class. Many of the stories are written from the perspective of women, and women are portrayed as strong and important agents in both a revolutionary sense and also in facing challenges of assimilation.
Like many of the other books we have read in this class, the story is non-linear nor straight-forward in its telling of events and emotions. Rather, it is like a mosaic of snippets of many peoples experiences and understanding of political upheaval, loss, desire, uprooting, and assimilation. I think that this is a conscious choice of many of the authors that we have read, as these experiences and emotions are not concrete or easily explained, but rather dynamic and complex. Just as Julia Alvarez mirrors the fuzziness and fluidity of memory in How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, layering this book in such a way seems to be a more accurate depiction of the complexity and collective voice and collective struggle that Chilean exiles have faced.
What made the book feel very human to me was the fact that that though the stories were heavily laced with political commentary and the experience of cultural assimilation, she did not exclude other human sentiments of her telling of events. She included stories of romantic love and loss, of the common struggles that families face, and lighter stories including the one about missing the Astor Piazolla concert twice. Also, I would say that this book would fall into the category of a feminist novel based on the way that we have defined it in this class. Many of the stories are written from the perspective of women, and women are portrayed as strong and important agents in both a revolutionary sense and also in facing challenges of assimilation.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
More thoughts
Okay.
I was the only person in the class who initially did not respond well to this book, and though I am not completely finished with it, I must say that my opinion has improved. This is by no means my favorite book we have read for the class and I am less impressed by by her actual writing style than the other authors. However, needless to say, as I read more I got more into the stories, became less irritated with the characters, and found their story to be more relatable. I think that part of the reason why I was not initially into the book was because of the reverse chronological order in which it is written. I am not used to reading books in this order and for some reason, meeting these characters at the 'end' of the scope in which their lives are discussed left me a bit uninterested because I didn't find them very likable. As I read more though, I began to understand how they came to be as they are and the reasons behind their idiosyncrasies. They were very 'Americanized' in the beginning of the novel, and it was interesting to watch the psychology behind the progression of their assimilation into a new culture. With each chapter, I began to see them as more 'Dominican' which made me understand the elements in their lives that lead to their Americanization. This book was interesting to me because my roommate is a whitewashed Dominican who migrated to the U.S. at age nine. I have heard many tales of her assimilation process, and the difficulties she faced, which were surpisingly similar to the struggles of the Garcia Girls.
I was the only person in the class who initially did not respond well to this book, and though I am not completely finished with it, I must say that my opinion has improved. This is by no means my favorite book we have read for the class and I am less impressed by by her actual writing style than the other authors. However, needless to say, as I read more I got more into the stories, became less irritated with the characters, and found their story to be more relatable. I think that part of the reason why I was not initially into the book was because of the reverse chronological order in which it is written. I am not used to reading books in this order and for some reason, meeting these characters at the 'end' of the scope in which their lives are discussed left me a bit uninterested because I didn't find them very likable. As I read more though, I began to understand how they came to be as they are and the reasons behind their idiosyncrasies. They were very 'Americanized' in the beginning of the novel, and it was interesting to watch the psychology behind the progression of their assimilation into a new culture. With each chapter, I began to see them as more 'Dominican' which made me understand the elements in their lives that lead to their Americanization. This book was interesting to me because my roommate is a whitewashed Dominican who migrated to the U.S. at age nine. I have heard many tales of her assimilation process, and the difficulties she faced, which were surpisingly similar to the struggles of the Garcia Girls.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents
So far, I am really not convinced about this book. Perhaps, I was expecting a bit more from this book, partially because I am writing about her on Wikipedia and have read many rave reviews about her work, but I am liking it less than many of the other books we have read in the class. I find her style to be rather immature, resembling young adult fiction a little more than I would chose to read at this point in my life. I also find it her style flatter than the other writers...Rivera, Marti, and Cisnernos wrote with a conviction that kept my interest and captivated me. They all brought a certain poetry that I really enjoyed reading that I find lacking in this book, while I simultaneously havn't found the story that interesting. Lastly, and this is my last complaint, I have found the characters to be both unrelatable and unlikable. I am not fond of the father, nor am I fond of any of the daughters so far.
I have not written this book off yet however, and am willing to continue with it with an open mind. I hope that as I get into the story more, the insights that it offers will become a bit more apparent to me. I really wanted to like this book, and based on what I had heard previously, had heard nothing but good things, and premtively thought it was going to be one of my favorites of the class. My dislike at this point could be a result of high expectations and for this reason I will be curious to know how it unfolds.
I have not written this book off yet however, and am willing to continue with it with an open mind. I hope that as I get into the story more, the insights that it offers will become a bit more apparent to me. I really wanted to like this book, and based on what I had heard previously, had heard nothing but good things, and premtively thought it was going to be one of my favorites of the class. My dislike at this point could be a result of high expectations and for this reason I will be curious to know how it unfolds.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
The end of Woman Hollering Creek
I know this is a few days late, but I just finished the book today I thought it better to write about it when I had finished it in entirety. I must say that I agree with Jon on enjoying the first half more. I was very impressed with several of the earlier stories including "Salvador Late or Early," "One Holy Night," and "Woman Hollering Creek." All of these stories were written beautifully and poetically and had a certain truth or 'from the heart' quality that resonated very well with me. They were written powerfully but did not seem in any way over the top. Some of the latter stories however did seem a bit over the top, namely "Eyes of Zapata." I will give her credit for the interesting premise to write a story on. Everyone who knows anything about Mexico or Mexican history has that image of Zapata as an iconic figure somehow engrained in their mind. Most people have a sense of Zapata as a heroic and revolutionary man who fought for the rights of the poor and disenfranchised in Mexico. However, I think Cisneros was trying to comment on the fact that for the most part, it is males who dominate people's notion of history and females are largely left out of this narrative. For this reason, she was giving voice to the female side of the story and perhaps suggesting that females did not have the agency in those times to leave such a mark on history as their male counterparts. What I found problematic about this story however was the language and style of writing. It really felt over the top and I could almost not take it seriously. There seemed to be an element of shock value, and also one of self pity that made it hard for me to identify with the story or the character from whose voice the story was told.
I found the story, "Never Marry a Mexican," to be both shocking and contradictory to many of the characters in the rest of the work. This women seemed to be representative of all of the qualities that the other characters lacked. She strongly pitted herself against the institution of marriage and never wanted to fall into the category of being dependent upon a man. Although she seemed somewhat empowered in this sense, she still seemed to be one of the most miserable characters in the book. She still managed to be deeply hurt by the man she fell in love with and in response, did hurtful things to others. Perhaps Cisneros is pointing out the double edged sword that comes along with love; on one hand, to let yourself become dependent and weak can lead to complete loss of power and heart ache, but letting yourself be deeply unattached can also lead one to the same point.
In the defense of the second half of the book, I really enjoyed the last story, "Bien Pretty." I thought this story exemplified well the concept of authenticity or not quite fitting in fully to either the Latin or American cultural category. Flavio was portrayed as the 'authentic' Mexican who spoke Spanish as a native language and represented all things that were truly Mexican. Lupe on the other hand seemed to somehow be straddling the border between both cultural categories of identity. She was not as Mexican as the Mexicans and not as American as the Americans. It seemed to be in light of this, she almost compensated for this by commodifying what she felt was the Mexican image. There are many lists of things in this story, "(8) Oaxacan black pottery pieces, signed Diego Rivera monotype, upright piano, star-shaped piñata, (5) strings of chile lights...."(139). It felt to me as if in order to make up for this feeling of lack of 'authentic' Mexican identity, she surrounded herself in things that seemed representative of this identity.
All in all, I was very impressed with this book.
I found the story, "Never Marry a Mexican," to be both shocking and contradictory to many of the characters in the rest of the work. This women seemed to be representative of all of the qualities that the other characters lacked. She strongly pitted herself against the institution of marriage and never wanted to fall into the category of being dependent upon a man. Although she seemed somewhat empowered in this sense, she still seemed to be one of the most miserable characters in the book. She still managed to be deeply hurt by the man she fell in love with and in response, did hurtful things to others. Perhaps Cisneros is pointing out the double edged sword that comes along with love; on one hand, to let yourself become dependent and weak can lead to complete loss of power and heart ache, but letting yourself be deeply unattached can also lead one to the same point.
In the defense of the second half of the book, I really enjoyed the last story, "Bien Pretty." I thought this story exemplified well the concept of authenticity or not quite fitting in fully to either the Latin or American cultural category. Flavio was portrayed as the 'authentic' Mexican who spoke Spanish as a native language and represented all things that were truly Mexican. Lupe on the other hand seemed to somehow be straddling the border between both cultural categories of identity. She was not as Mexican as the Mexicans and not as American as the Americans. It seemed to be in light of this, she almost compensated for this by commodifying what she felt was the Mexican image. There are many lists of things in this story, "(8) Oaxacan black pottery pieces, signed Diego Rivera monotype, upright piano, star-shaped piñata, (5) strings of chile lights...."(139). It felt to me as if in order to make up for this feeling of lack of 'authentic' Mexican identity, she surrounded herself in things that seemed representative of this identity.
All in all, I was very impressed with this book.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Woman Hollering Creek
This is by far my favorite book we have read so far. I find Cisnero's writing style to be captivating and poetic. The way in which she describes situations and emotions artfully and metaphorically is very powerful and speaks to the heart. I am having a hard time putting this one down! I really enjoy how she not only gives voice to the many characters and perspectives represented in the book, but she actually seems to become these characters themselves. There is a tragic quality to her writing, but it this same quality that resonates very deeply in the Chicano and female experience as I understand it. Her writing style inspires me to want to write more!
In My Friend Lucy Who Smells Like Corn, Cisneros embodies the voice of a sassy eleven-year-old girl, and these stories hilariously and insightfully detain the trials and triumphs of what it is like to see the world from her perspective. At first, I was slightly thrown off by the colloquial style, and it briefly felt like she was trying too hard, but once I got into the swing of things, I really came to enjoy seeing the world from these eyes. Even in the absurdity of the stories she tells, there is a certain truth and familiarity that is evoked in regards to me as my eleven-year-old self. I loved the way in which she described Salvador in Salvador Late or Early. "Salvador with eyes the color of caterpillar, Salvador of the crooked hair and crooked teeth. Salvador whose name the teacher cannot remember, is a boy who is no one's friend, runs along somewhere in that vague direction where homes are the color of bad weather...".
There are also beautiful description in the following story One Holey Night. I really enjoy the subtlety of how she writes. She does not flat out say things that happen or the way people feel about said situations, but she probes at them in the form of metaphors. "Then abuelita made me tell her the real story of how the cart had disappeared, all of which I told this time, except for that one night, which I would have to tell anyway, weeks later, I prayed for the moon of my cycle to come back, but it would not."
All in all, I am very impressed with this book. So far, this class has probably had the best selection of literature of any lit class I've taken at UBC, and all of the books add different layers and dimensions to my overall understanding of the Chicano experience. I enjoy the artistry and the subtle layering of perspectives that seem to exists very strong in many of these
In My Friend Lucy Who Smells Like Corn, Cisneros embodies the voice of a sassy eleven-year-old girl, and these stories hilariously and insightfully detain the trials and triumphs of what it is like to see the world from her perspective. At first, I was slightly thrown off by the colloquial style, and it briefly felt like she was trying too hard, but once I got into the swing of things, I really came to enjoy seeing the world from these eyes. Even in the absurdity of the stories she tells, there is a certain truth and familiarity that is evoked in regards to me as my eleven-year-old self. I loved the way in which she described Salvador in Salvador Late or Early. "Salvador with eyes the color of caterpillar, Salvador of the crooked hair and crooked teeth. Salvador whose name the teacher cannot remember, is a boy who is no one's friend, runs along somewhere in that vague direction where homes are the color of bad weather...".
There are also beautiful description in the following story One Holey Night. I really enjoy the subtlety of how she writes. She does not flat out say things that happen or the way people feel about said situations, but she probes at them in the form of metaphors. "Then abuelita made me tell her the real story of how the cart had disappeared, all of which I told this time, except for that one night, which I would have to tell anyway, weeks later, I prayed for the moon of my cycle to come back, but it would not."
All in all, I am very impressed with this book. So far, this class has probably had the best selection of literature of any lit class I've taken at UBC, and all of the books add different layers and dimensions to my overall understanding of the Chicano experience. I enjoy the artistry and the subtle layering of perspectives that seem to exists very strong in many of these
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Re-Cap
So far, I have been very impressed with this class. Issues surrounding Chicanos and Latinos in the United States is something that is dear to my heart as I grew up in California and have lived and worked amongst many recent migrants from south of the border, and my Mom is an ESL teacher and advocate for immagrant rights. I have been impressed with the readings and also with Jon's refreshing non-pretentious teaching style and the insights of many students in the class.
I have found the readings interesting yet challenging. The first book provided interesting historical commentary about issues that have existed for a very long time and still continue to exist to this day. The readings in Spanish have been challenging for me as they are my first real attempts to read real literature in Spanish. Reading them has helped me expand my vocabulary and general Spanish skills as a whole, though I do not understand them as deeply as I would in English. Then again, there is always room for improvement.
I have already begun Women Hollering Creed and am thourghouly impressed with Cisnero's poetic writing style. She has a way of becoming the diverse characters she displays in her prose and writes artistically and beautifully. So far, this is my favorite!
I have found the readings interesting yet challenging. The first book provided interesting historical commentary about issues that have existed for a very long time and still continue to exist to this day. The readings in Spanish have been challenging for me as they are my first real attempts to read real literature in Spanish. Reading them has helped me expand my vocabulary and general Spanish skills as a whole, though I do not understand them as deeply as I would in English. Then again, there is always room for improvement.
I have already begun Women Hollering Creed and am thourghouly impressed with Cisnero's poetic writing style. She has a way of becoming the diverse characters she displays in her prose and writes artistically and beautifully. So far, this is my favorite!
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