1. Silence and heterolingualism (the representation of a different language in a work of literature)
2. Cultural assimilation (by the US) and ethnic traditions.
* Here the movie of the same title by Luis Valdez, with the full poem
Sunday 15 March 2020
HW for March 18-23 - Hispanic-American Literature
Compare the poem (excerpt) "Yo Soy Joaquín" (anthology, p. 64)* by R. Gonzalez with Gloria Anzaldúa's chapter 5 of Borderlands / La Frontera (anthology, pp. 66-72) in terms of one, or both of these tensions:
1. Silence and heterolingualism (the representation of a different language in a work of literature)
2. Cultural assimilation (by the US) and ethnic traditions.
* Here the movie of the same title by Luis Valdez, with the full poem
1. Silence and heterolingualism (the representation of a different language in a work of literature)
2. Cultural assimilation (by the US) and ethnic traditions.
* Here the movie of the same title by Luis Valdez, with the full poem
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2. “Yo Soy Joaquin” and “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by R. Gonzalez and Gloria Anzaldua, respectively, narrate Hispanic-American’s experiences in a prejudiced America. Both texts criticize the process within America to “integrate” people of color and the flaws of cultural assimilation.
ReplyDeleteGonzalez approaches this subject by recalling historical events and rememberable figures of Hispanic culture. He reminisces the violent history of his people and the erasure his culture has suffered: “In a country that has wiped out / All my history, / Stifled all my pride, / In a country that has placed a / Different weight of indignity upon my age-/ old burdened back.”. In relation to the cultural assimilation, the character of Joaquin states he felt shame of his Hispanic heritage as of a result of this assimilation and even rejects this side of his identity as it is almost impossible to live with this kind of dual identity in America. (“I look at myself / And see part of me / Who rejects my father and my mother / And dissolves into the melting pot / To disappear in shame.”) Gonzalez uses a more aggressive and negative language with words like “killed”, “despots” and “rape”. The text goes through an evolution as Joaquin seems to almost comply to this idea of assimilation but at the end, he rejects it and yells out his loyalty and trust to his country. (“My faith unbreakable, / My blood is pure. / I SHALL ENDURE! / I WILL ENDURE!”).
On the other hand, Anzaldua’s approach is more methodical and language-focused. Language is a very important element of any culture, it shapes people and their ways of thinking; Anzaldua understands this, affirming “Ethnic identity is twin skin to linguistic identity – I am my language. Until I can take pride in my language. I cannot take pride in myself.”. It is because of this that it is important to recognize other languages, especially in education establishments, which Anzaldua denounces how at her university, Chicano students were obligated to take two speech classes with the objective to completely erase their accent. The accent and the language were viewed as shameful (and still is), even by Hispanic people (which could be argued is a result of popular American belief of English being superior to any other language). However, like Gonzalez’s text, Anzaldua finishes this chapter reminding the reader of Chicanos willingness to endure and fight: “Stubborn, persevering, impenetrable as stone, yet possessing a malleability that renders us unbreakable, we, the mestizas and mestizos, will remain.”
Ana Narciso 150886
2. The issue of (forced) assimilation of Latinx and Chicano communities has been explored by both Rudolfo "Corky" Gonzales in his grandiose poem "Yo Soy Joaquin" and by Gloria Anzaldua in chapter five of "Borderlands / La Frontera."
ReplyDeleteThe speaker in "Yo Soy Joaquin" explores his fluid identity by trying on different masks, associated with his indigenous heritage (Cuauhtémoc), with the Spanish settlers (Cortés), the pro-independence Mexican figures (Hidalgo), and many others. In doing so, the author shows how complex and dynamic Mexican-American heritage and history are. This is a direct counter-discourse to the United States's stance on Mexican history and culture: they are seen as things to "wipe out" and "stifle." The notion that Mexican history is not worthy has been internalized by the speaker, which causes him to "reject [his] father and [his] mother" and to "disappear in shame" Now, the subject is willing to fight against this notion by celebrating his heritage in this poem, which ends with the euphoric lines "I SHALL ENDURE! / I WILL ENDURE!" Thus, he reclaims his past and fights back against assimilation.
Glora Anzaldúa also explores the effects of assimilation. In the case of this chapter, the speaker is told to stick to English (and, by extension, to mainstream American culture) by her teachers (who we can presume are white and represent the social institutions in the US). However, this push for assimilation comes from other places. For starters, her mother encourages her to drop Spanish and speak English like an American because she sees this as a way to move up in life. Interestingly enough, she also feels forced to drop her heritage egged on by "our own people, other Spanish speakers" who see her Chicano language and heritage as a corruption of what should be accepted (the "reglas de academia"). Similarly to what happens in "Yo Soy Joaquin," this chapter ends on a positive note, foreshadowing a rising up of Chicano people to collectively reclaim their culture and heritage, valuing it as whole and legitimate.
— Rita Cunha
1. Both in I am Joaquin by R. Gonzalez and Borderlands by Gloria Andalzúa deal with silence and heterolinguism in similar ways. They share many similarities.
ReplyDeleteI Am Joaquin mentions how even though , today, there's a mix between Spanish and American blood, Chicanos are not accepted by any of these communities. Chicanos don't speak a pure enough Spanish to be accepted as Mexican/Spanish/Cuban/etc... and they don't have an "accentless" English to be accepted into an American community. This shows they're silenced by their diversity and heterolinguism. "La raza!/ Méjicano!/ Español! (...)/ I look the same/ I feel the same/ I cry/ And/ Sing the same".
Similarly, the text by Andalzúa shows an identical silence suffered by the character, who is renegated by both of their halves. However, in this text the character is also silenced by men ("Language is a male discourse."). For example, she had no idea she could the female form of us/nosotros. Not only that, there is apparently an idea in their culture that only women can be rude ("well-bred girls don't talk back").
Joana Pereira
152077