Four Major Themes In Borderlands La Frontera By Gloria Anzaldúa

It is because women are not granted the same opportunities as men, they grow up with the thought of what they should not do implanted into their minds. When women cannot get an education or get a job like the men can, they feel that their only place truly is in the kitchen with the children. In some cases, men tell their female significant others that it is only them who can say what goes. This point is exemplified when Jaimito criticizes the lives of Dede's sisters saying "the Mirabal sisters liked to run their men, that was the problem. In his house, we was the one to wear the pants" (176-177). Males were always seen as the dominant and that was how they expect to keep it. They refuse to let their power be taken away by the opposite gender that is believed to be the weaker of the sexes. With this thought in mind, women hold back or reluctantly accept what fate they have for them. They believe it to the point where they agree that their place is below the men. This point is proven when Patria tells her sister "It's a dirty business, you're right. That's why we women shouldn't be involved" (51). This shows readers the submissive side of a woman that all were

El Norte was released in 1983 and set in the middle of Guatemalan civil war. It was directed by Gregory Nava and produced by Anna Thomas. The major theme of this movie is the struggle of young siblings to find a better life in another country as immigrants. The movie is divided into three parts: when the two siblings, Enrique and Rosa flee from their homeland because of a raged war, their attempts to cross Mexico illegally, and arrived in the United States of America, where most people think it’s a “promised land”. The main point of this movie is not the end, but the journey itself. Immigration is one of the most heated and controversial issues until now. By watching this movie, we can see the different perspective from the immigrants.

The mother in “Borders” by Thomas King reveals her pride and courage for her identity as she crosses the border to visit her daughter Laetitia in Salt Lake City. Challenges like self-identity are faced every step of the way, but it a person with pride and bravery who accepts it gladly. This is best demonstrated by King and his use of conflict, repetition and literary devices.

The women were expected to carry out the duties of the house without complaint and to remain diligent to her husband, as well as God. During this time, motherhood transformed from just being a child bearing figure to

Gloria Anzaldúa writes of a Utopic frame of mind, the borderlands created in and lived in by the new mestiza. She describes the preexisting natures of the Anglos, Mexicanos, and Chicanos as seen around the southwest U.S. / Mexican border, indicative of the nations at large. She also probes the borders of language, sexuality, psychology and spirituality. Anzaldúa presents this information in various identifiable ways including the autobiography, historical/informative essay, and poetry. What is unique to Anzaldúa is her ability to weave a ‘perfect’ kind of compromised state of mind that melds together the preexisting cultures while simultaneously formulating a fusion of genres that stretches previously

According to the Cult of Domesticity, women were supposed to be perfect role model in her house. Women were put in the middle of the domestic world and were expected to be loving and caring mother. They were also expected to be religious and show everyone close to them the religious

Who I am? A question everyone at some point will ask themselves. I personally had asked that question many times and especially now that I'm getting my U.S residency and later my citizenship. I trying to answer if I'm Peruvian or American. The Borderlands/ La Frontera by Gloria Anzaldua had show me to identify myself. This book isn’t all a happy story as is life. She shares her experience in this world were where her heritage and her blood is the cause of an oppression in her society. There are invisible borders were to exist between cultural groups, where people who have multiple identities has to break through those invisible borders and regain culture that has been lost.

She discusses how Mexicans identify themselves; since there are many different ways to identify culture, they make up several different cultures (Indian, Black, and Mexican). By the end she talks about the fight that Mexicans put up to stand up for their culture and their identity.

In this Chapter I feel that Anzaldua is trying to get the reader to understand the differences and atruggles amongst cultures. The clash of cultures results in mental and emotional confusion. Living inbetween more than one culture, you often get opposing messages from these cultures. Sometimes when living within the Chicana culture common white beleifs conflict with the beleifs of the Mexican culture. They both hold beleifs of the indifinous peopel and their culture. It creates a problem that the dominant cultures views and beleifs are defiant to the others. This is very wrong because it creats the problem of one being superior to the other. This especially relates to the Mexican culture and white culture. This creates the assimilation problem when one culture is not accepted or considered below another.

Anzaldúa cannot be defined by any one culture because of the area of Texas she lives in, the languages she speaks, her identity, and where she fits into society. In the United States, the most common language people speak is English because it surpasses the language border. Culture leans more to the sides of men and that they can do more than a woman can do in society. The founding fathers were all men that created the Declaration of Independence. Men of that time expected to be well dressed, socially responsible in how they acted, and what they said. Women were held to higher standards because the women made sure everything was in order in the house and that the children had at least one good example for how to live in society.

The call for feminism marks the beginning of an extensive journey with the quest to inspire women and to advocate women right in a male governed the world. Gloria Anzaldúa and Maxine Kingston both scrutinize feminism in the framework of “Borderland: La Frontera: The New Mestiza” and “The Women Warrior” encouraging women to occupy a strong position in the post-colonial male led civilization. The author both traces the journey of women struggle to achieve rewarding role within the structure shaped by men. The alliance of different voice from disregarded women gestures a strong theme that inspires Maxine Hong Kingston and Gloria Anzaldua to write enthusiastically within the feminist topic to dispute the patriarchal society.

The article was so intriguing to read because as short as it was, it could have been a whole book. In the article, he leads us into the beginning where his mother found out he was gay and that was the beginning of his journey. The way his parents reacted is the way a lot of parents react to the point where kids in this society think that’s the only reaction people should be having. Arana (2012) addresses how his parents wanted to fix him and turn him back into “normal”. She even ended up taking him to see a psychiatrist where his moto is about turning people back into their “normal mindset”. However, what exactly is normal? Who legit has the power to determine where the line gets cut? Because after all that hardship Arana went through, he eventually became in control of his thoughts. I know growing up, the word gay or lesbian was not something that was discussed in my household. A lot of it has to do with my culture and the high-end stigma around sexualities.

If a woman displayed herself in a sexy manner, as Sanaubar did, she would be considered "dishonorable" (8). If an unwed woman held a conversation with a man, she would be seen as a "lochak" (146), or in other words a brazen girl. The honor of a girl mattered so much because virtuous girls brought in respectable "suitable suitors" (148), and one of the most important things an Afghani girl needed was a husband. This cultural belief gave men an overbearing advantage once they married. The men essentially controlled how their wives lived their lives. The prime example in this case would be General Taheri, who had many opinions on how women should behave. The General forbade his wife to sing in public because he thought it was a job for people with "lesser reputations" (177), he didn't "approve of women drinking alcohol," (183), and was constantly worried about the public perception of his family. Baba, to some extent also represented these views. He talked about losing ones honor in a very somber manner, and believed that a man's honor rested in the "chastity of a wife. Or a daughter." (145)

Established in 100-300 CE, was the Code of Manu. According to the Code of Manu, women of any age must not be independent, even when it comes to doing daily chores or routines. The way I see this is women are not allowed to do anything for themselves, so they must rely on the men they have in their lives. Things have changed drastically since then. The way things are different is that back then, men were in control, and women had to depend on others to do things for them. Women are forced to stay with the men in their lives, whether they want to or not because if they leave, it makes the families despise her. No matter what she does, she must always keep a smile on her face and show happiness in what she does. In my point of view, if I was

She can argue more effectively with her husband by showing him that she can cook before she goes to her job, or work while her kids are at school. Another belief that many Middle Eastern men possess is that women would be more passive if they are uneducated. Hence, they invest a great deal of energy in ensuring that their women are out of school and uneducated. The cycle of oppression is sustained as the oppression of women continues; women are kept ignorant, while men continue to feel unthreatened by the possibility that their educated women might demand freedom and equality. The belief of Middle Eastern men viewing their women as nothing but servants, expecting them to clean, cook, and raise children seems to be the driving force behind keeping women from achieving their educational potentials.