It's Hard Enough Being Me By Anna Lisa Raya

Tanya Barrientos explained her struggle with her identity growing up in her writing “Se Habla Español”. Barrientos describes herself as being “Guatemalan by birth but pure gringa by circumstance” (83). These circumstances began when her family relocated to the United States when she was three years old. Once the family moved to the states, her parents only spoke Spanish between themselves. The children learned to how read, write and speak the English language to fit into society at that time in 1963. (83) Barrientos explained how society shifted and “the nation changed its views on ethnic identity” (85) after she graduated college and it came as a backlash to her because she had isolated herself from the stereotype she constructed in her head. She was insulted to be called Mexican and to her speaking the Spanish language translated into being poor. She had felt superior to Latino waitresses and their maid when she told them that she didn’t speak Spanish. After the shift in society Barrientos wondered where she fit it since the Spanish language was the glue that held the new Latino American community together. Barrientos then set out on a difficult awkward journey to learn the language that others would assume she would already know. She wanted to nurture the seed of pride to be called Mexican that her father planted when her father sent her on a summer trip to Mexico City. Once Barrientos had learned more Spanish and could handle the present, past and future tenses she still

Growing up in a Hispanic household has shaped and built my values in life. At Appleton North High School, I am one out of the few Hispanic students. Knowing that my parents have migrated to America to give me a better future has motivated me to make it happen. Although, as a Mexican-American, I have felt out of place as a minority. However, with time I learned to accept my cultural differences. In fact, to this day, I thank my widowed father for the sacrifices and greater opportunities he has given me. My goal is to keep representing the few Hispanic students in college by working hard to achieve my career goals; not all Hispanics are fortunate enough to attend college. I also work to inspire young Hispanics to find their potential and follow

Celia Hernandez had a rough start in life, she moved from school to school during her elementary years. Celia went to a whopping 7 elementary schools, but managed fairly well. She grew up on the east side of the Coachella Valley in California, the side that’s only talked about when referring to music festivals, agriculture, or lower education. The east side of the Coachella Valley is majority Hispanic or Latino population, despite her Latino background, Celia wasn’t taught Spanish therefore it was problematic when she started attending a Latino school. She found difficulty with relating to them as there was a vast language barrier between them, furthermore, through the years she broke it and found a place with them. Money was scarce throughout

In other words, her mother had been influenced by American values. For this reason, she pushed her daughter to become more like the dominant society (American) and less like the minority group (Mexican). As Anzaldúa integrated to American culture she continued to experience discriminatory circumstances. For instance, while she attended “Pan American University” she had to enroll in speech class “to get rid of [her] [accent]” (Anzaldúa 374). Then, when she “taught High School English” she was discouraged by the principal to using Chicano literature in her class (Anzaldúa 379). On the other hand, the resentful minority group (Spanish speakers) expected her not to use the “oppressor’s language” (Anzaldúa 375).The impact of all these events, influence Anzaldúa to believe that “by the end of this century English, and not Spanish, will be the mother tongue of most Chicanos and Latinos” (Anzaldúa 378). This is important, because Anzaldúa writes, “ethnic identity is twin skin to linguistic identity” (378). If her prediction becomes reality, then most of what surrounds me (and others like me) will disappear.

When one visualizes Latino culture, the prevalent images are often bright colors, dancing, and celebrations. This imagery paints a false portrait of the life of many Latino’s, especially those that are forced to leave their home countries. Latinos often face intense poverty and oppression, whether in a Latin country, or a foreign country, such is true in Pam Ryan’s novel Esperanza Rising. Ryan chronicles the issues that many Latino immigrants face. The first is the pressure from the home country. Many of the countries face turmoil, and many are forced to leave their homes and culture. Once in a foreign place, people often struggle with standing by their own culture or assimilating to the new culture. Latino authors frequently use young adult literature as a platform to discuss the issues they face, as young adults are coming of age they struggle with their identities, personifying the struggle of old culture against the new culture.

The de los Rios article taught me something I did not know about the curriculum that is represented in schools. In the article I noticed that some of the students like Reina a self-identifiers Guatemalan who felt embarrassed about who she was and how she wished she was “White American” but with the Chicana /o-Latina/ o studies helped her learn how to love herself and accept who she is as a Guatemalan. I agree with her research that claims resentment of a race or a class of people , if we look at how Reina felt about herself it is because of the environment around her that made her think that she was not beautiful and made her want to be white , however after taking the Chicana/ o-Latina/ o studies she had a self -revelation which from reading

Throughout the essay, Lugo-Lugo uses personal experiences and builds bridges with her audience to further establish emotional appeals. Carmen Lugo-Lugo is a woman of color, specifically a Latina. Latinos have become so stereotyped, that people’s portrayals and descriptions of them have become so ingrained in their minds that

“The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria”, by Cofer explains what she has been through with stereotypes and how she dealt with them. Growing up in an Hispanic culture is very different than growing up with an American family. There are certain things expected from each of those culture that are different from one another. “... for example, that of the Hispanic woman as the

Julia Alvarez’s How the García Girls Lost their Accents demonstrates the distinct experiences Dominican men and women face entering a foreign country by challenging their respective ideas of themselves. Numerous times during the novel, Alvarez displays the cultural differences the García family have to adjust to after moving from their home country of the Dominican Republic to the United States. They’ve endured sexual harassment, mental breakdowns and a loss of culture due to their immigration to America. These experiences have effectively altered their lives forever, transforming them into new “selves” that may have never came into fruition had they stayed home in Dominican Republic. Throughout their journeys, the Garcías had started their lives with the potential to become one self -- but encounter experiences in the surrounding culture -- that ultimately change them. As a result, they lose their much of their Dominican heritage trying to assimilate to American culture, but never become truly successful in doing so. Alvarez shows these immigrants, who travel to the United States, are neither American or non-American but borderline in between. They exhibit characteristics of both cultures, and thus, belong in a culture of “selves” that places them directly in the middle.

Finding where belongs in society can be difficult. We search for a place that we can belong too. Identity is what makes a person who they are. Knowing who you are can give purpose to life. Identity can come from your culture that you grew up with, the languages you speak, music you listen to or anything that you participate in that makes you feel like yourself. In “Two Ways to Belong in America” by Bharati Mukherjee, the struggle to find an identity is shown through the author and her sister as they are immigrants trying to maintain their culture, when America is telling them to only identify as American. In “The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, fights to maintain pride in her identity in a society

When she was at home or in her hometown she was expected to speak spanish and if she spoke anything else, even if it was a mix of spanish and something else it was seen as wrong and disrespectful in her community. The girls primary Discourse was her spanish identity. She was from mexico and her family as well as her community expected her to act to the expectations of a well-respected Latina woman, and also expected her to speak traditional spanish. But the girl also went to an English speaking school so she was expected to speak standard american English and only that whenever she was at school. “I remember being caught speaking Spanish at recess- that was good for three licks on the knuckles with a sharp ruler”(252). So this girl is struggling between her two Discourses because each culture is telling her that it’s either their identity or nothing. So the girl tries to come up with a mix of both and ends up with Chicano which was a mix of the two different languages she was expected to know. But the two cultures still didn’t seem to approve of what she was doing, her spanish culture actually ended up finding is disrespectful they said “ ‘‘cultural traitor, you’re speaking the oppressor’s language,’ I have been accused by various Latinos and Latinas. Chicano Spanish is considered by the purist and by most Latinos deficient, a mutilation of

Anzaldua further proves the capability of non-dominant individuals to possess power and resilience over the dominant language. Even in pursuit of her own higher education, Anzaldua was met with barriers that she was able to persevere through and overcome. She even had to fight to persue a course of study that she was passionate about, Chicano literature. “In graduate school, while working toward a PH.D., I had to ‘argue’ with one advisor after the other, semester after semester, before I was allowed to make Chicano literature an area of focus (40).” Even in the professional setting of graduate school, Anzaldua fought to maintain and pursue her Chicano culture, portraying the capability of a non-dominant individual to establish an identify and

Gloria explains how Chicanas use their language against each other because of the dominant culture. Their language has been shamed by the dominant culture therefore causing Chicanas to be suspicious and hesitant of each other. (pg. 38-39). The dominant culture has told them that their language is wrong and attacked them to get rid of their language. Therefore, this language barrier and shame shows status between Chicanas and Latinas because Chicanas feel uncomfortable speaking Spanish to Latinas.

Have you ever been degraded by others and try not to let it tear you down? Within the short text “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” this idea is explored in numerous ways as the various groups of Hispanics and women attempt to gain more rights within their community and society as a whole. They come to the realization that the ways in which they are treated is in an unjust manner, making them feel insignificant and powerless. Therefore, in Gloria Anzaldúa’s “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” she confronts how many Hispanic minorities, especially women, are marginalized within society by presenting many of the difficult obstacles these groups face, and how they attempt to overcome them.

They would hold us back with their of the reglas de academia”. In her essay “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”. (1987) Gloria Anzaldúa illustrates how was her childhood, how look like been Chicano American in the United States: been a Spanish person even she was born here. In a country where English is a first language, is too difficult imagine been Chicano American or Chicano Spanish. That was the problem not only for Anzaldua but also for many Latino people.