Joy Castro Summary

The Cuban "destiny," according to Castro, is the creation of an independent nation with the conditions of territorial sovereignty, an independent political structure, a national economy, and a differentiated culture 4. These four conditions mentioned by Castro in his manifesto simply reiterate the frustrations of the Cuban people who although were liberated from colonial oppression continued to remain the subjects of foreign sovereignty. Foreign influence and sovereignty this time around in the 20th century was not wielded by the Spanish crown, but rather by the "friendly neighbor" from North America, the United States. Therefore, intimately related to the notion of Cuba’s destiny is the desire to stray away from dependency on any foreign nation for economic purposes. Harleigh Leach, in her essay concerning this particular matter, also defines the essence of the revolution in more economic detail as she states:

In this quote, Castro highlights the main point she is trying to get through. The student that surrounds her and the teacher that assigned this book but later regretted, are focusing on how angry she was rather than focusing on the problems that she describes in the book. They are unable to relate due to the fact that they didn’t have to go through what Anzaldua or Castro had to go through.

Often times tragic events and circumstances are overlooked due to the withdrawn and unemotional telling of events. While statistics are important, they lack the emotional pull to generate change. In order to make a change, there must be a call for action to the public. A call for action can come in many ways. In regards to poverty in Harlem, New York, Muriel Rukeyser, a famous twentieth century poet from New York, called for action through her poetry. Rukeyser used imagery and symbolism in her poem, “Ballad of Orange and Grape,” to tell a story of poverty-stricken Harlem in order to advocate for education to combat poverty. Specifically, her vivid description of the setting and its glimpses of hope allows readers to empathize with the citizens of the city and crave change. In response to her poem, I felt moved to find a legitimate solution to mend a broken system. Research shows that revamping the public school system can create a domino effect, leading to higher quality of life and a way out of poverty for the people in the United States.

Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to the modern world, but history still affects the way people think today due to the close-minded nature of uninformed citizens. In Castro’s “On Becoming Educated,” she accepts the fact that ignorance is overwhelmingly prevalent in today’s society; however, she works to fill “the academy’s blind spots” (Castro 270) by pushing others to recognize all sides of an argument and be curious about historical events and changes that affect them. Throughout her many journeys with literature courses, Castro found the choice of books to be rather narrow-minded. In retrospect, she “[realizes] that these small incidents were negotiations of power” (Castro 268), and conserving socially accepted positions on issue was more important to certain professors than challenging those beliefs. Historically, the process of shying away from debating and acknowledging other’s opinions has always been a norm. Castro acknowledges this connection between present day life and the past by broadening her perspective through words and generally referring to the what has already occurred in history. Overtime and with teaching experience, Castro has “learned not to back down” (Castro 269) when presented with opposing opinions. In regards to welcoming students with different

Women of all generations and ethnic backgrounds at one point did not have rights to participate in common privileges like voting, or the experience of being published as a female writer. My experience at Tia Chucha’s “In the Words of Womyn” workshop brought me back to life in a way, reminding me that I have the opportunity to express my emotions and thoughts freely through poetry or short stories. Realizing this early on helped for me to remember that there is definitely strength in numbers when it comes to women coming together as one powerful force. This type of mentality can help to inspire others who are afraid to go against the norm, and would instead be beneficial in helping them to express their thoughts. Being aware that women of the 21st century have the liberty to meet with other intelligent women who are extremely passionate about writing was such a comforting thought. It was also great to see that we have the ability to meet at our own discretion to discuss any topic that comes to mind is a privilege we often take for granted.

The effects of the Cuban Revolution on women’s lives and gender relations in Cuba from 1959 to 1990 include that some say women have not reached equality yet with men, women gained more opportunities for themselves, economy and politics, and also how women still had responsibility for children and home, not men.

The Effects of the Cuban Revolution on Women’s lives and Gender relations in Cuba from 1959 to 1990

The readings for this week consisted of the second half of Conceiving Cuba by Elise Andaya (2014). This half of the book focused on abortion, gendered work and surviving through migration (Andaya, 2014). Overall, Andaya (2014) focuses less on reproductive health and women than one would expect, and instead provides more of a critique of the shortcomings of the socialist revolution in Cuba. These critiques get in the way of Andaya’s (2014) narrative and ultimately detract from the discussion of reproductive health in Cuba.

In “Nobel Lecture” by Malala and “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” by Frederick Douglass, the message that “Taking away a person’s education is a form of oppression” is communicated heavily, but with different examples, accordingly by time.

Jose understands at a young age that in order to escape the indentured life of working in a sugar cane plantation like his ancestors before him, he must do something different. In the classroom, Jose is a very bright student as seen through his peers and especially his professor who eventually helped Jose get into a prestigious school because of his academic excellence. He assures his grandmother who is his sole provider and family that one day she’ll no longer have to work tirelessly in the sugar cane plantation. Jose dreams of taking work in a more profitable and higher field then the plantation his community is chained to all being done by attaining

I realized how opportune I am, as a Hispanic and African-American female, to born by chance in the United States simultaneously with the twenty-first century. For example, if I had been born a hundred years ago, I would not have even been able to vote. Likewise, if I had been born today, in 2016 Pakistan or Afghanistan, I would not even be treated like a human being. I am thankful to hold what millions of other woman do not, human rights. One of the reasons I aspire become a writer is to bring awareness to the woman around the world, who face injustice everyday such as rape, prostitution, imprisonment, abuse, and sacrifices for men’s crimes. Without a doubt, I am not going to squander what millions of women across the globe are fighting

The recording aspect of the taping assignment allowed me to understand the process and value of advocacy. As I was hearing myself speak about oppression and the impact it has on individuals and communities, it allowed me to process my thoughts differently than through a typical writing assignment. I came to the realization that advocacy begins one individual at a time, that a dialogue is the simple first step to solving systems of oppression. Unfortunately, the value of advocacy in my recording lost its value because I wrote a script in advance as opposed to an impromptu recording. The reading of paper on the recording also did not allow me to veer off into a train of thought, which made it sound inauthentic or robotic. Whereas, the

As part of my grade 10 civics course I am examining the issue of Women’s rights. I find importance in this issue because I believe every girl should be able to reach their full potential. Ever since I first learned about you I have been extremely inspired by your story. I couldn’t believe at just 12 years old you became an activist for education and Women’s rights. I remember being deeply saddened when I heard you had been shot simply because you believed in education for all. I was relieved that you survived your injury and that it lead to the empowering creation of the Malala fund.

Lucille Lange, a school administrator from Bogota explains: “Students are leaning to think independently and need to realize that the right to express themselves comes with responsibility and consequences.” (2011). Students opportunity of free expression, their personality, and individualism is unable to develop to its fullest capacity.

For conclusion, this story describes the communist revolution and how it affected Cuba in such a horrible way it drove families apart. The story describes how no matter how hard it may get or be that you will always have your family’s back and nothing should come in the way of that. The ‘Alvarez family proved that nothing is impossible and you shouldn't give up on the people you