"Movimientos de Redeldia Y Las Culturas Que Traicionan" from Borderlands/La Frontera: the New Mestiza by Gloria Anzaldua

Ever since Carmen got to Latin America, her mother made a emphasis on living for the country as oppose to focusing on her own issues. This stunted the pre-pubescent development of Carmen, but the most psychological damage was that, this idea of socialism, confirmed to her that she could not show any weakness. A prime example of this would when Carmen and Ale had their near drowning experience, but did not tell their mother for that was considered showing weakness (insert quotation). Or what about the time she made out with her cousin and the only person she felt compelled to ask for help was her grandmothers maid, in p.74 while Carmen was making out with her cousin everyday she says this about the maid: “I longed to talk to her, to ask her for help in making sense of so much ecstasy and sorrow”. Carmen never felt comfortable talking about vulnerable feelings to her mother, even if the subject was as open as sexuality, in their household vulnerability was considered a weakness. The fact that Carmen wanted to talk to an anonymous maid, says how much shame or guilt she felt about talking these issues with one of her family members. Conversely, the act of taking responsibility for oneself or keeping secrets instilled a habit of independence in Carmen, but at what cost? Her mother showed her how to be independent, but never told about the consequences of deviating from the norms. In Bolivia Carmen was slut shammed for kissing boys and had her neighbors talk bad about her, while her mother never nurtured or told her how to deal with those

In several cultures, women are seen as archetypes more than men. The proposition of women are instantly idealized and glorified and instantaneously ignore the true complexity of a woman. Countless of these superficial images can be seen across various cultures where the societies within these cultures define what it means to be a female and what type of behavior is and isn’t acceptable within those parameters. The persistent restatement of these stories throughout these generations reinforces the gender system. Women who step out of the norm in these societies are then held punishable for their actions. Alicia Gaspar de Alba pinpoints the three archetypal roles that are given to the women in the Mexican and Chicana cultures. These are,

According to journalist Tionna Smalls, she exclaimed in her article entitled “Dark Skinned Vs. Light Skinned: The Black Man's Dilemma”, the slave owners would divide the slaves up by dark nigger and light nigger. The dark skinned slave would work on the plantation doing chores, picking cotton and nurturing the land. The light skinned slave would live in the plantation, cooking and taking care of the field masters children. Also the light skin female was admired by the master and even a sexual desire while the darker slave was treated like trash. Tionna goes on stating that after slavery the light skin female was put on a pedal stool in the family because being white was viewed as being right or pure, anything close to that was close to purity.

Gloria Anzaldúa was a Texas-born, lesbian, Latina, feminist, that wrote about many of her personal experiences and views of the diverse background she grew up in. Growing up a certain culture at home and being in a country with a different culture, brings along a lot of self-identifying issues. Gloria Anzaldúa uses various strategies and languages to write this powerful piece by code-switching, quoting others, diction, and rhetorical questions. Anzaldúa’s “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” speaks about the social issues that Latinos face involving identity, language, and sexism.

Common stereotypes about women in the Mexican-American culture include that women are uneducated, good housewives, and very fertile. Many parents still believe it’s the woman’s job to stay home and be the homemaker. The concept of gender, which is socially constructed, is reinforced since birth. (Sociology Lecture 08/24/2015) Ana was caught in the middle of gender politics. Her mother oppressed her daughter so she can become a grandmother. The film “Real Women Have Curves” deals with gender stereotypes and struggles of poor women living in East LA. Carmen was trying to have Ana chained to the notion of women being inferior to men. Carmen believed men to be superior, whereas Ana thought differently. However Ana strived to liberate herself from traditional cultural norms by pursuing her college education. Her mother’s negative influence only caused Ana to rebel.

How do you build to the next issue she addresses, though? Surprisingly, you meet it head on the way the author chooses to, but unlike the Mexican culture works up to it. Anzaldúa has no qualms in exploring her homosexuality and the male/female identity. Raised a Catholic, she made the choice to be homosexual, she declares. She recognizes that in some it is genetically inherent and that can be understood, but her Catholicism makes it a choice.

Anzaldúa uses ethos as a cultural theory studier to illustrate that culture forces us to make our beliefs and that expectations create a power struggle in her culture. She claimed that “Culture forms our beliefs.” (Anzaldúa 38) And that “Culture is made by those in power – men. Males make the rules and laws; women transmit them.” (Anzaldúa 38) Anzaldúa goes on to explain that women are powerless compared to men, and they are beaten anytime they try to break free of their cultural and familial expectations. She asserts that “The culture expects women to show greater acceptance of, and commitment to, the value system than man.” (Anzaldúa 39) and “Woman are made to feel total failures if they don’t marry and have children.” (Anzaldúa 39) In “Hollering Creek”, Cleofilas is pregnant with

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

For centuries, a great deal of ethnic groups have been disempowered and persecuted by others. However, one should realize that none are more intense than the oppression of women. In the novel, The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, women living in the Mango Street neighborhood suffer from their restricted freedom. Three such women, Rafaela, Mamacita, and Sally, provide great examples. All try to escape from their dreadful environment. Most of them fail, but at first, Sally seems to succeed in escaping from her father. However, she ends up meeting a husband as equally bad as her father. Ultimately, the men who live with Rafaela, Mamacita, and Sally act as insuperable obstacles that limit the freedom in their women’s lives.

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.

Gloria Anzaldua is among the many feminist theorists that has moved into the realm of addressing post-modern identities. In Gloria Anzaldua’s articulation of the new mestiza consciousness, she makes the argument of identities as multiple, hybrid, and more specifically created as a result of the Borderlands. However, according to Anzaldua, and despite the difficulties engendered by her very existence, the mestiza is also a figure of enormous potential, as her multiplicity allows a new kind of consciousness to emerge. This mestiza consciousness moves beyond the binary relationships and dichotomies that characterize traditional modes of thought, and seeks to build bridges between all minority communities to achieve social and political change.

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.

In 1910, the first social upheaval of the 20th century was unleashed in Mexico. Known as the Mexican Revolution, its historical importance and impact inspired an abundance of internationally renowned South American authors. Mariano Azuela is one of these, whose novel, "The Underdogs" is often described as a classic of modern Hispanic literature. Having served as a doctor under Pancho Villa, a revolutionary leader of the era, Azuela's experience in the Revolution provides The Underdogs with incomparable authenticity of the political and social tendencies of the era between 1910 and 1920. The Underdogs recounts the living conditions of the Mexican peasants, the

What I'm going to talk about is four major themes from the book, Borderlands La Frontera by Gloria Anzaldúa. The four major themes I chose to talk about are first, how you shouldn’t be ashamed of yourself, then how Anzaldúa shows deviant behavior throughout the book, also, how she found herself through poetry, and lastly, America’s melting pot.

One of the most influential parts of Gloria Anzaldúa’s work is her concept of a mestiza consciousness and how it can be utilized to help us better understand and even accept the multiculturalism within our ethnic identity. Being a Mexican American or Chicana can be a complicated experience because of how the two worlds are divided in more ways than one. Not only is it challenging to find a sense of belonging when you’re divided by a physical and theoretical border, but it also takes a toll on the psyche to consistently adjust oneself in order to fit the scene. However, the mestiza consciousness is an inclusive and universal mindset that enables Chicanas to embrace all aspects of their identity, without having to sacrifice part of themselves in order to fit a concrete definition. Coinciding with Chicana feminism, the mestiza consciousness empowers women and enables them to celebrate their culture and