New Black Reflection

I give this movie a six out of five-star rating. How it managed to keep me on the edge of my seat the entire time is beyond me; I am still in disbelief that I was fully engaged for the entire two hours and twenty-six minutes. Although I had heard many great things about the novel, the film exceeded all of my expectations. The Natural teaches many valuable lessons about perseverance, determination, commitment, karma, relationships, and staying young at heart.

As for Raya, she utilizes herself throughout the piece to display the various areas her mind and body had to endure for the overall achievement. Prior to the author’s dilemma, she understood the paleness of her skin and lack of Spanish speaking skills limited her in the eyes of the world, equally enough to if she were to obtain those very skills. She “apparently… [does not] even look Latina…”, but a further reveal of the speaker allows for an intimate depiction of character growth such as confidence. This can ignite motivation and ambition in hopes to achieve similarity despite barriers of location and notions. Progression will exists in human development; however, it is known that where minds actively work, thought process and ethics differ through time. Within the nineteenth and twentieth century, racism heavily settled in the nation, dividing and molding the ideal pictures of life. Racism, later engulfing cultures, carry notions through time and as Raya “discovers” she was Latina in New York, this may signify the miniscule thinking inside America, limiting the status and strength of cultures viewed as minorities. This, again, is commonly experienced by millions nationwide, yet Raya demonstrates factors implanted within society to be difficult, yet passable

During the poetry reading, a woman motioned Cofer to a table and thought “that [Cofer] was a waitress” (Cofer 108). Cofer was carrying a notebook, yet the woman assumed Cofer was a waitress because she is a Latina. This demonstrated that people assumed that Latinas have the role of a housemaid, similar to the stereotype of Mammy from Gone with the Wind. If Cofer was a different race, she would not experience these incidents. The media’s poor portrayal of Latinas negatively affect how they are viewed in the real-world, especially when they hold such

In a scene from the film, Selena, Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, a Mexican-American singer, is ignored by a white sales woman. The sales woman judges Selena on the color of her skin, determining her social status as one unimportant to her business, not realizing that Selena was actually a celebrity. Just as the sales woman predetermined a role for Selena rooted by race and ethnicity, Waretown High maintained class, gender, and race stereotypes in determining girl’s futures and outcomes. Julie Bettie’s Women Without Class discusses these stereotypes through expectations set for las chicas and the preps by the school, families, and themselves, the exclusion of hard-living students, those whose families were low income, and the ability for some girls to become upwardly mobile as an exception to the rules.

Ana Garcia, the protagonist of the film Real Women Have Curves, is a perfect example of the contemporary Latina in the United States. She is an ideal illustration of the intersectionality between race, culture, gender, and class. When deciding what she would do for her future, Ana had to choose between her cultural values and mainstream expectations, between her Mexican heritage and her American mindset. After deciding to continue her education at Columbia University, Ana holds a feminist conference aiming to bring more attention to gender and race-based discrimination within the workplace and the unrealistic beauty standards set forth by society for women. These two issues are particularly prevalent in the United States and have widespread effects, therefore Ana would primarily focus on them. Both issues are applicable to Ana herself and could very easily have negative repercussions on her own life.

Oppression starts in the home. Despite its omnipresence, we don’t even notice its influence. And how could we? It is normal. It is all we know. We were raised, quite literally, in the domestic lair of oppression. People of color, in particular, face a particularly insidious type of oppression, one that is rationalized, one that forces households to strive endlessly to reach an ideal that is unattainable. Queer of color theory and intersectionality serve as frameworks through which to discuss the relationship between domesticity and gender, race, and sexuality for people of color.

When learning information about important facts, dates, and the influential people who made up U.S. history, I do not remember learning much of anything regarding the Irish, Chinese, or Japanese. Well, except for Pearl Harbor and the U.S. retaliating against Japan by dropping atomic bombs. I definitely learned that people from around the world immigrated by boat across vast amounts of ocean for a chance to thrive in the land of freedom called America. I learned that millions of people entered through Ellis Island in the late nineteenth century, looking upon the Statue of Liberty, in hopes of finding their right to life, liberty, and happiness. I learned that the majority of these people were stricken of their identities and provided new American names that were easier to pronounce. I did not however, learn about the great discrimination and hardship that these people suffered at the hands of white Americans. The major theme presented is labor discrimination, unequal and unfair pay, long hours, and harsh working and living environments in regards to the Mexican Americans, Chinese, and Japanese. Takaki (2008) paints a vivid picture of discrimination and suffering of the people known as the “others” living and working in the multicultural “melting pot” United States, in his book A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America.

Most people think that the struggle for race equality finished with Obama, but in reality, society has just reached the tip of the iceberg. In the article “Afro Latinos: Black denial”, the author argues that Dominican women are in denial about their blackness because being white is considered superior and black is inferior. This connects to The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, when the author argues that the history of the Dominican Republic affects the way people think and express themselves. Namely, Beli and Lola in their young adulthood when they struggle to fit in. These characters relate the issues to the real world, where the standards of success are for the most part are the same as the white standards of success. Race Hegemony exists

While attending The State of the Black Union I saw how the concepts that we learned in class are still prevalent in our daily lives. A comment that was made during the State of the union address at resonated with me was that College bound is a privilege. Living in the inner cities of Richmond I see this lived out on the daily. Virginia Tech’s efforts to try and reach the unreached population has been shy of their goals. Even with programs like Fall Visitation, Yates program, Gateway program, Access, there are still catered to a particular group of people. Virginia Tech looks at African Americans as a universal title instead of an individualize one. The aforementioned organizations attract those African Americans who are more

The television show Brooklyn Nine- Nine breaks the mold that was built for Latinas. Instead of being dressed in sexy attire and being maids both Melissa Fumero and Stephanie Beatriz portray detectives. Both of their characters are strong and independent who aren’t celebrated for their bodies but instead they are both known for being independent and strong women. Additionally, both leading ladies in the show don’t portray any stereotype at all. Instead, Beatriz portrays a “tough cookie who doesn’t speak with an accent or acts particularly sassy” (Fernandez), and Fumero's character is considered to” be book smart and is an overachiever who is always trying to outshine Andy Samberg's character” (Fernandez).

In the Novel of her, Cisneros wants us to picture the deterrents that Latino females must face frequently with a specific objective to be handled similarly. In the Book, females are

“Some things never change” would say an adult after seeing something that reminds them of the ol’ days. It’s like a wave of nostalgia when they see the younger generation going through similar things like kids selling lemonade on the sidewalk, teenagers preparing for their prom, or adults pimpin’ out their lowriders and 1955 Chevy Bel Air cars. It’s all good memories until they dig deeper into the good ol’ days and uncover some of the ugly truths that lay hidden. It’s also about recognizing that the Jim Crow laws existed and how discriminatory they were to the African American community. Today in age it seems like nothing has changed because the discrimination hasn’t gone anywhere, but it’s making an especially big comeback with today’s mass incarceration.

Anzaldua discusses the obstacles that come with being a Mexican American woman, explaining the cultural tyranny in Mexican American communities, like those portrayed in Chayo’s letter. Anzaldua writes, “Culture is made by those in power- men. Males make the rules and laws; women transmit them” (1018). Deviating from the norms of society by neither being a wife or a mother leads to the degradation and isolation of women since they are expected to act a certain way. Although Mexican American women are constantly being persecuted by their community, Anzaldua argues that women have the strength to make a culture of their own based on how they choose to identify. Mexican American women should not be compelled to reject their Mexican heritage or to feel limited to its beliefs considering they are also a part of the American culture. Chayo symbolizes the importance of breaking away from a patriarchal society when she recreates the meaning of her own Mexican American culture that correlates with her lifestyle.

This semester I learned a lot about writing in English 151. It has been a roller coaster ride with these essays for me this semester. I learned step by step how to write a good essay and how to have your readers be engaged in what you’re trying to tell them. Each essay I did has taught me something valuable I can take to the next level of English. I feel as if as the semester went by I did not take my writing that seriously and that reflected in my grades I received in each essay. It made me a better student and writer and it will reflect next semester. In this essay, I will reflect on what I learned throughout this semester that you should apply in your writing when you begin English 151.

What you know and believe in can change at any moment. We see a first hand account of this in the book Night. Everyday we see the jews face the horrors of the Buna work camp, as a result of this we see most people change their ethics. As fight or flight instincts kick in, people abandon their family and friends to survive. Elie fights an internal battle to keep his father alive and strong during these tragedies. As others around him give in to the cruel punishment, Elie himself wants to drift towards the darkness. When people are faced with such cruel punishment everyone changes to some extent. For some the change is instant but for most the process of breaking their will is extensive.