The book, Honor and the American Dream: Culture and Identity in a Chicano Community, and the film, Salt of the Earth, both relay to their audience, the pursuit of happiness within the Chicano community in which they live. These works aim to show how Mexican-American immigrants fight to keep both their honor and value systems alive in the United States of America, a country which is foreign to their traditions. The Mexican-Americans encountered in these works fight for their culture of honor in order to define themselves in their new homeland, a homeland which honors the American dream of successful capitalism.
Women in society back then and now are colonized differently because of their culture or their skin complexion. The fact of being colonized shows the gender difference between men and woman. For instance it is known that women are supposed to do all the house chores while the men are at work working for the money and paying all the bills. This misconceptions that has been used towards many woman and has affected us as a whole. As woman we are meant to stand strong and be powerful to all things that comes at us.
The myth of the vampire existed in a multitude of civilizations and cultures under various names such is strigoi (for the Romanian territory), Apotamkin, etc. But no matter the name, vampires will always refer to gothic creatures that drain the blood of humans, thus being monstrous.
“A widely held fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing,” is the definition of a stereotype. More than often people use stereotypes to describe or make fun of other cultures without fully knowing the effects they may have on the other. Jaswinder Bolina an American poet from Chicago,Illinois, whom received many degrees in creative writing had the liberty of not living the difficult life that his parents, who are from Bolina Doaba, Punjab, went through. Expressing what it was like to be an outcast when they came to America to start a new life together, Bolina’s father tries to give him the American dream by putting him in many white schools helping him further his education so he can fit in where they were seen as outcast. Throughout Bolinas article, “Writing Like a White Guy” he expresses his experiences and educates his readers of his many struggles in what is considered a white-based society that is filled with stereotypes telling you what you should look and talk like in order to be a successful American. This often leaves people to reject their native culture, constantly having to prove themselves and give white people an upper hand in many situations.
In the reading “The Brown Girl’s Guide to Labels” by Mathangi Subramanian, the author talks about the obstacles she faced growing up as a minority and the different lives her white friends lived compared to her. Growing up as a minority myself, I can relate to some of the experiences Subramanian had. One thing that really caught my attention was how Subramanian never viewed herself as a feminist because “only white girls call themselves that”. I also had a problem with this and never really viewed myself as a feminist until this class. I found it extremely interesting that the author never truly labeled herself a feminist even after her mother declared herself as one until she read an article written by Chandra Mohanty,
It’s easy to compare Twilight and The Vampire Diaries, partly because they do have similar premises (teen girls in love with vampires attending high school.
Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, is a one-woman performance piece written and originally performed by Anna Deavere Smith, who was commissioned to transcribe regarding the 1992 Los Angeles riots corresponding with individual’s experiences, outlooks, and concerns that contributed to those who were exacerbated by the abominable and nerve racking riots. For her production, Smith interviewed hundreds of Los Angeles’ residents who were present during the occurrence of the riot. The entire script consists actual quotations from members of the Los Angeles community and their reflection on their personal experience being surrounded in the midlife crisis atmosphere. She applied Smith strived to maintain capturing an extensive range of perspectives of the situation by interviewing several individuals from various ethnicities, financial backgrounds to different occupations for instance, Koreans, Latinos, Whites, Blacks, poor and rich people, police officers and gang members. As a result of her contribution, she received positive feedback for her own work. The composed piece is combined with historical research to provide a significant examination of the underlying cause of the devastating riot. The play, Twilight: Los Angeles 1992, provides assistance to illuminate speculations and emotions of numerous diverse viewpoints behind the horrendous racial tensions, the perceived police brutality, and the absence of leadership, which is desperately needed for restoration.
This memoir of Ma Bo’s sent shock waves throughout China when it was published and was even first banned by the Communist Government. This passionate story paints a clear picture for what the Great Chinese Cultural Revolution was really like. Many Chinese living today can attest to similar if not identical ordeals as expressed in Ma Bo’s story. The toils of being a young Red Guard in inner China were experienced by many if not millions. The horrors and atrocities were wide spread throughout the country, not just in Inner Mongolia. The experiences illustrated in Blood Red Sunset uniquely belong to Ma Bo’s entire generation of mislead Chinese. As expressed in the books dedication the Cultural Revolution
Some feminists align clearly with one type, while others are a mixture of both, or even change later in their lives. Matilda Joslyn Gage was a rights feminist who believed that woman should be given their rights because off of their humanity and that woman needed to break free from the harsh social constructions of the Christian Churches. Gage’s beliefs can clearly be seen throughout her life and inspired from her childhood.
Jolene emulates the stereotype that all feminists are man-haters and/or lesbians, but this stereotype becomes problematic when she meets Hodie. Hodie is one of the most successful relationships Jolene has during her entire road trip west, but because she does not feel the urge to identify as a lesbian after having sex with Hodie, she complicates the stereotypes inflicted upon feminists. She attacks second and third wave feminism for its instability in categorizing identity, which innately allows men to reaffirm their power over women. Jolene is relieved that she did not wake up feeling like she needed to submerge herself into the “lesbian gang” (Lopez 251), because categorizing as a particular sex would mean she is also succumbing to a certain role or identity—defying every reason for her travels on the road. Second wave feminism includes those radical feminists who refused to share power with men, and held protests to abolish the notion of power. They were those who “wave DOWN WITH THE PATRIARCHY signs in the air” (Lopez 251) and hold speak outs. Third wave feminists embrace either clichéd or stereotypical notions of femininity, which could include as Jolene points out, “subscrib[ing] to lesbian magazines, wear[ing] flannel shirts,” or “watch[ing] bad lesbian movies to see myself represented” (Lopez 251). She is relieved because she knows what it feels like to submerge herself into a certain role in order to fit into that role, because that is what happens with Bert.
Throughout the late 1960s and into the 1970s, difference feminists contextualized women’s unique experiences as rooted in their different biological functions (i.e. motherhood). Though significant, these difference should not justify the insubordination of women. Wonder Woman gave audiences the pleasure of imagining the main character as a feminist that appeals to other women’s innate feminine nature. In his creation of Wonder Woman, psychologist William Marston sought to give her feminine qualities, “but with the strength also of a powerful man” (136). Marston emphasizes the importance of giving his character these womanly qualities, as “There isn’t enough love in the male organism to run this planet peacefully,” (136).
Sojourner Truth’s words in her speech, “Ain’t I a Woman?” served as an anthem for women everywhere during her time. Truth struggled with not only racial injustice but also gender inequality that made her less than a person, and second to men in society. In her speech, she warned men of “the upside down” world against the power of women where “together, [women] ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again!” Today, America proudly stands thinking that Truth’s uneasiness of gender inequality was put to rest. Oppression for women, however, continues to exist American literature has successfully captured and exposed shifts in attitude towards women and their roles throughout American history.
No two people, whether male, child, but, WOMEN ( in reference to this manifesto) are alike. I feel that because WOMEN aren't living the fairytale (husband, two kids, and a white picket fence or the American dream) they are not considered at all. Society "labels" them and it's as if they become outcast. The manifesto states that “She is living testimony that woman's oppression does not have to be, and as such raises doubts about the validity of the whole social system.
African American literature is the body of work produced in the United States by writers of African descent. This particular genre traces back to the works from the late eighteenth century by writers such as Phillis Wheatley to later reaching early high points with slave narratives and the Harlem Renaissance, and thus continuing today with authors such as Colson Whitehead and Maya Angelou. Among the themes and issues explored within African American literature are the roles of African Americans within the larger American society, African-American culture, racism, slavery, and equality. African American writing has also tended to incorporate oral forms such as spirituals, gospel music, jazz, and rap. Dating back to the pre-Revolutionary War period, African American writers have engaged in a creative dialogue with American letters. The result is a literature rich in culture and social insight. These pieces offer illuminating assessments of American identities as well as its history. Since the time of early slavery African American literature has been overlooked within the literature criticism. This essay thrives to show that within the English profession African American literature does belong alongside the great works such as A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and poetry as A Road less taken by Robert Frost. I will dive deep into history to not only investigate what critics think about African American literature, but why is it not held to a higher standard just as American
"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in the camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever. Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never." (9)