Concluding Blog

Wow! As I sit down at my computer, like I do every Sunday night to write my blog, this evening I have a whole different thought process. It's hard to believe that this semester is coming to a close, and this is the last blog we will write! I definitely feel like I'm writing this entry with a much different compilation of thoughts in comparison to the beginning of the year. I feel like throughout the semester, I expanded my knowledge on Chicano and Latin American literature as a whole. We read extensively diverse literature, although all of our books seemed to be linked together by similar themes. We saw the difficulties that Chicano's and Latinos all over the world face, and the challenge with comes with assimilation into any society for someone of any race. I've decided to structure this blog by describing my favourite and least favourite books.

My favourite of all of our books for the semester, would coincidentally have to be that of my Wikipedia article: "How the Garcia Girls lost their Accents". Throughout the book I fell in love with Julia Alvarez's distinctive style and heartwarming stories. Not only did her stories convey a wide variety of emotions, but it was so pleasant to read and at the same time brought up some signifacnt themes. I almost feel like her book was full of life lessons, which we all can relate to in one way or another. I believe a few people on our class mentioned in their blogs that they could relate quite well to what she wrote.

My least favourite of all the books would probably have to be Woman Hollering Creek. Although I enjoyed it slightly, and a few of the stories made me laugh, I faced the challenge of truly not being able to connect with the book. I found it difficult to read and follow. Maybe this makes me lazy? I'm not sure. I can see women connecting with this book better than men perhaps. I definitely think there are tones of feminism in this book, which is perhaps why. I feel like although Cisneros had an interesting and intriguing writing style, I don't really understand what she was trying to say with her stories. I could be harsh in saying this, but I just didn't get this one.

Overall, I'm glad I read all of the books, and I don't think any of them were a waste of time whatsoever. I enjoyed the different ideas and perspectives people would bring to our class discussions. I think we all made eachother realize and see different sides of the various literature, and I quite liked out debates and talks. Having Carmen Rodriguez come in and discuss her book was also a definite plus! Very inspiring to see an author in the flesh, especially someone so genuine, real and to the point. I have to say, I'll miss this class! Perhaps not all the Wikipedia editing though...

And a body to remember with

I read this book over the period of this past week-end, and to my surprise after judging the book by it's cover, I consistently enjoyed the colourful stories written by Carmen Rodriguez. This book brings life to the stories, feelings and harships of immigrants forced into political exile and how it can affect so many people on so many levels all over the world. I feel Carmen Rodriguez truly pours her heart, no, more, everything she feels into the narratives which so greatly describe the different events encountered by the protagonists. You can sense and feel the deep passion that she has for the subject matter through reading these powerful and profound stories. I'm going to make the assumption that she is somehow related to all of the stories, knowing a descent amount about her backround. Clearly they are not all about her, but I think she has some sort of link to all of the characters in her real life.

This may sound silly, but I have a feeling I'm not the only one who may feel this way. Having grown up in Vancouver all my life, and obviously, like many of us, could recognize many places she describes in the stories. I almost felt like mental illustrations were provided for so many of the events. For example, I could picture one of the protagonists in a skyscraper downtown, or walking in Chinatown, or on Burrard St. I think the fact that I could do this captivated me that much more, as I added familiar sights and sounds from my own life experiences to the experience of reading her stories. This made for a much more detailed version of the book in a way, it also kept me motivated to read more as I was thinking "how will I be able to relate to this story?". Not that I'm in any way a political exile.

I really look forward to having Carmen Rodriguez come into class and speak to us about the book. There are so many symbols and themes which I have questions about! The book was riddled with suggestive symbols, and some were very evident. I think the title has important significance, as does the cover. (Funny how I judged it by its cover in the beginning) Anyway, overall I thought it was a very pleasant book to read, and it gives great insight into the awful things that happened during the regimes of the 1970's.

Garcia Girls Final Thoughts

As we go back in time farther with the second half of this compilation of stories, I feel like one thing sticks out at me. How different do we approach and criticize these stories having gotten to know these main characters starting as adults, and going back into their childhoods. I feel like having gotten to know these girls first as adults, and later as children made a huge difference in the impact the story had on me. I almost feel like we have more compassion for them because in reality, their lives simply got more and more complicated and problem-ridden as they grew older. Their lives as children in the Dominican Republic were quite peaceful and problem-free compared to the second half of their lives, as adults. I really think Julia Alvarez purposely structured the book this way to show the impact of their immigration and the outcome of their assimilation. Like we discussed in class, was the assimilation being portrayed as a positive or a negative theme?

Anyway, my favourite story in second half would have to be "Snow". I know I know, easy for me to say because it was so short and such a crowd pleaser. I really feel like it shows an interesting side to Yolanda's character. I found myself saying "classic Yolanda" when I read it, which proves that she plays an important role as a main character throughout the novel and that Julia Alvarez did a fairly good job of helping us connect with her on a personal level. I feel like she put this story in the novel not only to highlight the inoccence of the young immigrant girl, but also because it shows an important aspect of Yolanda's personality. Later in the novel, it's brought up again when Yolanda at a young age dreams of seeing New York, which her grandmother calls some sort of indoor/outdoor concrete paradise. I think the story is there to show the vast depths of Yolanda's imagination and also the fact that her mind is always racing and her thoughts always full of curiosity and the future.

Overall, I liked the first half of the book better than the second half, although overall I thought the entire book was pretty good. I wouldn't say I thought it was amazing, but I might read it again just because I think I would see things differently, and notice things I didn't notice the first time around. I'm also curious about it's sequal "Yo", I hear it got pretty good reviews.

Those Garcia Girls...

How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents is by far my favourite novel so far, and somehow I think I won't be the only one in saying that. As the story is narrated backwards, the first half of the novel shows us the life of a Dominican family in the New York after fleeing the Trujillo revolution. I actually enjoyed the first stories the most out of the entire novel, as I feel they gave us the best opportunity to get to know and connect with the characters on a deeper level. Since the stories are narrated in a backward chronological order, the first I believe are the most impactful.

In the first story, "Antojos" we see Julia Alvarez's alter ego, Yolanda return to her birthplace on "the Island" and revisit her heritage. Although when I read this story for the first time, I really didn't know what direction the book was going in. I do feel like it gives us a great intro to the writing style of Julia Alvarez, as she certainly portrays a strong personal connection towards it. It shows us how her Spanish has deteriorated over her years spent in the United States, and really shows how she "lost her accent". This story is an example of the personal connection one feels towards their country of birth no matter how their live after that was shaped, or where it was lived. Although Yolanda was raised in the United States, and truly became a somewhat typical American girl, she still feels a strong connection to the Dominican Republic and her roots which are still on the Island.

The other story which I enjoyed the most was the Rudy Elmherst story. It was super juicy and fun to read, in comparison with some of the others. I found all of the stories in the book enjoyable, but this one had something different. I think Alvarez put it in to show the integration of the girls into American society and how they adjusted to life in boarding school and the challenges, peer pressures and temptations that face any teenage girl. Their time spent there seems to be where they did a majority of their "growing up" and thus distancing themselves from their Hispanic roots. It was their chance to rebel from their parents, they could break the rules safely thanks to the freedom they didn't have at home. Overall an amusing and entertaining story to read.

Woman Hollering Creek # 2

Now that I've finished the book, I can definitely say that my opinions about it have drastically changed since reading the first half. I found complete changes and of course similarities in the style and form in which Cisneros brings these stories in the second half to life. Her creativeness, attention to detail and absurd way of writing actually astounded me, rather than annoying me like it did in the beginning. Anyway, I'll begin, as there it so much which can be said about this book!

I found the "Eyes of Zapata" to be the most curious of all the stories. It stuck out from the whole book because, although it was the same in the sense that it spoke of a woman and her experience with a man (like most of the stories did) it had a completely different impact on me, as I'm sure it did for many of you (?). Obviously Cisneros was not alive during the revolution, so we can assume that this story was not about her. From this a few interesting things pop out. On the one hand, how on earth can she describe with such passion the situation of this woman during the Mexican revolution (Emiliano Zapata's mistress...I think) without having any sort of personal connection to her. On the other hand, she mentions her last name (Cisneros) as a man involved in the revolution, bringing us to guess that she has some sort of family tie to the revolution which she is perhaps quite aware of. I would guess that she (Cisneros) is most probably a Zapatista, and she, relating her experiences and hardships with men, decided to express what it was like for Chicana women during the revolution, and that no matter how famous or "sucessful" your husband was, they all face the same or somewhat similar issues. She describes a universal issue by highlighting the experience of a woman involved with one of the most famous Mexican revolutionaries. I'm going to go a little deeper and say that I believe she is trying to say something about Contemporary Mexico. Obviously people wonder "Why Mexico?" "Why so many problems?" Poverty, corruption, etc, the list goes on...I think she is focusing on Mexican society in addition to a man-woman interaction. If Emiliano Zapata, one the most praised revolutionary men in the Mexico is treating a woman like that, what does it say about the country?

"Bien Pretty" the second and conluding story in the book definitely merits some attention as well. Cisneros documents the experience of a Californian artist who courageously moves to Texas, almost to leave her past behind. In this case, I think it's interesting how she describes her possessions which she takes with her in her truck having all came from different parts of the world. She automatically shows us that this Chicana is an established American who clearly is very knowlegeable and conforms to the upper class. A true San Franciscan. I believe Cisneros highlights this womans life and experience as a way to embrace diversity as an essential component in the way she describes these different Chicana women. I love the way she compares language to love, and how it comes into play during the relationship between Lupe and Flavio. She says "I've never made love in Spanish before" (Pg 153) I think this whole page says a lot about communication and the culture barrier between these two people who share common hertiage, but lead such different lives. Is their common bond their Mexican roots? I would think not, seeing as Cisneros almost seems to consider herself a "Mexicana light".

Overall, I ended up really enjoying the book. I found the stories in the second half really brought her artistic ability to life, and I was really able to connect with the author through the stories. A great read.

Woman Hollering Creek

Wow! What a change of style from the last few books we've read. I suppose style-wise it's comparable to "Y no se lo trago la tierra" just because of the compilation of stories and what not, but clearly some different themes. So far, I'd say I've enjoyed it. Cisnero's style of writing isn't exacly by favourite, but I find her stories so real and believable. I definitely feel like, similar to Rivera, the way the book is written is a reflection on the way she lived her life.

The way the book is split up into sections makes it a bit easier to understand, although throughout the readings I wished I'd been able to link her to each situation, but with most I just made my guesses. Almost as if to say that I didn't know what part she played in some of the stories she was writing. Some of the chapters most probably aren't directly related to her, but likely stories she's heard or read of.

I really like how her Chicana stories are so down to earth and just plain real. Although many shocking, she tells these stories from a very interesting point of view. She hates these men for everything they do to these women, but at the same time one may argue that she fuels some of these characteristics in men. I link her promiscuity directly to her critisisms. We learn a lot about her "rebel chicana" character, and her feelings towards her Mexican heritage, which still isn't quite clear to me, but I'm sure we'll have a full feeling by the end of the novel.

My favourite chapter/story was most probably the one about Tepeyac in D.F. I love the way she described in detail the Basilica de Guadalupe and it's surroundings, from the vendors selling food in the streets to the anxious photographers taking photos of the Virgen. It's so interesting to read about her feelings about how much had changed when she went back to Mexico City, but at the same time how things had remained the same. For instance, the women were still on Calle Cinco de Mayo frying lunch items, they were just different women. I feel like this part of the story gives us a feeling of her love (?) for her homeland, and the connection she still feels towards Mexico.

Overall, a very interesting read that definitely makes a personal connection with the reader.

Todo Junto

Well, these past weeks have flown by! I've really enjoyed our class overall. I think that the combination and variety of the readings really made for some diverse discussions. I do think we came back to the same issues a lot of the time, that's just a reality when you take into consideration the era and group of people we're reading about. I think a lot of us brought some really interesting points and ideas to the table, and we came up with some great observations all together!

I'm going to say a bit about Marti, as a lot of people have put down his readings. I really enjoyed them overall. Partly perhaps because I read them in English afterward, but also because I really enjoyed, as we know was extremely prevalent, his descriptive style. I loved how he used lists of Spanish words most of us had never heard, but had important meanings. Words which some of the time, only exist in Spanish!

As most have said about "Salt of the Earth", it was so much fun! I am guilty as I voted for the 80's movie, but I am quite happy we watched the one we did. I'm suspicious about how realistic it was, as this idealistic version of New Mexico with Anglo's and latinos living together. Obviously there was some racial tension, but I'm talking about the workers and the lower class. Everyone seemed so happy! It was a refreshing break from the readings, that's for sure!

Despite the slow start and dragged out chapters, I ended up taking a liking to "Who would have thought it". I think that Ruiz de Burton does an excellent job of portraying this mass transition over time of a New England family during the civil war. Her detailed chapters and stories within the novel show us the importance of class, race and gender obviously. But also taking into consideration her being a Chicana, I think it's interesting reading knowing the thoughts in the novel are coming from her mind. Funny how her name wasn't on the book to begin with...

I'll stop there, and say that I'm so exited for the next few books that are coming! You're all in for a treat with Julia Alvarez, let me tell you! I think as we now slide to somewhat more contemporary literature, primarily in English I believe, we'll all be able to relate much better, and form some interesting discussions.