Throughout the world societies are colliding and causing extreme prejudice against minorities. In today’s society we continue to fear the unknown, even if the unknown is a person. Julia Alvarez’s “I, Too, Sing America” emphasizes the persecution people face in a new country and how assimilation…
How do the details Judith Ortiz Cofer includes support her THESIS that latinas are poorly understood and grossly stereotyped? When she goes to her first formal dance, she gets kissed by a guy who just overeager kisses her painfully but Judith didn't respond. Which made the guy think " i thought you Latin girls were suppose to mature". meaning he thought she was going to attack him with kisses.…
Right from the start of the essay, Cofer establishes Latina stereotypes as harmful by relaying her own personal experiences with them. Cofer evokes visual and auditory imagery when she recounts the story of the man who “with both hands over his heart…broke into an Irish tenor’s rendition of “Maria” from West Side Story” (Cofer 370). Cofer’s use of imagery intensifies her experience and makes it much easier to relate to, thereby inspiring empathy toward her and resentment toward the stereotypes under which she suffers. Cofer later creates more imagery when describing the man who “sang a ditty to the tune of “La Bamba” and “stepped directly into [her] path” (373). Cofer’s sensory imagery conjures a feeling of being cornered and caged, unpleasant by anyone’s standards. The images highlight the persecution that is part of Cofer’s life, making them more relatable and once again inspiring empathy for the Latina woman’s plight.…
Richard Rodriguez writes this essay in order to inform people of the racism that he has experienced. Since Rodriguez was the one experiencing the racism, his essay coincides nicely with the rhetorical devices that he chose. Rodriguez is of the Mexican culture and he recalls times when he was a kid where he was being discriminated. Rodriguez writes that as a young child he was insulted and name called for being of the Mexican culture. He writes how he would never retaliate with another insult back because he would be so embarrassed. The reason as to why Rodriguez was being discriminated was because of his…
In the book, Growing up Chicana/o, written by various authors, the characters from each story experience many situations where stereotypes that discriminate their race make their lives much more problematic. Even though these children are knocked down, all of them seem to get back up and become stronger, more mature people. Maturity was one of the most important themes of this book. Racial stereotypes create obstacles for Chicana/o children in school or in extra curricular activities. The Chicana/o children in stories like, Eleven, The Scholarship Jacket, and Pocho all deal with stereotypes that hurt or discriminate against them.…
The author then goes on to include allusions to popular media that represent Latinas in specific manners to note how the media has influenced the stereotypes that plague Latinas. Judith Cofer begins her argument by identifying the idea that Puerto Rico is known as “the Island” (1), which holds significance because it reveals that people understand where she is talking about without having to explicitly mention Puerto Rico, even though there are hundreds of islands in the world. By her appearance alone, she is unable to truly leave the island because it follows her wherever she goes. In the same way, Cofer reinforces the idea of the island by claiming that “the same things can make you an island” (2) and that most people stereotypically view…
The kinds of Latinas, Coffer are talking about are mainly Puerto Ricans and Mexican woman. The consequences of irrational assumptions, which helped and encouraged Judith Ortiz Judith Ortiz Cofer, gain the strength and confidence as she worked to prove that stereotypes about her, were strong. On first sight judgments, the audience can decide their attitude towards you. Society can live with them, we can just wait until that person proves himself or shows who he/she is.…
In the essay, “The Myth of the Latin Woman: Just Met a Girl Named Maria; Judith Ortiz Cofer describes three experiences about racist stereotypes, towards Hispanic and Latin women, happened in her daily life. In fact, stereotypes are common to see throughout the history of human development. When asked about how can we solve this problem indeed, people are always silent and lack of ideas. As an educated one, Cofer can at least have a voice for defending herself and the group of Latinas. For myself, Cofer’s stories reminds me that I also encountered gender stereotypes when I started to learn drums.…
Staples has written for the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago magazine, Down Beat magazine, Ms., New York Times Magazine, and Harper’s; he continues to try and shed light on racism and violence in our world. Cofer has written many books, she is an award winning poet, and is currently the Franklin professor of English and Creative Writing at The University of Georgia; she continues to try to do away with the stereotypes of Latin women through her writing. These two writers are trying to show us that stereotypes and prejudice are not just jokes that we tell each and laugh about, but rather they can and will hurt those being stereotyped. The racist jokes, thoughts, and stereotypes we hear have a bigger impact than to makes us laugh or be fearful, they help to spread racism. We need to try and look deeper and the color of someone skin; we are all human, we all have our strengths, we all have our weaknesses, but we cannot let one of our weaknesses be our susceptibility to take part in racism not matter how good natured we may think it…
In our current society, women stereotypes and prejudice on African Americans and Hispanics are played. Points said about women and girls are doing a specific job are said today. Examples are in politics. Hillary Clinton was doubted in becoming the first women president of the United States. In the text, women are being paid less than men due to that they are women and should be working at home and not in mills. Back then, African Americans and Hispanics weren’t treated as well as maybe Italians would. As there was prejudice and stereotypes said and done back then, they still play a role today in the twenty first…
In The Myth Of The Latian Woman: I Just Met A Girl Named Maria Judith Ortiz Cofer States “ You can leave the island, master the English language, and travel as far as you can ,but if you are Latina …. the island travels with you”. This shows her view that your ethnicity is where you come from, who you are, and what you take with you when you leave place. That even though she has left the island she brings with her the thoughts of the island. That her being from the island this shapes her culture and everything she does. That no matter if shes own the Island , the U.S. , or London she is still a Latina or more specifically a Puerto Rican.…
When Cofer begins describing her residence in the U.S. she presents the fact that she is born of two Puerto Rican immigrants. Her mother, and father both being of ‘white’ complexion. “As a Puerto Rican girl born of ‘white’ parents, I spent the first years of my life hearing people refer to me as blanca.” She also states how being a daughter of two Puerto Ricans, there are some stereotypical characteristics that she overthrew. “My mother is barely four feet eleven inches in height, which is average for women in her family.” But as Cofer became twelve she was already over five feet. This discussion can compare to Ruben’s article in The Crossing. He presents the fact that he is born of two immigrants, both being of different ethnicities. “… son of a mother who emigrated from EL Salvador and a Mexican American father who spent his own childhood leaping back and forth,…” Ruben uses this statement to compare himself to his culture by using a metaphor, ‘the line’. “I am, again, on the line… I return to it again and again because I am from both sides.” To compare these two…
In the late twentieth and twenty first century Chicana/o narrative has become a medium to express the injustices that the community faces along with identity conflicts at the individual level. Chicana/o narrative, fictional or autobiographical work, serves as an act of healing and resistance, in which the themes of the gender roles, family, feminism and immigration are predominant. These four themes serve to deconstruct and challenge the patriarchy, while seeking to foster a more inclusive community. Immigration plays a fundamental role in Chicana/o community, Reyna Grande’s memoir The Distance Between Us deconstructing the popular representation of the American Dream by…
As the perspicacious Pierre Berton once said, “Racism is a refuge for the ignorant. It seeks to divide and to destroy. It is the enemy of freedom, and deserves to be met head-on and stamped out.” Joanne Hyppolite, the author of the story “Dyaspora,” faces racism first-hand as she grows up Haitian American. Using second-person point of view, she encourages the reader to put themselves in the author’s shoes.…
Discrimination is a serious issue that is unfortunately rampant across the globe. There are different categories ranging from race, gender, sexual orientation, and weight or height. Some people discriminate without knowing the true ramifications of their actions. Also not being aware of how uncomfortable and self-conscience their words or actions are going to affect others. In the stories, The Myth of the Latin Women by Judith Ortiz Cofer and Discrimination at Large by Jennifer A Coleman, we are going to encounter different forms of discriminations and how it affects and alters their way of life. Despite efforts of eliminating discrimination through out the years, it remains persuasive in society largely because of ignorance.…