Roots

Both the readings for this week had to do with heritage and some sort of suppression. This is something that I can directly relate to because I only moved to America in 1999 and had to “Americanize” myself. In respects to language, culture, and dress. In Guyana a former British colony and a mix of 7 different indigenous cultures our accent is very unique. The quote from Anzaldua that stuck out to me is “Being Mexican is a state of soul-not one of mind, not one of citizenship.” I am Guyanese it is in my blood and that can’t change. I found some important poetics in Anzadua’s story. Especially with plurality of words. She lists off the many dialects for example 1. Standard English 2. Standard Spanish 3. Tex-Mex, which then is a mix of both Spanish and English. These dialects are not just used as for language but also used to tell where you are from or what generation are part of. Sandra Cisneros is an excellent author is depicting the Hispanic life. I have read past works by her and liked them. The tragedy that women encounter are prevalent in both readings. This is what the general consensus is that women are oppressed even in language and are not the dominant ones. To escape would be to go against the consensus much yet to drive a pickup truck of your own. This is prevalent in many cultures where women are dependent on their husbands and husbands display their machismo.