When trying to think about something that I took away or learned from this class, I had a text discussion with my group mates about what they had learned and what stood out to them the most. The following are screenshots from the conversation we had in response to the first prompt!

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Above is a playlist that I made on Apple Music (only because I did not have Spotify, but it’s pretty much the same thing). The reason why I picked these songs have to do because of the relation to Kimberle in the story. The one that I believe resonates the most with the story is “Prom” by Sza, because it speaks about how Sza wants to just be viewed as a “normal girl” and not someone too out of the ordinary; Someone that can be easily accepted by everyone. Although the life stories may not align with one another between Kimberle and Sza, there is definitely a similarity in the way they feel and how they are always on the “outside,” and crave to be a girl that can go through life with no issues. The other one I would probably use to convey the story of Kimberle is “Infatuation” by Takeoff. This is in regards to the intimate scene between the narrator and Kimberle, which is then followed by them smoking with each other, which is a very endearing scene– perfect for a very endearing song. The other songs have connotations to the story as well, but these are the ones that stick out to me the most and resonate the most with what is happening.

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When reading Pandora’s Box by Arturo Arias, I couldn’t help but notice the motif demonstrated through the main character, which was just constantly watching people. I found an article that talks about a woman’s experience with a stalker, and the only reason I feel as though there’s a connection is because the story describes the main character in a creepy way. In the story it states “One day, an older woman saw me watching Pandora and walked over to my side” (Arias, 29). Further into the story, he says “That evening I was determined to spy on his door to find out who was the malicious witch who dared to steal my handsome knight..” (39). Those are just two examples of why this may be linked to an article about stalking. It also has to do with the way that he describes people and talks about them, sometimes while he’s looking at them. It’s very reminiscent of the Netflix original show “You.” Newspaper article: https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35941555

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These two images are both about a similar concept, but portrayed in very different ways, and potentially serving multiple meanings. They both are self-evidently about birds, and they both also show birds on a stick. One demonstrates what seems to be either the shadow or silhouettes of two birds (one faint silhouette on the bottom right of the photograph), while the other just depicts a birds decapitated head on a stick. It’s interesting because they both have a sense of lifelessness in them and even though one explicitly demonstrated as lifeless, they can both be read that way as the silhouettes are just that– silhouettes with no correlation to life, just simply either a shadow or an image of what shape a bird would be. The other obvious factor that makes them similar is the use of sticks. This could also further the concept of lifelessness, because if you’re putting something on a stick like the way the birds are portrayed in these photographs, they have a sort of lifeless aspect to them, almost as if they are a toy or constructed in a certain way, making these two photographs very similar in their own symbolic ways.

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When reading the poems made by Jose Olivarez, “Mexican Heaven” stuck out to me particularly. The poem is as follows:

all of the Mexicans sneak into heaven.
St. Peter has their names on the list,
but the Mexicans haven’t trusted a list
since Ronald Reagan was president.

Saint Peter lets Mexicans into heaven
but only to work in the kitchens.
a Mexican dishwasher polishes the crystal,
smells the meals, & hears the music.
they dream of another heaven,
one they might be allowed in
if they work hard enough.

As you can see, this poem is very heartfelt. In the PDF given to us in the prompt, it demonstrates that “Mexican Heaven” is separated into two stanzas on two separate pages (I’m not sure if it was meant to be in this way), showing that the Mexican-American experience doesn’t end after the first poem, and it rather, continues. What is being spoken of in this poem is very prevalent to a lot of the things that we have learned about in our PRLS class, hence why it’s included in my blog. It is also something that resonates with me as I know and am aware of people who have come into this country illegally and have come into this country to seek better opportunities and better lives, which can be interpreted from “all of the mexicans sneak into heaven”, only to be met with clear disapproval and stigmas that were meant to hold you and your heritage down, or flush it out with “white-ness,” which can be interpreted from the line that states “but only to work in the kitchens / a Mexican dishwasher polishes the crystal.” We’ve seen so many immigrants and children of immigrants joining and adding to civil rights movements historically as well, seeking to get rights and equality for the generation that is to come after theirs, such as the Black Panther Party, and other alliances and organizations made for immigrant rights and exposure to the rights immigrants are not getting.

One movie clip that I believe relates to this poem is actually a trailer from a movie titled “Under The Same Moon.” Not only does this clip relate to another poem by Jose Olivarez titled “My Parents Fold Like Luggage,” but it also relates to the poem and the Mexican-American experience of coming to a place in search for better opportunities and higher hopes, only to be met with a wage that satisfies the bare minimums through hard work that does not reflect the pay given. It relates to “My Parents Fold Like Luggage” because in the trailer of the film, it demonstrates at one point the little boy climbing in a hole within the backseat-area of a car he gets into in an attempt to cross the border, which is spoken of in a similar fashion in the poem by Olivarez. The film also demonstrates the way one of the parents go to America and leave their child behind in order to make more money to then send and collect for a better future for their child, a shared experience amongst many immigrants and children of immigrants as well.

The trailer for the film is here:

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—This is my alternative ending to the story “Porcupine Love,” by Tatiana De La Tierra ending at “They are seducing each other:”

And as the spirits take me away, they take me further into the fantasy I thought up for the both of us. The fantasy that includes the vision of me fucking you and making you feel the way we’ve both been longing to feel for what seems like eternity. And just as the Santera did when she was cleansing me with flower water, and speaking to spirits on my behalf, I did the same when I decided that it was the right decision becoming yours and giving in to my dreams. I had always believed in realism– giving in to what could provide earthly gain, instead of giving in to what my brain and my heart longed for– you. I believed in you and I longed for you, and I remember why I loved you.

And what the medium didn’t mention is what giving in to you would do, and how that meant giving my whole world to you. I resented the distance between us, but it made me stronger and able to finally gather up the courage needed to come see you. I gave in to my fantasies and went to see you, and I believed in us enough to give up my earthly demands and guarantees only to see that distance only did something to me which I did not, and at first, failed to see. You were cheating on me. What a rollercoaster this was, giving in to what you were and what you could’ve been. But I will never make that mistake again.