After reading La Guera, Cherrie Moraga, record your voice ( just audio) speaking for 1 or 2 minutes about how this reading relates to you.
Create a playlist on Spotify that matches the short story “Kimberle”, by Achy Obejas. Explain the connection of the songs to parts of the reading and specific quotes.
First song on my “Kimberle” playlist is “Warrior” by Demi Lovato. This song connects to the reading because Demi is saying that she was ashamed and confused because of all the pain and truth that has caused her to feel broken and bruised. In the reading it says “Her girlfriend had caught her in flagrante delicto and walked out; depression had swallowed her in the aftermath. She couldn’t concentrate at her restaurant job, mixing up simple orders,barking at the customers.”(page 16) Kimberle used to be homeless living in her car all alone. Next the song says that now she’s a warrior with thick skin and nobody can hurt her again. In the reading Kimberle moved in with her friend who had trust in her even though she knew that Kimberle was suicidal. Once Kimberle moved in she was bettering herself.
Second song on my “Kimberle” playlist is “Nobody’s Perfect” by Hannah montana. This song connects to the reading because in the reading it says “I was still catching my breath when I turned around and saw Kimberle. The santoku had left her right hand, embedding its bladeupright on the knuckles of her left. Blood seeped sparingly from between her fingers but collected quickly around the octopus pile, which now looked wounded and alive.”(page 18) Kimberle is a girl who suffers from suicidal thoughts and she’s trying to better herself. In the sound Hannah Montana is going that nobody is perfect and basically that you can’t stop now you have to get up and still fight. Kimberle is going to make mistakes but that’s the process of it. You learn from your mistakes.
Third song on my “Kimberle” playlist is “I kissed a girl” by Katy Perry. In the reading it says “I don’t know how or why but my mouth opened to the stranger’s breast, tasting her and the vague tobacco of Kimberle’s spit.” (page 20). This reading connects to the song because in the song Katy is saying how she didn’t plan on kissing a girl she just wanted to try it and ended up liking it. The narrator did the same with Kimberle and the bookstore girl. At the end of the story the narrator ended up having feelings for Kimberle.
Find a newspaper article online that relates to Pandora’s Box, by Arturo Arias. Explain the connection.
The article that I have chosen is called “The long, difficult journey of how a man became a woman” by Paul Grondahl connects to the reading “Pandora’s box” by Arturo Arias in many ways. First connection is that Drew ( from the article) and Juan both feared what people might think or act after them turning into a woman now . According to the article it says “Many trans people are familiar with the pain and suffering of being transgender: estranged from family members, verbally harassed and sometimes assaulted by strangers, discriminated against in the workplace; ostracized and isolated by mainstream society after coming out and beginning to transition publicly from one gender to the other.” In the reading it states “The door closed in my nose, nearly knocking the cup of sugar from my hands. “Asshole!” I muttered, biting my tongue at the same time, and then giggling a little. Men were unbelievably selfish.” The guy only asked for sugar and he was being rude because he noticed that he’s a trans. There will always be hate on trans people because some people are against it or some people are just being jerks and trying to make you feel bad about yourself. Another connection is how the hate makes them feel. In the article it says “Drew’s confused adolescence, deep depression in the teen years, being shunned by former friends and made into an outcast, with suicidal thoughts as a young adult.” In the reading it says “when I had put on my red dress and black shoes just to get this particular cup of sugar, that left me absolutely furious, depressed, insecure. From that point on I decided, in a stubborn fit of anger that thinly disguised my dejection, that I would be woman enough to make any man do whatever I wanted to. I went back downstairs and switched to my tennis shoes.” This is disgusting and sad, when someone doesn’t feel comfortable in their sexuality they have the right to change it to make themselves feel comfortable and instead of people saying nice things they bring you down.
Choose an image from “selected photography of Dulce Pinzón(link)” and another from “selected photography of Graciela Iturbide(Link)” and write a paragraph or record voice/video analysing a comparison.
I am comparing these two images because they both remind me of dark moods. In the funeral picture it’s not a jolly happy mood, everyone is feeling down because someone who they loved has passed away. Everyone wearing black in a funeral is in a sad dark mood. In the other picture I see all dead droopy flowers. The picture is black which also makes it seem depressing which the flowers reminded me of the funeral because they both are not in a great mood.
Include the poem by José Olivarez: “Mexican Heaven” ; Poems. Why would you include this poem on your blog; in relation to what?. Post it next to a movie clip that relates to it. Quote pertinent verses.
A MEXICAN DREAMS OF HEAVEN BY JOSÉ OLIVAREZ
all of the Mexicans sneak into heaven. St. Peter has
their name on the list, but none of the Mexicans have
trusted a list since Ronald Reagan was President.
St. Peter is a Mexican named Pedro, but he’s not
a saint. Pedro waits at the gate with a shot of tequila
to welcome all the Mexicans to heaven, but he gets drunk
& forgets about the list. all the Mexicans walk
into heaven, even our no good cousins who only
go to church for baptisms & funerals.
it turns out God is one of those religious Mexicans
who doesn’t drink or smoke weed, so all the Mexicans
in heaven party in the basement while God reads
the bible & thumbs a rosary. God threatens to kick
all the Mexicans out of heaven if they don’t stop
con las pendejadas, so the Mexicans drink more
discreetly. they smoke outside where God won’t
smell the weed. God pretends the Mexicans are reformed.
hallelujah. this cycle repeats once a month. amen.
Jesus has a tattoo of La Virgen De Guadalupe
covering his back. turns out he’s your cousin
Jesus from the block. turns out he gets reincarnated
every day & no one on Earth cares all that much.
all the Mexican women refuse to cook or clean
or raise the kids or pay bills or make the bed or
drive your bum ass to work or do anything except
watch their novelas, so heaven is gross. the rats
are fat as roosters & the men die of starvation.
there are white people in heaven, too. they build
condos across the street & ask the Mexicans to
speak English. i’m just kidding. there are no
white people in heaven.
tamales. tacos. tostadas. tortas.
pozole. sopes. huaraches. menudo.
horchata. jamaica. limonada. agua.
St. Peter lets Mexicans into heaven
but only to work in the kitchens.
A Mexican dishwasher polishes the crystal,
smells the meals, & hears the music
through the swinging doors. they dream
of another heaven, one they might be allowed in
if only they work hard enough.
I’m including this poem to my blog because this is telling us how mexican latinos are. People normalized mexicans women to always stay in the kitchen to cook and stay with the kids and the guys have to work their ass off. This compares to the clip that I inserted because the woman who asked to stay in the United states denied her. She is a mexican immigrant who’s been in the United States for a long time with her kids, she’s never done anything wrong. All she does is supports her kids and she works.
After reading Porcupine Love, short story by Tatiana de la Tierra (Colombia), write an alternative ending for it. No less than two paragraphs.
“I’m just going to go for it, dammit I have to. I have already quit my job and I need to go.” I say to myself. I bought my plane ticket to New Zealand for tonight. I have so many thoughts in my head. Im scared that I will regret my decision. “What if she’s playing me? Or what if once I see her all im going to want to do is fuck her and leave her?” I say. Hours pass and I’m at the airport walking next in line to go inside the plane. While i’m sitting on the plane looking at the clouds outside of the window I am just imagining all the things that we are going to do together. All the adventures we are going to do. I start to get tired from all the overthinking so I slowly start closing my eyes.
Im finally in New Zealand on my way to Antenna house. I’m feeling so many different emotions right now, I’m anxious and excited at the same time. I arrive and run up to her house. I bang on the door. Antenna opened the door and her eyes lid up. I fell even more in love with her once she opened that door. We gave each other the longest hug, kissing and laughing she still couldn’t believe I came. “Of course I would come for you, I told you I really want to work this out because I want you in my life forever Antenna.” I tell her. She cheeses so hard and carries me into the room.
