La Guera
Growing up as a Latina you bound to face stereotypes and oppression. When Moraga states “I am the very well-educated daughter of a woman who, by the standards in this country, would be considered largely illiterate.”(page 27) I related to the fact that in this country they will judge my parents based on their skin color and language. Where if they don’t speak English then you are illiterate. It’s hard enough having to deal with racists remarks and trying to deal with them but it’s even harder as a woman. When Moraga stated “You’re not a woman. Be a woman for a day. Imagine being a woman.”(page 29) As a woman you’re gonna have to deal with gender discrimination and stereotypes etc. I relate to this because I have to work twice as hard as a white man in order to be successful and respected.
Powerful Women
Photo by Graciela Iturbide
Photo by Dulce Pinzón
Both pictures depict strong independent women. The Lady with the Iguanas shows how the woman is still being able to stand tall with a whole bunch of iguanas on her head. While the other woman looks like she is doing laundry on a very late and dark night. Both photos depict that women need to have courage and heart in order to be strong. They will encounter so many obstacles in life but you just gotta keep your head high. Think of yourself as invincible like Wonder Woman or fearless because you have iguanas on your head that symbolize struggles.
Kimberle
Oh, won’t you stay with me?
‘Cause you’re all I need
This ain’t love, it’s clear to see
But, darling, stay with me
Why am I so emotional?
No, it’s not a good look, gain some self-control
And deep down I know this never works
But you can lay with me so it doesn’t hurt
Oh, won’t you stay with me?
‘Cause you’re all I need
This ain’t love, it’s clear to see
But, darling, stay with me
Throughout the story by Achy Obejas the main protagonist feels as if it is her duty to make sure her suicidal friend Kimberle doesn’t kill or harm herself. In the song by Sam Smith you can see that the artist it struggling to let go of a person and wants them to stay. In the end of story it said “But it was too late: there, above her shoulder, was this year’s seasonal kill, waxy and white but for the purple areolas and the meat of her sex.She was ordinary, familiar, and the glass of her eyes captured a portrait of Kimberle and me.” Where it makes me believe that the main character ended up falling in love with Kimberle and didn’t want her to die and to stay with her.
God, keep my head above water
Don’t let me drown, it gets harder
I’ll meet you there at the altar
As I fall down to my knees
Don’t let me drown, drown, drown
Don’t let me, don’t let me, don’t let me drown
In the song, the artist talks about how she is not emotionally and mentally okay. That she is willing to ask for help. She has regrets in life but she doesn’t want those regrets to define her. At the beginning of the story, it states “Her words slid one into the other, like buttery babies bumping, accumulating at the mouth of a slide in the playground. “Are you listening to me?”I was, I really was. She was asking me to keep her from killing herself.” The fact that Kimberle knew that she wasn’t okay and was seeking help and guidance relates to this song. She also states “I need to be stopped” showing how she might have some regrets like the song and doesn’t want to drown in those regrets like Kimberle.
That will hate the ladies, that make the babies
And since a man can’t make one
He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one
So will the real men get up
I know you’re fed up ladies, but keep your head up
Keep ya head up, ooh, child, things are gonna get easier
Keep ya head up, ooh, child, things’ll get brighter
“It was all I could think to do, and it made sense for both of us. Kimberle had been homeless, living out of her car—an antique Toyota Corolla that had had its lights punched out on too many occasions and now traveled unsteadily with huge swatches of duct tape holding up its fender. In all honesty, I was a bit unsteady myself, afflicted with the kind of loneliness that’s felt in the gut like a chronic and never fully realized nausea.”
In the story, both characters are struggling in life in some shape or form. They have to keep in mind that there is a serial killer on the loose that’s trying to kill young women. The song relates to the story in the sense that it talks about the struggles that women have to deal with and that they have to keep their heads up just like in the story. Where it makes remarks about lesbianism, rape, discrimination, racism, etc.
Sometime the next day—after a restless night of weeping and pillow punching that I could hear from the bedroom, even with the door closed—Kimberle managed to shower and put on a fresh black tee, then lumbered into the kitchen. She barely nodded. It seemed that if she’d actually completed the gesture, her head might have been in danger of rolling off. -Obejas
Throughout the song the artists are in a box which makes me believe that they are either stuck in their head or some type of experience that they are trying to escape but can’t. Kimberle tries to deal with her depression but instead of actually confronting it she just stays in her own box. Even though she managed to do something that doesn’t mean that she is cured. She’s described as a reckless character that tries to stay alive but she can always be broken just like in the song.
Alternate Ending
Porcupine Love -Tatiana De La Tierra
I stormed out of Don Juan’s I kept breathing heavily. It sounded like I was running out of breath. Everyone around me was staring at me like if I was some crazy chick you pick up at the bar. I didn’t know if he was helping me or just making me feel like some crazy ass lesbian. Every time the setting would change whether if I was in Cuba or Miami or wherever I couldn’t stop seeing Antenna. I regret pushing her away. Gosh why couldn’t I just let her in ?! I’m so stupid I need to see her I can’t just email her expect for things to be okay. I have to get what I want and make up for my b*******.
The next day I quit my job, grab the next flight to New Zealand to see the love of my life. I was nervous my anxiety was skyrocketing. What if I can’t confront her? What if my Porcupine Love occurs? What am I going to tell her? Do I hug her? Do I kiss her? Once I got off the plane I saw the mountains. I knew that my love for her was at its peak. I knocked on her door with my hands shaking and my head down. I saw her feet but there were two more feet next to her. She had company. I began to shed a tear but I heard a sound. BEEP BEEP BEEP !! When I opened my eyes I realize that it was all a dream and I need to let her go she deserves happiness. She doesn’t deserve more spines from my Porcupine Love.
Pandora’s Box
In the show “I am Jazz” Jazz is a transgender female who would always question her identity. Soon she ended up transitioning and the show depicts the struggles that she goes through as a transwoman. Just like in the show the main character named Juan from the story Pandora’s Box, by Arturo Arias struggled with his own identity where he never felt comfortable or confident in his own skin. He was very jealous of a woman named Alexandria or referred to as Pandora and it influenced his decision as to whether or not he wanted to transition. After some time Juan turned into Juanita and decided to transition. Once she transition she started to endure the struggles of what the life of a woman is.
Mexican Heaven
In the movie of Selena, she is Mexican- American woman who struggles to live and achieve the “American Dream.” She sings in both Spanish and English but she would have to go on to encounter misogyny, racism, discrimination, etc. Where if you are born in America you are a citizen unless your parents are immigrants then you’re illegal. As depicted by José Olivarez, “If the boy(citizen)(illegal) grows up (illegal)and can only write (illegal) this story in English (citizen), does that make him more American (citizen) or Mexican illegal.” Mexican Heaven is a good example, of how powerful your writing can be as a way to show your voice. Throughout this whole blog most of the stories, writers struggle with identity. Whether it’s because of their skin color, sexual orientation, sexuality, or immigration status. The struggle is real but that doesn’t mean you have to stay silent you can choose to have your voice be heard whether through poems, songs, books, etc. Just be proud of who you are.
What did I learn?
Writing is a powerful tool that allowed us to be able to share our voice. From the Nuyorican Poets to being Latin artists like Selena Quintanilla to the new generation with Bad Bunny and Princess Nokia. Latin studies have allowed for students to realize the achievements that Latinos/Hispanics have endured.
