Andrew Gil


Kimberle By Achy Obejas

The reason I chose this song to be in the playlist for this reading is the fact that it has to due with suicide and the lyrics say “one last pic and i’ll be gone make it count put the flash on”. Which implies suicide. A big influence throughout this excerpt is the suicide and her friend wanting to commit suicide and she says “She was asking me to keep her from killing
herself.” However the artist also says “take me home its the one place i can rest in peace” which also relates to the reading considering Kimberle brought her home and that ended up being her peace.

This song has to due with killing and it connects to the killer that is annually killing girls which is another big influence. The artist Necro says “Its a cycle and nuff’ humans are addicted to the thrill
So now that your f**kin’ dead, we need someone new to kill” which relates to the annual killer that they have be wary of throughout the reading. I like this song to connect to it because it says it’s a cycle which relates to the killer who is in a cycle of killing once a year.

“Before long Kimberle was driving my hand inside the woman, who barely moved as she begged us to kiss, to please kiss for her.”

This song relates to the one part of the excerpt of them making love with one another. The title Un Beso translates to one kiss and it discusses the love of a girl and describes the kiss of a girl. Which relates to the quote of the sex scene. It also talks about the touching of her skin which describes sexual tension.

” ‘Kimberle, don’t you ever think about what we’re doing—about us?’ ‘Us? There is no us.’ “

This song is called Alma Enamorada and it is about a man who is hurt by the lack of love. This relates to this quote because it shows that she thought of Kimberle as more than just a friend and it seems as if Kimberle did not think anything of them. Which is why she states there is no us. In this song Chalino Sanchez says if the person will love him he will be there for them waiting for them.


La Guera


Pandora’s box

https://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2017-09-29/transgender-americans-face-daily-struggles

The reason I chose this article is because it depicts all the hardships that the transgender community have to go through on a day to day basis. The reading Pandora’s box shows Juan one day waking up a women. From there on we see examples of what the transgender community have to go through on a daily basis. Some examples being constant harassment, relatives disassociating themselves from you, and even discrimination. The reading states that “Men treat me as If I have no life of my own” and proceeds to state she has a degree in museology and for Juanita not to act like a man and belittle her. Which shows the constant battle women go through because men oppress them and try to belittle them. A quote that stuck with me was “I have learned to put up with PMS, a feeling of powerlessness, fear of men, not being listened to, having to help everyone all the time without being helped myself, impotent and all powerful at the same time…” because it shows the effects of men to women. It creates this notion of depreciation upon women.


Photo Comparison

I am comparing these two pictures because they both give off very empowering Latino emotions to them. The first picture tells me a story of a hardworking man dressed as chapulín and although it does not imply it, I feel as though he works as hard as he does and strives for success for his family and that is why he does such physically demanding work. The second picture from Graciela Iturbide is a picture from Mexico and empowers the culture and heritage. The way they relate is Chapulín being Mexican and the picture of the women dancing is from Mexico creates this notion of strength and pride within the Mexican culture. On a more personal note, I love these pictures and what they depict of Mexicans because I relate to it. The second picture also reminds me of my mother and the culture of Mexico and how they dance with the traditional dress on.


Porcupine Love

When I get home I weigh out my options. I can stay here and proceed with this dull life, anxious for some adventure to burrow its way into my existence. The life I live is safe, but is safe what I want? I can dip into my savings in order to see her, my antenna. Fuck it. I am tired of living my life safe. 14 years without her is pure agony. I don’t even wait I call up my boss and I cut off all bridges. No turning back. “Fuck this job and fuck you I QUIT” I exclaimed, adrenaline running through my veins. I don’t contact my therapist because this is the one thing I am sure about. I book my flight, the next flight out 6 a.m. tomorrow.

My bags are packed and I’m on the plane right now. The most exciting my life has been for the past 14 years. She told me what town she was living within New Zealand and I was able to narrow down where she lives through that information. When my plane arrives I call a taxi to take me to her. A 27 minute drive seems like an eternity when you are lusting for love. I finally arrive and walk up the steps and ring the doorbell. A brief moment goes by and I hear movement within the house. She cracks open the door, just enough to poke her head out her smile goes from ear to ear, her eyes glistening ever so gracefully. “I made it” I say as I fight back my tears from joy. We kiss. Flashbacks of all the adventures we used to go on raced through my mind. We kissed. All my worries seemed to wash away. We kissed.

Mexican Heaven

“i’m just kidding there are no white people in heaven”

I include this line because the title of it is Mexican Heaven. In this case that means what Mexicans worship and what is their safe haven. White people historically have been oppressors to Mexicans and have been keeping them from a better life in order to benefit themselves. The white people only want Mexicans when it is beneficial for them other than that they do not care. Oppressors do not get into heaven.

I chose this movie because although it is satire and is a comedy and fantasy there is some truth to the fact without Mexicans the United States of America will go south. In the last decade U.S. latinos launched 86 percent of all new businesses and contribute to the ever growing GDP of the United States increasing it to 2.3 trillion dollars. Latin Americans are the foundation for the U.S. economy and without them the United States of America is futile.


What did I learn Convo

Individual Blog Post

What I Learned This Semester

The Cosmic Race, Selena in stars, Bad Bunny Logo, and the Young Lords Emblem.

This is a drawing of all the major things things I learned or enjoyed learning about this semester. The Cosmic Race by philosopher José Vasconcelos was a major concept I never knew about. The idea of labeling Latinos a “Cosmic Race” is interesting because it would be giving a name to our mostly ambiguous identity that has been confusing us since the beginning of time. We are a diaspora so our culture is scattered and we may be mixed with many things. By giving it a name and understanding that we are a people that are many things because of our history makes its us feel seen and valid. That is why the person in the middle is someone of many colors because of the inside we are made up of many cultures. Bad Bunny and Selena are two of my favorite artists that I respect and listen to constantly. I really loved learning more about them and their impact this semester. Lastly, The Young Lords was a group of NYC Puerto Ricans that I never knew about. They were very progressive and I feel like if they existed today they would have many members and would be thriving. They fought for our rights just like we are today.

My Reaction to: La Guera by Cherrie Moraga

Sorry for my stutters <3

Playlist for “Kimberle”

1. Isabel’s Moment (feat. Tobias Jesso Jr.) King Princess

I chose this song because I feel like it is a song that really supports how Kimberle is feeling about her break up and how the speaker feels about her relationship with Kimberle.

Lyric: “But hope is something you find when you’re sober”

Quote from Kimberle: “Quite the little Cuban sandwich we’ve got here,” Kimberle said, passing me what now seemed like the obligatory after-sex joint followed by the vaguely racist comment.” Kimberle turns to smoking joints and cigarettes to numb her pain from the break up. Like the lyric suggests: there is no hope when you’re high and that is exactly how Kimberle feels without her girlfriend

Lyric: “And I’m still trying to draw all the lines through my friends and my lovers, it ain’t clear how we feel when we spend all this time with each other”

Quote from Kimberle: “Trembling there in the dark, I realized I wanted to kiss Kimberle—not for anyone else’s pleasure but for my own.” and “Kimberle, don’t you ever think about what we’re doing—about us?” These quotes relate because the speaker doesn’t want to be friends with Kimberle, she wants to be something more than just lovers. She’s not sure where Kimberle stands with her, but she knows that they spend an excessive amount of time with each other and there could be a possibility that they could be more than friends.

King Princess: Cheap Queen Album Review | Pitchfork

2. Hard Times – Paramore

I chose this song because Kimberle and the speaker are both going through Hard Times in their personal lives. The following quotes are examples of how hard their life has been.

Lyric: “(Hard Times) gonna make you wonder why you even try (Hard Times) gonna take you down and laugh when you cry (These lives) And I still don’t know how I even survive

Quotes from Kimberle: “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, so that it wasn’t long before she found herself at
the unemployment office (where her insistence on stepping out to smoke cost her her place in line so many times she finally gave up).”

“It quickly followed that she went home one rosy dawn and discovered that her landlord, aware that he had no right to do so but convinced that Kimberle (now four months late on her rent) would never get it together to legally contest it, had stacked all her belongings on the sidewalk, where they had been picked over by the students at International House, headquarters for all the third-world kids on scholarships that barely covered textbooks.:”

“Me, I’d just broken up with my boyfriend—it was my doing, it just
felt like we were going nowhere—”

Paramore - After Laughter - Amazon.com Music

3. Post Break-Up Sex – The Vaccines

This song is about having sex with strangers in order to forget your ex. This song relates because this is exactly what Kimberle is doing in order to cope with her feelings about her break-up.

Lyric: “Post break-up sex that helps you forget your ex, what did you expect from post break-up sex, Oh when you love somebody But you find someone”

Quotes from Kimberle: “Kimberle had not been installed in the studio more than a day or two (crying and sniffling, refusing to eat with the usual determination of the newly heartbroken)”

“To my amazement, Kimberle had brought somebody home. I didn’t especially like the idea of her having sex in my living room”

The Vaccines – Post Break-Up Sex Lyrics | Genius Lyrics

4. Alewife – Clairo

This song reminds me of Kimberle because she is suicidal and needs help from her friend. And in the song Clairo talks about how she could’ve committed suicide if her friend wasn’t there just like the way Kimberle could have done it if the speaker wasn’t there. An example of this is when the speakers goes out to search for Kimberle after she ran away through the window and goes missing.

Lyrics: You called me seven times
One, two, three, four, on the line
I didn’t mean to scare you
Just had the thoughts in my mind
They showed up to my door
My parents didn’t know what for
Swear I could’ve done it
If you weren’t there when I hit the floor

Quote from Kimberle: “She was asking me to keep her from killing
herself. There was no method chosen yet—it could have been slashing
her wrists, or lying down on the train tracks outside of town”

Clairo: Immunity Album Review | Pitchfork

5. Mirrors PVRIS

I chose this song because it reminds me of how the speaker may feel about Kimberle. The lyrics fit the same way the speaker would describe Kimberle especially while having sex with her. Kimberle is someone I feel like fits the “dead inside” description the song mentions and for some reason the speaker still likes her. The placebo feelings the song mentions is also a good way to describe how the speaker may be having romantic feelings that aren’t actually there, instead its probably lust.

Lyric: But when you float above my body
Standing up right above me
I don’t feel so lonely, lonely

Quote from Kimberle: “At one point, Kimberle was balanced above me, her mouth grazing mine, but we just stared past each other.”

PVRIS - White Noise Lyrics and Tracklist | Genius

Pandora’s Box Newspaper Connection

This is an article about a transgender woman named Tracey Williams that dies as a victim of domestic abuse. This connects to Arturo Arias’ Pandora’s Box because it is about how Pandora a woman who suffers under the fate of an abusive man gets freed by Juanita a woman who had just transitioned and was also about to suffer under the hands of physical abuse. Eventually Pandora decides to transition as well.

Selected Photography

Graciela Iturbide
Dulce Pinzon

These two pictures both draw my attention. They both showoff a landscape and subject. In the first photo the subject is the plant and in the second picture it is the triceratops. The landscape in the first picture is very open with rocks and dry plants and the second picture has a landscape that is tall and grassy. The biggest difference with these two pictures is their style. The first photo is black and white giving it this somber serious tone meanwhile the second picture is colorful and bubbly giving it a lighter lively tone. There are colors coming from the grass, the sun, the bubbles, and the people.

Poem and Movie Clip

This movie clip and poem connect to each other because what I see similar is that they are about trauma and their relationship to it. The Rocketman bio pic is about Elton John and his struggle with parental trauma, addiction, and sexuality. And in this beautiful scene he faces all the monsters in his life and lets go of their power on him. Then he proceeds to hug his inner child. I love this scene so much because I feel like trauma may exist within us, but no matter where you are in your life no matter how old you are it is never too late to be the person you want to become. I feel like this differs from the poem because the speaker is running away from their trauma. They don’t want to stop and face it because they aren’t ready to and that is okay. However, eventually the marathon will stop.

Porcupine Love Alternate Ending

i really really miss you now and long to see you.

I’m keeping a journal now since my therapist suggested it. “Your thoughts become a lot smaller once you let them out”. I am currently writing this as I am waiting in the airport for my flight to New Zealand–to see you. Love is something I have ran from my whole life. I’ve been scared of it. I’ve been scared of the helplessness, the lack of control, the feeling that I might have to depend on someone to hold me with my heart in the palm of their hands beating as loud as a drum as the passion pumps breaths into me.

It was all too much for me. I was immature and I wasn’t ready for someone like you Antenna. I know perfection does not exist, but you are the closest thing to it. I don’t need to explore the stars and fly around the moon to know what space is like because I found it in you. Your love is the heat that radiates off the sun and burns away the doubt that I have. With you my chakras are aligned, I feel a peace that I have never known. And with every country we explore I find new pieces of myself. I discover all the parts of myself that were blocked off and stopped me from loving you with every ounce of my body. You allow me to feel my emotions with an ease that flows like water, and with that strength I can make love to you like I never have before. When I insert my fingers in you and you feed me your sounds, I see an angel taking me to the skies with the dust of the stars in her eyes.

This is love and it is something I never want to let go of. Never again. I will hold you close to me until my last breath. I am so terrified, but I’m in too deep to turn back now, now I can only feel my legs running to you with no hesitation or intention to stop, the pain doesn’t hurt me because our love fuels my adrenaline. I love you Antenna and I’ve been faraway, but I’m coming and I will never run from you again.

Final Project – Giseliz Garcia

Final Project

Takeaways from PRLS 3105

I chose to include this screenshot from an in-class conversation because it reflects an important lesson I learned from this course, and it is that we need to look deeper into how history is depicted and taught to us. It is vital that we do the work to understand the different ways history is modified to make certain groups of people look like heroes—glossing over any wrongs they have committed—and other groups as helpless and uncivilized. Furthermore, it reminds me of how important it is that we use our voices to shape our own stories, rather than relying on an outsider’s perspective. The various pieces of art, photography, short stories, and poetry we have dissected in this class are prime examples of members of the Latinx community using their distinct voice to tell stories only they can tell.

Photo Comparison

While, visually, these two photos appear to have nothing in common, there is a similarity below the surface that presented itself to me. In the first picture, we see a woman (Maria, from the state of Puebla, who now lives in New York) at her place of work— a laundromat. Through her work at the laundromat, Maria makes a living to support herself and family back home— she sends $150 a week to family in Mexico. In the second photo, two large rock-like structures are pictured. The rocks seem to be sturdy enough to build something on— a good foundation, dependable and strong. For me, the two rocks symbolize Maria’s role as a provider for both herself and her family.

“Mexican Heaven” José Olivaraz

“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.”

Jose Olivaraz

I chose to include this particular vignette in this blog post because it connects to the Dulce Pinzón photograph in how it depicts Mexican women as providers. I interpret this vignette as speaking on how Mexican women are the backbone of the family— they are what keeps the home together, not always necessarily because they WANT to, but because they are expected to. If not, the rats would be “fat as roosters” and the men would “die of starvation” (Olivaraz). This dependence on the women of the family to cook and clean and provide for seemingly everyone but herself is not only a common thread in this poem and the Dulce Pinzón photo, but in Latinx culture as a whole.

However, this self-sacrifice doesn’t always get the reward or recognition it deserves. In fact, there are many instances where women are not appreciated for what they do, but instead abused. In this video clip about machismo, a man from El Salvador describes the mistreatment of women he witnessed from an early age: “I grew up in a home where my father used to beat up my mother.” It is upsetting to think about the violence many women in Latin America are subject to simply because of their gender. If I could add to “Mexican Heaven”, I would write in a verse about the non-existence of machismo and gender based violence as a feature of Olivaraz’s imagined paradise.

The Male Gaze in “Pandora’s Box” by Arturo Arias

This article talks about the male gaze in regards to storytelling in TV shows and movies— “The effects are poisonous” (Loofbourow). We see the poisonous effect of the male gaze in “Pandora’s Box”, how women feel so uncomfortable in their own skin, having to be mindful of how they dress, and of how they exist in the world, because of men watching them. The old lady that spoke to Juan after seeing how closely he watched Pandora knew the effects of this gaze well, and let him know: “..you would be better off being Juana or Juanita, so as to know and feel as she does, to understand the power of that gaze of yours, to feel the burning eyes upon your skin as if you were being tattooed. Wait and see how it feels” (Arias 30). 

Also, the article mentions that “We don’t see complexity in female stories because we have so little experience imagining it might be there” (Loofbourow). That reminded me of the scene in “Pandora’s Box” where Juanita is genuinely shocked to learn that Pandora has a life of her own as a museum curator, “It had never actually occurred to me that she had a mind. She had always been just a body to me” (Achas 38). From this point, Juanita begins to understand the harm his past thinking has had on Pandora, and begins to see the “complexity” in her life.

A Playlist for “Kimberle”

  1. this is me trying
    • “‘I  have to be stopped,’ Kimberle said. […] She was asking me to keep her from killing herself.” (Obejas 14). This part of the story was clearly Kimberle reaching out, doing whatever she could do to not give into any suicidal urges she had. A phone call may not seem like much, but in this case it was everything. 
    • this is me trying relates to this scene in that it is a song about someone trying their best to not give into the pull of their worst desires. “Pulled the car off the road to the lookout / Could’ve followed my fears all the way down / And maybe I don’t quite know what to say / But I’m here in your doorway” (Swift). Both the narrator in the song and Kimberle made conscious efforts to be/talk with someone as a way to keep them from ending their lives.
  2. Cranes in the Sky
    • “I slept it away, I sexed it away, I read it away” (Solange) / “We both seemed to be in weakened states […] depression had swallowed her…” (Obajes 16). 
    • The connection between these two quotes is that they both are referring to being in a depressed state. The song talks about doing everything to escape the feeling of depression, but it never actually working. This relates to the story because rather than dealing with her depression/suicidal urges head on and working towards healing, Kimberle instead did various things to try and avoid them (for example, the many different people she would bring home to have sex with).
  3. Sudden Desire 
    • This song is about acknowledging one’s own desire rather than denying it, even though it may be uncomfortable. In regards to how it connects to the story, the narrator gave into her desire time after time even though at first she felt unsure and maybe scared, “I was going to protest but was too unnerved by their boldness and then, in my weakness, seduced by the silky warmth of skin on either side of me.” (Obejas 22).
  4. Don’t Touch My Hair
    • “‘I didn’t come to see Kimberle,’ the professor had said, her fingers pulling on my curls, which I’d found disconcerting” (Obejas 23). On top of Kimberle’s “vaguely racist comments” about the narrator during sex, the professor doing this felt like another violation of the narrator (Obejas 23). This lack of respect is a central theme behind the song Don’t Touch My Hair, in which Solange equates someone touching her hair with someone touching her soul– not in a good way but, rather, in an invasive way.
  5. Paper Thin
    • “They said they’re scared of you, I’m like ‘me too’ […] We both just want to be free.” I connect this lyric from Paper Thin with the scene where Kimberle takes the narrator for a drive and the narrator is so scared she thinks they’re “going to die” and throws up after it’s all done (Obejas 22). Yet, the narrator said it was “amazing” and that Kimberle had made her feel “alive” (Obejas 22, 24). While the narrator felt scared of Kimberle and her actions, she also simultaneously felt a kind of freedom she hadn’t felt before.

Alternative Ending to “Porcupine Love” by Tatiana de la Tierra

I decided to stop repelling love. There is still a part of me that is unsure I can even do that, but for myself, for Antenna, for the possibility of us, I am willing to try. And so I did. As it turns out, 14 years of silence don’t mean much when you form a real connection with somebody. She says she loves me, she tells me that I am the only person who calls her Antenna— and that means something. We have marked each other. 

I learned to turn off the little voice in the back of my head that told me that this meant nothing, that she was probably married or in some serious relationship and I was being used as some kind of escape from the monotony of it all. But even if that is true, I don’t mind it. I have some of her and it is enough for me.

Reflections on “La Guera” by Cherrie Moraga

The quote mentioned: ““She was speaking a language that I knew— in the deepest parts of me — existed and that I had ignored …” (Moraga)

Final Project- Jalyn Betances

The Evolution of Puerto Rican Culture

By: jalyn betances
This illustration reflects much of what I have learned this semester. This image represents the evolution of Puerto Rican culture from the island of Puerto Rico to the United States. This piece of art reflects the many social, racial and cultural changes that have occurred, affecting the people of Puerto Rico. Many of the obstacles they have faced in history have led them to where they are today.

La Guera by Cherrie Moraga: Personal Connection

Pandora’s Box by Arturo Arias

Pandora’s Box by Arturo Arias discusses the struggles woman face both emotionally, physically and socially. When the main character, Juan, transforms from a man to a woman, he realizes how difficult it truly is to be a woman. Throughout the story as he becomes closer to Pandora, the girl he has long fantasized over, he realizes that a woman has more to her than just her body. In one portion of the reading Pandora states “Men treat me as if I have no life of my own,” she said at one point of the long conversation, “but I do.” 

Similar to Arturo’s reading, linked down below is an article entitled, The Man Who Spent A Week Living Like A Woman, discusses . He describes his experience as a woman as being difficult, despite not fully experiencing all of “the real pressures and tribulations that a woman faces every day.” He goes on to explain that “it’s always hard to be a woman. Especially if you’re a man.”

Pandora’s Box

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-482767/The-man-spent-week-living-like-woman.html

Spotify Playlist: Based on the reading “Kimberle” by Achy Obejas

  1. Breathe Me -Sia
  2. Unsteady – X Ambassadors
  3. Lonely- Jorja Smith
  4. Save Me from Myself- Christina Aguilera
  5. Blue Ocean Floor- Justin Timberlake
  6. CPR- Summer Walker
  7. Free Me -Sia
  8. Giving Up- Donny Hathaway
  9.  My Song -HER

My Spotify playlist is composed of 9 songs that focus on topics of loneliness, seeking for help, and finding someone in life that understands you like no one else. Kimberle tells a story of a young queer woman who has experienced many highs and lows in her life. She suffers from depression and needs the company of her friend to keep her sane. Breathe me is the first song on the playlist and tells a story of someone who struggles with depression and contemplates suicide often, similar to Kimberle in the reading. Similar to how Kimberle would often seek for her friend in times of despair, the second song entitled Unsteady, which tells a story of someone who feels alone and wants someone to hold on to them. In the reading we learn that “Kimberle had been homeless, living out of her car,” therefore, the third song entitled Lonely, closely related to her life. 

The fourth song entitled Save Me From Myself, relates to the reading as it tells a story of someone who constantly has to be saved because they are a danger to themselves. In the reading, the narrator of the story explains how Kimberle “was asking her to keep her from killing herself.”  Her friend constantly watched over her to make sure she was safe. Similar to the songs Blue Ocean Floor and CPR, anytime Kimberle is losing herself, her friend finds her and saves her from harming herself.  The reading recalls several accounts where Kimberle would experience “restless nights of weeping and pillow punching.” The next two songs, Free Me and Giving Up, relate to the two main characters’ experiences in the story. One constantly dealing with emotional struggles, and the other refusing to give up in trying to help. The last song on the playlist is entitled My Song, which tells a story of how one special thing/person can make your life feel complete. The song is a great representation of the middle portion of the text when Kimberle and her friend go on a car ride together. The narrator describes her time with Kimberle as “just amazing.” 

Photography by Graciela Iturbide and Dulce Pinzón 


Graciela Iturbide- Pájaros

Dulce Pinzón- Historias del Paraíso

The selected photography from Graciela Iturbide and Dulce Pinzón both create a visual portrayal of a flock of birds gathered together.  Although one image was taken in black and white and the other in color, both works display diversity in bird species.  Despite both photographers reflecting different moods through their photos, much of Iturbide’s and Pinzón’s photography seem to portray an admiration for birds.  Both of these images represent diversity and togetherness, which often can be related to the history of Latin America.  Perhaps both photographers capture images like these to artistically express their experiences growing up in Latin culture.

Mexican 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.

In José Olivarez’s Mexican Heaven, he explains how Mexicans have been admitted. They’ve been admitted by a man named Pedro who controls the entrance. Olivarez’s imagines this fantasy heaven where the tables are set with tamales, tacos, tortas, and aguas frescas. In Mexican heaven there are no saints, but only families of Mexican descent who are all accepted.

I chose this movie clip from Disney Pixar’s Coco. This scene in particular captures this idea of having a Mexican Heaven composed only of individuals of Mexican descent. Confronted with his family’s ancestral ban on music, Miguel is transported to the “Land of the Dead” and reunites with some of his late family members. “The Land of the Dead” captures certain aspects of Mexican/Latin culture such as the music, cultural attire, and the inclusion of family, similar to Olivarez’s poem.

I chose this poem by José Olivarez in relation to his poem Mexican Heaven. This poem basically conveys how many Americans fail to acknowledge the existence and important contributions made by Mexicans in the United States. Although many are aware of Mexican culture, it’s not something that is often appreciated in America. This poem somehow relates to Mexican Heaven, as it gives us a different perspective on Mexicans. In that poem all Mexicans are finally being acknowledged and accepted for their culture.

Porcupine Love by Tatiana de la Tierra- Alternate Ending

That night I stood in bed contemplating about many things. Mainly about Antenna, of course. I wanted nothing more than to love Antenna with no limitations. But what if I was still incapable of loving her consistently? What if she was going to become another one of my wasted loves? The thing is, Antenna was just so different from any of the other girls I had ever been with. She loved me unconditionally. Even after our 14 years apart she seems so willing to work things out and spend an eternity with me. But an eternity just seemed too long for me. An eternity would be mean forever. Nonetheless, I knew what my heart really wanted…and that was to see Antenna again.

The next morning I booked a flight to New Zealand. That entire morning, my heart felt a if it was going to burst out of my chest. I felt my palms sweaty and knees much weaker than usual. I hadn’t even told Antenna I’d be arriving in New Zealand today. What if she didn’t mean what she had said over our email convos and phone calls? Maybe she was confused with her feelings and wasn’t really in love with me? Before drowning in my thoughts, I looked out the airplane window and simply hoped I wasn’t making a decision I would soon regret.

Hours later, I arrived in New Zealand. Although it took hours of transportation and mental contemplation, I was finally in front of Antennas door. I placed all of luggages down and rang her doorbell. My heart was racing. A few moments later, the front door opened up. There stood Antenna, looking as beautiful as ever. At that moment I knew I had made the right decision in coming to see her. An eternity with her didn’t sound too bad after all.

Final Project by Jonathan Castillo

I remember when I selected this subject on the CunyFirst Website it was a surprise for me as a Latino to find out that such subjects are present here in New York. I am a transfer student from the Dominican Republic and, I didn’t hesitate to choose this class because of the feeling of home that it would give me and, I wasn’t wrong. I learned a lot on this subject, but I highlight the reading of “the problem of the land” by José Carlos Mariátegui. I found interesting the approaches that are cited in this text mainly with the fact that actions taken hundreds of years in the past have repercussions today. It is of great interest to me that the fact that the mismanagement of the colonizers has decided that countries of the American continent today are known as the third world and which are not, I do not understand how such books are not studied in Latin America because I was totally unaware of this.

It is interesting to analyze how, despite having a great margin of resources, the mismanagement of these led to the total failure, perhaps the process of colonization of Central and South America would have had the same intentions as those executed in North America because the history would be different.

This task was of great interest to me and was very entertaining. Mainly the video that we made as a group where we explained in detail what this book is about.


Cherrie Moraga – La Guera

Kimberle by Achy Obejas.

I find it complex to emphasize the whole story in perhaps a playlist, maybe I don’t know enough songs that I can relate to the text but I would say that the experiences with the killer reminded me of the song “Psycho – Puddle of Mudd” and at the beginning of the story Kimberle’s continuous thoughts of suicide would relate them to the song “Los Malaventurados No Lloran – PXNDX”.

the connection that I find with the PXDXN song is due to that constant feeling of kimberle at the beginning of the story with thermianr with his life and needing help, if you look at the official video of the song you will see that the same thing happens persoans trying to realize this but they are frustrated by adversities of life.

Meanwhile I consider that the mystery of the murderer reminds me of the lyrics of PSYCHO because it is about the same thing even though perhaps the song has a more mocking tone with respect to this theme.

The story is very good and I think it has enough content to make an adaptation perhaps to a co-production or something like that.

The Pandora BOX

Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43255878

I chose this article which details different obstacles presented by transgender people because I think it is a direct window to the situation that Arturo Arias tries to express through his story “la caja de pandora”, this story that happens to Juan when he wakes up one day as a woman leads him to face various challenges now with his new life, before Juan was not aware of the challenges that women face and now he is living them, one of the parts that caught my attention was the fear that Juan felt when he thought about what other people might think of him when he became a woman.

Not only was this one of the obstacles that Juan faced, but it was also diverse, which made me think about society, about the social obstacles that trans people face, which are simply imposed by society.


Dulce Pinzón and Graciela Iturbide (images)


I consider that both images are loaded with various meanings but what highlights my attention is the place where they are is the environment where they occur.

By observing both images, Dulce Pinzón and Graciela Iturbide for me, they express how our reality is changing while we live in society. Both images show a “non-real” landscape which is like a tapestry and is exhibited for people to see, just as we go to a zoo to see exotic animals we have never seen or to a museum to observe antiques, just as society moves on. Unfortunately it is possible that this will become the only way to be able to witness nature, if pollution and abuse of natural resources continues in this disproportionate way, I have no doubt that this will be our future.

Mexican Heaven

“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.

Even though this is a funny and humorous film, the main character “Valentin”, seeing a daughter he didn’t expect, makes the decision to immigrate to California USA, and accepts all kinds of jobs, no matter their nature or if they are dangerous or not, with the only purpose of obtaining money for his daughter. Here is a living example of how the immigrant mentality is conditioned to work in order to survive or to support loved ones.

Porcupine Love

This is a situation that can happen to many of us in various ways throughout our lives. Many times because of our personality, attitude, or our character perhaps a little reluctant to many situations and decisions, we end up making decisions or taking actions that we will later regret.

I consider that for this story, as a possible adequate alternative ending, it would be that the protagonist would have decided to speak directly with Anntena, explain to her how she feels about her relationship, explain to her about past experiences she had with previous partners, thus exposing that “thorny” personality that makes her act in an unwanted or uninteresting way over time. Perhaps if there had been a little more communication in that aspect she considered that the story would have had another ending in which perhaps both of them could have made the decision to analyze what the lack of interest on the part of the protagonist was due to, or both of them could have decided to attend therapy, analyzing what was the main reason for the breakup

Kyla Maldonado – Final Project

What have you learned in this course; in our classes, during an assignment, from a peer, in a conversation in / outside class?

How does “La Guera” by Cherrie Moraga relate to you?

Create a Spotify playlist that matches the story “Kimberle” by Achy Obejas.

  • “Everything I wanted” by Billie Eilish – This song is about suicidal and the thoughts running through Billie’s mind as she contemplates committing suicide. Within the first few paragraphs of “Kimberle” we learn that she is suicidal and that is why this song stood out to me specifically.
  • “Tell Me” by Sabrina Claudio – As the story progresses we learn that the two main women in the story become sexually involved in threesomes but the friend ends up falling in love with Kimberle. This song is about a girl who is unaware of what her partner wants and she doesn’t know how to get through to her. I feel as though this relates to what the friend is feeling towards Kimberle.
  • “Poison” by Brent Faiyaz – I love this song because I believe it gives a perfect description of how the main character feels towards Kimberle. She says in the story that Kimberle “made her feel fucking alive”. This song talks about how the girl is bad for him but he loves her and the damage she does to him. The same goes for the two girls. Kimberle does damage to her friend but the friend loves every moment of it.
  • “Crazy” by Jessie Reyez – This song can be seen through the point of view of either character. As the main character realizes Kimberle does not feel the same about them as she does she starts to pick apart her life and everything that is wrong with it. That is the perspective from the friend, she is wondering what happened in her life to bring her to this point. Eventually we find out that Kimberle is a killer, if the story went deeper and we found out more about her it could be possible that she does have feelings for her roommate but cannot express them.
  • “F*** Being Friends” by Jessie Reyez – If the main character had an aggressive reaction to Kimberle not being in love with her I think the first minute of the song relates well to what her feelings would be. In the song Jessie poses the question that her partner is scared to be in love but not to have sex. The same question and conversation can be brought up for Kimberle and the other girl. Kimberle explains “There is no us.” But continues to bring women over to have threesomes with.
  • “Mad Hatter” by Melanie Martinez – In the end of the story it is revealed that Kimberle is the killer that everyone has been worried about. This song explains what it feels like to be “crazy” or what people would consider crazy.
Pandora's Box by Arturo Arias
News Article

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/opinion/transgender-today

From page 4 onwards in Pandora’s Box, the main character Juan goes through transition from man to woman. She then begins to speak about all the changes on her body from her facial features to her breasts and more. She is fascinated by the woman she is. Throughout the rest of the story she discusses the good and bad things that come with being a woman. At first it is all about the perks and then it becomes a roller coaster. The article I found is more of a story-teller. It has many stories, some I read, which are told by people who have transitioned themselves. They give the details on how they felt at first and the changes in their everyday life including at the workplace or even at home.

Choose an image from Dulce Pinzón and Graciela Iturbide.

Batman, Superman, and Captain America aren’t the only superheroes around. Although the first picture is of a nanny taking care of the children she is paid to take care of both images speak to me of motherhood. A mother is a superhero. She takes care of her husband, her children, her work, her house, and more. Women are strong individuals that do whatever in their power to make the world run smoothly. In both pictures the women are feeding the children, but in the second the mother is breastfeeding her child. It is truly amazing what women can do not just with their bodies but with themselves as a whole.

You Get Fat When You’re in Love by José Olivarez

I chose this movie because it tells the story of a young boy who falls in love with his fathers colleague. The two spend an entire summer together happy and in love but soon they will be separated and the young boy will learn months later that his summer love is getting married. The poem expresses how love can feel at first but then once your hopes and expectations get high your love crashes down leaving you broken and skinny.

Alternative Ending for Porcupine Love

I open my eyes. Don Juan has confirmed the thoughts I was scared to let loose. I do miss her. I do want to be with her. I just don’t know how to. I’m scared that if I go see her the routine I go through will just continue. Love. Fuck. Leave. There is clearly something about my Antenita that keeps me going back. My therapist would tell me that it is the underlying love I have for her but I think it is just my urge to fuck her.
I know how wishy washy I can be but I don’t know how to fix it. Antenita has done nothing but care for me and accept me in my coldest moments and all do is hurt her with my quills.
Why would I fuck her via email if I can go to New Zealand and do it myself?
I quit my job and booked my flight. Something about Antenna makes me do spontaneous and stupid things. I argue with myself and my therapist about it all the time.
All throughout packing and traveling I thought of how stupid I was to even think about coming to New Zealand. Why did I do this? What is going to happen? Does she miss me like I missed her?
As I get off the plane and get my bags all I can think about is the look on her face. How does she look now? It has been fourteen years and a picture only looks so real compared to in person.
While I wait for Antenna to come pick me up I look around at all the reuniting couples, families, and friends. They’re all so happy with their smiles from cheek to cheek and laughter louder than a police siren. Suddenly my view was blocked by something that jumped on me so fast I couldn’t see what it was…but she felt familiar. I knew those arms wrapped around my neck. I knew those lips pressed against my cheek. I knew that scent. It was my Antenna. As she pulls herself away from me I look at her and admire her but then all these memories and feelings come back.
My heart goes cold and I push her away from me.
Why am I here.

Angela Robles

Pandora’s Box

Pandora’s Box enlightens the problems women go through in society, problems men will never really understand until they’re in a women’s shoe. The main character transitions from male to female and quickly discovers women are objectified daily. In the article Pandora speaks about feeling upset since men dont value her education, she is still not seen to have the potential she has. She states “Don’t you act like a boy on me; what do you think? I have a degree in museology, and I minored in comp. lit.” This shows how she is constantly degraded by men. The news article linked below explains why men tend to harass women at their workplace, it has a lot to do with them objectifying women and feeling superior to women in all ways. These two articles connect because they both bring light to the problems going on in society with men seeing women as less.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/20/3-psychologists-explain-why-men-harass-women-in-the-workplace.html

Porcupine Love Alternative Ending

For once I finally know what I want. What I need. Antenita. Everything without her has been so routine, I’ve lost myself. My therapist called back, she’s booked when she gets back. But do I really need her? I’ve lost so much of time to a routine. This isn’t a way to live. I’m willing to risk it all. I quit my job, after all I kept calling in sick anyways. I have enough savings to get through the trip, but when I come back I’ll have nothing left. Maybe a trip there right now is a little crazy, so I propose something more permanent. I’m certain this is what I want. I emailed Antena, we both know this is crazy but we’re willing to start fresh and finally love each other the way we’re supposed to. I feel butterflies in my stomach. It’s decided, I’m moving in with her

The day’s finally here. My flight is at 9:45 AM, I couldn’t even sleep last night. I can’t wait to see her, to feel our fingers interlock, to love her. I quickly shower and get dressed. At 7:29 AM, I’m finally ready. 7:45 the cab gets here. 8:27 I’m at the airport. I call Antenita and verify my landing time with her, she’s picking me up. I daydream throughout the whole flight, all the memories were gonna make. I can finally love her and not get cold feet, I’ve seen my life without her, It’s not half as good. I’m proud of myself for finally being ready to commit. This ride felt faster than I thought it was going to. I’m finally here. I look around and she’s not there, maybe the plane landed early. No biggy. I call her but there’s no answer, text after text. I’m getting anxious. BOO! I hear behind me. She’s here! This is where my new life begins.

Guapo Poem

This poem shows the author growing to love himself after going through a breakup. He finally realizes all his traits are cute. All his traits are what make him himself. Guapo means handsome in spanish. Olivarez lets the reader know he has fianally completely accepted and appreciated himself when he said “ugly as all hell, but all mine. my chest so pale it glows in the dark. Guapo i say to the lanterns i carry. my red beard. i give myself all of the names i like. Young Josélito, Papi Churro, Lupe. shout out my hair while i still have it. shout out my hairline & how it makes me look like my dad. my face i got from my mom. we look the same when we are laughing. Guapo, i say.” This piece relates to the struggle that many people go through, I chose this piece since it reminded me of when I was younger and went to school. I have curly hair and whenever I would let it down some people would say things about it being too puffy and frizzy, as I grew though I started to take care of it and own it.

The movie Wonder showcases Auggie who has a face deformity and gets bullied at school because of it. After passing through such harsh times at school at the end of the movie he has gained popularity amongst students and has learned to be comfortable with himself.

The poem Guapo and the movie Wonder both relate to each other since both main characters went through a rough time but in the end found self-love, including their flaws.

Photography Comparison

Hulk – Paulino Cardozo from the State of Guerrero. Works in a greengrocer loading trucks he sends 300 dollars a week.7 /19 (Dulce Pinzon)
Zapata en el Sindicato/ Zapata in the Labor Union Anenehuilco, Morelos, 1974 (Graciela Iurbide)

Both of these images portray everyday workers as heroes. The first image captures Paulino Cordozo working as a grocer loading trucks. Cordozo sends 300 dollars a week to his family back in Mexico, he is the provider. He is seen as a hero because he has sacrificed so much and works hard to give back to his family. The second image is titled “Zapata en el Sindicato”, Zapata was a Mexican revolutionist that fought for the rights of farmers and peasants and for their land to be returned to them. Both are seen as heroes in society. The pictures themselves paint them as heroes since Cordozo is dressed as the hulk, who is a strong powerful hero. This automatically lets the viewer know he is working hard for something. The second picture paints Zapata as a hero because a hard hat is placed in a seat in front of his picture, allowing the viewer to perceive him as important. These types of arrangements are usually done to honor people, and heroes are usually the ones honored.

Kimberle

Save me- XXXTENTACION

This song relates to Kimberle’s cry for help at the start of the story. She states “I have to be stopped,” Kimberle said. Her breath blurred her words,
transmitting a whooshing sound that made me push the phone away.” This shows she was really struggling mentally but needed somebody to save her, someone to make her feel safe. Similarly, this song is also a cry for help. XXXTENTACION state “Does anybody here wanna be my friend? Want it all to end. Tell me when the fuck is it all gon’ end? Voices in my head. Telling me I’m gonna end up dead. So save me. Before I fall.” Both Kimberle and X are feeling alone, both begging someone to help them, they don’t want to die but at the same time they feel that’s what they need.

Say- One Republic

At the start of the story the narrator mentions she has recently went through a break up. Instead of being genuinely upset about the break up, she’s upset because she doesn’t really know if she’ll be able to love someone again. She says “whether I’d ever care enough to understand another human being, whether I’d ever figure out how to stay after the initial flush, or whether I’d get over my absurd sense of self-sufficiency—I was haunted by those questions.” She doesn’t know if she’ll be lonely forever or if she’ll be able to love and accept all parts in a relationship. In the song the lyrics say “Do you know where your love is do you think that you lost it you felt it so strong but nothings turned out how you want it,” both people are reflecting about finding love, will they ever? These both connect in the idea that lonliness may be an option for both in the future, and currently it’s what they’re going through.

Life My Life- Far East Movement

Kimberle has a reckless way of living her life, from the start of the story to the end. She has a very “in the moment” way of thinking, which is showed through her actions. One of those being bringing girls home every other day while they may be targets of possibly being murdered. This is unusual to the narrator as she states “Not even a week had gone by when Kimberle brought another girl home…I was going to protest,” however the narrator starts to like the way Kimberle lives. She lives in the moment, she forgot about the books that were missing. Everything was about now. This song is also about living in the moment and enjoying life to the fullest, the lyrics go “I’m gonna live my life no matter what, we party tonight.” Both the song and the short story connect when they accept living for today and enjoying themselves.

Memories- David Guetta

The narrator recalls a time with Kimberle when her adrenaline was at a all time high. Kimberle has taught her the value of letting go and how much better it makes you feel. As she recalls, she states ” she gunned the car, hurling it down the black tunnel, the tires spitting rocks as she swirled this way and that, following the eerie spotlight provided by the moon . . .for a moment, we were suspended in air and time…“That was amazing,” I said, my heart still racing. ‘Just amazing.” This shows how letting go and living recklessly made her feel happy and so full of life. Similarly, this song talk about letting go and how that would be the best for him mentally. The lyrics go “I just wanna let go for the night. That would be the best therapy for me,” relating to the narrator in the sense that letting go makes them feel at their best.

Jenny- Studio Killers

As the relationship develops between Kimberle and her roommate develop, her roommate begins to have feelings for her. In the beginning of the story it seems they don’t get along too well, but at the end of the day they understand each other. As the story develops the roomate realizes she doesn’t see Kimberle as just her roomate, all the time they’ve spent together and all the threesomes they’ve been involved in have led her to catching feelings. She states ““Kimberle, don’t you ever think about what we’re doing—about us?” Finally confessing her feelings to Kimberle. In the song Studio Killers say “I wanna ruin our friendship, we should be lovers instead,” both of them have the same feelings and are both confessing it.

La Guera

What I learned throughout the semester

Throughout this class, I learned how tough it has really been for us as minorities. I’ve always known that Latinos have gone through discrimination and will probably continue to go through it, however, I did not know the actual history behind it. One of the lessons that stuck out to me the most was when we learned about The Young Lords, how they had to fight to get basic rights for those living in the Lower Eastside. It was very empowering to me how they did not care about the repercussions, they made it their goal to get education, food, and shelter for their community, even if they had to do it themselves. When we learned about Selena, I also learned how important it is to have a representative for our community, although I’m not Mexican, I am Hispanic, and will continue to be proud of the accomplishments of those in our community. At the time, Selena was the one representing us and it allowed us as Hispanics to be proud, and her impact is still felt to this day. These were my two favorite lessons of the whole semester.

Amanda Medina – Final Project

Overall lessons learned throughout this course

La Guera, Cherrie Moraga, reading

Spotify Playlist: In connection with “Kimberle”

  • First Song: NF: I just wanna know
  • Second Song: Katy Perry: I kissed a girl
  • Third Song; Rihanna: Russian Roulette
  • Fourth Song: Alec Benjamin: Let Me Down Slowly

The reason I selected these four songs was because they each connect to the story of Kimberle and the relationship to the narrator. During the story, the narrator depicts a friend struggling with suicide serious issues. (which connects to NF, I just wanna know) As Kimberle, taunts the narrator by taking her books and frustrating her with the constant removal of her items. Whenever she tries to address the missing books something traumatizing seems to happen like her Kimberle severally cutting herself to the point she must be rushed to the hospital or her running away. On top of all these tramatic tactics by Kimberle, she engages her friend into sporadic threesomes with other females and somehow with the mixture of worry for her friends mental stability and the toxicity of their escalated friendship, the narrator finds herself wanting more with Kimberle only to find that those feelings are one sided. With the ultimate end of it all in a crazy car accident and the fall killer ending it all with the murder of Kimberle right before the narrators eyes. (connects to Rihanna’s Russian Roulette) “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.”

“Kimberle, don’t you ever think about what we’re doing—about us?”
Kimberle “Us? There is no us.” (connects to the song Alec Benjamin: Let Me Down Slowly)

The reason I chose Katy Perry’s song, I kissed a girl was because the song is about a girl kissing another girl and liking it. This reminded me and connected to the part when the Narrator was having a threesome with Kimberle and another woman and the woman though asked them to kiss. After that time all she wanted to do was kiss, Kimberle. “I realized I wanted to kiss Kimberle—not for anyone else’s pleasure but for my own.”

Pandora’s Box, by Arturo Arias

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UVbOSDepqcuJqhFeLMKtq_XqskRLuyaY/view?usp=sharing

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2018/07/20/feature/crossing-the-divide-do-men-really-have-it-easier-these-transgender-guys-found-the-truth-was-more-complex/

In the 1990s, the late Stanford neuroscientist Ben Barres transitioned from female to male. He was in his 40s, mid-career, and afterward he marveled at the stark changes in his professional life. Now that society saw him as male, his ideas were taken more seriously. He was able to complete a whole sentence without being interrupted by a man. A colleague who didn’t know he was transgender even praised his work as “much better than his sister’s.”

Washington Post article on “Crossing the divide do men really have it easier?”

Dulce Pinzón & Graciela Iturbide

The thing – Luis Hernandez from the State of Veracruz. Works as in demolition in New York he sends 200 dollars a week.
Hidroscalo, Ostia, Italia, 2008, Graciela Iturbide

The reason I chose these two pictures by photographers Graciela Iturbide and Dulce Pinzon is because they both somehow connect. The first picture, by photographer Graciela of Luis Hernandez dressed as the thing which is a superhero with a rockey appearance and is posing drilling through rocks. I found these two photos to be connected by it’s rocks and rubles within the shoots. Both pictures depict the rocks and ruble and many artist believe that rocks have a symbolic meaning to them. It is believed that the meaning of rocks formations often symbolize the passage from one life to the next. It’s relatable to Luis and how he’s moved on to a better life, but still sends money home to where he is from and his family. For these reasons, I feel like these two photos best connect despite being takes at two different locations, by different artist and for different purposes.

José Olivarez: “Mexican Heaven”

I Chose this poem because it’s relatable to many aspects of my personal life and how I found myself gaining weight when I fell in love and how I lost weight when out of love. Love has a way of causing you to feel a sense of comfortableness that will have you doing everything that brings you joy which many believe food provides the same sense of comfort and joy as love does Many people will judge your weight gain during your relationship and call you fat or make jokes about it. However, there’s an adverse effect that occurs when you’re heartbroken or have fallen out of love. The heartbreak can cause you do loose interest in eat and you might lose a-lot of weight due to stress or depression. Both instances create a field for people looking in to judge you. Which is why I chose the short film/poem from Blythe Baird about “When the fat girl gets skinny.” which coincides with this poem as the opposite spectrum of being fat and the adverse effects of when going from fat to skinny can become.

“When the Fat Girl Gets Skinny” by Blythe Baird – Short Film (Mend a Mind)

Porcupine Love, short story by Tatiana de la Tierra (Colombia)

In the ending of Porcupine Love, the narrator finds that although she becomes cold and disconnected when it seems like things a shifting in her relationships towards more commitment than those beginning stages of lust – she learns that she’s quite frankly not too fond of commitment and she internally builds a wall that creates a disconnect between her potential partner and her growing closer. While towards the end of the story she tries to find ways to break those barriers that hold her back from emotionally committing and falling in love after she realizes she actually did once fall in love – but ruined it. If I were to create an alternative ending to this story it would be as follows;

Instead of being fearful of losing her job, benefits, and the things that kept her from journeying out to New Zealand for her voyage of love – She would submit a letter of resignation run home pack and fly to “New Zealand, 2 continents, 3 oceans, 8,643 miles, and 31 airplane hours away.” for a second chance at love with Antenna. When she arrives, Antenna is everything she remembers her to be. Sweet, loving, and still the better half of her. Their first day together, was joyous and intense. She apologized to Antenna and pleaded with her for a second shot. Antenna seemed apprehensive as she knew that things always started off beautiful but it was after their intimacy that things would always take a turn and the disconnect would start. Surprisingly, things had stayed just as pleasant as the next couple of days past. However, something in Antenna had shifted. Her feelings had changed and as much as she wanted things to work she felt a huge void within her. As if this just wasn’t what she expected things to be. The roles had changed, where Antenna was once the one who had felt left with a huge void and disconnect and bitchy. It was as if their relationship had gone down the exact same path as it had fourteen years ago.

However this time the roles were reverse – it was Antenna who had grown distant and disconnected. All the feeling she recalls inflicting on Antenna was now being done to her. The pain was intense and the hurt she was experiencing was deep – she had been met with a sense of karma unlike ever before. She realized this is what Antenna and all the other before must have felt when they were left her by her lack of commitment. She felt numb, scrambling to find the worlds to fix this or somehow make things better. The days past and Antenna continued to withdraw and it was as if she became a completely different person. It was as it she was looking into a mirror of her soul. Days passing and the discomfort growing stronger and stronger. Everyday she tried to make things work with Antenna, but things grew darker and lonelier. Until the final days of her and Antenna where she was forced to return home with a shattered heart.

My reasoning for reversing the roles is because I’m a believer in people being able to learn from lessons that they go through themselves. Sometime we don’t realize the severity of our hurt and neglect towards others feelings until we are the ones being hurt and neglected. The narrator went to pastors and did rituals to break her toxic behavior – however I feel the only way to break those cycles is to experience that pain you’ve inflict on others.

Final Project- Dulce Reyes

La Guera, Cherrie Moraga


Playlist based on short story, “Kimberle” by Achy Obejas

“23” – Chase Atlantic

Quotes from story that relate to this song:

Quote 1: “I left my VW Golf at home and took a cab to pick her up from some squalid blues bar, where hers was the only pale face in the place.” (14)

Quote 2: “…so that it wasn’t long before she found herself at the unemployment office (where her insistence on stepping out to smoke cost her her place in line so many times she finally gave up).” (16)

  • This song is about a girl who has spent her youthful years just partying and having a “good” time, but in reality she suffers from her low self-esteem and in order to cope with it, she turns to drugs. I feel like this is related to Kimberle because of how in the very beginning of the story, the narrator says she was going to pick her up in a club (quote 1). In the story, it is also evident that Kimberle has gone through many hardships, like when she was fired and evicted from her home right after (16). She also appears to have an addiction to nicotine (smoking cigarettes) (quote 2).

“Falling” – Harry Styles 

Quote: “Her girlfriend had caught her in flagrante delicto and walked out; depression had swallowed her in the aftermath.” (16)

  • “Falling” is all about the emotions you feel once you lose a lover by your own doing (you’re not yourself and often feel lost and helpless), so it tied in very well with the story since once Kimberle had lost her girlfriend, it resulted in a deep depression. In this song it states, “And there’s no one to blame but the drink and my wandering hands”, which I feel goes hand in hand with this quote of the story where it says how Kimberle’s past girlfriend left her after catching her in “flagrante delicto”, which basically means, “being caught red handed”. 

“No body, No crime” – Taylor Swift

Quote: “It seemed that about this time every year, there would be a disappearance—someone would fail to show up at her dorm or study hall.” (15)

  • Throughout the story, there was mention of a murderer being on the loose. Every so often, a girl that was “average looking” would go missing and months later would be found dead in a corn field by an unsuspecting farmer. I feel like this song was related to this in the sense that it talks about murder and how even though people were suspicious of who had done it, there wasn’t any proof. In the story they lacked leads and years had gone by without having found this murderer.  

“Déjate Llevar” – The Marias

Quote 1: “Trembling there in the dark, I realized I wanted to kiss Kimberle—not for anyone else’s pleasure but for my own.” (25)

Quote 2: “I steered out of town, past the strip malls, the corn fields, and the interstate where, years before, Kimberle had made me feel so fucking alive.” (24) 

Quote 3: “’Ready . . . ? For what?’” I asked, my fingers clutching the shoulder belt. ‘This’, she whispered. Then she turned off the headlights. Before I had a chance to adjust to the tracers, she gunned the car, hurling it down the black tunnel…” (21)

  • This song is about “letting yourself go”, it states something along the lines of, “even if you say you don’t want anything to do with me, if one day you feel anything towards me, just let yourself feel those things”.  I think this song can both relate to the narrator’s newfound feelings for Kimberle (quote 1) and also Kimberle’s ability to allow her to just let herself go. An example of this is when they were younger and Kimberle almost gets them in a car accident (quotes 2 and 3). Even though the narrator had felt terrified when it occurred, she noted that it had made her feel “so fucking alive” (21), igniting something in her that she had never felt before. 

“Me” – The 1975

Quote: “I suppose I should have been worried about Kimberle’s whereabouts when she wasn’t home, given the threat of suicide she’d so boldly announced.” (3)

  • “Me” centers around difficult past experiences and coming to terms with them. In this song the artist is confronting his past self and his previous actions. There’s a line in the song that goes, “I nearly killed somebody, don’t you mind?”. This relates to the quote from the story that I’ve provided where the narrator notes on Kimberle being suicidal. The song quote is saying how they “nearly killed somebody”, the “somebody” meaning themselves, and in the story Kimberle also possesses suicidal tendencies due to her grave depression.

Alternative ending for “Porcupine Love” by Tatiana de la Tierra

The next day I call my boss and as soon as he picks up the only words that slip out of my mouth are: “I quit”. There’s no going back now. I take the first flight available to New Zealand, I’ll figure out the rest of the details later, right now, I just want to see Antennita again and I’ll stop at nothing to do so. I’m tired of doubting myself, my chances, and most importantly my love for her, because I love her, I do, and I’ll stop at nothing to prove that fact, to not only her but to myself as well. Proof that I am capable of love without ruining it afterwards. No more Porcupine love, I refuse to let it define me. 

The flight was long and in all honesty, I had never felt more exhausted in my entire life, but the adrenaline rush I got from just the thought of seeing Antenna again made all that exhaustion reverse itself into an odd sense of determination and strength. I had informed Antenna about my impromptu decision just a few minutes before the airplane took off. I’ll be there, was her reply to my email asking her to pick me up at the airport. There’s no turning back now, I kept repeating to myself over and over again. As I stepped out into the airport, I had to walk a few feet before I saw her, but when I did, I felt something in me that I had never felt before. It was if my body was floating and my heart was beating at a hundred miles an hour. There she was in all her glory, my little Antenita. As we collided into each other’s arms, she pulled back a bit and I suddenly felt her lips crush into mine. As we pulled apart, I looked at her feeling like I was on top of the world, “this is too good be true”. She smiled softly, “that’s because it is”. I looked at her, confusion plastered all over my face and right as I was about to respond, I jolted awake.


Movie clip that relates to “Mexican Heaven” by José Olivarez

“Mexican Heaven”

“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 rooster & the men die of starvation” (22)

  • In this clip, we see Miles Morales’ as he begins his morning before he heads to school. However, the most important part about this clip is Miles Morales’ mother, Rio Morales, who based on her uniform appears to be a nurse. All throughout the clip, you can see them rushing about to get ready; his parents for work and Miles for school. Rio is yelling at him in spanish to hurry up. She’s a modern day working mom, and we can also assume from the clip that the food Miles takes a bite of could’ve been cooked by her (since she was in the kitchen). I feel like this clip is related to this poem because it’s referencing how many hispanic women are meant to bear the burden of having to do everything around their households and then also on top of that, raise their children, and pay bills. The poem describes how, “the rats are fat as rooster & the men die of starvation”. This suggests that if these women were to suddenly get up and walk out,  then their family’s lives will definitely turn upside down since everyone is so dependent on them. Therefore, hispanic women deserve a lot more recognition and acknowledgement than they do.

A newspaper article online that relates to “Pandora’s Box” by Arturo Arias

Link to the article: https://www.vice.com/en/article/43e899/male-to-female-transition-guide

This article points out the many challenges that come with transitioning and gives trans women tips on their journey to do so. In “Pandora’s Box” by Arturo Arias, Juan wakes up one day as a woman and isn’t really sure of what to do with their newfound body, they’re confused and unsure of their reality. It takes Juan, who is now Juanita, a while to get her thoughts in order and figure out what to do next. One of the very first things she does is go to a shopping mall and buy new clothes that are more feminine. As she adjusted to the new changes, she realizes that being a woman isn’t all that easy and that they must endure various struggles throughout their daily lives as well as the initial confusion in regards to her new body and learning to adjust to it. In the story it states, “I simply looked around, as if embarrassed that someone would recognize me, but I saw nobody, not even a stranger, and I decided immediately to head home, to run like crazy for home, feeling the strangeness of running with bouncing weights on my chest and my behind, yet also feeling somehow lighter” (31). There’s an obvious discomfort in her newly acquired body, yet she still feels a sort of relief as well. In the article it explains, “Transition made it easier for me to love myself because I wasn’t so distracted by the weird situation of living as the wrong gender, but I needed to do a lot of work to accept myself for exactly who I am”. Transitioning may relieve that discomfort of feeling like you aren’t in the right body, but there are also other challenges that come along with it, such as what the article revealed to be, “gender dysmorphia”, or distress in trans people whose sex assigned at birth differs from their gender identity.


Comparing photographs of Dulce Pinzón and Graciela Iturbide

“Housewife” by Dulce Pinzón from collection, “The Wonderful Life of Andy”
  • This photograph depicts a woman standing in her kitchen with an infant seated in a baby seat with a surprised expression plastered on their small face. The woman, who in this case appears to be the baby’s mother, is holding a cupcake and leaning towards the child. The title of the photograph, “Housewife”, indicates that she’s a full-time mom and spends her days performing house duties. I think that this photograph kind of romanticizes the idea of the housewife. A lot of women in today’s day and age have adapted more modernized ideals and transitioned to working moms, who do house chores, along with raising their children and also working. They work incredibly hard and oftentimes this work is overlooked and definitely not appreciated enough. Also, many women around the world now have the opportunity (and feel more open to) starting careers rather than marrying young and bearing children. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being a housewife but it is important for women to realize that this isn’t their only choice in life, they can pursue whatever their hearts desire without needing to feel “stuck” only doing one thing throughout the entirety of their lives.
“Doña Guadalupe” photographed by Graciela Iturbide from collection, “Juchitán”
  • “Doña Guadalupe” shows a woman sporting a knee length sheer dress sitting down, while being blindfolded. To her right, is a toddler looking up at her and to her left a dog about to pass by. Unlike the first photograph by Dulce Pinzón, she isn’t a readily domestic setting. I think that the sheerness of her dress could be a representation of women’s or mothers vulnerability to the world. Women are often put down and judged without any remorse. They know there’s the chance of being terribly hurt, either by their own children, the world, or just anything life is cruel enough to throw at them. But even so, they still push through and accept the inevitable harm. The blindfold could mean how women pretend to not “see” these things that have the capability of hurting them. The child gazing up at her could also be representative of their dependence on their mother and admiration for her hard work. I’m not sure if the woman depicted in this photograph is a housewife or working mom, so either one would severely change the meaning behind the photograph itself. 

What I learned in this course

This is a conversation I had with a close friend of mine regarding Bad Bunny and Princess Nokia and their intentions through their music, which I thought were both, super enlightening and fascinating. I really enjoyed learning about them through this class.

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