Camp Gugelstein

In finishing Mona I was particularly struck by one scene in Book II. This scene comes after the scenes in which it is revealed that Evie and Alfred have been secretly seeing each other, and secretly holding get togethers with Alfred's friends at the house. Barbara feels she has been betrayed by this behavior, and even suggests calling in her parents to get back at Evie and Alfred for lying to her. Seth maintains she is just being a "fair-weather radical" and that she needs to not "let [her] ego get in the way of [her] politics," to which Barbara responds "I don't have any politics...I have feelings" (195).

What did you guys think about this? Is Barbara just being a "fair-weather radical"? Or does she have a right to be angry (think about, too, her behavior later on with the flask issue)?

Mona In the promised land

When reading this book I had to keep in mind that this was an immigrant telling the story. Everything she talked about sounded so Americanized whether it was the struggle to fit in with society, or the"defiance" against parental influences. But I wonder, was mona trying to be as American as possible because she wanted to be like eveyone else around her and join the fad, or did she because to an extent she didn't feel she fit in with the culture her ancestors came from?

Comparisons

The last part of this book made me think back to Bread Givers, especially in the moment when Mona leaves home.  However, this book gave me a lot more satisfaction.  To me Mona is stronger when the confrontation happens and ultimately seems more successful.  Her mother and the old way of thinking has been left behind, and I think that, much like Sarah still had love for her father, this same love is shown at the end of the epilogue.  But I thought it was beautiful how Jen gives us the image of Mona's mother and then replaced it with Mona's own happy child, which to me signifies a new beginning and opportunity for Mona to raise her child with acceptance and love.

Also even though the twist with Seth being Sherman was pretty expected, I was happy when Mona found that closure.  This childhood love that stayed with her throughout the book and was always sparked again when he would reappear was finally revealed to be someone that she could relate to and who ultimately accepted her which is something that Sherman was never willing to do.  I think Seth was demonstrating to Mona that she could be whoever she wanted to be.  I think it's funny that Seth was all about free thinking and Mona was kind of fighting against that throughout the novel, but ultimately he wins her back through free thought and acceptance.

So my question is what do you think about the switching theme?  Did your feelings about the novel and the ideas portrayed in it change once you got to the end?

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

In previous posts I have uploaded videos of modern advertisements with Native Americans.  Therefore, while I watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, this performance intrigued me.  What image of Native Americans does this performance depict?  How does this image relate to the NativeVote video or the environmental protection commercial we watched in class?  Considering what we have studied in this class, was anyone else struck by this performance?

Epilogue

At first I thought the epilogue was very sad, but I did like that Mona's mother came to the wedding in the end.  I felt there was a lot of material in the epilogue.  What did you think?  Her sister adopted Chinese culture more than her parents, her father accepted his daughter's new culture and her mother finally came to see her.  Do you think it was a sad ending?  A good ending?  What do you think this says about the way cultures blend or distinguish themselves in America?

Mona and an add

Reading Mona really makes me want to read the first book about her parents. I want to see their relationship of settling in America and if they were as sarcastic as she is. I hope to read it someday because this book has really caught my attention and is very interesting.

I have seen on t.v. an ad for I think American Family Fitness with a white guy dressed as a Native American. In the add they justify it by the man liking the Redskins football team. Then at the end they have an African-American man dressed as a cowboy because he liked the Cowboy football team. I thought this interesting especially because of the No Doubt and Victoria Secrets debacle. How do you all feel about this being in an add that not only we, as adults see, but also when children watch it?

Also I know a lot of people didn't like the book at the beginning, now that we've read more have you all begun to enjoy it?

Honest Narration

What I really like about this book is how honest and straight forward it is. This is one of the few books that really puts it out there in plain language how it feels to be ethnic in America and how you see your ethnicity as an American. I also really like Mona's character. She strives so much for freedom and wants so much to be her own person. I am also suspicious that she is the narrator which makes the narration all the more compelling. The passage that really stuck out to me is when she's explaining to Rabbi Horowitz why she wants to be Jewish. When he questions her motives and implies she merely wants to be Jewish to rebel against her family she responds, "Maybe. But also I like it here at the temple. I like it that you tell everyone to ask, ask, instead of just obey, obey. I like it that people are supposed to be their rabbi, and do their business directly with G-d." (Also could not help but think of Kaplan here; banking vs. problem posing!) I thought this was a very honest, unique, and unexpected response, and it's a really understandable reason. From our class discussions it sounds like a lot of people aren't big fans of Mona, but I like her. She's got spunk!

The Cover

This is the cover on my edition of Mona. Every time I see it it grabs my attention. I think it’s really interesting because it’s basically a sea of American flags surrounding this one, small picture of a face. But it's not an actual face it's just eyes, specifically, eyes that are different to what is considered the norm by American mainstream society.

What do you think is the significance of focusing on this single feature? Why not show the entire face or entire body? Why all of the American flags?

Rhinoplasty and Ethnic Pride

 

                In the beginning of Chapter 7 “Social Action comes to the Pancakes House”, we find out that Barbara has received rhinoplasty to alter her nose. This brought to my mind the extent to which people belonging to different ethnic groups will go to make their appearances more fitting to western standards of beauty. From skin bleaching creams, hair straitening chemicals, to surgery on their eyelids, a lot of these methods can be extensive and sometimes even dangerous. Sometimes I wonder if this type of change could be considered a form of “Assimilation” in America. The majority culture impedes its standards on other cultures. The thought of the word assimilation has never been tied to positive thoughts in my mind. Do you agree with Barbara’s new bodily reconstruction? And what could this possibly say about Amercan’s standards of beauty?

VCU Undergraduate Research Symposium_April 2013

One possible motivation (for those who are not graduating this December)--You may consider submitting a Poster for the VCU Poster Symposium in April 2013 using your research for the final project in this class. I've had students who presented in the past and they report favorably. This may be a good opportunity to list a new accomplishment on your CV. If you're interested, keep in touch and I'm happy to advise you next semester. There will be a call for submissions in January and the deadline is sometimes in March. You can read about last year's symposium here:

http://wp.vcu.edu/sponsoredprograms/2012/01/09/call-for-abstracts-3rd-annual-poster-symposium-for-undergraduate-research-and-creativity/

"Hey...You're Not Chinese!"

I've worked at this one Chinese restaurant for almost 7 years....


One time, I brought a pot of tea to a table of two. A grown man, late 40s, exclaimed, "Hey! You're not Chinese!"
How astute. And, classy, too.
But...this is America, Sir. Maybe I am Chinese...at least maybe just a little bit Chinese.


"How did you get a job here?!"
"Equal Employment Opportunity."
...And, I happen to be a kick-ass server.


Two weeks ago...
     Me: "Good afternoon, how are you doing today?"
     Old female WASP: "Are you Chinese?"
     Me: "No ma'am, I am not."
     Old female WASP: "Oooh good!"
I don't know what that was about.
 

I'm not the kind of server who introduces herself; I don't care about you, you don't care about me--now, what do you want to eat? (You don't need to know my name in order for me to provide excellent service.) But sometimes, the patrons are nosey and start asking me dumb things like,

"Where are you from?"
"I grew up in New Jersey."
"No, I mean...where were you born?"

I always try to project a pleasant disposition in these situations, but I'm pretty sure the customer can sense that I'm not really smiling anymore...I'm baring my teeth.

"I was born in Los Angeles." I'm well aware that this is not the answer to the question they intended to ask. And, sometimes they just drop it.

Usually, however, they continue to pry.

"Are you from around here?"
"I've lived in Richmond since 2001."

"Are you Spanish?"
"No."

"Where are your parents from?"
"My mother is from the Philippines, and my father is from Chicago." Finally, an answer they're satisfied with; it's the key to understanding my complexion.

The question, "What are you?" still irks me, but at least the person is closer to saying what they mean to say. I believe the appropriate question is, "What is your ethnic background?"
Sometimes I feel like what they really want to say is, "Why don't your eyes look like those of everyone else in this restaurant? You don't fit in. I came here for an authentic Asian experience."

Margaret Cho_"Asian Problems"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6CjYy9EgHg&feature=related

Margaret Cho about Race

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc6mLwOa2Ig

The "Model Minority" Myth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbfpD86mBbQ

Please Watch this Interview with Jen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv8pUSAjqfU

Mona

I really like this story so far. It's very interesting and I can't wait to find out what happens to Mona. I'm doing an opener tomorrow and if we don't have enough time to discuss this I thought of putting it here. What is the significance of having Sherman Matsumoto reappear out of the blue while Mona is doing the phone calls? Do you consider him a main character? Is he supposed to teach Mona to not be Americanized?

When is a pickle dish more than just a pickle dish?

Though it seems like a few people are having trouble with the narrative style of Mona, I actually have to agree with Chandra. I'm finding Mona very enjoyable - I don't find the narrator's voice jarring at all. Most of the time, in fact, the narrator's voice weaves pretty seamlessly into the action for me. However, there are particular times when it does stand out quite a bit, for instance in case of the quote for which this post is named: the beginning of chapter 2, "When is a pickle dish more than just a pickle dish?" (24) and also the beginning of chapter 3, "Religion? Confirmation? In this anti-establishment age?" (32). (There are actually many many other times, too - the more I look the more I find, actually.) I find this statement of presence really interesting.

What I want to ask you - which actually relates pretty closely to Heather's questions - is who you think this narrator might be? At this stage, do you think it's just a particularly opinionated narrator, or maybe someone actually in the story (my biggest nominee for that would be Mona herself)? Or even someone we haven't met yet?

Sherman and Barbara

I just wanted to bring up that as soon as I started reading Sherman's language I immediately thought of "The Education of Hyman Kaplan". On page thirteen he says "Fader bow to moder" (father bow to mother) which is just one of the examples of his broken English. Just like with Hyman Kaplan, people thought he wasn't smart just because he couldn't speak English well..but that wasn't true in either case. Secondly, I wanted to bring up Barbara's insensitivity. Barbara makes numerous comments that are insensitive towards basically non-white people but I don't think she intends to be cruel. She says a few times that different countries "invented" different things, like the Chinese inventing scalpels (which according to Google isn't true). I could see Barbara saying something like the Chinese invented laundromats and Hispanics invented lawn mowers or making some other racially biased statement about some country inventing something that really isn't true. However what I thought to be more rude was on page eleven when she said "First comes love. Then comes marriage, and then come Chappies in a baby carriage" and then explains that "Chappies" are Chinese-Japs...which is just rude. What do you all think about Barbara's mouth? Do you think she says these things with cruel intentions or is just talking without realizing how rude she's being?

writing style

This is turning out to be the most difficult book to read for me.  I'm not even sure if I really dislike the writing style, because sometimes it's funny, but something about it is making it seem a little less personal and therefore not as interesting as many of the other novels.  I feel like the narrator is kind of condescending and making fun of Mona, which makes sense since a lot of the stuff she says and does are a little iffy.  However, I can relate to falling into joking about stereotypes...and the voice of the narrator kind of reminds me of how I might talk about some of my past actions when contemplating what I've gone along with.

As you can probably tell I'm still conflicted with how I feel about this book, but I guess my question is, why do you think the narrator chose to write like this...do you like it or dislike it, and...do you think the story would be easier to relate to, or more accessible, if it was from Mona's point of view, or even from an unbiased narrator?

End of Section One

I am somewhat confused about the events that end section one of Mona in the Promised Land. Mona struggles with a man by van the Barbara gave her, but it is unclear what exactly happens. Does Seth save her from her assailant? Is Seth the man with whom she struggles? I am inclined to think the answer to the first question is "yes" and the second is "no," but it is not clear.  Hopefully, this will be illuminated with further reading.
Thoughts?

Grab the Popcorn (Potential extra credit event)

In honor of International Education week there will be a screening of a movie about Asian American immigration and experiences. This could be cool considering we're starting a unit this week. Also you could probably use this for an extra credit paper!

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12 - 3 p.m. - 5 p.m., OMSA

OMSA Diversity Film Series Presents:
Becoming American: The Chinese Experience.

The OMSA Diversity Film Series is designed to offer films that reflect the full spectrum of issues related to multiculturalism.

Conversion Confusion: Mona vs. Helen

Mona in the Promised Land is turning out to be a fantastic read, mostly as a result of the narrator's humor and style. I find the character of Helen to be an intriguing one, as she at times seems to be both stuck to tradition and at the same time embracing the American Way (TM). Her reaction to Mona's conversion is very interesting as result, as Helen previously explained that she and her husband Ralph were Buddhist Taoist Catholic. The image that struck me most during this scene was the cuckoo clock with the Statue of Liberty chiming as the secret was revealed, with the clock going "cuckoo, cuckoo", as if to say, "Yeah this is America, where ideas, ideology, and identity get confusing and crazy!"

Earlier in the novel, Mona questions why they moved to the neighborhood of Scarshill, understanding that they came here for the schools. Her mother instead states that they moved here for their daughters' education. What is the difference? What exactly do you think Mona is being educated in at this point in the novel?

Helen and Ralph

The relationship between Helen and Ralph (and the fact that they are referred to by their first names) is an interesting one. Helen takes on the familial load because Ralph isn't capable or won't. She works the hardest, both at home and in the restaurant. Mona notes the "crevasse" between them.

In what other works have we seen these types of issues between male and female characters? To what do we attribute it? Why do the women always seem stronger in their "new world"?

Mona in the Promise Land

To begin with, I guess I didn't quite expect the extensive amount of sarcasm that opened the novel.  In fact, it almost became irritating trying to read and messed up my reading flow.  I'm wondering if this happened with anyone else and what effect the extensive sarcasm has?  What do you think was Jen's intention by using this technique.
Also, I was very intrigued by the juxtaposition of Mona and Sherman.  Mona is deemed a Chinese-American and inspires interest in her peers due to her supposed 'foreignness'.  However, in fact, Mona is far removed from her heritage as is most of her family.  Even her mother admits to being unable to remember how to write Chinese characters.  On the other hand, Sherman is himself the immigrant.  He is from Japan and has ventured to the United States.  At first, Mona hesitates to accept Sherman.  But, Sherman mother chose his class based on the fact that there was another Asian, Mona.  Therefore, Sherman's mother actually echoes the sentiment of her peers.  Solely the fact that she is Chinese consoles her.  However, Sherman's presence highlights Mona's distance from her homeland and culture.  Just before Sherman leaves, Mona asks him to switch to American because the way he does things is weird.  How does this juxtaposition enhance or detract from our impressions of Mona and Sherman?  Would we feel the same way about each of the characters if it weren't for the presence of the other?  What do these characters say about the process of Americanization?

Victoria Secret Does it Again!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/08/karlie-kloss-victorias-secret-headdress-fashion-show_n_2091958.html

collection of stories vs novel

When we first started reading Drown, I was a little confused on why the work just cannot be considered a novel but rather a collection of stories.  More towards the end, I understood a little more but not entirely.  I don't know that I would call the structure much different from that of Love Medicine.  In both works, each chapter has a different subject and often a different narrator.  In both, the chapters are not chronological but more randomly presented.  In both, there is some disjunction from this structure.  I was hoping this question might be addressed in class but since it was not I decided to take to the blog.  I'm wondering what structurally is so different between these two works that one is deemed a novel while the other is just considered a collection of stories.  What defines a novel as opposed to a collection of stories?

Throughout the course of Drown by Junot Diaz, a multitude of characters use small phrases in Spanish or some even have their titles in spanish such as tio or tia  As a reader, why do you think Junot Diaz was considering when he decide to use such small pieces of another language in his novel?

Daiz's Intentions of The Instructional

“How to Date a Browngirl…” really stuck to me since the narrative form is unique and in an instructional style. It clearly, however, is also telling the story while instructing because the narrator names what to do in specific circumstances that clearly actually happened at some point and are not  just circumstantial instructions like when the narrator instructs, “Call her house and when her father picks up ask if she’s there. He’ll ask, Who is this? Hang up. He sounds like a principal or a police chief, the sort of dude with a big neck, who never has to watch his back” (145). The other part of this story that sticks it is how intentionally adheres to stereotypes. The narrator stereotypes by saying how either a white, black, or mixed girl will react in a circumstance and he also refers to how he expects others to stereotype when he states, “She’ll say, I like Spanish guys, and even though you’ve never been to Spain, say, I like you” (148). I thought this quote was interesting because it is also calling attention to a common problem that Dominicans face of people assuming they are Spanish just because they speak the language.

Do you think Diaz’s intention is to condemn stereotypes or simply imply they are a just a natural part of life? Why?

Why do you think the story is titled “How to Date a Browngirl…”? I ask this because it seems to be making a statement since it is instructing how to date a black, mixed, or white girl.

No Face

I especially like the short stories of the No Face as it builds on top of the Ysrael. Ysrael is first introduced as timid boy who was traumatized and carries emotional and physical scars. The development of character in Ysrael was very interesting because it was closely resembled the story of a Super Hero. How Ysrael change his identity to be "No Face" and how he shouts out his abilities (Flight, Strength, and Invisible)

Why do you think the author used a super hero to shift the character of Ysrael?

Racism & Scholarships

So I was reading comments about the No Doubt video that had been removed due to offending Native Americans. And one of the comments I read I found very interesting. This is the comment.

"I found nothing racist about the video. I don't get upset when African American rapper videos portray white people badly either.

Do you want to know what I find racist? The African American Scholarship Foundation. Why on Earth would you start an organization designed around providing a particular race with scholarships? That screams racism. Any scholarship that requires applicants to be of a certain race is, by definition, racist because it makes distinctions between the races."

I actually could really see this persons point. I remember filling out a lot of scholarships in high school and always remember feeling like there were so many that only targeted a certain race. Which I can understand to a degree because of that ethnicities history of racial segregation, but at the same time it can also at times seem unfair. I found this video which is a news story about a scholarship that was formed just for white males. It goes hand in hand with this post and thought it might seem appropriate. 

http://newsroom.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/01/white-only-scholarship/

What are your thoughts on scholarships formed just for a particular race? Is it not right to pass judgement on these organizations because of that ethnicities history of oppression? Or do you see it as unfair or racist? 

Yunior and Holden

In Drown, there were parts of the story I came across that were abrupt and disturbing. Usually troubling events whether fictional or in real life, creep up on you. Foreshadowing a negative situation typically includes an eerie feeling or dark descriptive words to decribe the setting. In the story of Yunior and the bus driver, the setting really gave me no indication of that molestation situation happening. It was almost as if it was meant to be mentioned, then "swept under the rug". Yunior's story reminded me of Holden Caulifield's character in the Catcher in the Rye.  Instances of exual molestation were mentioned in the Catcher in the Rye but after it was mentioned, it was no longer discussed in the book. Sexual molestations are uncomfortable to even think about, let alone write about. I often wonder if these mentionings are a way for the authors to divulge pieces of their lives in books without really using themselves.

Do you think that by using fictional stories, writers are masking troubling events that they have been apart of or witnessed in their own lives?

Boyfriend

In this chapter we sort of get an interpretation of a story from someone else. There are no names except of Loretta. He only says "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" even when he has a date with her we still do not get her name.

Why do you think this is? Is it on purpose as a literary device or he just didn't want to say her name?

Drown

I can't help but be a little confused at the end of Drown. I thought that the story, "Fiesta, 1980" was set in the United States once Yunior's father brought his family from the DR, but once I read the final story I was confused as to what must happened after he left Nilda. As I'm writing this I'm trying to tie the knots and I'm guessing that once he left Nilda, he went to DR to get his first family. Yet I'm slightly confused by this line at the very end, "[...] I like to think that he grabbed that first train, instead of what was more likely true, that he had gone out to Chuito's first, before flying south to get us (208)" Why does Yunior like to think or hope that his father took that first train? Maybe Yunior wants to believe that his father actually wanted to be with his original family because he loved them and longed to be with them, but instead his father was just looking for an out from his family with Nilda. I think, with this final chapter, we see who Ramon really is.  At first he struggled a lot in the United States and having horrible jobs that he put a lot of hours into but didn't make that much money. Then the lying and the cheating comes. I think I was always expecting Ramon to do something horrible and he did, he cheated multiple times and went as far as having children with another women, then leaving that women to go back to his first wife. Maybe this shows the cultural ways of the men from DR since they think they can do anything and always expect their wives to still be there next to them no matter what they do. Which, is very true because Yunior's mother still forgives him and moves to the United States with Ramon and sons and daughter. So no matter what Ramon did, his wife was still there because he is the man and she is the woman. I know my thoughts are a little scrambled but these are just my final views of this book. There were many interesting topics and I can't quite seem to explain just one.

So what are your thoughts on the final chapter of Drown and how do you see all these stories connecting?

*Drown*

jaivas
chinga
jarones
toto
pendejo
campo
tetas


In the preface, the quote by Gustavo Perez Firmat says "The fact that I am writing in English already falsifies what I wanted to tell you." Although majority of the text is in English, there are spanish words sprinkled here and there that let us know that the narrator is a genuine Latino. Nothing is the story he's trying to tell isn't untrue but perhaps the implications of language alters the meaning of the message. Should lamguage be considered a big part in validifying information about other cultures or should the information speak for itself?

Fathers and America

Throughout the reading I saw a link between absent fathers and America.  It was the most obvious with Yunior, even though the quote that made me think about this the most didn't really have anything obvious to do with his father, "when Abuelo was around (and awake) he talked to me about the good old days, when a man could still make a living from his finca, when the United States wasn't something folks planned on."  To me it seems like his Father went to America to try and make a better life, but he left his family behind, and his mother especially was forced to wait around for the Father to come back and "save" them, much like many of them viewed America as saving them.

This is seen again on 87 where Yunior and Rafa's dad is actually compared to Jesus.  There's a running emphasis about northamerican things making people better, and these boys expected their Father to come back with all of the riches that they think he's getting, but we already know that the Father isn't that great of a character.  ALSO, Ysrael's father and america are basically seen as the same thing in the first chapter, and Rafa is so convinced that Ysrael's face will never get fixed...

What do you think about the relationship between Fathers, America, and saving?  What is the author trying to do here?

Child Molestation in Marginalized groups

The episode on the autobus was very troubling when Yunior was molested by a stranger. It made me think of the countless children in marginalized groups that go through this everyday and don't have the power to do anything about it. What can a child like Yunior do when his brother calls him a pussy for crying about something he had a reason to cry about. He wasn't asked what's wrong and he didn't feel the need to tell anybody. He seemingly pushes it to the side, like it just something that happens. Unfortunately this is the reality many children face everyday. What can a child do in a culture that tells you to trust adults, respect your elders and that you're always wrong or don't know what you're talking about.

Do you think this episode and the continuing abuse from his father is what results in him becoming abusive and a drug addict? Do you think anyone would have listened to him?

Abuse

A recurring theme I kept noticing in this book was abuse.  There were abusive spouses, abusive boyfriends/girlfriends, abusive parents etc.  These were in one category, but that was not all the abuse.  The characters abused their siblings, their friends, and even people on the streets less fortunate than themselves.  The story of the boy whose face was eaten by the pig especially got to me.  Here is a young man who has had a terrible life, but these other kids, who have also had terrible lives, seek him out simply to be cruel to him.  Fathers are continuously abusive, both to their children and to their wives and friends seem to only be waiting for the other to let his guard down in order to exploit them as they did to Cut when he fell asleep.  

What did you make of all this recurring abuse?  Do you think it is just a way of striking out against the hard life they have or do you think it is something else?

Bilingual Reading of "Drown"

Junot Diaz's characters, particularly his narrator Lucero, use Spanish frequently in this novel. Though I could puzzle out the meanings of many words from context, I ultimately used an online Spanish dictionary during my reading. Diaz's use of Spanish slang makes the characters, and their world, more believable, and I didn't want to miss important aspects of the novel by my almost complete lack of Spanish vocabulary. Once I adjusted to his style and became comfortable with his language, I enjoyed the novel much more. Through his use of Spanish, Diaz forces his readers to engage with the text and confront the discomfort English-speaking readers may feel when facing an unfamiliar language. He places readers in the frustrating space between two languages, the space mentioned in the opening quote.

Did anyone else have this experience? Does this enrich the text or distract you?

Drowning in translation

I was wondering if anyone else was sort of thrown off by the Spanglish used in "Drown"? I've read his other book "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" which does the same thing as far as throwing random Spanish words in with English sentences and I was curious about it then as well. I am a Spanish major so I know what most of the words mean so it isn't a matter of not knowing what he's saying, in most cases, but it just seems to throw off the flow of reading the sentence to me. Also, I don't understand how he chose which words to use the Spanish of. Some I understand, like tio (uncle) and other family names...but then random words like barrio (neighborhood) and campo I don't understand why those words were chosen. I understand that a lot of Latin-Americans do use Spanish words in their regular conversations and doing so in his writing, I think, makes Diaz' characters seem more real but I'm curious about what you guys think about it. Is it helping or hindering your reading? Are you looking up what some of the words mean or just skimming over them and implying meaning from the rest of the sentence? Have you noticed any patterns among the words that Diaz chose to put in Spanish?

No Doubt apologize to Native Americans for Wild West video

The Pop band No Doubt was forced to remove a new Wild West-themed music video and issue an apology after getting complaints from the Native American community, saying its intention was "never to offend, hurt or trivialize" their culture or history.(Reuters)

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/11/03/no-doubt-pulls-looking-hot-video-and-issues-apology-143882

Fathers and Mothers

In both House on Mango Street and Drown, negligent men and fathers are heavily involved in the stories. Specifically in Drown, the men often physically abuse the females. For example, in "Aurora," the narrator recounts hitting the title character until her chest was black and blue. They also neglect their families, leaving the responsibility to the women. In "Aguantando," the mother works 12 hour days but can barely support her children. Worst of all, the father promises to come home but breaks it, disappointing her almost to the point of a nervous breakdown.

Do you think that Cisneros and Diaz put such emphasis on negligent male characters to send out a message to their respective communities? Or are they just purely portraying what happens?

Native Vote 2012

I found this video and found it interesting.  How do you think it compares and/or contrasts with the environmental public announcement?  Is this a more accurate image of Native Americans?

Home Sweet Home?

What I find interesting about the affect living on Mango Street has on Esperanza is that she goes from believing she does not belong to knowing she does and not being happy to accept it. When she talks to Alicia about how she is jealous of her home in Guadalajara and Alicia reminds her she has a home on Mango Street, Esperanza replies, "No, this isn’t my house I say and shake my head as if shaking could undo the year I’ve lived here. I don’t belong. I don’t ever want to come from here." Although she still believes herself to be better than Mango Street she does seem to recognize that it is in fact her home weather she feels she belongs or not. This passion to be above Mango Street provides her with inspiration. She tells her story and writes poems and claims that one day she will leave Mango Street and have a beautiful house of her own where she takes in homeless people and helps her friends that are still on Mango Street to escape.

Towards the beginning of the story Esperanza expresses contempt about being Mexican. Do you think her unchanging hatred of Mango Street suggests she still feels this way in the end or is it just a separate hatred of the street itself? How do you think she will one day be able to escape the street? Or do you think she never will?