Thursday, May 15, 2014
Creating Spaces
Maria Gaspar discusses the need for individuals to create spaces to self-validate and make oneself visible. How does this concept relate to your research, more specifically to the novel you are reading? Be sure to make specific connections to Gaspar's speech and the 5 stages to creating this space. Be sure to post before 11:59 pm on 5/15/2014.
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Creating space to self-validate and make oneself visible is done by stepping away from negative situations in life and trying to only be part of the positive. Positivity empowers and brings confidence allowing people to begin the process of self validation. This relates to the concepts of spiritualism and culture found in The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Woa because many times the place where people are suppose to fit in the most, is where they find themselves gasping for air. The characters in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao distinctly show their reactions to not having any space in their community or family. Oscar, a friendless and overweight "loser" experiences unfortunate situations making him see that there is no love, companionship, or appreciation for him in his community. However, he sees himself as cursed and traps himself in minimal space (his bedroom) and become suicidal instead of creating his own space to positively grow and explore as a human. On the other hand Lola, his sister, flees from the lack of space available as a result of a run away father and an abusive mother. She creates her own space by running away from home (making a statement) and eventually going off to college where she is an organizer, an activist (trying to get rid of negative societal issues and bring positive living circumstances), and doesn't believe in the curse of her Dominican family.
ReplyDeleteMake explicit connections to the Gaspar's speech.
DeleteGaspar's episode on creating space brought the opportunity to discuss places like Little Village, Lawndale, and Pilsen. These neighborhoods carry negative stigmas because of the media, where places with a significant amount of undocumented inhabitants and people of color are portrayed as rugged, rowdy, and uninviting. This can leave the inhabitants feeling like they don't have a space in the beautiful Chicago, however they tend to create their own! They do this by straying away from the negative connotations that words like "poor", "undocumented", or "brown" mean and bring them into positive light by sharing powerful stories through murals and after school art programs. These up and coming actions create an intentional and positive space/face for these Chicago community. Gaspar specifically notes how the dingy little corner store that would go unnoticed now makes a statement ("I am me, not the stigma") through individualism and therefore validation for itself.
DeleteThe concept of carving a space out for oneself is seen in Dreaming In Cuban in the character Pilar. She does this in her home life, where she uses painting as a form of expression and escapism from her "tyrant" mother and feeble dad. She also carves a space for herself when she goes to Cuba. All her life, she had been split (for lack of a better word) between her mother and grandmother (read: Cuba and the U.S). I think she felt lonely in her struggles as a Cuban-American, as her mother had given herself fully to American culture, and her grandmother Cuban culture. Her trip to Cuba was a way for her to reach some kind of closure, to come to terms with both parts of her identity. I think the space she carved out for herself was in her own mind, where she finally excepted herself as visible and whole.
ReplyDeleteWhat specific concepts of personal space did Gaspar make that reflect Pilar's personal struggles?
DeleteI find it very interesting how you believe she was the one that had to accept herself and the both cultures she was part of. I can see how the grandmother and mother could of also played a major role in trying to identify herself with a single culture. I am curious to know how Cuba helped her come to the realization of who she was.
DeleteBoth the community kids Gaspar worked with and Pilar used art as a way of carving out a space for themselves. Pilar used art to escape her immediate surroundings, yet also used art to confront long term problems that plagued her, like the neighborhood kids. I think that Pilar never wanted to confront the reality that going to Cuba was not going to solve all of her problems, that it's not a dream land. When she finally got there, she felt underwhelmed. She stopped chasing Cuba but still excepted it as a part of her. That allowed her welcome her American identity as well as her Cuban one.
DeleteVioleta,
DeleteI find it interesting how her mother and grandmother represent radically different lives of being Cuban-Americans, with her mother completely assimilating and her grandmother firmly remaining in the Cuban culture. In a way it relates to the novel I am currently reading, Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me Ultima, except Antonio is more directly split between his religious beliefs than his culture. Also, when you say the space she carved for herself was in her mind, does this mean the trip to Cuba was in her mind? If so, that would make a lot of sense, as the stuggle between cultural identity deals with psychological processes as well. I have noticed that dealing with cultural struggles often involves changing one’s mindset and outlooks on the world, whether it be in terms of embracing their culture or creating a type of compromise between one’s religious beliefs.
I agree that Pilar never actually carved out physical space, but I think that having something tangible is important in self-validation. I think that Pilar achieved this through her art, sort of a symbol of Cuba/Celia.
DeleteSelf-validation is a key concept that Sandra Cisneros portrays in the book "Caramelo". Cisneros achieves such portrayal through the character labeled as the “awful Grandmother” as well as senora Regina. The characters hold of great priority being from European descent and the color of skin. They both categorize the color brown as being inferior to those that are light skin; the indigenous culture is degraded by these characters as well. For such reasons, the understanding of self- validation is critical. The objective of self-validation is many in this novel and the research done will be focused primarily on validation of culture, in order to create a space for recognition of the indigenenous culture within people.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting how you related the characters priorities of the color of skin to the recognition of the indigenous culture within people as a whole.
DeleteI agree. I had this novel and I definitely see that. But what from Señora Gaspar's lecture made you connect it to this concept? I feel like that's something Saldivar would want to see.
DeleteI think you have some great ideas going but it needs more context. I would have loved to hear what else you had to say about this topic and how it relates to Maria's theory of "creating our own space". It's clear that you have a lot of opinions and great ideas, but try to expand on them more, it feels a bit rushed. Writing when you have so many things to say is not an easy task. Take a step back and realize that the reader will get to hear all of what you have to say so you don't need to limit yourself to one paragraph.
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DeleteI like the way you connect lack of validation for the brown skin with the lack of space for the culture that comes with it. It seems like one can not exist without the other. However, I think your comment needs a little more context in regards to how these characters don't have space for themselves and their true roots or how the women inhibit others from receiving the space they deserve. Looking over the theory of Inlak'ech could be helpful in your response or project. And like Mario said, make sure to connect it to what Gaspar discussed.
DeleteThe need for individuals to create spaces to self-validate and make oneself visible is seen in Down these Mean Streets when the main character Piri leaves home in New York to go to the south. When his mother asks why he must go he explicitly says "...I gotta find me" (Thomas 149). Leaving home is Piri's way of carving a space out for himself since he has issues with accepting the fact that he is brown and everyone around him is an acceptable white color. Piri has always been angered about his color and has faced many situations which put him in danger and took opportunities away from him due to his color. Going away is his way of creating space so he can better understand himself and maybe accept that he is a brown Puerto Rican.
ReplyDeleteI think you put it nicely about how Piri must leave where he currently is to find himself and attempt to finally come to terms with his color. The only thing I would add is his frustration without not only being brown around white people, but being brown and only identified as black, not puerto rican.
DeleteI agree with what you are saying, it is clear. But you should have elaborated on why he is angered by his browness and how it causes danger and missed opportunity. Good job though
DeleteIn Sandra Cisnero's novel "Caramelo", the characters all seek or have at one point in their lives sought out self-validation. They have discovered this self-validation through the act of "carving out space" for themselves in their social environment. Maria Gaspar talked about what it meant to "have a right to the city" and how to obtain that right. European descent is thought to be superior to darker brown skin color and for two characters in particular (the awful grandmother and senora Regina) is the space in which they want to carve out for themselves. They believe their self validation is in connecting and being a part of lighter skin people; they make themselves visible through marriage and believe that is their way to earn the right to their city. Lala (Ceyala), who is the main narrator is a young girl who is in the process of carving out her own space to achieve her self-validation, and she often feels invisible and non-existent. Through telling the awful grandmothers story she is on her way to validating her own existence.
ReplyDeleteAmber,
DeleteI find it interesting the way that, similar to "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao", love/marriage is a way of having a right to the city. The idea that being tied down makes you free to enjoy your city is a little ironic. Another common theme is that of being light skinned and how that makes the characters in the book feel validated.
Gaspar talked a lot about how communities functioned in creating a persons identity, and how it is necessary for residents to mold their community to fit and reflect themselves. Gaspar talked about this during her segment on transforming neighborhoods into art, and through this project the students became intertwined with their community.
ReplyDeleteThis relationship between self and community is very present in Down These Mean Streets. Piri grows up in Harlem which is divided not necessarily by streets or landmarks, but by race. Piri grows up defined by which part of Harlem he lives in. When he grows up in Italian Harlem he must learn to fight off the Italian boys and it creates a harsh identity for Piri. Where as when he moves to the Puerto Rican part of Harlem, he is accepted and powerful.
It is impossible to separate Piri from his community as his environments consistently shape his actions and attitude. For example, In Long Island, a mainly white suburb of New York City, Piri attempts to show his true character and enjoy his spanish culture at a local dance, but these actions are soon changed by his surroundings as the white students reject him, "This Long Island was a foreign country. It looked so pretty and clean but it spoke a language you couldn't dig. The paddy boys talked about things you couldn't dig, or maybe better, they couldn't dig you".
Piri determines which parts of himself he shows depending on what environment he is in. When he is with his Mom he's friendly, with his friends he's too cool, and at school he's a troublemaker. This relates to when Gaspar talks about Visibility and Invisibility, as parts of Piri are only apparent when he is in a certain environment. His illegal activities are invisible to his mom just as his sweet undertones are invisible to his friends.
Down These Mean Streets is truly a coming of age story as Piri attempts to find his true identity. He realizes how he acts differently depending on his environment and he attempts to find his "true self". Gaspar defined this struggle of finding oneself in their communities as Carving Space. As a morenito living in a mainly white Puerto Rican family and growing up in a society that is split between black and white, Piri realizes he has no space of his own. This book documents Piri fighting with his friends, community members, and family to carve a space for himself.
I really like your response. I could easily follow the connections you made between her performance and your book; He is invisible because of his race and he has constantly allowed his environment to shape himself. I also like how you were able to characterize Piri and his struggle in this short response. I am very curious about what your research question will be for this book.
DeleteYour response is very well thought out. It really shows that you were listening to Gaspar's speech and also really read and understood your book because of the connections you presented. Good job!
DeleteI really liked how you brought up the idea that Piri’s “environment consistently shape[d] his actions and attitude”. People often attribute a person’s characteristics to internal attributes, rather than external attributes, and I appreciate how you incorporated that idea of the environment shaping who people turn out to be in your response. However, I disagree with how you said “Piri determines which parts of himself he shows” depending on his environment, since it implies a conscious awareness of behavior which I feel is not necessarily present in this case. The effects of our environment on us are mainly subconscious, and it is very difficult for us to have control over them.
Delete@Godmademeperfect our research question will be on how Machismo and the Black and White paradox in Piri's life defined his identity. We're still working on the wording, but that will be the idea of it.
Delete@Jasmine, that's a good point on how "The effects of our environment on us are mainly subconscious" I was basing that point off the beginning of chapter 6 where Piri quickly goes from fighting the Jolly Rogers to being with his mom. "The Jolly Rogers outside were beating their stickball bats on the door for me to come out if I had any heart...'What happened, muchacho?' Momma asked, in a shookup voice. I laughed. 'Nothing, Moms, we was just playing ring-a-livio'" (54) I saw that shift from fighting in a gang to the love he has for his mom as a sign that he did understood how he had to shift personas depending on his environment.
DeleteYour response is really thought out. I especially liked your connection of the character's fluidity in his environment and Maria Gaspar's concept of visibility/invisibilty. I think your interpretation of this concept is interesting.
Deletei really liked your organization ,it made easy to follow and understand your ideas
DeleteJasmine Madrigal
ReplyDeleteMr. Saldivar
Latin American/Latin@ Literature, Period 2/6B
May 15, 2014
Maintaining a Sense of Self
Maria Gaspar, an artist who works largely within various communities, argues that creating spaces is necessary in order to attain self-validation. This idea is supported by Julia Alvarez’ novel How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents when a lack of such space results in the girls without any sense of identity, and creates a sense of loss. Throughout the novel, the Garcia sisters travel in between the Dominican Republic to the United States, the youngest actually “staying on the island for a year” before “going back to the States” (Alvarez 116). As the Garcia sisters travel back and forth, they fail to establish a space for themselves or even complete the first few stages, “fire” and “making”, that Maria Gaspar says leads to self-validation. They remain caught between their conservative Dominican mother who is worried about “protecting their virginity” and their want to be a part of the “wild and loose Americans” of the 1960s (Alvarez 114). The sisters go on to live “turbulent lives” full of “husbands, homes, jobs, [and] wrong turns among them” (Alvarez 11). Eventually, the oldest sister, Yoyo, comes to use poetry to express herself and even starts “carving space”, the third stage to self-validation. When she is older, she travels back to the island and feels comfort in her native country, finding peace and wishing it to be “[her] home” (Alvarez 11). Her desire to experience self-validation is a result of the belief that it will result in a sense of self-respect and belonging, something that is lacking for many people and may be brought about through initiatives like Gaspar’s efforts artwork within communities.
I really enjoy the subtle incorporation of Maria Gaspar's stages. The ordering of the piece is well developed as it is not trying to solely address the requisite of the stages but creates context that leads to the next stage and so forth. Good job
DeleteI really like the connections you made between Gaspar's speech and the novel. Your response is well thought out and you showed a great understanding of the characters as well as the concepts made by Gaspar. Good job!
DeleteThe need to create space for one self in order to keep in touch with ones self-validation is a critical theme in Bless Me, Ultima. Rudolfo Anaya presents conflicts between Antonio’s self-identity and his relations with the clashing cultures of his father and his mother. Antonio’s father is a man who is not as religious as his mother. The religious conflicts greatly impact Antonio’s life, since he does not know which religious beliefs to follow. This is the reason why Antonio prefers Ultima. Being around Ultima is Antonio’s form of creating a space where he can fully become intact with his self-validation. Antonio admits to the self-validation he experiences when he is around Ultima, “…I was happy with Ultima…I learned that my spirit shared in the spirit of all things” (Anaya 16). As Antonio spends more time around Ultima he realizes that he finds himself living in happiness and not in fear.
ReplyDeleteI found your idea that another individual may help you realize your own self-validation it's almost ironic but a very interesting viewpoint i hadn't thought of. The only thing i didn't see in this was how Rudolfo may make himself visible through this. When i read this i wondered whether it's normal to be self validated but remain unrecognized by your peers or community. I just had a feeling that, that is the case here. I believe that although you may find your comfort space where you thrive due to the confidence in your own ability that doesn't necessarily mean that you will be recognized. I just believe you brought up a very interesting point and i wish i had a bit more background information on the type of character Rudolfo is.
DeleteThe concept of carving out space for oneself is seen in When I Was Puerto Rican. Negi ,the oldest of a family of 8, tries to validate herself through her mother. Negi tries to fulfill her mother's views of her becoming a señorita. Negi is constantly in charge of her siblings, gets more chores that a woman would do, and is punished more violently than anyone in the house. Negi feels distraught by all these actions, but her mother insists that it is all part of being a señorita. When the 5th child was born Negi was more angry than happy. She was angry because she believed that since there was more siblings she would get less of her mother's love. Which is ironic being normally as you being older or a señorita the bond between your mother strengthens as shown by Negi's mom and her mom when they live together in Brooklyn.
ReplyDeleteYou did a really great job explaining how Negi tries to validate herself. You went into depth to explain why which helped me understand what you were saying. Nice job.
DeleteThis seems like more of a summary than an analysis. Negi tries to validate herself through her mother, so in what way is she creating a space for herself? Also, you should have incorporated more of Maria Gaspar's speech into your paragraph.
Deletethanks
Mario Torres:
ReplyDeleteMaria Gaspar asked the ALAS Fest audience what they think it means to "carve your own space" and what it means to be "visible or invisible." To these questions, some students replied that there seemed to not be space for minorities, but they have to make a name for themselves in this community. A teacher answers her question talking about "some students in the school I teach in the southwest have never seen [downtown]." These students seemed invisible to the rest of the city as they are so isolated. Gaspar's program dealt a lot with allowing these students to express themselves and make the city their space, work space that is, for their art.
This idea of making a name for yourself is present in 'Caramelo' with the author's stories of her family. Sandra Cisneros is known for this in many of her books. She just tells the stories of the rich Mexican culture that not many are familiar with. 'Caramelo' may be an autobiography, since Cisneros can relate to Celaya in many ways: same household of six brothers with one girl and growing up in Chicago. She states in her other book (that may be about her as well) 'House on Mango Street' that she wants to leave this town. She wanted to leave the town to tell the stories of all those who are trapped in the town and cannot tell their stories. Sandra Cisneros acts as the connection between ignorant (used in the sense of simply "not knowing") Americans and the rich Mexican culture. Cisneros can make the space in the city for the ones who cannot themselves.
Mario Torres, it is true that the obstacles faced by a community can sometimes make that community become invisible. However it is the duty of that community to overcome these obstacles in order to become visible to the rest of the world. By having individuals such as Maria Gaspar and Sandra Cisneros, who demonstrate the importance of using the resources around in the community as weapons, is a great way to start making progress. It is individuals like these who begin revolutions because they provide the motivation and education that the community needs.
DeleteHell yeah, dude.
DeleteThere is no doubt that success brings satisfaction to the soul. However, success has a prize and that prize is different for everyone. For instance, some individuals have to overcome more obstacles to achieve the same level of success as others who faced less obstacles. Being in a position full of obstacles should not be used as an excuse for failure but rather as a motivation to keep moving forward. A similar concept was presented by Maria Gaspar in her art presentation at the Alas Fest. According to Gaspar, most Latino Communities are marginalized and the architecture that surrounds these communities only reinforces the negative stereotypes. For example, in Little Village there is the Cook County jail which takes a large portion of the space in that community. According to Gapsar this is a problem because this is the building that stands out the most. Whereas in wealthier communities its the colleges and Universities which stand out. Though this is a cruel reality experienced by many Latinos, Gaspar offers a solution. Gaspar stated that one should work with the negativity and the resources available to become visible in a community that has become invisible with all the negative stereotypes that surround it. This same concept of using the resources available to create a sense of identity is presented in the Novel Bless me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya. Antonio, the narrator of the novel, is a youngster who struggles create an identity in an environment of two clashing cultures: the Marez and the Lunas. As most youngsters, Antonio has many questions which cannot be answered by neither the wild Marez's or the Religious Lunas'. However, Antonio has a companion who guides him through a spiritual journey in search for an identity: Ultima, La curandera. Ultima teaches Antonio how to use the resources that have been provided to him by the two sides of his family to form his identity. Antonio ends up realizing that the past cultures cannot answer the questions of the present: God cannot answer why evil exists because he is way too similar to men; therefore Antonio ends up embracing both cultures, ultimately demonstrating the importance of Sincretism in an environment of border cultures.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate how you contextualized Maria's presentation. This made the connection with your book seem just more relevant to us as readers, as though we need to read it to see Gaspar's logic in action. Personally, I do not agree with your assessment of God as man-like however, you supported yourself well by introducing the theory of Sincretism.
DeleteIn Gaspar’s speech she focuses on the idea that in order to feel self-validation and a sense of belonging to a community you must make that community your own. In order to do this you must use your surroundings to tell your story and be recognized by your peers. Gaspar focuses on the positive effects that this may have in a ‘minority’ community through the sense of pride in culture that arises in the spirits of the area despite the lack of attention this group may receive. Although Gaspar explains this in an inspiring and beautiful manner I don’t make the same uplifting connections in The Hummingbird’s Daughter.
ReplyDeleteTomas one of the main character in the story uses his wealth and power in order to feel superior towards people especially women. Instead of using his space to make a community he goes ahead and thrives off his own greed and power. During one evening, “Tomas looked at the servants and the cooks and the empty room and the long table. He raised his glass to them all. ‘Cheers,’ he said” (Urrea 39). As he looks around at the space he has created he takes it all in, here you realize that in order for Tomas to obtain a sense of achievement he needs to put others at a lower level than where he stands. Technically he has created his own space in this area but it’s not for anyone but himself to enjoy. It’s very interesting how a simple idea such as transforming an area into your own can easily be twisted and used for greed instead of unison.
I think that you made a very interesting point about how Tomás uses his environment to give himself a sense of power. I didn't even think of it like this because as you read further on in the book, you'll begin to like Tomás a lot more, and you won't see his actions as ones of greed and power but of love and curiosity. Although I disagree when you say that he creates his own space for no one but himself because he loves everything about women and also creates a space for them within his home.
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ReplyDeleteMaria Gaspar's idea of Carving Space resembles that of Esmeralda Santiago's experience in her autobiography, When I was Puerto Rican. Esmeralda struggles to fit in her native island as a jibara, the distinct rural Puerto Rican, after the influx of American culture has caused a shift in which she should not 'exist.' Esmeralda was the transitional child that was being exposed to a newer environment that challenged the traditional background that which the family grew up in. What caused this fire for wanting to embrace her own place came after Esmeralda moved to the city and was mocked for being the stereotype that which then she became increasingly independent. She, instead of assimilating into the dominant society, developed a passion to keep her culture and force others to adjust that she is legitimate. The change to Brooklyn brings upon the other challenge which was another form that restricted this idea which was the stifling racism that was presented. In elementary school, Esmeralda defied the subgroups that were driving the ethnic groups against each other and creating an inner oppression. An example of this idea would be Maria Gaspar's example of Hector Duarte's project that displayed his home with the image that resembled something of Gulliver's Travel because of the giant that has been brought down because of smaller restrictions that are imposed by its environment. Here, the character struggles to be free because of the wire that keeps him bound and unable to progress. Because Esmeralda is able to surpass her expectations and create an identity for herself, she became visible to the conservatist American society and could break free.
ReplyDeleteRuben you did a good job connecting Maria Gaspars presentation with your novel. Especially with how Emeralda had to struggle between her new environment and a traditional background, and when you said how Esmeralda instead of assimilating, developed a passion to keep her culture and that was a good example of Carving Space.
DeleteI enjoyed reading your responses Ruben as Maria Gaspars concepts were integrated into your paragraph and elaborated on with your novel interpretation. I liked your character development of Esmeralda as the reader is able to see her defeat (when she did not have a space to call her own) and her triumph of breaking free from stereotypes and becoming "visible."
DeleteI really like how you elaborate on the Jibara, I think I focused more on her American life, but your explanation can be very helpful to our project. I never thought about her Puerto Rican culture in the city being the first step, because in a sense it was still a part of her roots. This different perspective has made me rethink my original read.
DeleteRuben, it is interesting to see the clash between the two cultures and the way the U.S culture comes in to make her invisible. I think it is reflective of historical and economic issues between Latin America and the U.S since the United States seems to take and use Latinos only when it requires them and their resources. It's interesting how Esmerelda thus becomes a figure for Latinos to strive for, a hope that Latinos can become culturally recognized within an American society that oppresses them and censors their influence.
DeleteIn the Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Urrea, a young girl by the name of Teresita uses her spiritual gifts to carve her own space and achieve self-validation. In her presentation, Maria Gaspar speaks of carving personal spaces and how making art, status of invisibility vs. visibility, environment and fire go into establishing it. Gaspar defines fire as symbolic for having a passion for something. Teresita's passion is healing; she seeks to be "saint" like (hence the name harkening to Saint Teresita), and as a child she believes she can accomplish this by loving God the most and serving as his servant. When bruja Huila takes her as an apprentice however, Teresita is exposed to a world not of stiff, pious faith but of actually feeling and interacting with nature and her subconscious. In this way Teresita did allow her environment to shape her. In her younger years she also faces abuse from her aunt, to whom she is 'visible' to as a target for violence and hatred, but The People, or her indigenous neighbors on the hacienda, treat her as an invisible' girl and ignore her struggle. All this is subject to change when Teresita embraces the skills Huila shows her to develop her own mystical art. Because she was not validated, she facilitates the tools and support needed to place herself in a position which requires only self-validation. She questions her priest and moves from the religious to the spiritual (the natural magic), learning to travel in dreams which view the past, present and future. She even questions her role on the hacienda and Huila's ignorant acceptance of her people's circumstances which, though not harsh, are still uncertain and they are uneducated. Teresita, dissatisfied with her situation, continues her passion for improving the lives of The People by pushing the boundaries of her role; She learns how to read, a privilege forbidden by double sexism (she is indegnious and a woman). She develops the natural gifts that she does have as the daughter of the Hummmingbird who, though only a woman, alludes to a god representing the fire of the sun; This foreshadows the power she embodies within the Mexican Revolution. In these ways she uses her invisiblity, granted by her environment, as a poor peasant girl to grow and become a visible threat to the Mexican government because The People rally around her. By then she has succeeded in carving her own space and in turn validating her own self as an educated, mystical and, dare it be said, powerful woman in late 19th century Mexico.
ReplyDeleteVeronica, you did a great job with the context of Maria Gaspar's idea of self-validation and your novel. I think the way you described how Teresita's gifts make her visible in Mexico during the time period really embodies what the concept of self-validation is.
DeleteSelf-validating one’s identity principally purtains to Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me Ultima in the form of Maria Gaspar’s second stage, “Making”. This involves taking various aspects of different beliefs and in order to make something new for ourselves, allowing the creator to obtain a sense of belonging and self-validation. This idea of “making” can be seen through Antonio Luna’s religious journey in Bless Me Ultima. Throughout his life, Antonio appears to struggle between either placing his faith in Spanish Catholicism or the indigenous beliefs that are found in his town’s past. The radically different perspectives leave Antonio to feel a sense of loss and confusion, in terms of whether he should worship the beloved golden carp or “the man on the cross” (Anaya 85). With time and experience Antonio is slowly able to put his confusion and need for self-validation to rest, as he discovers the possibility of creating a means of worship “different from the religion of the Lunas”, one that takes God and the golden carp to “make something new” (Anaya 262). Maria Gaspar urges Latinos to combine different perspectives and create new in all parts of their lives, primarily to obtain one’s self-fulfillment and validation.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you included the idea of Antonio overcoming his confusion by "mak[ing] something new", but I think that creating that new sense of spirituality is a form of self-validation as opposed to putting that to rest. Self-validation is defined by acceptance of oneself regardless to what other perceive of them, and I would argue that by allowing this syncretism Antonio is self-validated.
DeleteThis response was well done, Elizabeth. It really explains to others how the syncretism within the novel is comparable to Maria Gaspar's "Making" stage. However, I would agree with J.T. in saying that Antonio's confusion is never put to rest. Antonio continually questions why God's power never worked where Ultima's power prevailed and while he begins to think about fusing aspects of both religions together, it is never stated whether he actually does or not. That is the only way that Antonio can understand what has been happening around him.
DeleteYesenia Alarcon
ReplyDeleteMay 15, 2014
The concept of creating space that Maria Gaspar presented was the idea that in order to gain self validation one must belong and become a part of something larger. Gaspar stated that the project she conducts with inner city student makes them not only become a part of a group but helps them gain a right to their city or community, which was another one of her stations. Taking over communities and beautifying small unnoticeable areas. In “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” by Junto Diaz, the narration is told from past relatives, the most obvious examples of creating space are of Belicia Cabral, Oscars mother, as well as Lola, Oscars sister. Lola is sent to Santo Domingo by her mother who could not control her anymore, “I guess my mother thought it would be harder for me to run away from an island” (Diaz 70). When she had no place where she belonged, at least according to her mother, she left to find a physical place to try to make her life work. Her mother lives within the fringe of upper class society and lower class. La Inca, the mother who raised her, continuously reminds her, “You are the daughter of a doctor and a nurse” (Diaz 163). La Inca does this to make her feel as if she has the right to be a student at this private school full of fair skinned people. When taken out of the private school she does not find a place in her own community and gets into trouble with the secret police, at this point La Inca decides it is best for her to go to New York. Throughout the first few chapters of “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” the physical relocation is a symbol for finding space and finding place in which one is accepted.
I like your connection of the changing physical environments in "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" to Maria Gaspar's idea of a right to the city (the fourth of her five episodes). I also like how you mentioned both Beli and Lola and how they each use space to find their way. The "right" Beli has to go to school because of her background is an interesting topic, maybe expand on that to include how she never felt like she fit in there and struggled to find a space that welcomed her. Great job overall.
DeleteThe way you contextualized, made everything very clear. I like the idea of becoming involved with a community is what is needed before becoming self validated. You made great connections with your book and I can see the correlation between Maria's speech and your book.
DeleteMaria Gaspar has a passion to help communities establish a sense of identity by creating spaces to self-validate themselves. The idea of self-validation is demonstrated in Julia Alvarez’ "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents" when the Garcia girls lose the ability to communicate effectively with language because of the constant change of society when moving between the Dominican Republic and the United States. To the girls, language is putting a border around them. Alvarez writes, “There have been too many stops on the road of the last twenty-nine years since her family left this island behind. She and her sisters have led such turbulent live-so many husbands, homes, jobs, wrong turns among them” (11). Language prevents the girls from staying visible in the society they are in. However, as time progresses each Garcia girl independently starts to make themselves an identity they are comfortable with by creating spaces and things of their own that does not involve language to self-validate themselves.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with what you said, I believe you connected the idea of self-validation and the process of doing so well into your novel. I would explain more on how the girls independently created their identities to make your response stronger.
DeleteRamon Herrera
ReplyDeleteThe concept of carving your own space as brought up by Maria Gaspar holds true in The Tattooed Soldier as Antonio and Longoria both live in Los Angeles with the same ethnic backgrounds, yet end up having completely different lives. Longoria was able to carve room for himself in Los Angeles with the help of his military experience, but Antonio fell in the cracks of poverty left by those before him.
With his success in Los Angeles, Longoria came to hate those who beg and complain of their bad luck. Longoria's mindset is stuck on the idea 'I made it, why can't you?' Longoria had the fire and passion to push him forward and excel in life and believes those who are not successful are simply lazy and lack that fire to make anything.
Antonio is invisible to the wealthy, but soon realizes that poverty is not only for the people of color. “This was something new. He did not know that gringos could be refugees. These gringos don’t deserve this ” (Tobar 41). He unfortunately does not have the tools to be able to carve himself a space due to his greater disadvantages of being a poor man of color.
Everyone may have to carve out their own spot in life, but not all of us are handed the same tools to do so.
It's not surprising to see that Longoria had that mindset of "i made it, why can't you?" because often times, especially in the latino community, that is the mindset that people take. I like your last sentence as it ties everything that you mentioned together. However, I feel that although some people may have greater advantages over others, that shouldn't keep them from seeking success. They must work with what they have.
DeleteFabian Ramos
ReplyDeleteMr. Saldivar
Latin American Literature-4th Period
May 15, 2014
Throughout the Latin-American arts exists the prominent motif of achieving a sense of self validation, which is reflective of the Latin-American experience in the United States. Maria Gaspar, a Chicago based art professor and community activist, illustrates that this sense of self-validity is only attainable after the Latin-American creates a space of their own, which is only inhibited by the existence of the Latino as both visible and invisible in the American society. In Julia Alvarez’s novel “How the García Girls Lost Their Accents”, Alvarez portrays the dual existence of Latin-Americans through the experiences of the four daughters of a Dominican exile. Upon arriving in the United States, the García girls were met as trespassers, each visible as the “other”. This ostracization led to each girl accepting that “she didn’t belong here”, resulting in the assumption of an invisible role in their environment. (Alvarez 156). Both Gaspar and Alvarez reiterate the existence of the Latin-American as visible in differences, yet invisible in similarities to the mainstream American identity. This dual existence further impedes on the establishment of the Latin-American identity in the United States, where the “carving” of one’s own space is necessary to validate the Latino as visible.
I like what you said about the Latinos being both visible and invisible in American Society. I agree with the way you put that since they are noticed as immigrants rather than potential citizens their recognition is ultimately what causes them to be invisible. They are seen invisible.
Delete-Ramon Herrera
James O'Toole:
ReplyDeleteIn Rodulfo Anaya's "Bless Me, Ultima", Antonio is continuously in a journey to validate himself through religion. Antonio, from a young age, is raised as a devout christian, heavily influenced by his religious mother. He is also, however, influenced by his father, a man of the llano who embraces a more wild lifestyle. These differing viewpoints cause Antonio to question his place in the world and question God (or gods) and whether He has all of the power he has been told to believe He has. Luckily for Antonio, he is given some guidance from a curandera named Ultima who serves as his spiritual guide. Ultima helps Antonio discover his own spirituality deriving from different aspects of his environment. This relates to Maria Gaspar's idea of "carving space". Carving space is creating ones' own place within your community/environment in which one can grow and thrive. Antonio carves out his own space in his environment by taking the aspects of both sides of his family (mother and father) as well as Ultima's influences and combining those beliefs and lifestyles to create his own spiritual identity.
Jackson Schultz
DeleteLatino Literature
Mr. Saldivar
May 15, 2014
James,
I enjoyed your ideas on how in order to construct your own identity you first must question the one you currently inhabit. I would like to ask, however, how do you think an identity crisis effects somebodies identity? Do you think somebodies identity is impacted by their question of them-self?
Maria Gaspar explored the idea of self-validation in her presentation, and how to reach self-validation as a person. In Piri Thomas's Down These Mean Streets, Piri struggles to self validate himself. He struggled with his own personal identity and during this struggle it was very difficult to self-validate due to how he did not know what to identify as. He could never identify as white, and was always perceived to be a black, when he was a Puerto Rican. He was pushed onto either one or the other, because there was no "grey" region he was allowed to be part of. Thus, he hated living in the suburbs, and truly only enjoyed living in el barrio, because he was accepted as a Puerto Rican, not as a black. Throughout the novel Piri's inner struggles with the marginalization of his skin color get the best of him when he was growing up, and as he matured he began to make his own space in the world after he is released from prison and begins to lead a straight life in el barrio again.
ReplyDeleteI think you did a nicejob presenting Piri's conflict and how it relates to Gasper's concepts. I completely agree with his identity crisis and how there is no grey area for his kind of situation. You could have gotten into more depth and tied it back in how it relates to Gasper's concept of creating space for yourself
DeleteI agree with Aaron I understand the self validating part of the book but what about using maybe the gray area of the book and tying it into Gaspar's speech. Maybe connect some of Gaspar's projects of her students validating themselves with Piri Thomas's conflicts from his own community.
DeleteMaria Gaspar talked about the concepts of being invisible and visible and being able to create your own space. This concepts are also eminent in Piri Thomas' Down These Mean Streets. Piri feels invisible in a society where the color of the skin, regardless of race, determines your status. He does not know who to really belong to, whether it be Negro community which coincides with his skin color or with the white community, where the rest of the family chose to go. He is constantly being torn between this inner struggle, "I hate the paddy who's trying to keep the black man down. But I'm beginning to hate the black man, too, 'cause I can feel his pain and I don't know that it oughtta be mine (Thomas, 124)."
ReplyDeleteMaria Gaspar spoke about carving space and specifically stated her 96ACRES project in which she wanted to help people of the little village community make the jail apart of their space. She also spoke about how she would get students to work together to make seemingly useless parts of a community such as trash become revered as art and a great part of the community. She wanted to bring forth the idea that sometimes one does not have a defined sense of identity and that the environment does not have a nice space avaible that one easily fits into. In "Down These Mean Streets" by Piri Thomas which is an autobiography of his own struggle with this idea of carving space and gaining a sense of identity. Piri feels at times in which there is no place where he belongs in and when he needs to find himself. He is not only stuck within the boundaries of a Puerto Rican trying to prove his worth of how much of an "hombre" he is, but he is also in the black/white paradigm because of his dark skin.He at times wants to feel like a white latino and take advantage of his accent, but at other times he feels the need to rather identify with what he physically sees. Piri feels the need to find an identity in which he can finally include himself in this "space" , but as the story progresses Piri finds it more difficult to find this identity and instead tries to search for it on his own. He makes the effort to carve this place out for himself and wants to not only take in what his environment has taught him, but also look more deeply within himself as to how he wants to make himself known.
ReplyDeleteIndividuals have a need to create space and self-validate to make themselves visible. Maria Gaspar refers to Latinos in America being judged and grouped into all Latinos with a single label. Latinos are just looked down upon as immigrants stealing hard-earned American jobs, laborers, and criminals. The space Gaspar claims Latinos need is a space outside of these stereotypes. This space can be built by doing something good for others, like community service. It can also be the creation of art to create a voice. By creating this space Latinos feel empowered through being more than just their labels. In Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia, Pilar, a 13 year old rebellious punk rock Cuban feeling out of place in New York, feels out of place in her home with her family. She is pro-revolution and idolizes El Lider. Pilar does a lot of drawing and painting. Her paintings usually have communistic themes. Pilar expresses her yearning for Cuba and disdain for America and her mother through her art. Making these statements empowers Pilar enough to run away back to Cuba although she ultimately fails. By creating a piece with a message she agrees with in a beautiful way, Pilar self-validates her beliefs and worth.
ReplyDeleteYazmin Caballero:
ReplyDeleteMaria Gaspar's concept of "carving space" in order to achieve a sense of self validation in identity is seen in Urrea's novel "The Hummingbird's Daughter" as Teresa does not conform to her imposed role as a woman but molds her own through her faith. Gaspar is an artist who seeks her work as an opportunity for self expression as the artist creates their own space for their emotion, thought and self. Teresa Urrea, daughter of the patron Tomas, was born with a gift yet unrecognized as a child as she was unclaimed, abandoned, abused and blended with the workers. As she grew older her "gift" took shape, she had an affinity for healing but no canvas to work on as she was still learning and the patron forbade her practice. Yet, Teresa would not abide, calmly she disobeyed, she not only healed, but she did the unthinkable for her gender, she became literate. As Teresa grew so did her canvas, her father proudly claimed her, her people (the indigenous and mexican) praised her as a Saint, she wrote revolutionary columns in a newspaper covering Mexico's impending war, but most importantly she became one with the spirits. Santa Teresa spoke to god, to his servants, to la virgen, to her indian gods, to the plants, and to the earth. She empowered herself with all aspects of her knowledge, from her native tongue to her healing herbs. No longer did it matter that she was a woman, Teresa was a god, immortal, intelligent and beautiful. Teresa proved that it what mattered was the heart and the mind not why laid between one's legs. She created owned her space as her identity, sexuality, mind, and belief were under the influence of her heart and not of others.
Creating a space for yourself is something everyone does in order to feel like they belong. Needing some form of validation, we attempt to do so ourselves by making a space where we feel comfortable. In "Down These Mean Streets" by Piri Thomas, Piri moves to knew places constantly. Every time, he doesn't feel like he belongs, fits in, or is even wanted in the area. He tries to create this environment in which he feels comfortable expressing himself; he creates his own space. He holds himself high even when he feels at his lowest, he tries to look intimidating when he feels smaller than a fly. In the text, he is confronted by the local gang and he reminds himself that he needs to show that he has "heart", something his dad was always reminding him to do. He needs to show that he has soul and that should be something that is honored. His attempt at showing his "heart" ended up preventing him from getting assaulted. Contrary to Maria's teaching of "creating your space" through the love of people and things around you, Piri believes you need to be intimidating, aggressive, and able to prove your dominance. This isn't Piri's belief, this comes from all over the world. People feel that the only way to feel comfortable and safe in a situation is to be the alpha. Maybe through Maria's community projects and influences this will change. People will learn that violence is unnecessary in the search for security.
ReplyDeleteIn Maria Gaspar's speech when she is discussing the need for individuals to create spaces to self-validate and make oneself visible, the first two stages that she believes are necessary to achieve this are love and fire, or a passionate love. She believes that in order to create a space for yourself, you must love your community, find something to be passionate about and pursue it, and you must love yourself and those around you. In the novel The Hummingbird's Daughter, Luis Urrea presents this idea through the kindness and generosity of the main character Teresa Urrea.
ReplyDeleteShe starts off as an interesting yet powerless little Indian girl, yet as Teresa matures and grows older, she becomes more aware of the world around her, causing her to also become more aware of the thousands and thousands of people that are in need of a healer and a saint. She starts off as a poor and invisible little Indian girl who doesn't know who or what she is, then becomes the "Santa de Cabora," visible by all, by both those who love her and those who despise her. Throughout the novel Teresa creates more and more of her identity and her own space by preaching "harm no man" and spreading her magic healing powers and spirituality to anyone in need, because her love and passion for life and the People, any People, is so immense.
I like how you focused on Teresa's kindness and how you portray that trait as a power and not a weakness.I agree that she creates her identity through healing but I believe that her kindness becomes as powerful as her healing power. The People trust her and believe in her because they see the passion she has for healing. I believe her desire goes beyond just healing some physically, she wants to heal the soul of her People.
DeleteMaria Gaspar brought up the idea of "carving space",something to which she as explains as a way to validate our own identity. Lala the narrator of the novel "Caramelo" by Sandra Cisneros comes to a identity crisis as she travels south of the border.Her return to Mexico the country where her roots are found, bring her to need to learn her authenticity. Lala through he observations in her adolescence comes up with her conclusion about what it means to live on either side of the border being a stranger in both .While Maria Gaspar finds her self lost in the border inside the city of Chicago,and through he finds a way of breaking the border that inside were keeping her away from the identity she wanted to find.
ReplyDeleteMarimar I agree with your points that the borders are what have been holding people from creating their own space and understanding who they are. I liked how you were able to reference that from "Caramelo" as well as Maria Gasper's speech. I am also left with a couple questions though like what experiences did Lala partake in that helped her see her identity on both sides and what necisarily helped her understand which side she was or how she was able to make space for her culture once she realized it?
Deletei agree that crossing borders can create a misunderstood concept of identity. I like how you mentioned that Lala was trying to find her roots again in Mexico yet still keep her other cultural identity as well. I feel that until she realizes that she is neither solely Mexican or her other half she will never truly understand her mixed identity and will not be able to self-define her unique cultural identity.
DeleteMaria Gaspar discussed the concept of carving your own space within a community that is unique to the individual and fits their needs. Antonio Marez, the protagonist of Rudolfo Anaya's novel, "Bless Me, Ultima", struggles to find the answers to his questions within the Catholic faith that he so devoutly follows as death claims several of his loved ones that he felt that God should have been able to save. Antonio begins to question whether he can create a new religion because he sees the power of Ultima's curanderista magic while also praying to God and following the catholic faith. Gaspar's concept of carving your own space is evident in this situation because Antonio was always set on becoming a priest, but as he began to question God's power over evil, he sees that where God failed, Ultima had prevailed and that maybe a new religion could incorporate both. The syncretism involved in Antonio trying to fuse together the power of curanderisma and Catholicism is his way of dealing with his doubts of the powers of the religion that he always worshipped willingly. In search of how to continue through life, Antonio "carved" his own space within his community by using both Ultima's power and the faith of Catholicism.
ReplyDeleteI like how well you presented the conflict the main character encounters and how you tied it back to how it relates to the concepts of Maria Gaspar.
DeleteThroughout her presentation, Maria Gaspar emphasized the need for individuals to create spaces within their city in order to self-validate and make oneself visible. This concept is shown through the characters Antonio and Longoria in Hector Tobar’s The Tattooed Soldier. For example, Gaspar spoke about how communities contribute to the formation of one’s identity. This relates to both Antonio and Longoria because although they share similar experiences in migrating from Guatemala to the United States, they lead very different lifestyles in America. Due to Longoria’s previous military experience, he is able to find a job and live comfortably. His military environment in Guatemala shaped his strongly structured identity. On the other hand, Antonio, having fled Guatemala in fear of the death squad, is now homeless. The oppressive, threatening community that Antonio faced in Guatemala cause him to become invisible within the streets of Los Angeles, losing all self-validation.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely. I really think it is worth noting that the military acted as a great platform for Longoria. It provided him with the tools he needed and brought out all of his strong qualities. It was his military experience that gave him the confidence and strength that he needed to carve out his own space, which in many ways is just as difficult as going to war.
DeleteIn the journey to find who one really is, the path begins with a fire from within – a passion for something. For Maria Gaspar’s mother, it was clowning. While she had a career and worked, it was clowning that truly brought joy and excitement to her life. This fire fuels a person’s drive for making, such as murals that depict one’s culture and/or ancestry. Maria showed some powerful building murals depicting cultural heroes or struggles people went through. These reminders help a person with craving space for themselves or their culture. By craving space, they find a niche were they are able to utilize their talents which continues the process of validating one’s self. Finding this niche can be hard when the pressures of society push the person into a common mold. Realizing that they have ‘a right to the city’ allows them to utilize what is around them and think outside of the box to crave their space. This helps them to shed the stereotypes and let their true self become visible to a world that previously saw them as invisible. Negi shows the emergence of visibility in When I Was Puerto Rican. She finds little things with her grandma and when the move to New York that gave her the passion to strive for. When she was mixed into and all English school, not knowing any English, she fought and earned her way into a higher class and showed that she could do something. She travels through the 5 stages to create her space and sense of self.
ReplyDeleteI agree with and respect your response however I don't understand why you chose to end talking about the 5 steps of creating space when you only went into detail about 2. You should either exclude that portion or include details on all 5 aspects of creating space.
DeleteMaria Gaspar spoke about creating spaces in order to self- validate, which is present in Celaya (Lala) of Sandra Cisneros's novel "Caramelo". In the very beginning of the novel, Celaya recounts of being in Acapulco and her family taking a family portrait without her and not even noticing her absence. This makes her feel like she is not important to her family. She also gets a lot of rebuking from her parents, but especially her grandmother, which she refers to as the "Awful Grandmother" for being a hocicona (a big mouth) and as a result, feels a sense of disownment. She struggles to self- validate herself within her family and mostly turns to her dad's undying love to validate herself. Per request of the Awful Grandmother, Celaya later takes on the responsibility of being the family storyteller, which, by doing so, creates a space for her to be acknowledged.
ReplyDeleteDanielle, you did a nice job at connecting Maria Gapar's concept to your novel. It was clear and concise, and I understand the connection you made between Celaya and Gaspar's concept. Just as art allowed Gaspar to create her own space in Chicago, Celaya's story telling allows her to create her own space in her family. Well done :)
DeleteDanielle, i really liked the way you used lala to interpret the concept of self validation. I agree that lala has a lot to validate since, like you mentioned, she is not acknowledged and the space she creates is to find herself in order to become visible. Im petty sure Gaspar could identify herself very well with lala's character since she went through a similar process. Overall i think you did a great job.
DeleteMaria Gaspar's presentation about "carving your own space" relates a lot to Sandra Cisneros' novel "Caramelo." Gaspar talks about how individuals sometimes feel invisible to the sorroundings and how everyone has a "has a right to the city." In the novel Caramelo the narrarator, a young girl named Celaya, is in the formation of carving her own space even though she struggles with the way her awful grandmother thinks. In the beginning of the novel, Celaya describes a photograph of the family in Acapulco where she does not come out because she was forgotten. This shows the concept described by Gaspar about feeling invisible to the city which in this case is Celayas Family. The awful grandmother, being of European descent, feel that by getting married she has carved her own space and gained a "right to the city" as well.
ReplyDeleteGaspar makes it clear that self validation is a major part of creating a latinos identity since many of them feel invisible. The need to be visible is found on the inside in which latinos feel love and make a world that acknowledges them as part of the community. Gaspar points out four stages that lead up to the final stage, space. In this stage she explains what it means to have a right to the city. An individual needs to feel like they belong to the environment they are part of in order to develop a sense of self valifation. In sandra cisnero's novel "Caramelo" the awful grandmother is the best representation of what it is to believe that an individual is superior based on european background. In her case she needs to make others feel inferior in order to validate herself. On the other hand, celaya's (lala) self-validation comes into place when she is trying to understand that she has "a right to the city" when it comes to the trip to mexico.
ReplyDeleteGaspar explained that creating space helps a individual reach self-validation. Meaning that creating this trans-border/cultural/community etc. space helps and individual to understand themselves in their own perspective. Creating space establishes area in which one can be consciousnesses about his/her own environment, and lead to the validation of their identity. As in Dreaming in Cuban, self validation plays a key role for not only the character of Pilar but an understanding of the novel as a whole. Pilar as a "punk" artists is constantly in the middle of her familial dysfunctionality and the struggles of a teenager growing up in New York trying to understand her individuality. Pilar feels like in order for her to establish her own senses of self and validate her identity and situation (whether it be with family or society), she has to distance her self from the "invisible" and travel to were everything in her life came from: Cuba. As Pilar travels to Cuba she creates space where she can engage her self with history, people/ family and ideas. In connection to Gaspar's speech for some reason I can connect Dreaming in Cuban to her 46 Acre project at the Cook County Jail. As the community is heavily impacted by the presence of this jail in the heart of the community, Gaspar and students aim to Create space from the constant feelings and pressures created by the jail. As she explained the jail separates families, politics, and create barriers and questions that no one seems to get past. Her students are trying to address the elephant in the room and use the jail as the space to self validate themselves and their community. As for pilar and the novel in general there is alot of dysfunction and separatism within the Family relationships, politics and individual identities. They have been caused by various events like the Cuban revolution, exile, and borders between Cuba and US. Pilar tries to create space just like the 46 acres project by using Cuba(just like the jail) to explore the separations and divisiveness between family and cultures. She uses the experience to self validate her self and identity by creating space and also feeding the "Fire" and "invisibility"
ReplyDeleteI like your connection to dreaming in cCUba. I think its interesting the way you defined Pilar's idealization of Cuba as where everything significant in he rlife happens; that is her history, family, ideas, and culture. I do think, hwever, that you need to provide btter context of Gaspar's speech regarding the jail. But I do like the connection between the jail in little village as an object of seperation (a border) and the Cuban revolution. You have really strong ideas just make the connection between them stronger.
DeleteThe points are good, but you need to organize them as they are some weaker links and transitions between ideas. Just strengthen the flow between the points and the augment will be solid.
DeleteMaria Gaspar discusses how creating spaces is necessary to achieve self-validation. She does this by breaking down this concept into five stages. This idea of self-validation is seen in Julia Alvarez’ novel How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, when the sisters struggle to form a true sense of identity as the bounce between the Dominican Republic and the United States. The girls are caught between two conflicting worlds, the conservative Dominican life, and the “Wild and loose” American lifestyle (Alvarez 114). With this confused sense of self, the girls are not even able to make the first few stages that Gaspar described as “fire” and “making” into self-validation. Later in the novel one of the sisters Yoyo, find a way to identify he self through her poetry. She begins to “carve a space” for herself in her writing and develops her own sense of mixed identity. Yoyo’s search for an identity can also be seen as a search for belonging or fitting in. This sense of belonging was discussed by Gaspar but thanks to her efforts she hopes to help develop that sense of identity through her artwork and community projects.
ReplyDeleteI like how you described both lifestyles and put them into perspective with the Garcia girls. It seems interesting how you develop the ideas of Yoyo and how she fits in with the sense of identity that she creates. I do want to say that the other girls might have also found their identity although it might be vague or not as strong. The girls all have their identity they just need to find them and be able to validate themselves.
DeleteConnec I would like to see more of what Gaspar was saying about the five theories, perhaps adding examples which she showed during the presentation, would help better connect it your book. The development of your characters is something interesting but how does it relate to space? Perhaps another suggestion is relating how the artist that Gaspar spoke about craved his own identity in into his own home by using it as a medium of expression. I would say in essence deploy more connect to Gaspar’s theories with the book you are reading for your research project.
DeleteThe concept of creating space between someone's surroundings and themselves in order to take time to reflect and gain some sort of self-validation is recognized in How the Garcia Sister's Lost Their Accent. Whether the Sister's surroundings consist of each other, their parents, family, or even the atmosphere of their environment the Sister's validate themselves by how others may see them, or by double consciousness. As the Sister's are constantly together they are always complemented as a group, thus creating the idea that without each other who will others validate their own identity. When the Garcia family were at dinner with a co worker of the fathers the co workers compliment how wonderful the girls look. One of the daughters leaves to the bathroom and has she is in there she looks at her reflection in the mirror. What she sees to her surprise is a single young girl, she does not see her other sisters. She recognizes how wonderful she does look, and realizes that she is beautiful and when the other sisters are complimented as a group with her it is not just her sisters that receives the compliment it is her as well. By her taking that moment to look in the mirror and reflect her thoughts she realizes who she is and validates herself as an individual and not someone who belongs in a group.
ReplyDeleteMaria Gaspar presented five stages individuals and communities need in order to create spaces to self-validate and make oneself visible. The first stage, Fire, Gaspar defines as passion. The individual must find what he/she is passionate about and bring it to life in their everyday interactions with the world. Maria Gaspar found what she was passionate about to be art, and so she worked with students from schools of South Lawndale to create their own pieces of art.
ReplyDeleteGaspar's third stage, Invisible and Visible, addresses the issue of who is acknowledged in society and who is not. In this stage, the invisible individual must overcome barriers and embrace for their "fire" in order to gain the sense of self-validation; however, such is not done in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. Oscar's fire is writing and reading, but instead of using these as tools to reach a sense self-validation, Oscar uses them as a means of escape. Oscar is an outsider to his Dominican community, which he blames on the curse, fuku. He confines himself to the walls of his bedroom and makes little attempt to interact with his community. It is only through such interaction that one can create a space to self-validate and make oneself visible.
I like the connection you made between the importance of art in the work of both Maria Gaspar and Oscar Wao. In her speech Maria gave several examples of how art can be used to find ones place or better yet carve your own space. I also liked how you introduced the concept of using art not only as a means of self-validation, but also as a means of escape as I think many people can relate to that idea.
DeleteJuan Capilla In "Down These Mean Streets", Piri Thomas shows how throughout the barrios he lived in, there was very little sense of respect among youth. Piri Thomas is thus, abandoned by the society around him in terms of economic and social status. Piri Thomas, as well as many other youth living in the community, thus seeks to create his own space to be validated through the concept of machismo, which is respected in all parts of the barrio. By adhering to this concept, Piri forms his own groups for robbing, shooting, and partying, thus establishing his own spaces to gain a sense of belonging. Piri reflects how the invisibility of Latinos causes them to resort to unlawful means to gain a sense of security. However, contradicting Maria Gaspar's theory, creating his own space to self-validate only perpetuated the issues Piri saw in the barrios. Piri is only able to truly gain a sense of purpose when he breaks down his spaces in jail and allows himself to be flooded with many other views on machismo, religion, and how others, not only cope with, but fight against their invisibility in society when they are viewed as "minorities".
ReplyDeleteMelanie Hernandez
ReplyDeleteMay 15, 2014
Mr. Saldivar
Latino Lit. (4)
Maria Gaspar's speech focused primarily on the importance of finding a place for ones self or better yet, creating a space for ones self. She began her speech with the topic of love and explored what love means for different people, she associated it with fire and passion. Love and fire are in fact very similar as both are very powerful and extreme and both can quickly run out of control if no effort is made to control them. This idea is made evident in The hummingbird's Daughter where we see that an excess of passion can turn into lust. Teresita herself is a product of uncontrolled passion/lust and we see throughout the novel the corrupted ideas of love that the men in the impose on the women. Another point Maria Gaspar made in her speech was the concept of using language to create a space- that the words that are spoken in a room can determine the feeling of that space. In The Hummingbird's daughter there is very careful thought put into building a space and creating a person with the use of Language. Preceding Teresita's birth there is a great amount of dialogue and activity of all sorts that tells the reader very early on that there is something very special about her. The mix of negative and positive feelings about her pending arrival hints that her life will be full of twists and turns both positive and negative. Another issue raised by Maria Gaspar was the concept of visibility and invisibility- she spoke primarily on the Cook county jail located in the middle of the Little Village community and her work 96 Acres she stated that the jail was both visible and invisible to residents there as it physically sort of blends into the landscapes and is forgotten in the day to day hustle and bustle in the neighborhood and yet at times it also looms over the neighborhood. She mentioned that Latinos- many who grew up in the neighborhood or others like it make up a very high number of those incarcerated there. She noted that it would be much better for the neighborhood of there was a University there instead. Just like the jail Teresita's very early years were spent flip flopping between visibility and invisibility- visible to her mother and the others of her class and as an illegitimate child also invisible to her father as her mother tried to keep her confined behind the blanket of her little hut. In keeping her hidden to an extent and marking her from birth as something shameful Teresita's identity was undermined and her validation was skewed.
I agree with your ideas and I really liked the way you connected love and passion and how Teresita was a "product of uncontrolled passion/lust". This was very well said and clear. I also feel that you could've talked about how she used her healing powers to her advantage to make herself visible. Overall I think you did well.
DeleteMaria Gaspar’s third stage of carving space is present in Junot Diaz’s “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” through each character’s desperate need to escape the life they have. For Lola, carving space for herself meant escaping the clutches of her mother. She yearned to be visible outside of her mother’s shadow, and she tried to achieve this by running away. Ironically, Belicia, Lola’s mother, had done the same thing as a young girl in the Dominican Republic. She never felt like she belonged at her highly-selective and light-skinned high school. She did everything she could to escape her life as a nobody, despite her mother’s wishes for her to conform. Both Lola and Beli, mother and daughter, share a need to escape their lives and carve a space in the world for themselves. Gaspar’s group of performers who walked together through a crowd turned a normally invisible act into something noticeable, just as Beli and Lola try to turn themselves, invisible people in their worlds, into something worth noticing.
ReplyDeleteMaddie,
DeleteI really like how you connected Gaspar's presentation to the novel that you are reading. The parallel that you expose between the mother and daughter and Gaspar's group of performers is really interesting in understanding the relationship of creating one's space and self validation. Great job on relating the novel and presentation in a quality manner.
In Maria Gaspar’s presentation, she focused on the idea that in order to self-validate it is essential that one must first “carve spaces” for themselves. Gaspar mentioned that to achieve this goal of self-validation, love and fire are both key ingredients. Carving out one’s own space in a society that has continuously rejected them takes dedication and passion. Hector Tobar’s, The Tattooed Soldier, is very reflective of this idea and encompasses successful and unsuccessful examples of achieving this goal. Longoria is an example of someone who successfully carved out their space. Longoria is a part of the military and his passion fuels him to continue on which results in him leading a stable and comfortable life. Antonio, on the other hand did not have a jump start like the military to get him going. This resulted in him falling into the cycle of oppression people of color in the United States face. This mistreatment is enforced in and by his own community. This cripples him in a sense, making it nearly impossible for Antonio to carve out his own space.
ReplyDeleteI think your perspective on the novel is very interesting. I like how you connect successful living to the ability to carve out your own space. It actually has a lot of practical implications on how strong society can work to accept or reject certain people that attempt to leave their dedicated "space" in order to create their own.
DeleteThe need to be validated by others and yourself is a basic necessity. The idea of allocating space to be self-accepting and visible however, is a construct based around mans need to separate. Gaspar’s speech on the 5 stages to create space explains how by being differences and empowering those differences you will in turn create space and gain self-acceptance. The irony in this though, is that by not assimilating you aren't validated by a majority of people. Gaspar elaborates on how questioning the space you’re put in and creating your own is essential to visibility. In The Tattooed Soldier by Hector Tobar, the character Longoria find his space through his hatred of all people. He separates himself by his misunderstanding of why other men couldn’t succeed like him and he validates himself by being a not being what he despises. Once can only allocate a space once they understand who they are. If there was no separation between one person identity and another’s then there would be no need to create space at all.
ReplyDeleteThere seems to be a correlation between deconstructing the ethnic identity, in order to fit the idealistic American identity. In "When I was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago, the negative space created by the protagonist, forces the separation of her culture, values, and actions of a Jibara, in order to fully surmise herself into her new life in America. Since the traditional essence of the Jibara, which the protaginost once yearns to be, is always portrayed as negative, the isolation becomes easier for her. Once the protagonist is able to put this identity behind her, she fully encompasses the new life in America, and is able to be visible due to her "borron y cuenta nueva" of her Puerto Rican roots. The protagonist creates self validation by distnacing herself from who she was before her American journey. On the contrary, Maria Gaspar spoke of using her soundings, her culture, her hope to create positive space and closeness of a place where she belonged, as a beautiful place that was part of her identity. Her self validation came from embracing her surrounding, which is what has made her visible.
ReplyDeleteIn Piri Thomas's Down these Mean Streets, whether Piri was acting himself or as "Johnny Gringo", when moving from place to place he always felt the need to prove himself and make his new space his own. As such Piri's space never actually left him as wherever he went and whatever he did he maintained his identity as a tough guy and was always visible as a prominent figure in whatever group he was in. The characters around Piri realize this as illustrated by Tico, a new prison inmate who knew Piri from the past, instantly trying to raise his own reputation through association with Piri in claiming that Piri was his cousin (Thomas 265). In creating his space multiple times however, Piri was never able to gain a consistent sense of identity which allows us to understand his struggle with being brown and his conclusion to ultimately take it upon himself to travel south in order to find his identity. Piri ultimately feels that the only way to realize himself is to take the journey alone, Brew was merely an aid/tour guide in the early stages of his journey.
ReplyDeleteJuan, I agree with you. Piri does feel the need to prove himself to everyone and i think this is due to the lack of identity he has, especially towards the the first half of the book. He uses those around him to attempt to establish a sense of self worth but this can only be achieved within. No matter who one surround them self with, the only way they will feel as if the have a place in a society is if they genuinely believe it within not if others believe it for them.
DeleteMaria Gaspar's spoke on the importance of carving a space in order for self-validation and visibility. Maria outlined stages that allow for this space to be created. Maria specifically spoke on her mother's experience. Maria's mother migrated here and instantly showed passion to succeed as she found love for everything she did. Maria later addressed that only a community can help in carving spaces to make them there own and speak out against forms of oppression like racism and poverty. Communities have used art to speak out and make their social space visible. Similarly, in Esmeralda Santiago's biography, When I Was Puerto Rican, Esmeralda writes about her experiences of moving to New York. This new environment brought on differences that what Esmeralda was used to, as she immediately felt unappreciated because of her cultural background as a jibara. She was not expected to sustain and keep her culture, but by doing so and not assimilating, she was viewed negatively. Similar to Maria's mother, Esmeralda showed the fire and passion to do well and show that she can do something. Esmeralda's strive to do good and make something of herself as a jibara is what ultimately allowed for the creation of her space and thus her self-validation.
ReplyDeleteLuis i liked how you related Esmeralda with Maria's mother. I didn't even think of that until you related them. I agree with you on the way you related them how each of hem had that burning desire to succeed and do something with their lives. However i feel that your argument would have been stronger if you wouldve related how their work ethic got them to where they are now. Other then that it was good.
DeleteGaspar states the importance of carving space for oneself in order to achieve self-validation. Throughout her presentation a common theme presented is the influence of “environment” on an individual. One’s environment might have some sort of influence on the individual but at the end it is up to them to choose which direction they decide to follow. The environment can be used to validate their power over others or as a support for their self-validation. Gaspar mentioned some impactful community project, the Cook County Jail on 26th street as well as the youth program on Lawndale. While the Cook County Jail utilizes its environment (large location and the governments behind them) to gain power over Little Village the youth program usage of public places and destroyed environments is imposed to validate them as a majority who is united. In The Hummingbird’s Daughter, Teresita utilizes her environment as well as her healing power not only to validate herself but aid her People to do the same. Throughout her life, Teresita is carving her space by standing up, by becoming that saint her People are in need. Her past wasn't going to define her identity, instead her actions after knowing who she is and was she is capable of will serve as tools to carve her identity.
ReplyDeleteMaria Gaspar explains that the importance of carving a space for once self is to achieve self validation and also because it is a human right to have a stand in society. In the memoir "Down These Mean Streets" by Piri Thomas, young Piri struggles with carving a space within gringo and black society. This is due to the lack of identity he has regarding his race, Puerto Rican. Among his family consisting of: his "dark faced" father, mother who is pure Puerto Rican, two brothers (James and Jose), and little sister, Piri was born the darkest one besides his father who "is a paddy on the inside" which causes conflict within himself. He doe not believe that he has a place within his family which he calls "paddy fair" nor society because he refuses to think or act like a gringo and he is often confused for an African-American. However, his friend Brew, who is an African-American, makes him know that he is part African-American because of his dark skin and "the paddies aint gonna care cause anything that's not white isn't right". Piri takes grasps of this knowledge instilled in him to create an identity for himself and carve a unique space for himself, not just as a Puerto Rican oblivious of his ancestral roots, but as a Puerto Rican who accepts his skin color along with the African blood he have inside of him. Therefore there is no longer just the black and white dynamic that so many people at the time (1960's) paid acknowledgment to, but a new transformed one that includes Piri, a young man that reflects a mixture of races.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that you brought up the Black White Paradigm and how many Latinos and people of mixed races deal with identity crises due to the fact that they essentially fins themselves somewhere in the middle. They are neither solely white or Black, their history is a blend of the two groups of people and indigenous. So it's always interesting to see how Latinos deal with their non-polarity on an individual basis, such as how Piri Thomas does.
DeleteMaria Gaspar emphasizes the importance of one finding passion and carving space for oneself. Dreaming in Cuban deals with women who are attempting to intertwine their identities with where they live among other factors. The disparity of emotion the women have for America and Cuba portray great conflict for the women. Paticularly, Pilar, who cannot establish a complete identity until she returns to Cuba herself. Gaspar emphasizes this journey being necessary to complete oneself, especially recreating ones own land. Recreation is a common theme shared between Gaspar and Castillo, who in her book emphasizes recreating language, terms, and even religion.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel Dreaming in Cuban, the character Pilar experiences her own need to create a space for herself because she is caught in between cultures. She creates her own space in order for her to feel like she is visible. She is conflicted with her contrasting relationships with her mother and grandmother and a need to belong within an American culture. Her separation from the rich culture of Cuba that she retains through her relationship with her grandmother embodies itself in her approach towards the arts that she finds in Brooklyn, that effectively created a space for her to feel productive and recognized when her relationship with her mother had proven to be destructive. Her mother refused to allow her to attend an arts school, only further fueling the need for Pilar to want to continue to pursue it. This is similar to what Maria Gaspar talked about in her speech. The different projects she has been a part of throughout the city are her way of using the city space as a space for art to allow empowerment and expression. When she speaks about Carving your own space it could be interpreted in a way that means creating your own validation and acceptance through the arts. Pilar used her strong relationship with her grandmother Celia and the arts that she pursued in her own life when her validation and visibility wasn’t produced by her mother. During Gaspar’s presentation, the arts in Latino communities are a way for the expression of individuals to come to life and quite literally surround themselves with the spaces that they have created through their art.
ReplyDeleteMaria Gaspar discusses the need for individuals to create spaces to self-validate and make oneself visible, this is displayed with "How the Garcia Sisters Lost their Accent" because it seems that in the family the Garcia sisters need validation between the family members and for each one of them to like each other. This creates the need for each one of them to have acceptance from someone that may not even fulfill it. Self-validation is created when the sisters need both their sides of cultures to be accepted wherever they go, whether it be American or Dominican. This need creates a struggle for them to let go of one culture or to finally accept both. This causes the Garcia sisters to not be able to make it through the five stages and to be accepted. They are stuck in a purgatory where they are neither once culture nor the other. They are too American to be truly Dominican, and they are too Dominican to be truly American. The need of acceptance of one self and acceptance from others creates a harsh reality that some people may never find their true self. Yolanda in the story though is able to finally be able to create a sense of validation and be the person she wants to be with a positive regard to the acceptance needed from herself and needed from her family.
ReplyDeleteMaria Gasper spoke about the importance of self-validation. Throughout her presentation she emphasized the importance of a community or environment in achieving this goal of self-validation. One must be able to overcome any obstacle in their way or any circumstance that may be holding them back. The only way to do that is with the help of a community. This directly relates to Esmeralda in When I was Puerto Rican. In her biography she talks about her journey to self-validation starting in Puerto Rico and ending all the way in New York. Back at home she had to deal with not being appreciated by her family along with being left alone to watch over her siblings. Nobody supported her and that did not change when she moved to New York with her mother. In New York she had to deal with racism and yet again the feeling of not being appreciated. But even with all of this going on she was able to find self-validation with the help of her school counselor. Even though the kids at her school were mean and racist the environment that people like her counselor were able to provide for her ultimately led to her success.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, in fact I think that the harsh home and school environment help to show the importance of the community. Esmeralda is not able to truly become at peace with herself and feel the sense of validation that she needs in her life back Puerto Rico because of the lack of support from those around her. This does more to show why community is a very important aspect of being able to feel validated, and in building up to validate oneself.
DeleteMaria Gaspar discussed the need to be visible and create specific spaces to self-validate oneself. During her speech she explained how the youth that she worked with used the power of art to make oneself visible. She emphasized that in order to make oneself visible, an individual must first realize that they are living in a marginalized and xenophobic society and only then can that individual deal with their invisibility. Due to the fact that we live in a society that is dominated by Eurocentric ideologies, many people, people of color especially, are unaware of the great civilizations of people of color. Civilizations such as the Maya, Inca, Ghana, and Mali. This ignorance to one's own history is due to institutionalized racism, colonization, and fear. Histories of entire civilizations and cultures of people have been purposefully destroyed to make people of color "invisible". In Hector Tobar's "The Tattooed Soldier", the main conflict throughout the novel is whether or not Los Angeles will suffer the same fate that these ancient civilizations such as the Maya did. Tobar is essentially insinuating that is in possible that within the next couple of centuries the culture of the Guatemalan people may cease to exist in Los Angeles. If this were to happen the invisibility of the Guatemalan population, which already exists, may one day be as extreme as that of the Maya civilization is today.
ReplyDeleteMaria Gaspar, in her speech, speaks of carving out a space and making it your own. This means not folding to work well within what was giving to you, but getting to the space that you want to be into and making it work well for you. In When I Was Puerto Rican, by Esmeralda Santiago, she writes about her experience moving from Puerto Rico to New York. When she comes she has to face judgement and mistreatment from everyone from peers to the New York public school system. Esmeralda's school counselor is the one who sets her in position where she is able to find a space for herself and make it work well for her. With the help of her counselor Esmeralda is able to demonstrate her intelligence and her talents and finds herself at a performance school and, in fact, is ahead of most other people her age. She was able to get to a place that she wanted to be at and use this place as a means to get to what she wants.
ReplyDeleteMaria Gaspar discusses the effects that creating spaces has on an individual's self-validation. During her speech, she spoke about how communities play a large role in the self-validation of its inhabitants. This idea of utilizing communities to create your own space, as a means of self validation is prominent in The Tattooed Soldier by Hector Tobar. The book focuses primarily on Antonio and Longoria, two Guatemalan migrants now residing in Los Angeles. Throughout the novel, the reader is able to see the vary different lifestyles of the two men. Antonio is evicted from his apartment resulting in his homelessness, while Longoria has an apartment to call his home. Due to Antonio's homelessness, he does not have a space to call his own. While on the streets, he notices that their are white homeless people, and Antonio states, "these gringos don't deserve this" (Tobar 41). Due to his lack of space, Antonio unknowingly disempowers himself, completely refuting the idea of self-validation. However Longoria utilizes his space to self-validate himself, while disempowering others of lesser socioeconomic status than himself. In attempt to prove his validation, he yells at the homeless people living in back of his apartment building. The idea of creating spaces to self-validate oneself is a prominent theory in Tobar's novel, as well as in the lives of many Latino migrants facing the oppressions of the United States of America.
ReplyDeleteJulia Alvarez presents a need to create space in her novel, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, after the Garcia family is taken away from their lifestyle in the Dominican Republic because of the chaos formed by the regime and forced to attempt to start a new life in America. Finding themselves in a foreign land, the Garcia family attempts to assimilate in order to succeed, losing themselves in the process. Carlos attempts to educate the accent out of the girls, departing from their Dominican culture. Maria Gaspar, discusses creating space as a means to fuse your cultures to help create your identity. The Garcia Family chose to ignore their Dominican roots in order to fit into American culture thus losing their “accent” instead of embracing their roots and bringing them to America to create their own realm in which they could live comfortably. Maria’s first step, which was love, aids in strengthen and providing the validation many immigrants need in order to successfully live in a foreign land without compromising themselves. The Garcia girls, although no doubt loved by their parents, did not have a love ,from Carlos,strong enough to make them realize that they could live in a foreign land and still maintain and nourish their Dominican roots. So, they were doomed to lose their accent as soon as the left the Dominican Republic.
ReplyDeleteThe space Maria Gaspar was referring to was a space of cultural acknowledgment and also of individual identity. She explained how each part of the phases created and also enhanced the space that is created in the environment people reside in. Each environment is unique and so has its own cultural significance as Gaspar explained, but each space can be relatable. When Gaspar talked about the the artist who brought his cultural identity through the use of art and brought his own space by applying it to his very own home, it was similar to the way that Antonio from Bless Me Ultima was able through the curandera Ultima assert his own identity and recreate his own space through his understanding of his own culture, religion, and roots. Recreation of space is a concept that is important to understand such that it shows whether cultural understanding occurs or assimilation.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I did not see the same connection between Gaspar's phases, or chapters, they seemed more like individual talking points than a narrative about environment. Also, some of the phases seemed to similar to be steps or seperate points such as "Making" and "Carving a Space."
DeleteI do like that you show making a space as the polar opposite of assimilation. You can either carve your own space or melt into the spaces made for you by others. It asserts your freedom. I wish I new what the curandera Ultima is and how it fits into asserting identity.
Junot Diaz's novel 'The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao' deals with the contrast between activism and escapism. It explores the complex question of whether it is better to attempt to change one's situation, or to escape from one's situation. This escape can be achieved mentally or physically. Maria Gaspar clearly takes a stand on this issue. She argues in her lecture-performance 'Creating Spaces' that the better choice is to fight back. Gaspar uses art and activism to attempt to change her situation, rather than trying to escape from that situation or create a new one.
ReplyDeleteIn your opinion how does Junot Diaz present this contrast between activism and escapism? It seems like some characters fight their current situations and some try to run from them, but when reading the book I never felt the two ideas were weighed against each other.
DeleteMaria Gaspar is a woman who was able to take her own experiences and personal history to find her own place in the world and develop the ability to manipulate the world around her for the better. In her presentation, she emphasized the importance of finding, or in most cases creating, your own space. This space is where you can be yourself, where you are constantly comfortable, and where you can develop your own perspective on the world. In The Tattooed Soldier by Hector Tobar, the two main characters, Longoria and Antonio, are trying to find their own space, and develop their own perspective in that space. Antonio struggled to find his own place on Guatemala and then the United States when he became poor and homeless. Antonio could not make any place his own and he could therefore not begin to develop a perspective that could change the world around him. Longoria was more successful in creating his own space, and he was therefore able to see the world through a certain lens that he developed through the creation of his own space. One must first create their own space before he/she can begin to develop a perspective on the surrounding world.
ReplyDeleteSarah, I really liked the way the way you interpreted Maria Gaspar's idea of creating a new space. The way you summed it up by saying that one must create a space before beginning to develop a perspective of the environment is similar to the idea of In Lak'ech. This is because In Lak'ech explains the importance of understanding yourself before being able to truly establish your identity. I like your perspective and I think you did a good job explaining the connections between Maria Gaspar's experiences and The Tattooed Soldier.
DeleteIn creating a space, people create a place were they can be accepted because they have been pushed out to the fringes of society. In "How the Garcia girls lost their accents" the girls do not have the space were they can be accepted for being bilingual and are caught between the dominican republic and the U.S> with no space to thrive. Nether society will accept them so they must make their own place to be accepted or fall risk of assimilating, killing off one part of their self, leaving them as fragmented people.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate how you explained how the girls were pushed out to the fringes, but I feel like you should have tied the whole thing together by mentioning how the girls eventually carved their space, or if they did at all.
DeleteMaria Gaspar discussed the importance of carving your own spaces in order to establish a self identity and a place of belonging. she noted that carving your own space is a way to self-validate, thus creating a new space or in The Hummingbirds Daughter creating a new identity for women . Teresita, the main character, like any other indigenous woman of the time, was forced by society to fit a certain stereotype, defined by the male hegemony. Terista, born with spiritual powers to heal given to her by her mother the Hummingbird, questions the patriarchy and the rules it has set. Huila, the spiritual healer of The People, even encourages Teresita to accept the gender roles previous set by the patriarchy. "'' You are not always meant to understand, only to accept"'(100). Nevertheless, as she gets older, she develops her gift as a healer and learns to read and write, privledges only commonly possessed by Yori men.
ReplyDeleteDIDNT FINISH YET!!! :(
ReplyDeleteThus, carving a new space by establishing a new identity for women amoungst The People.
The first chapter of Maria Gaspar's presentation was "Fire." To Gaspar, fire represented the love she felt for her mother. Her mother helped make Gaspar her own space by exhibiting an outgoing personality. Gaspar was thankful for her mother's influence and loves her for it. SImilarly in The Tattooed Soldier by Hector Tobar the character Elena believes that revolution comes from great acts of love. She always goes back to this truth and uses it to self-validate. Elena wants to create a space for herself in showing love for others, thereby creating her on revolution. Elena visits the slums of San Cristobal, Guatemala to find the cause of infant mortality in the impoverished community. Caring for others is how she best makes a place for herself.
ReplyDeleteMaria Gaspar's fifth chapter of the presentation was "A Right to the City." Gaspar offers that everyone has a right to the city but in reality that not everyone gets an equal share in its possibilities. In the Tattooed Soldier Guillermo Longoria, an orderly former soldier from Guatemala, struggles to make a place for himself in LA when disorder surrounds him. In LA Longoria is surrounded by dissidents and communists (real and imagined) he would have killed in Guatemala, here he has to respect their right to the city but finds it hard to reconcile with his duty. If he cannot maintain order, what is his purpose?
Antonio Bernal is the widower of Elena, a former Guatemalan academic, and recently homeless in LA. Antonio lives on the fringe of society and has no ambition without his definition of justice; justice is avenging his wife and son's deaths. When he comes in contact with their killer, Guillermo Longoria he sees this vengeance as his self-validation as a father, a protector.
Maria Gaspar makes her place in the community through art and action. Gaspar believes in murals, performance, and the youth. These four ideologies: love, order, vengeance, and art are all ways Latinos have created spaces for themselves.
The need to find oneself's own space is exercised in Rudolfo Anaya's "Bless me, Ultima" through the Marez side of Antonio's family. His three older brothers desperately want to leave their parents' grasp and make a name for themselves. Their father assumed that they would help him move to California, and their Mother assumed that they would stay at home and farm as her brothers do. They felt overwhelmed with a lack of control over their own destinies. Their need to find their own space away from their parents and validate themselves stems from their father and his family's life in el llano. Their lives were dedicated to having their own space to be free and to be themselves. this is comparable to Maria Gaspar's presentation, because she discussed the lack of opportunities that Latino people from specific socio-economic backgrounds face when trying to validate themselves as people. The connotations that certain neighborhoods carry among people not from that neighborhood have isolated many people into introverted communities where they struggle to verify themselves and their identities. This is true segregation, and in Chicago, as Maria Gaspar suggests, this segregation of the opportunities for human identity has been built on a racial background that needs to be changed.
ReplyDeleteIn your response you detailed how their space was taken away by parents who felt as if they had the right to control one's own destiny. I think you could have included how the three brothers carved their own space and at what price they had today. The parents being the reason fro the sons to self validate is the exact opposite for Gaspar. Gaspar's mother taught her to be expressive and carve a space. I wish I knew what role different communities played in the process of creating space.
DeleteIn Hector Tobar's "The Tattooed Soldier," Guillermo Longoria struggles to maintain his rigid lifestyle amongst the chaos and fluidity of Los Angeles. When Maria Gaspar spoke of carving space, she spoke of people creating their own space in which they feel comfortable when society denies them such space. This is exactly what Longoria does in Los Angeles. As a former soldier, he makes his apartment like a barrack, giving him a sense of control over his life in a city and western society that refuses to do so for him. On the other hand, there is Antonio, who gets kicked out of his literal space and forced to live on the streets. To carve his own space, Antonio makes friends with several other homeless men. In Antonio's case, his carved space becomes less literal as he and his friends are forced to vacate the area they were living in. For Antonio, he carves his space in Los Angeles through his group of friends; by having allies in a similar situation, Antonio is able to feel comfortable in a city that has completely alienated him. In very different ways, both Longoria and Antonio were able to carve their own space in the way presented by Maria Gaspar.
ReplyDeleteOscar Wao, of "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz, Had no opportunity to make a space for himself. Maria Gaspar, through the arts programs she leads in communities like little village, gets youths to reclaim their neighborhoods through art and public displays which offset the norms and give them a sense of power and pride in their community. Oscar Wao had no real community. Not accepted by his dominican family or Latino community because he was not the typical macho male, and not accepted by the world at large because he was awkward and strange. All Oscar did in his life was break social norms, but all that ever got him was ostracization.
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ReplyDeleteIn "The Brief and Wonderful Life of Oscar Wao", the character Oscar is denied both physical and metaphorical space by both his overly controlling mother and his own lack of self-confidence. In Maria Gaspar's speech, she points out how crucial a "space" is to developing both one's personal and cultural identity, and Oscar's denial of such a thing has a devastating effect on his life.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel “Down These Mean Streets”, Piri, the son of a Puerto Rican mother and an Afro-Cuban father struggles to find his “space” in 1940’s New York. Carving space refers to the need to self-validate and become visible within one’s community. During his childhood he moved to different neighborhoods, all defined by race. In Italian Harlem, he constantly had to defend his self against the italians and in Long Island he has to deal with the indirect rejection from the paddys. Only in Spanish Harlem does he feel at home and even there he has to prove his self. Since his family is composed of Paddy looking Puerto Ricans, he has to find his self separately from them. Because of his skin color he becomes torn between what people see him as and what he really is. Because of his skin color he travels down south to see if his space resides within the African American community. Being rejected by both Latinos and blacks, Piri has to carve a space where he would be visible as a Afro-Latino.
ReplyDeleteMaria Gaspar discussed the importance of being visible and invisible and how carving your space is a way one self-validates themselves within their environment. Being visible within your community is whether you make an impact in it or not. In "The Hummingbird's Daughter", Teresita carves her space within her community and encourages everyone else to be part of the impact she made. She uses her healing powers to help those in aid and puts up with a lot of twists and turns throughout her early years and her proactive actions to help her community through rough times made her visible.
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