conclude Rudolfo Anaya, Bless Me, Ultima
How does Tony resolve "ambivalence?"
Other issues regarding Mexican American literature?
more on "style" in Bless Me, Ultima
more on Mexican Americans as ambivalent minority + resolutions
Mexican America & North America
Mexican American immigration a major change in North American demographics--
Too many changes to cover, but some relevant to course
terms will change, outcomes will change
what's true today will seem strange in the future > new language
but don't despair
real purpose: exercise in critical thinking with cultural knowledge
reading helps
writing helps
practice helps
modeling by lecture sort of helps
no silver bullets in teaching
too much like real life--always trade-offs
but not a reason to stop experimenting and learning
Professional > semi-personal
simple examples of ambivalence in Bless Me, Ultima
41 She understood that as I grew up I would have to choose
to be my mother’s priest or my father’s son.
51 first day of schooling, years and years of schooling,
away from the protection of my mother. I was excited and sad about it.
222 I was caught in the middle
[These examples could be true to anyone in a similar family type.]
104 Is Ultima a "curandera" or a "bruja?"
Standard conflict of traditional cultures when confronted with modern culture--how to regard former beliefs? (usu. limited to acceptance / rejection)
58 At noon we opened our lunches to eat. . . . My
mother had packed a small jar of hot beans and some good, green chile wrapped in
tortillas. When the other children saw my lunch they laughed and pointed again.
. . . They showed me their sandwiches
[Any immigrant might face a similar situation. But remember that Tony is not an immigrant. His family has lived in the region for centuries.]
Broad cultural questions posed by increasing Mexican American population in USA:
Will Mexican Americans assimilate and join dominant culture?
Will Mexican Americans remain a separate culture, emphasizing difference (plus or minus victimization)?
Will Mexican Americans speak Spanish, English, or some combination?
Will the traditional extended family endure, or will individualism, family breakdowns, and divorce rates / single motherhood continue to increase?
Will Mexican Americans remain Catholic or become more Protestant (relevant to freemarket capitalism championed by US: see Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism)
How do Mexican Americans fit the immigrant model?
Movement of large numbers of people across national boundaries, into USA for economic opportunities
Some shifting of national allegiances (i. e., increasingly, immigrants or their children or grandchildren would no longer regard themselves as "Mexicans" but as "Americans.")
Some tendencies toward assimilation, though assimilation may take additional generations (b/c of large non-English-speaking community + media).
Intermarriage appears more likely or accepted than with African Americans
After some generations, many Mexican Americans or Hispanics no longer identify themselves as such but simply consider themselves as "whites" or "Americans"--especially in Northern USA (where the name Lopez would mean no more than the name Caprio or Herman).
In what ways do Mexican Americans fit the minority model?
Some record of involuntary participation and exploitation: USA conquered and annexed parts of Mexico much as it conquered and annexed parts of Native America.
Mexican Americans often wish to retain Spanish language, especially in the home. This can resemble other immigrant groups, but the size of the Spanish-speaking community makes retention of other language more likely. Retention of unique speech habits can be a sign of minority status, as with African American dialect, Ebonics, etc.
Retention of extended families, with resulting gender inequality and de-emphasis on education
high birth rates, esp. early childbearing by women (curtails upward mobility)
high dropout rates (disengagement with higher education also curtails upward mobility)
some lack of emphasis on education and restriction to traditional roles involving men as outdoor workers, women as homebound. Some lack of emphasis on education may derive from Catholicism, which historically limited literacy to the priesthood, while Protestantism emphasized importance of literacy to individual believer.
Third way? Neither immigrant nor minority, or both?
Mexican Americans may remain in the "divided" second-generation position for longer than other immigrant groups, owing to the special considerations below. In other words, all immigrant groups go through a stage of being both "native-land" and "American" before becoming "American," but Mexican Americans may prolong this indefinitely.
Why?
237 you have to
choose, Tony . . . between the god of the church, or the beauty that is here and
now
238 possible to
have both?
Answers may not be either / or
but both / and.
Answers may not be "either immigrant or minority" but some extended combination of both--third way.
"Ambivalence" may be just a convenient term for a new cultural development, a new American identity.
67 California or highway work. “Why does it have to be just those two choices?” move to Las Vegas, work there, rent
121 You have been seeing only parts . . . and not looking beyond into the great cycle that binds us all
12 seemed to dissolve into one strange, complete being
55 How could the blessing
of Ultima be like the whirlwind?
Was
the power of good and evil the same?
176 everyone should survive, but in new form
247 reform the old materials, make something new
247 can a new religion be made?
247 first priest: father of Lunas?
248 the priest had changed, so perhaps his religion could be made to change
260 With the passing away of Tenorio and myself the meddling will be done with, harmony will be reconstituted.
How?
story: priest who was also "father" of his people--both/and, not either/or
symbols: bridge, number 3 (trinity + 3 witches, 3 giants), dream
syncretism: story of golden carp combines Judeo-Christian and Indian elements
Literature isn't true in the normal sense of the word but stretches what may be true.
Leftover notes from previous classes
Conclude on style in
Bless Me, Ultima
From a distance, we can separate these diverse ideas in a literary text.
But literature like other arts is not strictly about ideas but about their expression or representation in humanity, nature, reality.
"Art is an imitation of reality." (Plato, Aristotle)
In the finest literature, the style and the ideas converge, so that what is being said cooperates with how it is said.
General discussion of style in Bless Me, Ultima
syncretism, symbols as unifying devices
syncretism
syncretism definition
two impulses to religion:
1. evolutionary impulse: religion adapts to the world, shares with the world, doesn't judge but accepts world, mixes (i. e., syncretism)
2. fundamentalist impulse: purifies itself, pulls back and separates from world
Syncretism p. 79-81, 104
resolutions? unification of ambivalent identity?
67 California or highway work. “Why does it have to be just those two choices?” move to Las Vegas, work there, rent
121 You have been seeing only parts . . . and not looking beyond into the great cycle that binds us all
12 seemed to dissolve into one strange, complete being
55 How could the blessing
of Ultima be like the whirlwind?
Was
the power of good and evil the same?
176 everyone should survive, but in new form
Style: lyrical, hypnotic, dreamy + violent action (ambivalence?)
Not African American narrative, dream as expecting setbacks but working towards vision of cultural dignity
247 Father: that way of life is just about gone; it is a dream. Perhaps it is time we gave up a few of our dreams. . . gave up the old differences
Dream:
30 Had it been a dream? Or a dream within a dream?
Rather, a mental state such as all humans, maybe even all mammals, enter during sleep, or if you’re sitting in a room like this, during class
140 dream: black mass,
Ultima!
Dream patterns:
Borders dissolve or become confused (cf. ambivalence)
99 waking dream
100 suffered spasms my uncle suffered, we dissolved into each other
60 [synesthesia]
(cf. syncretism)
Substitution: books of dreams, clown as good luck; airplane for sex
120 Virgin of Guadalupe > mother!
187 Virgin and mother
187 I too would meet the Virgin; met Tenorio
repetition of symbols, patterns (e. g., #3)
27 the three giants of my dreams
88 the Trementina sisters, Tenorio’s three girls
101 three dolls > three women > take life > stick pins
243 three figures: Narciso, Lupito, Florence
3 as third choice or third way
not simply ambivalence but resolution into new, alternative identity
Conclusion:
style and effects don't just happen, not just genius, but also technique, development of motifs or patterns across texts
What is the idea and what is art?
Where does literature start and culture end?
syncretism, symbols as unifying devices--unify separate categories into single vision or experience
similarly, Mexican American attitudes may only appear ambivalent, when in fact they are experienced as a single whole
Quince
179 catechism > English
180 Many of the old people did not accept the new language and
refused to let their children speak it, but my mother believed that if I was to
be successful as a priest I should know both languages
181 rule of respect for the elders
185 I wondered if the death of Narciso had anything to do with
Andrew’s decision to go
Dieciseis
186 My life had changed, I thought; I seemed older, and yet
the lives of my schoolmates seemed unchanged
187 Virgin and mother
187 Diego and Virgin of Guadalupe
187 I too would meet the Virgin; met Tenorio
189 “where there is no acknowledgment of guilt and penance
done for the wrong, there can be no forgiveness
Diecisiete
190 mysteries of God
190 “the atomic bomb” . . . seek to know more than God Himself
191 wind is voice of llano
191 changes, like a woman changes.
Overgrazed
192 wise man listens to the voice of the earth
195 Florence on God
199 Spanish / English prayers
199 Who made you?
201 father’s story > illustrate point
Dieciocho
206 Christ speaking to women
206 check Spanish
A la chingada . . . voy a tirar tripas
209 “I shall be your priest.”
213 “It is God who has sinned against me! . . . He has
punished all of us without just cause.”
216 “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned,” and I made my
first confession to him.
Diecinueve
219 blood
Veinte
222 I was caught in the middle
223 ominous signs
226 So again the power of the priest has failed
226 “I saw the things Tellez spoke about, I still cannot
believe it—“
227 Comanches, comancheros, Mexican + flocks
228 from these two people I had learned to love the magical
beauty of the wide, free earth
229 power, faith, reason + dark, mystical past
232 three bundles
232 made me feel that she had performed this ceremony in some
distant past
234 three brothers, dark figures
Veintiuno
237 you have to choose, Tony . . . between the god of the
church, or the beauty that is here and now
238 possible to have both?
Veintidos
243 three figures: Narciso, Lupito, Florence
243 The germ of creation lies in violence
245 accept the change, and make it part of your strength
247 Father: that way of life is just
about gone; it is a dream.
Perhaps it is time we gave up a few of our dreams. .
. gave up the old differences
247 reform the old materials, make something new
247 can a new religion be made?
247 first priest: father of Lunas?
248 the priest had changed, so perhaps his religion could be
made to change
248 sympathy for people
250 man of learning > man of the people?
255 The owl was her soul
259 first time I had ever spoken to my mother as a man; she
nodded and obeyed
260 not dead > new place, new time
260 With the passing away of Tenorio and myself the meddling
will be done with, harmony will be reconstituted.
Concluding presentation: Kate Barrack
Literature and the Use of Humor
When studying and teaching literature, we should consider what it is about a text that makes it so special or profound as to lead to its importance or greatness. Not all texts are great, very few are profound, and even fewer can find their way into the hearts of all peoples. When studying minority literature, we seek the ideas and struggles which are different from the dominant group. Their experiences are fundamentally different from the dominant culture and help us to understand several key points.
- It will allow us to understand a different but related history.
- It will allow us to evaluate our own standards (as the dominant culture) with greater objectivity.
- It will allow us to explore how different experiences lead to different conclusions, especially with regard to world perceptions and ethics.
The study of history can reveal all of this. Understanding the differences between the experience of two or more cultures is the base from which we can begin to understand why it is so important to treat others justly. However, the study of literature (that is, the voice an author chooses to incorporate) allows us to examine a personal human experience, not just a slew of facts. The unjust treatment of Fredrick Douglass, Olaudah Equiano, and Harriet Jacobs; and the subjective rationalization behind the treatment of the Indian tribes remind us that past actions were unjust, not because these writers belonged to a minority, but because they are human beings just like us. Reading a text may open a reader to new experiences and ideas, but on a more fundamental level, it allows the reader to connect with the author and to find a similarity between themselves and the author.
On a psychological level many people enjoy those things
they can relate to and will seek out these experiences first. If I'm
really craving ice cream and have a choice between a scoop of Marble Slab and a
free plate of seaweed and octopus brains, it's not likely I'll choose the
cephalopod sweetbreads if I've never had them. Literature gives us the
opportunity to bring the unknown or the unusual into contact with the familiar.
Throughout the semester, we have read texts whose main ideas have been struggle,
oppression, loss, and confusion. Even though it is impossible for us to
experience the horrors of slavery now, the texts we have read give us more than
a factual understanding of those events. Through the personal voices of
the authors and their specific choice of words, we begin to understand.
Consider the difference between these two passages:
"[T]o further coerce the slaves into a state of bondage, a method of divide and conquer (e.g. lighter skinned slaves versus those with darker skin) was imperatively used..." (from Wikipedia: "Slavery in Colonial America")
"Mr. Covey succeeded in breaking me. I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute!" - Frederick Douglass
Regardless of the distance of time or breadth of experience between the author and ourselves, we are able to identify with their stories because we are more fundamentally similar to them, than they are different from us.
It is under the light of similarities that the use of humor falls. In the case of humor used in social commentary, it is often in the form of wit or sarcasm. From Sherman Alexie's book he writes of a few moments spent in a 7-11.
"Will this be all?" he asked me, in that company effort to make me do some impulse shopping. Like adding a clause onto a treaty. We'll take Washington and Oregon and you get six pine trees and a brand-new Chrysler Cordoba." (183)
As a reader, you may never have had your land seized or even dealt with a broken contract. But the sheer outrageousness of Alexie's words are sure to produce a chuckle at the same time they bring up a point. The disparity between what we can do and the things we can't get is a fundamental experience for all humans.
Health Food Diner
by Dr. Maya Angelou
No sprouted wheat and soya shoots
And Brussels in a cake,
Carrot straw and spinach raw,
(Today, I need a steak).
Not thick brown rice and rice pilaw
Or mushrooms creamed on toast,
Turnips mashed and parsnips hashed,
(I'm dreaming of a roast).
Health-food folks around the world
Are thinned by anxious zeal,
They look for help in seafood kelp
(I count on breaded veal).
No smoking signs, raw mustard greens,
Zucchini by the ton,
Uncooked kale and bodies frail
Are sure to make me run
to
Loins of pork and chicken thighs
And standing rib, so prime,
Pork chops brown and fresh ground round
(I crave them all the time).
Irish stews and boiled corned beef
and hot dogs by the scores,
or any place that saves a space
For smoking carnivores.
-1983
Questions for consideration:
1) Does humor diminish a serious message or does it embolden/humanize the message? That is, do you find passages of sarcasm or wit detracting from a serious work, or do you find that you enjoy or understand that work more because of the humor?
2) What differences have you noticed in the particular use of humor between the authors/groups we have studied in this course? How, if at all, did their use of humor relate their particular experience differently from other authors?
3) Would you, as a teacher of literature, consider a fully serious text over a mostly humorous text if forced to choose? Why?
Language?
10 All of the older people spoke only in Spanish, and I myself understood only Spanish. It was only after one went to school that one learned English.
36 (Florence) so white and speaking Spanish
57 English, a foreign tongue
180 Many of the old people did not accept the new language and refused to let their children speak it, but my mother believed that if I was to be successful as a priest I should know both languages
199 Spanish / English prayers
Cultural traits, consequences, symptoms, signs of dominant culture or minority status: (some of these inevitably extend beyond issues of ethnicity to issues of class)
dominant culture: nuclear family, individual rights, extended childhood and education
minority culture: extended or improvised family, gender inequality, high dropout rates, early childbearing
resolution
of ambiguity > new identity?
Mexicans' status as immigrants is complicated compared to European immigrants:
1. Much of the land to which Mexican immigrants immigrate was once Mexico anyway
2. The "land bridge" between USA and Mexico maintains connections between Mexican and US families, leading to mixed feelings about assimilation
3. The presence of large Spanish-speaking communities in US may slow language assimilation, learning of English (research on this is mixed)