LITR 4332: American
Minority Literature
Sample Student
Final Exam Answers 2004
2. Mexican American Literature & Culture
B. (creative option). Apply another course objective besides 3c to the subjects of Latinos / Hispanics, Mexican Americans, and the texts of “The Miraculous Apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe” Bless Me, Ultima, and one Mexican American poem presented in class. Explain the significance of your chosen objective and use it as a means of exploring the unique qualities of Hispanic / Latino and Mexican American identity. Describe the appearance of your objective in the texts and in Hispanic / Latino and / or Mexican American culture generally. Conclude with what you have learned through this essay about the objective and about Hispanic / Latino and Mexican American literature and culture.
Sample Answer
2 B. Objective 5e. asks that the class look for the ways in which all speakers and writers use the devices of human language to create poetry, narratives, and figures of speech. Not only is the combination of language riddled throughout the Mexican American text we read in class, but it is displayed by media today in TV shows. There is a show on Nickelodeon that is about a Mexican American family where the kids are shown speaking clear very fluent English in their school environment, and then their home life is depicted differently. The brother and sister have parents who speak accented English, but when there is an important issue they use their native tongue: Spanish. When the children are disciplined or when a grandmother calls the family speaks Spanish. While the language is not what the typical white American tv watching kid is accustomed to, it is relatively easy to tell what is being said by the tone of voice and facial expression. In addition to communication being only ten percent verbal, most cultures discipline for the similar reasons, in similar ways and say sweet things to their grandmother. This is an example of the ways in which our culture is evolving and assisting in the assimilation of other cultures.
In the stories of the apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe there is a stout combination of Indian and Mexican cultures that is evident in the language. In the article by Frand Bruni and Ginger Thompson, discussing the declaration of Juan Diego becoming an official saint, they state that some of Indian women who watched the ceremony on large movie a screen, “spoke little Spanish and stared at the screen with somber reverence.” It was not until they heard the name Juan Diego that they began chanting. Without the ability to understand the language of the ceremony, the impact was the same for the Indian women who revered Diego equally. In the story of the apparition Juan Diego calls her, “My Lady, my Xococyota my Damsel.” Without a definition of the word xococyota the reader understands it to be an affectionate, possibly reverent term. Later in the story when the Virgin of Guadalupe gives him the sign of the flowers to show the bishop, she calls him “xococyota.”
Many times I have heard Mexican women call their children “mija.” For a long time I wondered what that meant exactly, but I knew after the first few times of hearing it that it was a tender term. Where they used the word “mija” the women of white culture could have easily inserted “sweety.” Language is universal to all cultures.
In reverence to The Virgin of Guadalupe, who is also referred to in the apparition story as “Mother of God,” “Queen of Heaven,” and “Virgin Mary” Mexican tradition has held her dearly. She is “painted in murals, tattooed on to biceps, and etched in to windows of low-riders,” and also used frequently in Mexican Literature. In Bless Me, Ultima the mother figure frequently says, “Ay, Jesus, Maria, and Jose” or “Ave Maria Purisima.” There is also apparently significance to the name “Juan” when Ultima goes to save Lucas. Fist she passes him and says, “Be ready Juan-,” then later tells “The boy will have to go with me,” adding as reason, “He is a Juan” (89). All of this goes back to the cultural tales of the story of the Mother of Jesus: The Virgin of Guadalupe. It is their religious strong hold. After Tony is told the story of The Virgin and Juan Diego he begins to look for her around ever corner.
While there is a great deal about the Virgin there is also a lot of cross cultural language used. In the beginning of the book the reader learns that the kids in school speak only English, and most adults speak only Spanish. This could cause some issues, but none arise in the novel. Most of the Spanish is basic enough that the two year’s taken in high school, just barely passed to get the credits, is sufficient for understanding. The only time it really does seem to be a problem is when Ultima blesses Tony in Spanish. The benefit is that the reader who does not know Spanish is able to imagine the blessing, and it may be very close to what is in fact said.
Sandra Cisneros is one of the most well know Mexican American authors and she also uses the technique of adding Spanish into her English novels. The authenticity is increased in this way, and the culture becomes more evident. In the poem “La Migra” the reader gets a small conviction about their lack of understanding when the Mexican woman, who is no longer a maid says, “Agua dulce brota aqui, aqui, aqui, but since you can’t speak Spanish, you do not understand.” Poetically the Spanish here works beautifully, and the conviction only hits because of the previous stanza when the officer says, “don’t ask any question because I don’t speak Spanish.” We see where the culture is still using their native tongue in literature. It does not change the understanding or beauty of their artistic work, but it does allow them the freedom to stand out in their own cultural identity through use of language. [THF]