LITR 4332: American Minority Literature

Amber Buitron

Tell Me What You Think:

Influences and techniques used

by Chicano writers

In this class I have learned about the dominant culture, minority groups and the choices each side have made. I have learned about everyday encounters, trials and tribulations from many different points of view. But what I especially liked was the literature pieces that taught me about my background. As a Mexican American, I was able to connect more with the second part of this semester and that is why I chose to research Mexican American literature. I wanted to know how and why Chicano writers chose their stories and what influenced them to write about it.

            I also chose to research Mexican American literature because, as a Mexican American I feel that it is important for me, not only as a person of ethnic background, but as a future educator, to have knowledge about minority cultures. Like anything in life, you cannot teach what you do not know. I feel that to become an effective teacher you have to be able to find a creative way to reach your students. Teaching is more than talking in front of the class, taking notes, and grading tests. Teaching is about getting students involved and picking out the pieces of literature that help connect with students’ lives. Like I have said in my midterm essays, this class has been my favorite by far and the literature grabbed and held my attention for hours. That is why writing about this research topic was easy for me. To start off I had to narrow down my topic. I decided to research a few Chicano authors and the effects their writing had on others and their lives as well.

            First off, I will explain what I expected to find out. I figured the stories that were written were drawn from the author’s life and personal experiences. I expected the authors to say that writing about their life was easy and they wrote because they wanted to let people know what they went through. I thought that they wanted people, of all diversity, to understand life from another point of view. Their point of view as a minority. Denise Chavez, a self proclaimed Chicana novelist, playwright, actress, and teacher said, “My writing is a mirror into my culture,” (Ikas 47). Like many Mexican American writers, drawing from personal experience was a successful way to write. Chicano writers were able to transmit the ethnic experience (Tatum 78). Author Sabine Ullibarri relied on individual personalities, relatives and acquaintances, for most of his short narrations (Tatum 79). However, for Chicana writer Lorna Dee Cervantes, not all her work was taken from personal experience. Some writings were autobiographical that came directly out of an actual event but there are other poems that were completely fiction (Ikas 33-4).

            Another finding that was familiar to me was how the term ‘Hispanic’ was created. Denise Chavez defines Hispanic as a term invented by “authorities” in Washington, D.C. to lump all Spanish-speaking people together (Ikas 51). Racial and class differences between Anglo-Americans and Mexican Americans pulls the inability or unwillingness on the parts of the former Mexican nations to give up their traditional ways explain both the stance of resistance that the Mexican American culture developed and its dialectical relationship to both its original context (Saldivar 17). Still, there were some other interesting findings that were new to me.

            What I did not expect to find was that most Chicano writers were not influenced by other Chicano authors. In fact, both Denise Chavez and Lorna Dee Cervantes, did not come into contact with Chicano literature until well into their high school careers (Ikas 52). Chavez recalls the first Chicano book she came across was Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima (Ikas 52). Like Chavez, Cervantes were influenced by Anglo-American and Native- American writers (Ikas 57).

            I think that if I continued my research I would expect to find vast improvements on Chicano writing style and technique today. Guillermo Hernandez, author of Chicano Satire: A Study in Literary Culture, suggests that Chicano creative writers have helped to forge a vital literary movement, and a new generation of authors have emerged who felt encouraged to express themselves and viewpoints (7). I think that improvements take time to get better and Chicano writers can only improve over time.

            Mexican American literature has a tendency to let the reader into the story and create a real sense of imagery and appeal. Drawing from personal experience, and influences by other worlds, outside the Mexican culture, all contribute to great Mexican American authors.

WORKS CITED

Ikas, Rosa Karin. Chicana Ways: Conversations with Ten Chicana Writers. University of Nevada: 2002.

Saldivar, Ramon. Chicano Narrative: The Dialectics of Difference. The University    of Wisconsin: 1990.

Hernandez, E. Guillermo. Chicano Satire: A Study in Literary Culture. University      of Texas-Austin: 1991.

Tatum, M. Charles. Chicano Literature. New Mexico State University: 1982.