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Model Midterm2 answers 2018 Essay 1: Revise & Extend Minority Identification & Analysis (Add Mexican Americans) Index to Sample Essay 1 Answers |
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Brad Cannon
The Persistence of the Human Spirit
Through this class, discourse and these
readings, my mind of Mexican and Native American culture has been dramatically
altered for the better. After reading Native American and Mexican American
literature the last few months, a drastic change in perception has come to me.
My understanding and appreciation has increased and I hope that continues to
extend to more outsiders. Although, I will never truly understand the Native
American or Mexican immigrant life and the hardships they endured, I am much
more receptive and understanding about it than ever before. From the Native
American oral traditions to the Mexican stories and poerms; to Louis Erdrich’s
“The Round House” and Reyna Grande’s “The Distance Between Us”, I have learned
an immense deal and respect for their cultures and have gained much knowledge I
did not know beforehand. Both
cultures experienced suffering and loss, isolation, and assimilation. Attitudes
and feelings still persist to this day. And rightfully so. Louis Erdrich and
Reyna Grande are just one of many, some of the best and most impactful, mind
you, telling stories in a point of view most of us in the dominant culture never
get to experience or understand. And it
is a welcome change.
To begin to get an idea, we will begin
within Louis Erdrich’s “The Round House.” Suffering and loss, although extremely
sad, is an important fundamental idea about Native Americans. This suffering
they have been through has made them strong but quiet and defiant yet still
peaceful. In “The Round House,” we see this through the actions started by
Linden to Joe’s mother, Geraldine. Linden’s ruthless nature and crimes are a
symbol for what the white man had done to the Native Americans, to the
defenseless and good hearted Geraldine. Joe experiences this loss and suffering
through his mother’s ordeal. All of his actions are then later affected because
of this attack—much like how Native Americans feel to this day.
Mexicans have experienced many of these
same issues. Being in territories that were Mexican first before they were part
of the United States of America is a complicated matter. And, much like the
Native Americans, the native Mexicans were suddenly thrust a government and
culture upon them that was not theirs and that did not represent them. One major
noticeable difference between the Native Americans and Mexican Americans is that
many Mexican Americans had a religious connection with the American people:
Christianity. Many Mexicans are devoutly Catholic, this is quite apparent in
“The Distance Between Us: A Memoir”, and I am sure this makes some parts of
assimilating easier.
Reyna Grande has many of the same
attitudes as Louis Erdrich about the dominant culture’s society, just presented
in different ways. They both see a certain arrogance about the dominant culture
or those that join it, like her mother later in the book or her aunt. Her aunt
owns the biggest house in Iguala de la Independencia, has plenty to give to
Elida, but is never really around. She has joined the dominant culture, color
doesn’t matter as much to Reyna Grande, it is more about the geography. Being in
the El Otro Lado (that is in the United States), she now has assimilated and
become an American to Reyna. Over time, as each one of them crosses into the
United States, they become less Mexican even as they hold onto it tight.
Although Reyna in this book is an
immigrant, her minority status is unquestioned. Even in Mexico, she was a
minority – often called the orphan or always the last to eat, even at her own
families’ house. Reyna says several times throughout the book that in the 1980’s
Mexico went through one of their worst recessions and at another time that they
peso had been devalued 43% to the American dollar. (123) She knew that her
family was poor so even though it was difficult for her to let her mother go to
America, she somewhat understood why she needed to go. Later, she begged her
father to go so she wouldn’t get stuck in Mexico, again
Reyna’s suffering and loss follows across most of her
life and stems from her abandonment issues of her Papi and her Mami, seemingly
coming and going as they please. Without a thought in the world how their
children (Reyna) would feel, Papi and Mami did what was best for their own
selves, first. Much like Joe from “The Round House,” Reyna experiences her loss
and suffering through her mother’s inability to truly care for her.
Unfortunately, for Reyna, her mother actively leaves her, abandoning her
motherly roles, to go off for men—whether it be Papi or the lucha libre. She was
always searching for someone to take her away from her stresses and
responsibilities and this really defines Reyna.
Reyna is someone who wants to make something of herself
and not rely on others. This self reliance is a similar attitude that I saw from
Jimmy Santiago Baca when describing Mexican workers in his poem
Green Chile. Even menial work should
be done with diligence and care, something I see from how Reyna as she describes
Mexicans that work hard and her lack of respect for her mother because she does
not rely on her. We see this same type of self reliance when it comes to Native
Americans, as well. They share the attitude that they want to go as far as their
own abilities can take them, that they will not be handicapped or considered
lesser because of their skin color, where they come from, or what culture they
are from. I never see or hear a hint of Reyna feel bad for herself for being
Mexican, she is proud and so are her people. This is an attitude the Native
Americans hold true as well, and you can see it through Joe in “The Round House”
and his feeling the same way.
Perhaps the greatest metaphor and motif in the book was
the Mountain That Has a Headache. It symbolized the distance between her and her
parents. It was a literal barrier that also blocked her from her from her family
in America. Later, she would hope that everyone was just in one place together,
whether it be in Mexico or America, rich or poor, that part did not matter. It
hit her hard when Gary, who has many kids and Reyna considered poor said, “I’d
rather be poor, but together”. (430) The Mountain kept her away from the Man
Behind the Glass for many years, took her mother away from her, but also
presented the most amount of opportunities, too. I can understand why the locals
called it the Mountain That Has a Headache, because it presents all sorts of
ethical, emotional, and financial ordeals between families.
Until really reaching out to Dr Savas, and eventually
staying with her, she did not grasp that family did not have to be blood
related. She had to learn that it was who you wanted it to be that determined
how you should treat them. Reyna felt much at ease and safe with Diane,
something that living with her drunk, rage-filled dad had never given her. It
reminds me of when she is in Mexico and both of her parents have left her for El
Otro Lado: they had enough money to start building a house but only enough for a
simply foundation and a single wall. This to me symbolized the family dynamic.
They had the very most basic foundation – they were blood related but nothing
more than that kept them together, and there was a single wall put up – this
symbolized the wall between the children and their parents. That wall was not
only real, but also figurative between their parents and the kids during their
childhood. I feel much of the same inside “The Round House,” as many non-nuclear
families are formed. Joe and his crew feel like brothers and Linda Lark gets
taken in by a Native family who does care for her the same as their own. It
might have taken Reyna much, much longer to see and understand, but she did get
to the same understanding that family can be made, but either family or not, it
must be earned, it is not a given.
A similarity between Native American and Mexican American
culture is the belief in the superstitious. Albeit for different reasons: Native
Americans belief in the natural world, spirits, and wendigoes are their
prevailing theme, whereas Mexicans have some witchcraft, but much of their
beliefs are rooted in their firmly held religious beliefs. They are Catholic,
like many Mexican Americans, and their grandma Evila plays to this all the time.
Whenever they hear sound that they can’t quite make out that is outside, grandma
Evila is the first to point out “I the devil making his rounds” or that “He’s
looking for all the naught children to take back to Hell with him. So you better
behave or the devil is going to take you away.” (Ch.2) Even though Mago assures
Reyna and Carlos that grandma is lying, but they still huddle together anytime
there are scary sounds they can’t make out. These superstitious beliefs from
Reyna’s Abuela Evila serve a purpose to scare the children to act the right way.
If the children have enough fear of these superstitions or of the supernatural,
they will behave better and act within their limits. It is a bit ironic that her
name is Evila, almost playing with the fact that she is not a good woman and
even uses Catholicism’s evil as a means to scare the children into submission.
Another interesting similarity I found between both of
these minority groups, was the issue of violence, specifically towards women,
and the attitudes that surround it. In “The Round House” it was seen as
generally accepted, but never talked about, that Whitey would beat his wife.
Regardless of if her color had anything to do with it, he still beat his own
wife and did not get flack from the rest of the residents about it. Reyna talks
about the violence she endured first hand in great detail. Many of the moments
in the book are very cringe worthy and make you wonder how anyone, especially a
father, could do that to his kids. Beatings, lashings, punches, kicks, and
everything possible, the kids did the best to endure. It seems like because
Reyna had to stay with him the longest, she received some of the most brutal
treatment from him.
Alcohol and violence in these two books goes hand in
hand. Whitey is always drinking and in one of his worst stupors, beats Sonia up
the best he can before Joe eventually intervenes. Although, this is still
unacceptable actions, in “The Distance Between Us: A Memoir,” Reyna recounts far
more disturbing scenes of violence than we ever witness in “The Round House.”
Disturbing is not nearly enough to describe the violent nature Papi has, and he
seemingly is always cracking open a Budweiser or opening the fridge to get one.
To say that drinking causes violence is silly, Papi doesn’t always beat someone
when he drinks a Budweiser; however, he is almost always drinking a Budweiser so
it is difficult to see him any other way than a drunk and violent man. And, the
worst part, he always gets away with it. Because his family and Mila are willing
to put up with it, either because they see no better alternatives or perhaps out
of family loyalty, he never has to serve a sentence or truly get punished for
his crimes. We feel sad for Reyna because she hoped her whole life to see the
Man Behind the Glass, being touted up for being a good father and the one she
needed, but in the end, he (and her Mami) hurts her the most.
It was quite vindicating reading the last few chapters of
Reyna Grande’s “Memoir,” because you really feel all the struggles, hardships,
and obstacles she had to overcome to get to where she is now. I cannot imagine
having to live in poverty in Mexico for many years, trying and trying to get
passed the border – and succeeding, making a new life in America, and on top of
that, getting an advanced degree and later to become a renowned writer. Her
journey is inspiring and shows that no matter where you have come from in life,
you can make something more and better of yourself if you give it your best
effort. She did not have an ideal opening chapter of her life but did not let it
get in her way. With persistence, a positive attitude, and striving for better,
Reyna Grande shows us anything is possible.
