LITR 5731:
Seminar in American Multicultural Literature: Minority
Sample
Student Research Project
Jennifer Jones
November 29, 2007
Mexican American Literature for Use in the High School Classroom
The question I hear the most in my classroom is, “Where are all the Mexicans, Miss?” Just about every story that my students are required to read during their sophomore year deals with racial tension between blacks and whites. There are no Mexican American stories recognized in our curriculum. While African American literature is beneficial to my students for several reasons, the Mexican American students are missing out on the incredible amounts of literature rich with culture and local color. I know they feel the void in their education. I know they wonder why their culture is not recognized. I know they feel resentment toward educators for ignoring their needs. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t ask, “Where are all the Mexicans?”
I set out to find all the Mexicans. I wanted to know what literature was available for my students. I wanted to know the qualities of good Mexican American literature. I wanted to know how my students felt about reading Mexican American literature.
I had a private talk with a couple of my Mexican American students. I asked them if they had enjoyed anything we’ve read this year in class. They nodded yes, but I could see in their eyes they were only being polite. I asked them specifically which stories they enjoyed, and one said he liked “that time travel one.” He’s referring to Ray Bradbury’s “Time Safari, Inc.” Another student said she enjoyed “those little stories we read at the beginning.” She is referring to the short stories we read. They say they enjoyed them, but they can not remember what the stories are called or what happened in the stories. I asked them if they would enjoy reading stories written by Mexican American authors that feature Mexican American characters. Their faces immediately lit up, eyes wide, grins broad. “Yes!” they answered. Enthusiasm filled their voices. They were ready to get started right then. These kids crave to read about their culture and heritage.
The Mexican American students are not the only ones that will benefit from the addition of Mexican American literature to the curriculum. Students of all backgrounds and cultures should become familiar with the culture of the town where they are growing up. Baytown has traditionally been dominated by a white culture. However, over the last few years, the Mexican American population has grown substantially. For example, at Ross S. Sterling High School, where I teach, last year’s sophomores were predominately white, but not by much. The demographics were 42% Caucasian, 33% Mexican American, 23% African American and 2% Native American/Asian. This year’s sophomores are 38% Caucasian, 40% Mexican American, 20% African American and 2% Native American/Asian. That’s a 7% growth in Mexican American students and a 4% decrease in Caucasian students. Next year’s sophomore’s will be 41% of the population while Caucasians will be only 37% of the population (“GCCISD Membership Report” 2). This growth is expected to continue, and teachers need to adjust their curriculum to address this situation. This data does not take into consideration our sister school, Robert E. Lee High School, whose Mexican American population has been well over 50% for some time now. If the curriculum the two schools share is not adjusted, then students will not relate to the material, will lose touch with their own cultures, and will not be actively engaged in their learning. As a result, failing rates will continue to rise and standardized test scores will continue to fall. Drop out rates will rise, and teachers can forget about getting their students to become actively engaged, or excited, about their learning.
Speaking of drop out rates, I happened across an article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer entitled, “Dropout Rates Highest Among Mexican Immigrants, Study Says.” The article stated that these children have little or no support at home that helps them stay in school. I feel if we, as teachers, offered them more relatable texts at school, then they would come to school ready to learn and they would feel motivated about learning.
I set out to discover some material that I can present to the vertical team, and those higher up, in the hopes of convincing them of the importance of saturating our schools with material that is relevant to our students’ lives. During my research, I stumbled across an article, “Promoting Reading Among Mexican American Children,” that discusses the importance of encouraging Mexican American literature in the classroom. The article discusses challenges, teaching strategies, guidelines for selecting literature, and a reading list separated by grade level. Up until about 10 years ago, Mexican American literature has been virtually nonexistent or filled with stereotypes. Recently, however, more and more authors have been publishing their works through publishing houses that were begun specifically for them – places like Arte Publico and Piñata Books. Through these small publishers, major authors have made their debuts and become nationally recognized.
The article offers some important guidelines needed when selecting Mexican American literature. It is suggested that teachers should make sure the texts reflect the culture accurately, rather than reflecting stereotypes. The characters should be depicted in active rather than passive roles, but, at the same time, lend themselves to universal interpretation. Characters should be multidimensional. Students of all ethnicities should be able to understand the language and relate to the material. The narrative voice should reflect the Mexican American culture in a positive way. Mexican American literature should parallel typical literary canon, i.e. Villaseñor’s Rain of Gold and Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath (see below). Finally, any Spanish words or phrases should be easily understood in context or there should be a glossary.
After the article, the next place I looked for examples of Mexican American literature that I could use in my classroom was the literature textbook that I am assigned to use with my students. This textbook is not used as much as I would like in my classroom, and it makes sense that I should utilize the tools I have available to me. As a district, we use three short stories at the beginning of the year, three stories in the middle of the year and Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar at the end of the year. The textbook is a at least two and one half inches thick bursting with literature and I had high hopes that it would contain at least some Mexican American literature. In addition, if I plan to pitch these stories to the vertical team, then the easier access these teachers have, the more apt they are to accept them.
While searching through Glencoe’s Literature, Course 5, I came across several stories with Latin American authors, but a problem arose. Many of the stories were set in Argentina or Chile, rather than North America, or more specifically, the United States. Finding Mexican American authors was a bit more difficult than I first imagined. I did find a few and all of the stories chosen are easily relatable for students with much opportunity for teaching the various skills we are required to teach.
Short Stories
“Catch the Moon”
This short story was written by Judith Ortiz Cofer. Her story, “Catch the Moon,” is about a young man named Luis Cintrón who is released from a juvenile detention center into his father’s custody. Luis feels he was falsely imprisoned for breaking and entering because “he didn’t even take anything” (Cofer 63). He is forced to work in his father’s salvage yard and does so unhappily until he meets a young woman, Naomi, in search of a hubcap. Naomi’s beauty reminds him of his deceased mother. Her appearance and kindness helps him to grieve for the loss of his mother and disconnect himself from the friends that try to get him involved in the wrong activities. He begins to feel happy about life and looks forward to taking over his dad’s salvage yard one day.
“Waltz of the Fat Man”
Written by Alberto Alvaro Riós, a winner of the Latino Literary Hall of Fame Award, “Waltz of the Fat Man” is about a lonely, friendless, overweight man named Noé. Noé is the town butcher, and all he desires is to be part of the town. He wants the townspeople to feel comfortable enough to stop and have coffee and conversation with him, but they never quite react comfortably to him. He thinks it’s because he is fat. The truth is that Noé doesn’t have the social skills necessary to make friends and keep them. Noé fills the void with his clocks. He names the clocks and holds conversations with them as though they are real. One day, a few boys pretend to be the blue clock and talk Noé into showing his love for the clock by acting like a horse. He soon figures out that they are making fun of him and he leaves town. He meets up with a group of circus performers and finally finds happiness. This story contains magical realism in many scenes to pull readers into Noé’s fantasy world.
Poetry
“Delicious Death”
This poem was written by Alma Luz Villanueva. She grew up in San Francisco and was raised by her grandmother, a Yaqui Indian from Mexico. The poem clearly shows the ambivalence found in many Mexican American pieces. The poem is about her experience with letting her fifteen-year-old son go hunting for the first time. She is conflicted about letting him go. Her American side wants him to stay young and innocent, but her Indian side realizes that he’s becoming a man and should experience the hunt. The poem is filled with Indian mysticism and Christian overtones.
“My Mother Pieced Quilts”
A poem about a daughter’s experience watching her mother piece quilts and, consequently, write their family history by using certain pieces of cloth from the family’s leftover clothing and curtains. The poet, Teresa Palomo Acosta, carries on her family’s heritage by writing about everyday life.
“Freeway 280”
Written by Lorna Dee Cervantes, a prominent Chicana writer, this poem is about the poet’s desire to reconnect with her old neighborhood. She uses Spanish at certain points in the poem to emphasize and involve her culture.
“Marked”
Carmen Tafolla seems to identify with the needs of Mexican American high school students when she says, “As a Mexican American growing up…I came from a group that was not often represented in textbooks. I saw no reflections of my own culture, and I longed to record the beauty and uniqueness of the culture that surrounded me” (896). In her poem, “Marked,” she emphasizes the need for young adults to make a mark in the world with what they choose to do with their lives.
Drama
The Ring of General Macías: A Drama of the Mexican Revolution
Written by Josephina Niggli, this play takes place during the Mexican Revolution outside Mexico City. The play opens with the main character, Raquel, stopping her sister-in-law, Marica, from killing herself over the death of her husband. Two rebel soldiers appear and tell Raquel that her husband is captured and show her his wedding ring as proof. They say they will kill him if she does not allow them to stay at her house for the night. Eventually, Raquel finds out that her husband has guaranteed the men safe refuge if they will spare his life. Raquel poisons the men.
Humor
“How I Changed the War and Won the Game”
Mary Helen Ponce wrote “to show the beauty, richness, and diversity of Mexican American/Chicano culture” (1054). This is the story of a young girl assigned the job of reading the English newspaper to her Spanish speaking family during World War II. One day, when she’s enthralled in a ball game on TV, they ask her to read from the paper. She makes up a story about the Japanese landing in San Francisco. Her family flees to the church for prayer, and the girl returns to her ball game.
After exhausting the resources of my classroom, I next hopped online and found a list of works other schools are using in their classrooms that are engaging, culturally rich, and do not perpetuate stereotypes. Incidentally, this site also recommended “My Mother Pieced Quilts” by Teresa Palomo Acosta. Several other good examples of Mexican American literature are listed as well as ways teachers can pair the pieces with other selections in addition to what skills and strategies work well. Suggested works are as follows.
House on Mango Street and Woman Hollering Creek
Sandra Cisneros is perhaps one of the most well-known Mexican American authors in schools these days. In my school district, the eight grade teachers are required to teach House on Mango Street. Ninth grade pulls “Eleven” from Woman Hollering Creek and examines it thoroughly. I think we could use some of the other vignettes from Creek on the tenth grade team, like “Barbie-Q,” and have great success.
Parrot in the Oven
Victor Martinez wrote this story about a fourteen-year-old Mexican American boy, Manny Hernandez, dealing with issues at home as well as in the neighborhood. The writing is in an autobiographical style and has won the 1996 National Book Award in the Young People's Literature category. Manny Hernandez’s life is played out in a series of vignettes discussing everything from family life, to his love life, to gang warfare. There are teaching resources available to accompany this novel.
“Cecilia Rosas”
Amado Muro writes about a young boy who strives for the attentions of
an older woman who prefers boyfriends who have assimilated to the dominant culture. This short story comes from The Collected Stories of Amado Muro.
“Oranges”
Gary Soto’s poem offers an opportunity for teaching inference skills and autobiographical writing. The poem’s accuracy in depicting adolescent love makes this poem easily relatable.
Rain of Gold
Victor Villaseñor writes chronicles two migrant families that move from Mexico to California. The website recommends this work be paired with Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath because of the similar motifs found throughout both novels.
Additional Works
Following are works that I discovered in my search. All of which come highly recommended as excellent examples of Mexican American literature.
Novels
Barrio Boy
The coming of age autobiography of a young boy who moves from a small town in Mexico to a barrio in California. Ernesto Galarza’s firsthand experience is reflected as he recreates the dreamlike magic of childhood.
The Road to Tamazunchale
Nominated for the National Book Award, Ron Arias’s story takes the reader through the mystical mind of an elderly man on the brink of death. This novel moves in and out of time as the main character, Don Fausto, finally accepts death. In Chapter One, Fausto, while in the hospital, hallucinates that he is peeling his skin off of his body until there is nothing left except for “a stubborn piece of skin…under his little toe” (28). The imagery of the novel is amazingly vivid and will keep young readers invigorated. The science fiction/fantasy element will attract those with a penchant for mysticism.
Bless Me, Ultima
Written by Rudolfo Anaya, I know this is a book that has been taught before on the high school level in our district. I’m not sure why the book hasn’t stayed around, but I think it should be returned to the curriculum. This is the story of a young Mexican American boy torn between two worlds. This novel also incorporates the magical realism of a culture abounding in mythology, and the charm and innocence of childhood. As stated in “Introduction: The Man Behind the Stories:”
“There are many elements of the book that young readers must examine--plot, characters, symbolism, irony, style of narration, and effect. And they learn to savor a realistic story set in the Southwest. Anaya's descriptions of the llano, or plains, are breath-taking. The legend of the Golden Carp is a beautiful story the author created. And that day at Blue Lake when Florence dives into the water and fails to surface is a tragic and suspenseful scene.” (Baeza)
Legends
Our Lady of Guadalupe
This is the story of the saint Juan Diego and his encounter with the Virgin Mary. This story weaves together the lives of the native Indians and the newly arrived Europeans.
Quetzalcoatl - The Myth
An Aztec “feathered serpent” god who teaches the Aztecs a new religion of forgiveness, and teaching them to only sacrifice flowers, snakes and small birds rather than humans.
“The Forbidden Chamber”
The story of an evil wizard who goes door to door stealing the prettiest daughters of the town until one girl outsmarts him.
I have found many wonderful pieces in my search, and, if nothing else, maybe I can supplement what is already required with some of the shorter Mexican American pieces. After all, a little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing. Next year, when I teach short stories during the first six-weeks period, I will incorporate “Waltz of the Fat Man” and “Catch the Moon.” Also during this unit, I will use “My Mother Pieced Quilts” as a companion piece to Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use,” an African American story involving quilts. I will use several of the poems, specifically “Freeway 280” and “Marked,” in our poetry unit. As for the larger pieces, there is not enough time unless we drop one of the existing novels. In order to drop one of the existing novels, I will have to rally some people to my side, one at a time.
Hopefully, if I can convince the vertical team to change their ways and start realizing the importance of incorporating Mexican American literature into the curriculum, then maybe I will no longer hear the popular question, “Where are all the Mexicans, Miss?” All my students will have something in the curriculum they can relate to and enjoy, thereby increasing student motivation and engagement. Currently, there are no Mexican American stories recognized in our curriculum. Our students need literature rich in culture and local color. We need to fill that void. We need to recognize Mexican American heritage. Doing so will shred the resentment these students feel and have them asking “Can we read more about Mexicans, Miss?”
Works Cited
Arias, Ron. The Road to Tamazunchale . 3. Tempe, AZ: Bilingual Review Press, 1997.
Baeza, Abelardo. "Introduction: The Man Behind the Stories." Man of Aztlan: A Biography of Rudolfo Anaya. Texas Reference Center, 2001.
Galarza, Ernesto. Barrio Boy. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1971.
"GCCISD Membership report." Student Enrollment in GCCISD. 1 NOV 2007. Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District. 1 Dec 2007 <http://www.gccisd.net/General/MBSP%20NOV%2001_07.pdf>.
"Guadalupe." Our Lady of Guadalupe: Patroness of the Americas. 2 Dec 2007 <http://www.sancta.org/>.
Ho, Vanessa. “Dropout Rates Highest Among Mexican Immigrants.” Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 5 Feb 2002 2 Dec 2007.
Literature, Course 5. New York: Glencoe, McGraw-Hill, 2000.
"Mexican Folklore: Myths, Legends, Ghost Stories, Fairytales, and Other Spanish American Folklore ." American Folklore. 26 Aug 2007. S.E. Schlosser . 2 Dec 2007 <http://www.americanfolklore.net/mexican-folklore.html#2>.
Murray, Yvonne and Jose Velazquez. "Promoting Reading Among Mexican American Children." A to Z Teacher Stuff 1 Dec 1999 26 Nov 2007 .
"Recommended Works of Multicultural Literature for the Secondary Classroom." Pearson. 27 Nov 2007 <http://wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/objects/133/136287/multilit.pdf>.
