Final Project

PRLS 4640

Lilia Morales

 

                                                            LATIN ISSUES

• This is a voice recorder about “A XicanaDyke Codex of Changing Consciousness by Cherrie Moroga.

 

• I find some songs that are related with the short story of “Kimberle” by Achy Obejas, such as: 

 

The first song is related to Kimberle’s relationships, “Kimberle said, passing me what now seemed like the obligatory after-sex joint followed by the vaguely racist comment. The professor stiffened. Like the bookstore girl, she’d turned her back to Kimberle. Instead of rubbing my belly, this one settle her head on my shoulder, the fell happily, asleep.” Pg. 22. The next song refers to suicide issues, so Kimberle tried to kill herself sometimes. “When Kimberle moved in with me in November, the annual kill had not yet occurred” Pg. 15. And the last song is a Cuban song, the place where the narrator  came from. “In all honestly, I don’t really know when I met Kimberle, It seemed she had always been there, from the very day we arrived from Cuba. Hers was a mysterious and solitary world.” Pg. 21. The Kimberle’s life is hard, she began to be homeless.

 

• The reading “Sexily – chapter Uno ‘La Infanta Caliente’,” by Jaime Cortez relates about the disadvantages that  homosexual people have in Latino culture. In the story, the main character who is homosexual suffers discriminations. Although the character was an excellent professional, he was ask to resign from his job because he was homosexual. In addition, he received some insults such as, “P….,pajaro, pervertido, pato, mari…..” While  in the article “The perplexing narrative about being gay in Latin America,” by Marilia Brocchetto, CNN, relates the story of Luis Alberto Marin who was arrested, beaten and raped by police in Peru because he is gay.  “Throughout the six hours he was in police custody, he says, he was stripped, raped with a baton and verbally abused by police officers before being let go. All of this, he says, because of his homosexuality.” The story and the event occurred in Peru, show that Latin culture have many prejudices about sexual orientation yet.  

 

• The poem “MEJIAFRICA,” by Natasha Carrizosa expresses the pride that the author feels about her roots and she invites with this poem not forget our roots. This image shows our origins (Afro-Latin). 

 

• The Poem “CRUZ,” by Natalie N. Caro, is a little different to the other poem. The author express her suffering about her gender and race. She feels hurt by the abuses from her stepfather. She says that her race and gender is a hard CRUZ (cross)  to bare. I put this image because  I think that Brown color is beautiful, that is not a cruz for me!!!!  Although I understand that the author expresses  the frustrations that brown  people feel when main society impose its rules and beliefs.

 

 

 

• “LA FIESTA DE LOS LINARES,” by Janet Arelis Quezada. The author shows a regular Dominican family with its values, beliefs, struggles, etc. that represents to Latin culture. The family is not only  Mom, Dad, sons, and daughters. Here, the family  has a lot of members such as, grandfather, grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins, and any relative include friends that are consider as part of the family.  The author describes the music, food, games (domino) and counting stories as a important part of the culture. Here some parts of the story, “The music had been bright and flashy but not tempting at all as they sat there laughing and letting the food course slowly through their bodies. Pero ya se habian bajado los tostones, el arroz, el pollo asado.” (Pag. 116). “Beatriz with her brothers and sisters, felt the restlessness of the gathered circle. She had listened to the stories that they told without allowing the words to hook into her mind and take her away from what she always thoughts about.” (Pag. 116). “Dulce went over to see which dominos William held in his hands” (Pag. 117). Although they are not rich people, they enjoy their meetings. That is part of our Latin culture.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2APU5ob9Og

         I want to share this video about ceramic art. In the last part of the story, Amelia explain to Dulce about the                   the work of her mother. She was a potter. She makes figures that represent the customs of her people (del pueblo). “The figures were similar in size and color to the traditional ones crafted and sold at tourist shops on the island, except all of them came in pairs. Figures supported each other; arm held waists, finger held shoulders, or elbows.”  “The centerpiece was figurine of two shadows dancing. You could hear the fast riff of a merengue in the way the hips were placed.”  (Pg. 125). 

• Poem relates to the poetry blog of Jennifer Maritza Mccauley, “Blackout,” 

                                 POEM:

                                 “When I come back to my origins,

                                  I feel great calm in my soul,

                                  as a grand hurricane go away.

                                  I enjoy the familiar life,

                                  I connect to my people.

 

                                 I observe the monuments “heroes” in the plazas,

                                 I observe the great gap between rich and poor people,

                                 I observe the art of political governments who helps to increase the gap,

                                 While they say, ‘we work hard for the PUEBLO.’

 

                                I can feel their sufferings about how to survive one day more,

                                And I think that maybe they will leave their origins too, like me.

                                I don’t know if they will find what are looking for,

                               But I know, they will leave their loved country.”

                                                                                      Lilia M.