Summary Of Isla By Virgil Suarez

Oscar Casares created a very believable character in “Mrs. Perez” by writing about Lolas passion, bowling, and including flash backs about her younger life and family. He used these flash backs and incorporated her family to go into depth about her past, and let the readers infer why she is the way she is. The bowling ball that is repeatedly mentioned throughout the story contrast her past life. By giving her a hobby, and showing the struggles she has experienced in her past, she becomes like a real person readers empathize with. To begin with, Casares often went back in time to show her seemingly unhappy life with her now deceased husband.

The book I am reading is Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario. I predict that the author will explore the human rights issue of Immigration Laws and the plight of illegal aliens in the United States. I believe that this issue will be important in the story because Enrique the main character in the story is very driven to find his mother who has gone herself illegally to the United States to earn money to provide an education for her children and to better the life of her family. I made this prediction because Lourdes leaves her children in Honduras as she goes to make money in the United States and her son Enrique is left saying “Donde esta mi mami?” “Where is my mom?”

The reality of life can often differ from childhood to adulthood. Twelve-year-old Pablo Medina experienced this first hand. In the reflective essay, “Arrival: 1960,” Medina tells about his experiences of moving from Cuba to America. Upon arriving, his expectations for America are set high. Coming from the communism he saw in Cuba, Medina was expecting a land of freedom, apart from violence, and segregation; he was expecting an overall better life for himself.

Growing up in Cuba, boys and girls were freely allowed to play with one another. Many girls would climb big trees to get fresh savory mangos. They would fall and scrape their knees while playing hide and seek and even play sports which were considered “manly”. Many girls preferred to work outside the house, they would perform jobs such as; repairing a broken fence or painting the house. Boys were never told not to play with the girls, in fact, they would also help out around the house and clean dishes after a meal.

In the book Breaking Through by Francisco Jimenez recalls his life story and personal history being raised, growing up in a family of migrant workers, in California. Born in Tlaquepaque, Mexico, in 1943, Francisco’s childhood, majority of the time, is spent working farm fields around California and various employments. However, regardless of the struggle of keeping the family household composed after being caught by border patrol, demanding labor, and facing poverty he was able to stay hopeful. Furthermore, he went on having an outstanding collegiate career. He went to Harvard University, but a graduate of Santa Clara University and acquired both a Master’s Degree and Doctorate from Columbia University.

Nicolas Enriquez’s piece titled The Virgin of Guadalupe with the Four Apparitions depicts the Virgin mother Mary as she revealed herself to a newly transformed Christian Native named Juan Diego. This 1773 painting is a reproduction of the 1531believed arheiropoeita of Virgin Mary when she descends on Mount Tepeyac and tells Indian Juan Diego to go inform the bishop that a temple shall be built for her. The Virgin of Guadalupe is an iconic piece of Catholicism in Mexico and holds religious and cultural importance to both Spaniards and the Natives of Mexico, such as the Nahuatl. Enriquez’s painting has several deviations from the original arheiropoetia, such as different color choice and addition of Nahuatl symbols, which portrays his painting

Rhetorical Analysis of “Monsters and the Moral Imagination” Many people believe monsters are imaginary creatures that are seen in movies or even for others, it could be a serial killer that was heard about on the news. Stephen T. Asma wrote “Monsters and the Moral Imagination” which “first appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education in October 2009” (Hoffman 61). Asma, who is a professor of philosophy, examines how different individual’s perceptions of a monster can be different depending on the era or even events happening around them. In “Monsters and the Moral Imagination,” Stephen T. Asma wrote a nonfiction, persuasive article for an educated and possibly specialized audience to examine how the idea of monsters have changed over time, what could be the motivation to create them, or even how life experiences could change an individual’s perceptions.

A unique writer is someone who expresses his or her feelings throughout his narratives. Junot Diaz in my opinion is one of those unique writers. Growing up in the Dominican Republic, raced only by his hard working mother, Junot Diaz learned very valuable lessons in his childhood that helped him become whom he is today. Not only does Junot Diaz write great stories, but he also tends to give us a feeling of what is meant to be an immigrant from the Dominican Republic in his stories. Diaz humbleness and compassion towards others can be seen in this writing.

Put simply, Castro’s struggle with these people was “I couldn’t relate,” (Hungry 264). After moving off campus Castro’s struggles deepened. She lived in a barrio which most of her friends did not visit. They see trouble when they look at her neighborhood instead of the life and culture she sees there. She moved between two seemingly completely separate worlds, the manicured campus and the apartment in her barrio.

The Thorough Breakdown of Poem Immigrants After reading and studying the poem “Immigrants” by Pat Mora, one can see and identify a few literary symbolisms that are used to express the fearful tone of the poem. This poems three literary symbols that can be seen are, a sense of pride, acceptance, and of course sacrifice. The tone of this poem show how much an immigrant has to sacrifice in this country, in order to gain acceptance and, therefore, be proud Americans. Although, they can’t ever stop being who they are, they must try and sacrifice their own culture in order to be Americans.

In search for a better life outside of the Dominican Republic, Anita’s whole family tries to move to America. One day sitting in her room, Anita look out her window to see no one left on the compound. Anita explains, “I look out the door and down the dark driveway. The whole flock of our family has fled. Only Mami and Chucha and I are left (pg.100 p.9).”Her whole family has gone to America to be free, leaving everything behind.

  The seventh thesis “The Monster Stands at the Threshold…of Becoming” brings attention to the fact that we are the creators of monsters. They make us question why we have created them; how we perceive the world, how we have misinterpreted so that we can reevaluate cultural assumptions about the different race, gender, sexuality.

The Power of Hope Gary Soto brings the impoverished, crime filled streets of the Mexican-American communities where he grew up to life by “evoking the harsh forces that often shape the life for Chicanos” (“‘Gary Soto’: Poetry Foundation” p. 1). He combines an archetypal young love poem with the concept of poverty to create the powerful poem: “Oranges” (1985). Soto also works with the notion of old age and the importance of life in his somber poem: “The Seventieth Year” (1986).

Jovita Gonzalez & Eve Raleigh’s Caballero: A Historical Novel, took place during the Mexican American War. While military officials from the United States were occupying Texas, Mexican men such as Don Santiago de Mendoza y Soria resisted the presence of the Americano. The novel focuses on the many injustices that occur within the Mexican population. One main problem that is presented is the social viewing of race and class. Mexican people with Spanish ancestry were more likely to be respected or accepted, while those whose blood was mixed were perceived as inferior.

José Martí was a brilliant 19th century writer, poet, political and revolutionary leader, and Cuban intellectual; however, above all else, José Martí was a proud Cuban citizen. Though born to two Spanish parents, Martí never waivered in his identity as a son of Cuba, and he would spend—and eventually give—his life fighting for the cause of Cuban independence. Martí loved his native country, and desired freedom and pride for all Cubans. Never was this more apparent, than in his poem, “Versos Sencillos” (Excerpts from Simple Verses). The resistance from oppression infused with Cuban patriotism prevalent in this piece, is central to Marti’s message and to the Cuban Revolution as a whole.