Overall Class Impression

I absolutely loved this class, and the connection I felt to it. I never imagined that my academic work could hit so close to home, and that I would somehow find many like me. Not only did this class open new perspectives for me in terms of my own culture, but it also opened my eyes to the struggles of other Latino nationalities such as Puerto Ricans, Cubans or Ecuadorians. I loved the assigned readings and the set-up of the journals and midterms. The class discussions from this class were highlights of my day, and I couldn't be happier with the amount of challenges my classmates presented on a class to class basis. I believe that Latino literature will take a turn in the future and that the challenges will be somewhat different, and possibly even more positive, but I also believe that in order to gain an understanding of that, we will need to know how it all started as well. I now share a compassion and a knowledge that I am not alone, and that I too can help others feel connected to the Latino culture.

Journal Prompt #11

"Write about a norm or ideal pertaining to physical appearance in the culture in which you belong. Do you conform or attempt to conform to this norm or ideal? Why? Are you at all familiar with the way this norm or ideal is perceived in cultures outside of your own? How is it different? Has your physical appearance ever been interpreted differently by a member of another culture or group than it is perceived in your own culture?"

I think a norm becomes a norm through the most popularized consistency a culture has. In the Mexican culture for instance, there is the traditional look that is rather outdated but is identifiable enough to be labeled as "Mexican. This look mostly persists of hair up and in ribbons, along with a flowy, flowery dress. Of course if one goes to Mexico, most of the attire will appear quite similar to American wear. Stereotypical features include dark skin, hair and eyes, small eyes, a round nose and most likely a short stature.

I don't believe that I conform to this ideal, mostly because not only is it outdated in Mexico, but I also live in Southern California. I think that for some cultures outside my own, a lot of the beauty hailed from Mexico is praised, yet I know that many are also threatened by anything different than their norm. It's different when a society views people as something less than human beings simply because they look different or have different customs. It's funny how much two prideful men have in common who derive from two completely different places; there's the patriotic American man and the prideful Mexican man that actually have plenty in common if they took their skin off and spoke the same language.

My physical appearance get completely interpreted differently by many groups of people, and it's strange how it doesn't even vary from culture to culture as much as it varies from household to household. There are general interpretations though, or at least perceptions I have of interpretations I've made. In Mexico, for instance, I've never felt like I've fit in when I've visited. I'm not tall, but I'm definitely not as short as most of the women there. My nose is long and slender, as opposed to their round one, and my eyes are a bit bigger. I've felt like a foreigner there, as well as the east side of the United States (which is quite a whole other story). In these places, along with some parts of California, I just felt like my appearance was the only level they wanted to associate me with, as if there were no other depths to my character besides my physical features. On the other hand, in places such as Southern California, where there is a true melting pot of varying backgrounds, I feel accepted and at home. Italy is also a place where I didn't feel as if I was being prejudged based on my physical appearance, especially regarding the fact that they love to tan like there's no tomorrow and woman's noses feel closer to my nose's kin like no other noses do! It seems silly, but it is nice to be among people who appreciate the individual instead of a stereotype, even if that stereotype to that particular culture is a good one.

Journal #10

"Write about the social contract as you see it. What is your responsibility to your community/communities? What is its responsibility to you? Think about the title "Neighbors". What do you associate with that word? Do the characters in the story reflect your understanding of "neighbor"? What about social contracts in IBN?"

I believe that people should always strive to help those around them at all times. Not when it's solely convenient or beneficial either; an act of selfless kindness is what should really be striven for. Unfortunately, not everyone is on the same page at the same time so this process oftentimes becomes tedious and is soon neglected. I believe that a person's responsibility to their community depends on what they have to offer that would enhance the people and surroundings. For me, for instance, I hope to one day become an English teacher and help out my community that way. My way of giving back will be to teach and educate the future leaders of my community, whom someday, may give back to either myself or others around them. In the meantime, my responsibility right now is to be kind to others and to educate myself so that one day I may play a larger role within my community.
The word "neighbors" associates itself with mostly positive meanings that if somewhat tarnished, is only so because of bad experiences with real life next-door neighbors. For the most part, the word "neighbor" means helpful and friendly, as well as someone who I should serve. Perhaps the latter definition connects itself that way, because of the relevance to my religion. A neighbor should be someone whom we love. The characters in the story do not associate themselves with my definition of the word, since they aren't very familiar with one another. They care about taking care of themselves, but not each other. Even though Doña Aura and Don Fierro share close quarters, they still do not share the familiarity that I personally associate with the word "neighbor".
In Into the Beautiful North, the characters, although not neighbors in the modern sense of the word, share a relevance with each other which leads to kindness and care towards one another. The main characters show their support to one another, and help each other through the hard times.

Journal #9

"Read through Lewis Coser's introduction to Durkheim's view of the individual in society. Please come up with one "how" question and one "why" question that connects what you learned about Durkheim to the literature."

Emile Durkheim

•  How do Durkheim's ideas on society and the individual connect with  the theme of "climbing the social ladder" seen throughout the unit of The Urban World?
• Why do the individuals throughout the Urban World unit identify themselves so much with the definition society puts among them? Does Durkheim's social contract regarding limitations, as well as deregulation, further emphasize the idea that individuals within the Latin American urban world must endure being put in a box of stereotypes by the those around them?

Journal #8

"Write about a moment when you became aware that you had become/were becoming an adult? How old were you? How did it make you feel? What does it mean to come of age?"

I hadn't truly felt like an adult until this last year. I think that before this year I had always liked to think I was grown-up, but now I actually think it has happened... but, who knows, maybe in 2 years or so I'll say the same thing about right now. Nevertheless, this year has made me more responsible for myself than ever before. I believe it began when I realized that if I wanted to achieve my dreams, it'd be up to me and only me, to accomplish the tasks needed to get there. Being the runt of the family with two older sisters and a brother, I've always had everyone's support, which to be honest, turns into a bad thing when trying to master total responsibility. Support is great, and I would never deny my family's love, but I really did know how much of a thick mattress I had to fall on if I ever failed. The support and that extra cushion I've felt all my life by no means is something negative in my life, it was more so turned into that by me and my mentality that I saw little need to truly mature. I graduated high school in 2007 with honors, and got accepted into various universities. I attended Cal Poly Pomona for two semesters on account that it was the closest and cheapest decision. The umbrella that my family once spread over me, in terms of discipline and transportation, left me with new responsibilities that I had to learn how to master on my own, and needless to say, that didn't turn out so good. Procrastination arose,  my attendance was lacking, and my grades plummeted. I decided to go to Citrus College for the summer instead, and passed merely one class. Semester after semester, classes were dropped or I simply couldn't get classes at all. I finally came here, to Chaffey College for the spring term of 2011, and was able to get 5 classes. I thought I was ready to handle the pressure of taking so many classes, and I wasn't. I was left at the end of the semester with only 3 passing grades, and a feeling that could only be helped if I changed my time management skills and perspectives on schooling. Over the summer I watched Good Will Hunting, and I can honestly say that no other movie has changed my own personal life as much as that one did. I started to revise the opinions I had about myself. I've always been told that I'm intelligent, but lazy- that's precisely where I started. I dug into myself and found my will to educate myself and the passion I've always had to educate others. Good Will Hunting lit the embers I had left in me; "I could do this" I keep telling myself. My friend showed me the Will Smith video shown below, and that is the life lesson I've applied with school. I do one day at a time, and I try to do it right instead of stressing out about the whole picture. As this semester has passed by, I've been getting the grades that reflect my work and effort. I was in an 8 week class that required a lot of essays and research papers, and I received the most beautiful, hard-earned "A" I've ever seen throughout my college years. I'm starting to gain confidence in myself again, and thus it's made me count on my own responsibility more and more. I am thankful for my family's support, but I've finally realized that relying on simply their support will not make me the teacher I someday I want to be; I need to be the main contributor to my future. The series of said events and my development this past semester is what's made me an adult. To me, being an adult means realizing the importance of relying on oneself, as well as the importance of others being able to rely on you.

Journal Prompt #7: Greguerías

"Greguerías- a short, witty, statement in which an author expresses a deep or philosophical truth in an original way."

• Borders are in the mind.

• Accepting everyone means accepting oneself. 

• Earth is an atom of the Universe.

• The coexistence of evolution and God makes Adam and Eve the apes of mankind.

• Music is a door to souls.

• Youtube, the eye's passport to the world. 

Journal Prompt #6

"Consider invisibility. How and why do things/people become invisible? Is invisibility ever advantageous or desirable? When?"

Invisibility, in terms of a society, comes from either fear or suppression. Either one can makes oneself invisible because of the fear of being noticed, or invisibility may derive from the indifference or suppression given from one group of people to another. In the case of Latinos, both reasons contribute to their own instances of invisibility. Immigration plays a huge role on whether a person feels invisible or not; being in another country illegally and being looked down upon because of it, causes a person to want to be invisible. The fear of getting caught for being in another country illegally definitely makes a person be intentionally invisible. The other instance of invisibility is when a society is indifferent towards or suppresses a group of people, in this case, Latinos. People hold a lot of power within the direction of their attention and how they use that attention. When Americans treat an immigrant with little care or respect, not only do racial problems still stand, but it makes the immigrants needs seem less important, primarily because the people who do hold more power in the country are doing nothing to help them. It is a cause and effect both ways, because for example,  if an illegal immigrant works as a construction worker for an Anglo-American man, the worker fears being deported so he does his job and does not protest, and the man suppresses or doesn't give much thought to the worker. It is a vicious cycle that is only broken once the Latino fights for his visibility, his voice. In the illegal immigrant's situation, it is desirable and advantageous to be invisible because the last thing they want is to be noticed and get deported. For the Latino who is a citizen or has residency, invisibility is not desirable or advantageous at all, because they would not be heard and would have difficulty obtaining success in this country.