Final Essay

Foundations
In my journey in finding my own identity I have stepped in many thorns and fallen into many holes . But even with these struggles in my life I have been able to be at this point of knowing little by little the person I’ am and are becoming. I’ am here feliz como una lombriz and with no regrets of the past and with an open mind for the future. College has been the newest explorations I have embark, slowly with this new slide of my story I have come to realize that, I’m changing. Changing in the sense that I’ am no longer who I use to be, back in the day when I was young not a kid anymore, even though I do miss those days it was time for me to move on, when I crossed that graduation stage and said “ Que onda” to my new life as a college student. At the beginning I was scared out of my mind for this new stage, I didn’t know what to expect. I was blinded by my own fear to attend college that I would often had thoughts of not even attending to this nightmare. Yes, I had my older sister’s as motivation to go, but there was something inside me that didn’t want to leave my bubble of comfort. It wasn’t until I read my sister Boris interview with my dad, she did two years ago for her final. That it made me realize that I needed an education to become someone that’s happy in life. It seems cliché, but I thought about it and over analyzed it until I couldn’t anymore, and I broke down and realized that even though my dad’s and I relationship isn’t the best, I felt so bad he couldn’t follow his dream in becoming a veterinarian. I thought to myself how ungrateful I was being, my father had to stop following his dreams because of his fathers death . And aqui estoy yo , born in califas with all the benefits of being American, and I don’t want to go to college because I’m not “ready” for the change. I took my realization as one of my motivation to go to college and see it with optimism instead of my pessimistic views. Its been a long journey a journey that is filled with a thousands of stories that make up my book of who I am, I’ll tell you some only if you promise to stay tune.

Have you ever worn a mask one-two one-two, M to the A to the S to the K. Put the mask upon the face just to make the next day.
-The Fugees

At home the only language that my family used to communicate was, is and will always be Spanish. I remember when I was a little girl I always was made fun of the way I would spoke English. I always questioned my self why they would make fun of me, we were taking the same classes, we were the same age, I didn’t look different, and I wasn’t a clown.
” I stand before you as an impure-American and Ambiguous American”
-Richard Rodriguez.
Every day I would question myself, I grew angry, angry with my self at my race, a todo. When I was growing up I would want to be a part of what the majority of people in my school or friends were doing. I remember I would speak Spanish mocho, as if Spanish was my second language. I wanted to be part of the “in crowd” and if I had to leave, or deny the real me I would do it , without thinking what I was giving up. This time of my life was the hardest; I was going through so many things, identity crisis, family issues, and self-doubt. I was confused; I didn’t know who I wanted to be, If I wanted to show society the “real” me hiding beneath the veil. The veil of shame, the veil that society shaped my views, on how I had to live my life in a country where everyone follows and very few lead.

“ English was for public display Spanish was for privacy -and
Privacy quickly turned intoshame”
- Richard Rodriguez

It wasn’t until I was older and I started to take history classes on my gente that I realized that I didn’t need to be a part of any clika. Living with that veil only blinded me from my raizes. At times I would reminisce about all the babosadas, stupidities I would do just to fit in, fit in a society that didn’t accept me for who I was or who I was trying to be. I was done with trying to be something I wasn’t ,I had to accept my multicultural self. I was tired of running away from my reality.
“ I feel like one cancels out the other and we are zero, nothing, no one . A veces no soy nadani nadien. Pero hasta cuando soy no lo soy”
- Gloria Anzaldua

Frankenstein, your culture is based on a clash of different cultures you have been exposed ,to you took a little bit of each and made it your own.

Mi Cultura has been a clash of two different worlds. It has also been one of the biggest stepping stones on the path that led me to who I’ am today. Even though as a child I denied the second half of my culture ,the Mexican side of me I came to accept both sides of my culture,” we are synergy of two cultures with various degrees of Mexican and Angloness”-Gloria Anzaldua. I am no longer ignorant to my roots, I can now see how it has been shaping me and helping little by little in finding who I want to be. Also it has helped me to strive in every hardship in life and not get knocked off my feet by any little obstacle. The back bone of Mi cultura is my family. All of them have motivated me in each unique way. My mother and father have been the greatest influence for me to take pride en mi cultura. Mi Madre y Padre have shown me how to become a better person, they have given me all their love and love, at least in my culture is one of the main reason we stay alive.

“Love is our greatest nourishments” - Victor Villasenor

My culture has defined me in many ways. My culture is where I live, how I speak, how I show my emotions, how I interact. I’ am my culture’s clash and I take pride that I’ am who I ‘am.

“Pero mija el Hombre de la casa es tu padre” But hunny the man of the house is your father.

I never understood why my mother would always repeat those words to me. Why couldn’t she say she was the women of the house. It was than that I realized I was different then my cousins and friends. I had different views and I would always speak out to what I thought was equally right for me. Especially when my tio’s or tia’s would try to “put me in my place” because I wasn’t acting lady like, what ever that is.

“I think a lot of confusion toward feminism is also based in the fact there are many different types of feminism”

- Christina Libby

This to me was all so confusing, I didn’t understand why my aunts never stood up for them self’s, There was a time that I hated being a women, because I thought that we were so weak, so vulnerable, brainwashed . I remember this time, that my uncle was verbally abusing my aunt, I couldn’t take him talking to her like that. I stood up for my tia my thoughts running threw my head were “I’m going to feel great after I do this, and man oh man I’m getting it when I get home“. Even though installed fear was in me, I just did it, without thinking about the consequences. Gracias a dios , my parents didn’t discipline that night, Instead “ el hombre de la casa” , my father had a talk with me. My father told me that it was ok for me stand up for my Feminine rights, “Mija es mejor tener una voz que estar con la boca llena de palabras”, its better to have a voice then to have a mouth filled of unspoken words.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

-MLK

Once upon a time I silenced the things that mattered to me. But as I’ve gone through the journey of finding my identity, I realize that the struggles in my life had to happen in order for me to find who I truly am. The assimilations, taking pride in my cultura, and standing up for my rights as a women , had to happen in the path of thorns and holes I fell into. Instead of seeing all those things that I went threw as struggles or obstacle, I see them as foundations. The foundations that shaped me to become the person I’ am today. Una mujer con mucho gusto de ser quien es, una mujer hecha y derecha.

ROG Final Blog

Summary: In the last couple of chapters in the book starting from part five “Time of Miracles”. New challenges happened I both Lupe’s and Juan’s life. In chapter nineteen, Lupe family is ready to receive their paycheck, when Sophia Lupe’s sister notices that her paycheck is smaller than the men’s paycheck. Outraged Sophia organizes a strike so the foremen can pay both men and women equally after three day’s Sophia is triumphant and the foremen starts paying them equally. Also in this chapter Mark, the man that proposed to Lupe comes back to visit her o see if she has an answer to his question in marrying him. Lupe responds to him by telling him that she doesn’t have time to be getting married, because her sisters and brothers are dedicating all their time to take care of the parents. Juan and Lupe meet for the first time alone they both talk about their dreams and they notice that both of them have similar dreams, about the future. Lupe realizes that she is in love with Juan but doesn’t know he she loves more, Juan the one who is always making her angry but always has a good time with or Mark the one she can have intellectual conversations with. Her mother tells her that the one you hate the most is the one you love the most. Juan is really winning the families trust and Lupe’s family is really starting to like him, Victorano tells Juan that their family needs work and ask Juan if he can help them out with a job at the manure place he works at Juan is caught in his own lie but quickly thinks about his friend who actually does work in moving manure and tells him to provide Lupe’s family with a job so he does. Chapter twenty, Domingo returns home right when Don Margarita was going to leave to Chicago to look for him. He’s not alone he accompanied with his girlfriend Nellie, who’s married to someone else and left her three children behind to be with Domingo. Dona Margarita doesn’t like the fact that she left her children, what kind of mother does such a thing. Domingo returns telling the family that he distilled Canadian whiskey in Chicago, and later on is drinking Juan’s whiskey in the front porch making it visible to everyone. At first Domingo was going top ask for Lupe’s hand but since Juan doesn’t seem to trust his brother a lot he decides to tell Father Ryan to ask for her hand. This leads to what happens next in , Juan and Father Ryan go to Lupe’s house so drunk that Juan accidentally call Carlota, Maria. He falls to the ground and that when Don Victorano tells him that he will give him an answer in three days, Don Victorano goes out and investigates things on Juan. He finds out that Juan is a bootlegger and is ok with that , and tell him that he has the consent by Dona Guadalupe to marry his daughter. But with one condition Juan has to carry and take care of the pot of white lilies she carried all the way form La Luvia de oro. In chapter twenty-three Juan comes home when men pop out of the bushes and take him inside where Domingo is tied down in a chair with his face covered in blood, and right next to him stands the man he met at the hotel job he was going to take. Domingo caused this mess he was tired of being in the house so he went out to a play pool, he met a man and befriended him not knowing this man was an undercover cop. The men beat Juan and when he wakes up he finds him self in jail with Domingo so weak he could barely stand. He calls Fred Noon, his lawyer friend that bails him out, but Domingo stay with the sentence of three years. When Juan returns home Nellie already gave birth to Domingo’s baby and decides to go back to Chicago to see if her husband will take her back but leaves the baby and Lusia promises to tae care of it as if it was hers. Juan need’s to buy Lupe’s ring. He calls up Archie his friend to see if he can let him borrow some money to buy Lupe her ring, Archie refuses to lend him the money so he decides to sell his truck and goes to his friend Kenney to see if he can help him out, being the good friend Kenny is he lets Juan borrow four hundred dollars. Lupe and Carlota meet Juan’s family Carlota and Lusia do not get along, but Dona Margarita notices that Lupe is the same women she wanted Juan to meet and is happy they met. The last Chapter is the best chapter, Lupe and Juan get married. They their reception in the back yard of Lupe’s house, where both families are at enjoying the music and the whiskey Archie sneaked in, When Juan pulls Lupe to the side he kisses with fiery emotions of love both of them looking at each others eyes with such passion Juan tells Lupe about their future they will have together.

Questions:

What are possible solutions for Juan’s hate towards his own people?

What are some commonly held beliefs or perspectives on religion and how it defined in families and or societies?

What are the consequences of not following family tradition?

Critical Thinking

In 300 words or more, write a posting onto your blog on a news item that is interesting to you and examine it from at least two opposing viewpoints. Please describe your opinion on the subject. Post the blog by 11:59 pm on Tuesday, November 24.

Recently I found out t hat the Disney corporation exploits children and use them as mini labor girls and boy’s. As a child Disney Land was my favorite place in the world. I saw only joy and fun times in the amusement park. And even when I was older for example this year back in June I went to Disney Land for my graduation trip with my senior class, and had so much fun once again blinded by the false happiness they want you to see. I was having a conversation with my older sister, and Disney Land came out as a topic, she started talking all this things about my favorite place in the world, I began to debate and told her my point of views. In till she hit me with the bomb , that Disney uses child labor all over the world. At first I didn’t believe her in till she made me Google , so I did and she was right. At that moment I thought to my self how can a place that bring children so much happiness cause other children in third world countries pain. See if I was to but on my critical thinking hat back then , I would of seen all the signs and investigated to the Disney corporation more in depth. The sad reality is that Disney is such a powerful corporation just like Wal-Mart that it would take a lot of people with the idea to end child labor to shut them down, but unfortionaly Disney Land is the “happiest place on earth”.

Thinking about the Text "The Men We Carry in Our Minds"

1.Sander remembers seeing the working men, beat tried of the harsh labor brought upon them. “They got up before light, worked all day long whatever the weather, and when they came home at night they looked as though somebody had been whipping them”(p56).He recalls the how the men’s hand” were black and split, the hands tattooed with scars. Some had lost fingers”(p56).

2.The other men Sander knew as growing up were the men who did not break a sweat or break down like mules. None of the soldiers he knew worked they were always ready for war, ready to kill.

3.The other men Sander saw while growing up was the men on television, the astronauts, the generals, the philosophers. To him these jobs were to unreal for him to reach he stopped imaging he could become them.

4.Sanders father worked hard to get his white collar job. He had to start from the bottom and work him self all the way to the top. To overcome the oppression of the beating hard job he use to work.

5.Sanders implies that upper class college women have it a lot easier then men do in . While in college a lot of women would tell him that men took all the privileges that life offered because they were simply men.

6.I think what brings both “lower-class” men and women together is the struggles and obstacles both of them go through. Men in a lower class society usually have a lot of pressure by the family and peers, since the society norm is that men bring the “bacon” to the table. For women it goes along side with how they provide for there children. Say if these women have children it’s a struggle for them to provide a meal and shelter for their children. In my opinion its hard for both there’s no discrimination, it’s a struggle both live through.

7.What the college women and Sanders have in common is, both of them want to be able to treasure the pleasures that life offers to them, without any bias also the privileges they earned from the struggles as men and women.

Summary Evaluation

The most challenging part of the summary in my opinion was finding Tan’s thesis. I would have about ten different ideas on what her thesis might be, and it was challenging to break them all up and see which one work and which one did not. The most easiest part of the summary was putting all the main ideas together and paraphrasing them. To me this was the least challenging even though I did have to analyze everything really well and see if it flowed correctly. But I have to honest transitions were a bit hard. I actually expected a grade lower than what I got, since I was not in class for the days are professor went over how to write and break down the reading and how to put everything together, I thought I was going to be behind or stuck on how to write it . Hence I thought my grade was going to reflect my misunderstanding of how to write the summary. I think my strengths are paraphrasing, it was what I spend more time in, its time consuming but I don’t really mind because after all the reader needs to know that you know what your talking about. For the next summary I’m going to spend more time my transitions and checking my spelling. When I find my self stuck or lost I’m going into my professors office and ask for her help in transitioning and making my summary or essay run smoothly. As for my spelling, not depending on spell check all the time.

Memorization

The most valuable memorization technique I learned and use is Marking everything up. I use this technique for everything. Especially in English when Susie assigns us readings from are course reader, I mark everything that I think is important and go over it when I’m done with the reading. I would say I use more than one technique, because I also use the Testing your self memorization skill and making Mnemonics up. When I use the testing skill I first finish marking everything then I usually tell somebody to test me, especially on the things I highlighted, just to make sure I now why I highlighted it like the book says “you must go beyond simply coloring“. Both of these techniques help me a lot, and it crazy how it helps me in outside of school. I work in retail and we constantly have to be remembering sales and promotions the store offers. So I usually write the promos down and quiz my self, I repeat everything about ten time in till I get it down, repetition is key when trying to remember important things, “PRACTTICE“. Making mnemonics to memorize the sales is also a big help. I find it easy to make something silly like SLAP to remember Sign it, Light it, Adjust it, Pass by it. It those simple things that end up helping you when your manger quiz’s you. I think memorizations skill can help you in everything. It all depends if you keep practicing the one that best fits you. You might be able to apply some of the techniques to different situations some might work and others may not, that’s why it take time and practice to find the one that is most beneficial for you.

Questions on Libby

1.Do the authors survey results indicate that feminist is, by the and large, a dirty word for her fellow students?
What in the essay makes you agree or disagree I disagree in the fact that then men who took the survey them self’s didn’t label it as a dirty word, they just simple didn’t want to assimilate to the term.

2.What reasons does Libby offer why there are not more self identified feminists?
Some reasons she offers why people do not call tem self’s feminist are, that for example men don’t say their feminist because they are not females, others say because sex exploitation and oppression do not exist in are society. Also because of the negative connotations the term has been given, by stereotypes and opinions.

3.Why does she think more people should identify themselves as feminist?
Libby address’s that more men and women should identify as feminist because both men and women should have the chance to live in a life free of sexism, sex exploitation, and oppression of every kind.

Transfer Motivational Conference

The motivational conference in Sacramento was really a fun experience. I had a blast meeting new people from other Puente classes also people who attended Sacramento state. The workshop I attended was the AB540 workshop. The workshop in my opinion was well put together, I learned thing I didn’t know, it also opened my eyes to how determine students who are AB540 student are to succeed and even though they life might be hard for them they manage to be optimistic and strive for their education. I say this because in our workshop, there was some AB540 students who shared with the group how AB540 has helped them out to further proceed in school. Many of their stories were similar they all are fist generation student, undocumented, and most of them do not have the financial support to attend school. This Puentista from Chabot shared that when he graduated high school his mother told him “now what” what’s next, he shared with the group that his mother had always wanted him to go on and study and make a lot of money so he wouldn’t live like she did when she was younger, but this family was set back because of financial problem. He said that , that didn’t stop him he found out about the Ab540 program and now is studying to become a music mayor and do something with his talents in the music industry. It was really heart warming to hear all these stories of my people and other multicultural people and to know that they are receiving the same rights as every one else. I would say the highlight of the conference was the bonds I made with people in my Puente class. I talked to more people that I have never talked to in class, also the most memorable moment of are trip was when we were about to leave, and some of my classmates and I were outside the bus just listing to Andrew and Villy freestyle and seeing Jorge dance was the most funniest thing I have ever seen in my life. It was truly a fun experience.

summary

In the text Mother Land written by Amy Tan, she writes about the different languages one grows up with, and the hardships and obstacles people go through when only “limited” English is known. Tan is amazed by language and how language shapes how she works as a writes. Also how it shapes her every day life in how she uses her many “englishes”. These many “englishes” tan speaks about in her text refer to the realization of it when she was invited to a conference and how she changed the way she spoke to the crowd and the way she would speak with her mother or husband. Tan used the language she learned academically in books and school, not the language her mother sitting in the crowd taught her. She observes also how she would use a different dialect a more “intimate” ish English with her family members, different then the one she would use with other people. Tan talks about a story her mother told her once about a shanghai gangster, she recall that people didn’t really understand her mother because of the “broken “ English she was using, even though Tan’s friends could not understand her tan is able to understand her mother because to her , her mother is a smart women who has clear thoughts and who understand complex books, ideas and economics . The author rejects the fact that people label her mothers as speaking “broken” or “limited” English. People judged Tans mother because of the way she would convey what she had to say. Many would think she had nothing important to say because her message was not clearly stated. Her mother realizes that people do judge and label her as some one that does not speak clear or perfect English, her mother recognizes her limitations and uses Tan to translate to get her message heard and clearly stated. Tan also argues that not being taken seriously by people who do speak ”perfect” English can have some serious consequences. She recalls the time when her mother had to have a CAT scan done and how the doctor didn’t want to give it to her the results, because she would not be able to understand them. Not in till Tan called and complained to the doctor that his lack of telling her mother or her family the results could of but her others life in danger. After this confrontation with the doctor and the CAT scan, she realizes the limitations people brought upon her, because of judgments and assumptions. She question why Asian student are steered to subject like math and science being slowly pushed away from English departments. Being the rebel that Tan is she went against what her teacher and society tolled her what to do. She followed her own path and studied English. As a content writer she continues to write books with one type of audience in her mind, Tan uses the many “engishes” she grew up to let mold her books she has written today.

According to Tan speaking many englishes can have positive and negative consequences. For example in the text Tan remembers how she used to be her mothers translator. How she felt the need to play the role of her mother and express her feelings , of anger towards the stockbroker, who wouldn’t giver her mother her check. I would feel the same anger as Tan, when people uses to try to fool my mother or father by manipulating them for the lack of English. When I was younger I always use to translate for my mother, at times I will feel so frustrated with her, not being able to comprehend why she was not like everybody else. I felt frustrated, and degraded, feeling incompetent when I didn’t comprehend how to translate, switch codes between theses two different worlds. “I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say”(pg36). Just like Tan I do believe that the many “Englishes” used growing up shapes one to the person they are today and just as it shaped Tan, it has shaped me when I think about my own experience I went through as a child and still at times as an adult. Tan further explains how English test were always a judgment call . For example, when I was younger I was placed in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, because my English according to my teachers was not efficient. I would question myself every day when I use to attend those classes thinking that I was different from everybody else. In some ways I felt stupid for speaking two languages not just one. But as I grew older I realized that those classes, peoples stares, and being able to communicate in two languages made me the person I am today. “I wanted to capture what language ability test can never reveal: her intent, her passion, her imagery, the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts“ (pg38). In the same way Tan’s was able to see how to appreciate her and her mothers many “Englishes”, It in many similar ways has helped me. Appreciate who I am.

Anzaldua Blog Response #2

The difference about an academic essay and Anzaldua essay is that In an academic essay includes you to use quotes, paraphrasing, and to state the thesis and the main idea of the text. In her essay she provides her own opinions also she provides a lot of good information she has collected over the pass years of experience she has lived through. She has a lot of short stories abut her childhood and how language has changed in her time to what it is now. Anzaldua essay also make you question, about how language has been evolving with each new generation. In contrast to an academic essay you state what you learned about a reading, you do not go off in to your personal stories. Also in an academic essay you paraphrase everything you read Anzaldua does some what paraphrase some of the Mexican proverb she use sin her text. Anzaldua makes you question, in her essay she want you to think to go into her reading and really relate to it. Anzaldua writes in a way to prove to the reader that she is comfortable writing in the language she was brought with, which was Chicano Spanish. It makes it different from a Formal essay because it does lack some of the techniques you would usually follow when writing a traditional essay. I think what Anzaldua is trying to accomplish with this essay is to really get the reader to understand that she is proud of where she came from and how she has let her language shape her to who she is. “ identity is the essential core of who we are as individuals, the conscious experience of the self inside”(p46).

On Anzaldua

Q: write about a time when you felt that someone with authority tried to silence you or criticized the way you spoke.

A: Every year my family and I go to Mexico, to visit family and friends. And there is not one year that I’m not criticized or made fun of the way I speak Spanish. Its saddens me to know that your own people could be so racist towards you and the disillusion when your own family member make fun of your bilingual tongue. The most vivid memory I have about someone with authority tried to silence me was when I went to the optometrist . I arrived to his office with all respect to his practice, because it is a Mexican custom to respect your elderly and speak to them in a proper manner. The doctor was an old, five foot, blue eyed man that only came to my little pueblo every Saturday from Guadalajara. I think he noticed right away that I wasn’t born nor raised in Mexico, he looked at me with disgust like if I was less than he was. So after the very uncomfortable stare he gave me when he called my name, I went inside to his office so we could start with the my eye check. He told me to spell my name out for him because according to him it was spelled incorrectly, so I did I started spelling it out and when It comes to the e and the i in my name I always get them confused, because they sound so alike when you say them in Spanish. He just laughed at me and said that I was a bolillo a bread loaf. At the moment I was dumbfounded. I had no idea why he would call me a bread loaf. I asked him why he called me that and he responded in a arrogant voice “ Your brown from the outside and white from the inside”. I felt so hurt and degraded , I lost all respect for this old man. I told him what was his problem, he told me that I was his problem. That he hates people like me who call them self’s Mexican, and not being able to pronounce simple letters in the alphabet. I tried to defend my self but not being able say some words in Spanish I started to stutter. He laughed proving his point even further. I couldn’t take it so I called my Aunt in, who in the other hand speak fluent perfect Spanish. She told him to back off and that he has no right to tell me that I’m something I’m not. When the doctor saw how mad my Tia he just told us to leave. I was way ahead of him I couldn’t stand seeing someone like him, with so much hate and disgust to their own people. I never went back, but I took that experience ad a learning one. I decided to take Spanish in high school not just for the easy A ,but so that when I go back to Mexico my Spanish will be up to par and run fluently out of my mouth and finally have a summer in Mexico without criticisms

VARK

Visual: Senior year I had an economy test witch I was terrified about, I understood the material but I still seemed to get somewhat confused in some areas of the topic. I would study so hard everyday, I would stay after school get some help from tutors that would pretty much just explain my notes again to me. Which wasn’t a really big help. Not till then I discovered that by doing this VARK test that I’m a Aural learner. No wonder I understood the material when I would repeat what I would learn to by brother or sister million times a day. I ended up passing the stressful successful econ test.

VISUAL
General strategies: I would draw all the graphs my economy teacher would draw on the board to explain stocks, also I would Underline all the main words he would tell us that were important and would be on the test.

Success: I would remember the pictures and how I would draw them on my note book, in simpler terms and pictures. So when it came to graphs I had no trouble in.

READ/WRITE
General strategies: I would always re-write all my notes because when I would write them on my notes when I was taking them in class I would always write so sloppy just to make sure I was getting all the information being explained. So when I would re-write them it worked as a way to review for test.
Success: Almost all of the time I would remember everything I would re-write. Only at times this would be helpful tome.

AURAL
General strategies: Are teacher would assign us to groups, and I was lucky enough that my group was pretty close, reminds me of my familia in class. That we would gather at my house before any test and read and study are notes

Success: Most of the time this strategies always help but of course there was those days when it didn’t help at all.

KINESTHETIC
General strategies: At times I would use this strategies, by using handout I would print out or that were handed out to me by other teachers. To study with.

Success: Since not all the time I would receive handouts or printout things I would have a little of success but when I did I would find test taking a lot easier.


Aural: I interviewed my sister Aurora, her grade point average is a 4.0 and for me she is not only a role model but a Model student. The strategies used by my older was Visual and Aural. She said its a lot easier for her to see something being explained to her than rather listing to it for two to three hours. Also she loves teaching people what she learns so being a Aural learner she explain in detail everything she learns. Making her understand the material a lot better. My sister and I share one learning strategy in common we both are Aural learners and for me so far that strategy has been helping me understand concepts better. I think the read/write skill is a little different from my learning styles I usually do. But I think I can handle change in my studying habits. Having her there all the time at my house helps me motivated to try new studying skills.

Read /Write: I learned that I’ am Aural learner, and that I enjoy sharing my notes and comparing them to other people notes. I also realized that when I read the section that describes Aural learners in chapter 3 , that I never knew that those things I would do before studying were actually under a category of studying. Also know that I know I’ am a aural learner it stay in the back of my head and when I find my self reading a text for English or for counseling I take notes and read them to my brother and make him question my notes . Its just something that I like to remind my self with because it keeps me in a path of good studying skills.

Kinesthetic: My oldest sister tutors in Pass the Torch as well as her boyfriend. So I’m usually always in there when they tutor two days of the week. And what I know about pass the torch is that they pare up students who need help with student who have really outstanding grades in the material the student needing help is in. My sister always tells me to join because it really helps when it come to an exam you might need help in. She also was in pass the torch when she was in Puente and she said it really helped when she went into English 104b. I want to do as well as she did in that class so I am going to apply to pass the torch and hopefully it helps me to pass all my classes. Also the people in there are really nice and build a good environment to concentrate and focus.

Blog Response # 3

Q: What is the difference between pride and ego?

R:I don’t really think there is a difference between pride and ego, both go hand in hand making people feel mentally, and physically content about them self’s and life styles. What I suppose differs Ego and Pride is that, at time people who have pride usually do not flaunt it so often as people with big ego’s, people who fell they need to talk about their self’s or accomplishments over and over again. For instances I’m in Portugal as I type, its been an experience that by far and it also has been a blessing that I can be here and I have pride for my parents that had to sacrifice so much in order for me to be here. I also take pride in the choices I made to come to this trip and maybe the consequences when I come back. But back to my point, in my group there is this women who at first she seemed as a humble old lady, coming to Europe for a great time with her husband. But my assumptions were way off, this lady told me this story about how she has traveled the world twice and how she manages to be financially stable when she returns back from her trips. I lie to you not, I herd this story about twenty times the whole day. I felt as if I could tell you her story and how she ate frog legs thinking they were chicken legs in china. The way she would speak to the other people in the bus was full of arrogance with a mixture of pride and ego as well. What I came up with as I was observing her as a piece of data for this question ,was that she took a lot of pride in what people would respond to her. Also the complements she would receive would be all the same “senora como le haces, eres la mujer maravilla Mexicana”, meaning how do you do it , you’re the Mexican wonder woman. Her face would light up with so much pride but at the same time she would flaunt it so much that it made it seem she only did it to boost her ego or to show people how wealthy she is. In Chapter fourteen Juan Salvador comes back from Montana, after nineteen years to Corona a barrio in Los Angles, to see his mother and sisters. When Juan Salvador finally meets and catches up with his family he takes time to meet his nephews Jose and Pedro. Jose asks his uncle Juan that if it was true if he use to have a lot of power back in Mexico, Juan responded with a strong prideful yes, but Pedro asked him if he was also rich, because his mother told him that Mexicans are always poor. This triggered Juan’s ego because he was so angry and disappointed and even disrespected in a sense. Juan responded with telling his nephew that if he knew what his great great grandfather did and how he fought along side Benito Juarez. Juan with anger in his eyes and with a hurt ego and pride left feeling that his people self doubt their abilities to succeed and be rich as the “gringos”.

Literature Circle Blog Response #2

Question: What qualities, conditions or circumstances create the need to sacrifice within a family ?
Response: I think that the circumstances that leads to sacrifice within a family is when there is love and respect for each other. If you have those two foundations in a family, I believe that you or any member in your family is willing to sacrifice anything to get the family by. If you have love in your family you think about the others and how they are feeling and how they are dealing with hard situation and have compassion for them. And if you have respect you sacrifice choosing your self to give up everything you have to see your family triumph . For example, in chapter ten part two of Rain of Gold, Dona Margarita and her family have been under circumstances that have challenged them to question and doubt how strong their family really is. Dona Margarita cannot take it any longer that she decides to go into town and see if she can “work” for some money to feed her children. Dona Margarita sacrifice her self to go in to the town and beg for money so her family can at least have food in their stomach and not spend another day with the pain of an empty stomach. This was a sacrifice I believe, because it took a lot for her to stoop so low in order to get some money. She had to deal with the belittling comment of the towns people the embarrassment of people staring at her with disgust. But since Dona Margarita has that love and respect not only for her family but her self it made the need to sacrifice for her family a task that needed to be done, with respect and love, for them.


Question: What it the value of family?
Response: I really don’t think there is a concrete answer for this question. I believe that the value of a family varies in everyone. There’s different people In the world that to them their family is all they have, all they know. To others they never had the opportunity to have a family or never the less experience the feeling of love that a family gives. For example in the book Rain of Gold , Lupe stand up for what she’s values in her family. Lupe stand up for the lies Rose-Mary was saying the first day of class in front of her classmates, about Lupe’s family. Lupe corrects Rose-Mary by saying that she might not have a lot but what they have is what makes them a happy family. So for Lupe the value of her family might not be having all the riches and luxuries as Rose-Mary has, but the value she values is the love in her family. Another example from the book to show contrast on what family value is how Juan Salvador another character in the story views his family. In chapter ten section two, Emilia and Juan Salvador find out that their mother has become a beggar in order to provide the starving family food. Emilia has this image in her head that they as a family are becoming gente sin nombre, people without a name. As Juan tries to stay optimistic he later come to realization that they indeed are becoming people without a name. The value Juan Salvador’s family use to see in his family was faith, honor, hope and the pride of being descendants of Don Pio the great founder of Los Altos. But slowly its drifting away from what use to be the value of their family. The value of family, I think has many different answers but for me the value of a family is knowing your family has a meaning in this world.

Giovanni Advice

Some

What causes digital immigrants to feel they are subservient or less than digital natives in a society?

I think what causes immigrants to feel subservient to digital natives, is the lack of not having those resources they need to be up to date with the rest of their new society. Also the fact that in a every day basis immigrants are exposed to technology, in witch they have no idea what to do or ask if they need help. Primarily i think the reason why they might feel less than a digital native is that fear or doubt that their going to be belittled or embarrassed and not in tune with this digital world.I think what also contributes to this is how society treats immigrants. Since most immigrants are judged by people who think they are Superior, i think it also physiologically brings them down. Making them question them self's and doubt their ability they have to learn and get accustomed to technology.

Reflection on Munoz

I think the consequences in assimilating To “American” culture is that it slowly makes you forget your roots. I think once you cross the border you are tied down to what you were taught back in your motherland, but once you cross I feel its slowly changing you as a person. As the years go by you forget were you came from, sometimes your language and your culture. Also by assimilating to the American society you kind of give in to what the society norm in America wants to see. In America you need to be a whole different person, a person needs who needs to start their life as a whole different person with a whole different name. I think when you cross America it strips everything you stood for and it slowly manipulates you to become another of the low paying minorities, who later on are blamed for taking “all” the jobs in this land. For example, my mother once had this job cleaning law offices, primarily filled with Anglo Americans. I remember when I use to go with her to work they people that worked in the office would call my mom Mary. I first I was dumbfounded I didn’t understand why they were calling my mother Mary if her name is Maria. They changed her name without my mothers consent. Even though I was still a child I question why do they, they as the people who worked in the office have the right to change someone’s name, they had no right. But its that feeling of being superior than others, that makes them feel they have that divine right to do so. The consequence of assimilating to America are many, but as minority we need to know when we are assimilating to much to a society that just wants us to be their puppets.

Literature Circle Blog 1

The first scene I drew was Emilia and how she was raped and by the humiliation brought upon her caused her to go blind(pg102). I selected this scene because I feel its important to understand what young innocent Mexican girls back then in the time of the revolution were experiencing. The torture of foreign soldiers taking advantage of you because you are the innocent enemy. In this scene I learned about Emilia that she is very pessimistic. She views everything that has happened to her is a punishment from god. What I learned about the political view on this chapter just by reading what happened to Emilia is that the war like any other war was corrupt and unfair to those innocent people had nothing to do with it, and that the president Don Porfirio did noting about it. The second scene that I drew out was when Dona Margarita goes out to beg without her children knowing. Then one day when Juan Salvador goes to town he sees her in town begging but does not recognize her ,he hears people speak badly about her and so does he but when she turns around he realizes the disgusting old rag is his mother(pg150-151). I think this scene is very powerful because Juan didn’t want to tell his mom that he saw her so she wouldn’t be embarrassed, because after all she was the daughter of the great Don Pio and was educated by the best, so he felt it was wrong to belittle her in that sense. That show how much respect and love he has for his mother. The respect he has for his mother makes Juan Salvador change and commit to never see his mom beg for money never again. The economy during the war was rough , Dona Margarita had to beg for money because money back then was impossible to receive since the government was mostly spending it on the war.

My Digital Life

Living in a digital world I find my self in a love hate relationship with technology. I say a love hate because, I mean technology has improved so many things and in a way has made my life a lot easier. I didn’t really grow up with technology because my family didn’t have the money to provide me with a computer or anything else that involved technology. I started using computers when I was in seventh grade. I felt so behind because all the other kids in my class already new how to change the picture on the desktop and I was barely learning how to turn on the computer. But once I started getting the hang in how to surf the web I thought it was the best thing that ever happened in my life. As the years went by and I was growing older I began to notice that technology has been taking over are life’s in a fast paste. Now why I hate technology, I think that technology is making people lazy. For example the Nintendo Wii, this game has made playing sports as a sitting down in your couch for five hours while eating junk food a fun entertaining thing to do. Even though technology has improved are communication abilities it is destroying are way in how we read peoples emotion perceive the intention of their words, and losing that special connection that is different from the connection you get when you log in to the chat rooms. Technology most of the time is appropriate when us in the correct forms, like to email, work on projects, looking for a place to eat, or doing homework for your professors. Its not appropriate when technology is use for malice, its just sad on who ever is doing it and perverted in so many ways. Well were I stand in still in the same place that love hate relationship with technology .I admit it technology has made life a lot easier but at the same time its making us rely on it to much.

My Motivation Tto Attend College

Family, Pressure, and that scary feeling of failing in life have motivated me to pressure college. I need to be honest in high school, senior year to be exact I was at a point that I really didn’t want to attend college. I didn’t really see a valid reason to go and waste countless hours doing homework and paying so much money for something I wasn’t really interested in. College was drifting away from my future slowly every day. As days went on and my high school graduation just around the corner I had this epic moment that probably everyone has once in their lifetime, I remember that I came from school I said “ what’s up” to my mom working in the garage ,and I saw how tired she was. I said to my self “man , she look dead”. I realized that those thought of college that where drifting away slowly came back to me in hyper speed. I notice how my parents work so hard and how its so hard to get good descent job nether the less a job these days . That I realized if I don’t want to be in that positions were my mother is at I need to attend college, I need to strive for a successful future. I Started to think and I really want to be the topic of my moms conversation in every family party, I want to be her pride and joy just like my other sisters are to her. So I guess the root of my motivation would be myself and the fears of letting my mother and family down. I see how hard my mom works to support my sisters and my education, that the pressure of me being some one in life so one day I can pay my mom back for everything she gives us and offers to us ,serves me as the biggest motivation I have put on my self. I feel that Puente with the help and advice of my professors Voltaire and Susie, is going to be one of the foundations in building my dreams of my future, that I am and will succeed in.