Thursday, July 23, 2009
Week 5, question 11
"Legal Alien" is a very appropriate title for Pat Mora's poem. Mora points out in her poem that she is "An American to Mexicans [and] a Mexican to Americans"(976). This explains the title. She is an illegal to Americans because she speaks Spanish and she is of Mexican descent, and she an alien to Mexicans because she speaks English and is from America. She is bi-cultural because she speaks both Spanish and English. She is judged as an "alien" by both Americans and Mexicans. She feels like she is between both cultures because she is not accepted by either of them.
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ReplyDeleteWeek 5, Question#1 --"The Lottery"
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Who do you think has power in “The Lottery”? WHY does this person(s) have power, and how is it articulated?
I don’t think that there is any one person that has power but there are characters that played leadership roles. Mr. Summer’s is in charge of mediating the lottery system but the villagers as a whole carry majority of the power. The “Lottery” presents a weakness and wickedness in the ordinary villagers which can’t exactly be seen in the spotlight. It’s evident throughout the short story that people are becoming uncomfortable with the event, yet no one person goes up and openly expresses their disgust of this stoning tradition because they know that they’re not strong enough against the power of the entire village. Mrs. Hutchinson tries to rebel against the lottery by showing up late and pretending that she forgot about the “Lottery”, and it’s ironic how even though she expressed her thoughts about the unfairness of the lottery she’s the one that was stoned to death. Therefore I believe that the village’s power as a whole of not wanting change in tradition is suppressing those who do want to fight back against the ridiculousness of the event. In any scenario I believe that it’s always harder for an individual to fight against a group that holds a common thought. In a village where tradition is paramount, the slightest change such as when Mr. Summers asked the villagers about making a new box because the current one was “faded and stained” is considered as upsetting tradition and is disapproved, it suggests that many individuals are not strong enough to confront their disapproval, for fear of being rejected by society. The village has power because of the strong belief of keeping tradition and fear of change even if it is evident that the “Lottery” is an absurd event.
Week 5, question 11
“Legal Alien” fits the literary text perfectly because the words in the title are a great representation of what the author is communicating in her poem. Her emotions are clearly depicted when she says she feels like she is "An American to Mexicans [and] a Mexican to Americans"(976) Like many who are bi-racial, she feels like she’s floating between cultures and consequently fails to be a part of any particular group. Her perception of herself is that of an alien because she isn’t fully accepted by either racial group due to her bi-racial background. The author is able to fluently communicate in both English and Spanish and is therefore considered an outcast as a result of it. The “Anglos” view her as perhaps inferior or different and the Mexicans perceive her an alien which highlight the author’s sentiments. “Legal Alien” represents how the author is permitted by law to be in the United States yet feels like she’s estranged and excluded.
I too find this title very appropriate for its context. I quite enjoy how the title contradicts itself. "Legal Alien" exerts the thought of an outsider who lawfully belongs; which is exactly what Mora is trying to say. She lawfully belongs in America, but because of her mixed heritage, with no certain place, she belongs nowhere and is left in limbo. It is actually sad and I find this poem touches on inequality and racism also. It shows how races look to accept their same race rather than accept everyone as an equal. Unfortunately, while there are many who have evolved from primitive ways, there still are plenty who see the outside of a person and judge accordingly. Like many things in our world, equality is a process that will take a long time to become universal if ever.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this poem too. Like you said in a non offensive way show us the racial problem that exist in our society. The poem “Legal Alien” is about a woman of Mexican parents (the author), who is born and raised in America. An American citizen established by law, but at the same time this person feels like an illegal alien because of how some people treat her. She is fluent in both, English and in Spanish. Feels American because she is, but at the same time she doesn’t. She is looked at by Americans (Anglos) as inferior, and looked at by Mexicans like she doesn’t belong. They make her feel like she is not one of them, like she doesn’t fit anywhere. “An American to Mexicans a Mexican to Americans a handy token sliding back and forth between the fringes of both worlds.” What this means is that she feels like she could be from both places and at the same time from neither, but on the border of each. Happy, sad, confused, lost but at the same time she tries to cover all her feelings and what she is thinking “by masking the discomfort” is that she has to grin and bear the fact that she is being condemned for having two nationalities. This is an interesting essay that reflects the life of the author and the current racial problem between Americans and Mexican-Americans.
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