I am glad to see that she does not resign herself and continues attempting to master her Spanish Voice.

Parents should push there kids, often to do the things they don't want to. I wish my parents had made me continue many of the things attempted as opposed to letting me quit when I didn't want to.

Projecting her own feelings on to her daughter.

I visited Mexico a year ago and met a beautiful Mexican woman. I don't speak Spanish, she didn't speak English. We spent a lot of time together. The language barrier wasn't much of a barrier.

She's trying, try back :( communicate. Have the hard conversations about how you feel. Tell the truth and pursue a real connection.

A connection was not just lost, it wasn't maintained, a major failure. A lack of effort to maintain truth in understanding a daughter, a mothers wall never pushed against.

There goal as a writer was to write it it in there own voice, Spanish or English. I think this is admirable. Something we should all aim towards in our writing.

Did her mother not regularly speak to her in Spanish? Which might allow for a more true bilingualism than a language replacement?

Is it possible to learn? Could they immerse themselves in Spanish, and rekindle there "first love"?

Helps to understand that this person did not learn English, they replaced Spanish. They are not bilingual as the two languages seem to inhabit the same space for them as opposed to being two separate entities.

Maybe it's either, maybe it's both. Maybe you have the flexibility to choose who your going to be. Maybe this creates trauma and anxiety as there are choices to be made about who you want to be.

It seems sort of obvious.

In an English speaking society who would be able to judge your Spanish on any foundation other than simply being able to speak it.

A failure of the school, but seemingly the parents also did not encourage native language reading and speaking.

I think both things seem to be contributions to the problem. The child needs to learn English to properly succeed, but the teachers have e responsibility to facilitate this.

Very fairly described as traumatic.

A complicated issue. Moving a new place where your language isn't the main spoken language is being described as traumatic here. Is this necessarily the fault of a culture that refuses to adapt? Or is it a proper expectation that you will need to learn and transition to the language of the people who live there? I think a common argument may be that the Spanish were in California first so Spanish could be seen as the native language, but what of the indigenous before the Spanish, and the Mexicans? The over 20 native languages of California do not include Spanish, or English.

Very powerful statement. He writes the truth, he has no fear in his words for he has faith in his heart. The power of faith lies in truth, there is little more powerful than the truth.

He found freedom in uninterrupted imagination.

Writing about our own history can help us to understand why we are the way we are and more importantly allow us to begin to answer the question of exactly who we are.

Seems reading is one way to learn about the world and how to confront challenging obstacles.

I had been guilty of nothing but vandalism out of anger...?

Dropped out of school unable to read, unable to express yourself, and inarticulate. Learns to write, expresses much through this memoir. Knowledge is power.

Fair.

Railing against her culture, or whites culture, or just all culture?

Is it a choice of attraction or a gene of preference?

Better as defined by who exactly? Her?

Since when is selflessness not a virtue? Is using your energy to help others as opposed to your own self interest not characteristic of a high moral standard? Which is by definition virtuous.

Why is strong in contrast with submissive? She speaks to Christian religion previously but does not accept that a woman can be strong AND submissive? She then relates strong to rebellious, what does strength have to do with rebellion in this context?

Woman is emotional, intuitive, and closer to instinct than consciousness, she must be protected. Protected from her own vulnerability.

Made to feel that way by who? I'm assuming she's blaming men again, perhaps society. Women who can't have children despite they're wanting to can feel just as much like failures. I'd blame God, if for nothing else, for having the choice.

Highlighting a refusal to listen to ones own consciousness. A need to be able to follow ones impulsive will, a sort of "I do what I want not what I'm supposed to, even if I'm the one telling myself to."

"Instead of doing my chores I did what I wanted, but this is not self-ish, it's self-faith because I know who I am and who I am doesn't do living up to my parents expectations." I have a hard time reading this as anything other than having an insolent and selfish attitude.

Choosing chaos, newness, and discomfort over stability and comfortability.

This sounds insecure, like the personality was forced on her and she must leave to go let her "intrinsic" nature become her personality? She wants to break the influence of her family so she can experiment.

How to make art? Let your creative nature do the talking, just give it a topic, like the past, and it'll do the rest. This is as if to say the art was already there, just waiting for you to manifest it.

Songs from your abuelo, songs from your ancestry, your identity.

Really showcases how hard it can be to put your life together when many of the influences around might otherwise push you towards behaviors mal adapted to success.

I would never..

Is love the song?

Very powerful statement a broad and widely applicable truth.

Fighting for your health when the problem is you. The doctor points this out and helps fix you, for a price. Prioritize, your health? Or the electric bill? Shouldn't have gotten sick when you did..

Alluding back to the Rio Grande.

Saying the Rio Grande kills more trying to cross into Arizona than hot Arizona sun.

Cute...

Only adding the (or maybe a little farther down portion to farther removed generations.

When you realize people have been biased against you for one reason or another your whole life, you start to wonder. Perhaps she's connecting some dots here.

A sad reality faced by many even today.

Referring to the first English colony in Jamestown. What makes it long before?

Pride, words.. The consequences of saying nothing are often worse than those speaking your mind.

Very powerful sentence. Make sure your not being controlled by someone else's thoughts and idea's.

I wonder what the significance of 401 is? And know another?

Sort of reminds me of the stereotype that Latina's are crazy. But also a complicated battle of identity between colonizer and indigenous people. Does this allude to an inner-battle being waged?

Highlighiting Mexico's complicated history, from the Aztec, to the Spanish colonizers. It is a complicated identity.

The mirrored translation as an extension of the original; the original seems incomplete without it.

If you don't speak Spanish, do translate. Understanding this poem is well worth it when you realize it's beauty.

The emotional catharsis is well conveyed.

The way he casually mentions the babies, to downplay them as just some of her things.. I wonder if he did this intentionally, as if the full weight was too much, too heartbreaking to describe.

Quickly, gives us a good idea of the surrounding conditions.

He does not love his idea of the United States, He loves certain aspects of the places he's from. If perhaps he went to war he would not be fighting for the U.S. but for things from home.

The ocean characterizes an overwhelming emotion, that once come up over the seawall, her reasonable senses, throw her into an emotional fit, the likes of which others seem to describe as, bitch.

Which also runs the risk of some burning, turning to smoke.

A clear distinction. Not a performer of miracles, clearly just one of good efforts pointed in the direction of bring two things together, like that of a welder.

Very real and sad statements regarding the prison system.

Also seemingly odd as I think it is more the choice of people to associate themselves with familiarity than it is of the administration or perhaps local government.

The poem is seemingly talking about prison, making this an odd expectation. Although opportunities can exist for inmates, I wouldn't become one in search of opportunities.

A terrifying foreshadowing.

A common theme of this poem.

More specifically, there was a girl named Soledad.

A hard reality, despite there hoping, nothing ever changed.

What Loma of Austin may have been to this writer he recognizes that these communities were the same for Mexican peoples all over the U.S.

Sort of making the case that knowing who you are, Identity, protects our sanity.

Alluding to the idea that it wasn't merely an individual convicted but a culture convicted.

reiterating it's existence now forever in his memory.

Must be a common folktale for those of Mexican culture, it is repeated throughout many Mexican works as a fond memory from childhood.

Cooties, aka lice. No, it is not only Mexicans who have cooties, my sister would attest.

The author repeats "Neighborhood of" and then proceeds to describe what the community was like. He emphasizes that the neighborhood now destroyed, was more than just a collection of homes, but rather, a unified community.

The tri-color refers to the Mexican flag. Each color of the flag stands for something, Green is for hope, White, for purity, and Red for the blood-shed during independence.

https://web.stanford.edu/~hakuta/www/archives/syllabi/E_CLAD/SU_SFUSD_cult/fuller/History%20of%20Flag.htm

Although the neighborhood is gone, it is remembered.

Perhaps just excited by the ball, or maybe genuinely wished for his mom to stay with Roque, whom seems to be an actually decent guy.

This reminds me a of a similar childhood experience where I got a hockey stick sign by a team of hockey players at the age of six.

A good childhood memory.

Is Erick alluding to unfaithfulness?

Roque puts effort into connecting with Erick in a sincere way.

The first man with a seemingly genuine interest in Ericks mother. Roque sounds as if he is in love with her genuinely.

A pattern of potential marriage between his mom and the men in her lives seems apparent.

A powerful indicator for what kind of story this might be.

At a young age he could feel the reality of there situation and his love for his mom is highlighted here.

More context on her motivations. She wasn't just after the money of these men, she was after security for her and her son.

A young child could recognize the pattern of the men in his mothers life, they had money, or at least, the must have appeared too.

Highlighting how when pursuing a single mother winning over her children can be a part of the challenge.

She would judge potential suitors status based on their an appearance of wealth.

The writer does a good job of illustrating to us what kind of persons he and his mother are encounter

Joaquin highlights here the many different and complicated ideas and identities that make up what we call Mexican Americans. European Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Indigenous American groups, Aztecs, American Indian, American... Mexico has a long complicated yet vibrant and rich culture and history. Whatever we call them, could never fully envelope the identity of the insanely broad group we call Mexican Americans.

Joaquin highlights what is often called the sleeping giant, the large group of Mexican Americans who do not vote in our elections. The stir of revolution has interesting implications in modern day. If the sleeping giant awoke, could the affects be akin to a revolution?

Joaquin nods to an interesting part of his Spanish Heritage. The Spanish Christians fought against the Moors for centuries. Under Spanish Monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in the late 15th century the Iberian peninsula was united making up what is now Spain. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Reconquista". Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Sep. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/event/Reconquista. Accessed 8 October 2023.

Here Joaquin talks about the consequences of such oppression. The anger they feel towards being unable to climb the social ladder, unable to make their lives worthy of remembering. He then says he must fight for this. Despite odds he must fight to be remembered. And not from the Anglo perspective, but from his own.

Joaquin talks of a fight to death in two ways, in war, and in the oppressions of society.

Here Joaquin uses the word revolution. I find this significant because it seems like it's talking of taking what was and is somebody else's identity and culture, apprehending it, and then calling it your own.

Joaquin insinuates that the Mexicans who fought for freedom from Mexico were not treated with equality as promised. Perhaps they thought they would be free to be on there own land within there own culture, but this was taken from them, while what they fought for, became not theirs, but now belonged to the Anglo.

In the terms of the accuser he confesses. But clarifies that what they accuse him of, is merely holding on to what is great about his people.

He alludes to Mexican patriotism.

Joaquin recognizes his ancestors had fought for every purpose. Part of his identity is found in both sides of every fight and every war.

Here Joaquin recognizes that his differing ancestral lines discriminate against each other. There is tension inside him from being created of both sides.

Joaquin calls inferiority a new load, insinuating it is a new kind of oppression. I wonder how he would compare this "new load" to the class systems of the previous centuries.

He talks of those that died fighting for good and bad but for independence. The way he illustrates this wall of independence makes me think of a sort of memorial. A memorial, of those who fought for Mexican freedom.

He addresses a time he took vengeance, on men who committed atrocity. He killed, them, and then he killed anyone who came after him. He killed for his wife, and then for his life.

Joaquin, is developing a Mexican identity, while being careful to include it's multi-facets. He paint's a picture of a complicated Mexican identity due to a diverse and complex history of many different types of people.

Here he lays claim for Mexicans in the land, but gives it back to God. His last line is on freedom, further suggesting that the idea of Freedom under God had strength in Mexico.

I like the analogy, that they are trading there lives for land.

Throughout the poem, he associates himself with Mexican figures. He is not them but he posses the spirit of them. He identifies himself with them. They are HIS people who fought for HIS people. I think he can see that desire in himself, and feels passion of the spirit when learning of others who have done so, well and virtuously.

Joaquin highlights that although Mexico is free from Spanish rule, true freedom would require a shift from the culture and society that was put in place by the Spanish. True freedom, is hard to come by.

The Spanish brought Catholicism, Joaquin is saying here that this planted the idea that everyone, of every decent, in every class, is created equal in the eye's of God, and that this idea grew into the Mexican culture. Until they finally fought to end the Spanish rule over them, securing their independence, and more importantly, their freedom.

He expresses a frustration over not owning the land, or the land being taken from him, but then expresses that it'd be better to be subjugated. I wonder if the Aztecs at the time of the Spanish empire under often cruel Spanish rule would agree.

He feels that his only option to hold on to his cultural identity would mean forfeiture of success of well-being, otherwise he 'd have to sell his soul of sort and assimilate.

Starts by emphasizing that he's not there by choice but is stuck, in culture that is foreign to him.