Two Questions

I have two questions for you as we think about the intersection of language, culture and identity. One, as you reflected upon, and rewrote, your essays, what did you find most interesting about your essay? What parts made you think the most? Of what parts of your essay are you the most proud, and why? I saw many examples of powerful writing, interesting examples and some thoughtful analysis. --Please share with me those parts of your essay which you feel are the best-- and consider what mde those sections strong-- how can you make more of your essay(s) equally strong?

Second, as we watched "El Norte" I was struck by the role of language in the film. In one scene, we see Rosa and Enrique being interrogated by the INS (la migra). The INS officers speak fractured Spanish to Rosa and Enrique, while reverting to English (a language that Rosa and Enrique are, as yet, completely unfamiliar with each other) when they do not want Rosa and Enrique to understand them. Rosa and Enrique do exactly the same thing-- speaking to each other in their indigenous lanuguage when they don't want to speak in Spanish in front of the border patrol. In addition, we see variations of Guatemalan and Mexican Spanish, spoken-- in one scene, a Guatemalan friend of Enrique advises Enrique that he should swear a lot if he wants people to believe that he is Mexican instead of Guatemalan. What things were you struck by as you watched this film? Which parts, so far, were strongest, most interesting? Did you make any connections to our unit on language, culture and identity?

This weekend, as I read and reflected on your essays, I felt that this set of essays produced some of your best work so far. In particular, I noticed that the quality of student analysis is improving-- many more essays explored the issues thoughtfully and in depth, revealing greater complexity of thought. Many students used quotes from the texts and analyzed those quotes carefully, using real-life observations, examples and reflections to enrich their analysis.

A major problem I noticed for both third and fourth period, however, was that some students failed to complete their essays in the time provided. I know one class period is not an enormous amount of time-- please budget your time wisely. You will have the opportunity to revise your work if you so desire, however. Incomplete essays can be completed during the revision process. You will receive the highest mark.

I'd like you to be able to read some of the other essays students have written. So that you can share in the work of your classmates, we will be posting our revised essays on your individual blogs as a post. That way, you will be able to link to fellow student's blogs, and read and comment on their essays. I will post a few highlights from some of the essays here later, as well, for you to comment upon.

"I cling to my culture because it is my memory, and what is a poet without a memory? I cling to my culture because it is my skin, it is my heart, because it is my voice, because it breathes my mother's mother's mother into me. My culture is the genesis and the center of my writing; the most authentic space I have to write from. I am blind without the lenses of my culture." -- Benjamin Alire Saenz

What does this quote mean to you? What would Gloria Anzaldua have thought of this quote and why? Richard Rodriguez?

Is this quote relevant to you-- do you, in fact, "cling" to your culture, or not? Is literature more relevant to us if it speaks to us on an immediate lecel, or should we be searching for "universal" truths?