The novel shows how such experimentations are driven by both internal and external (community) factors. The characters trouble with not only finding themselves, but also with how to do that while remaining true to, and fitting gin with, their Dominican or Latino heritage. Oscar is ostracized for his inability to blend in with other Latino boys. His true personality, as well as his interests, science fiction and fantasy, are unable to fit the mold. In contrast, Yunior hides his personality due fear of risking rejection and alienation.
In the world, over 10% of the global population are part of the LGBTQ+2 community. In the novel The Patron Saints of Nothing, we are exposed to numerous homosexual relationships such as Tita Chato and Tita Ines being in a public lesbian relationship, Grace and Jessa in a private relationship, and Jay’s older brother being in a gay relationship in which we do not learn much about. The Patron Saints of Nothing is an astonishing novel that represents many in the LGBTQ+2 community. Members of the community feel heard as they can relate to the situations of their own relationships. In this essay we will be speaking about how well the novel handles the relationships.
In the short story "Love in L.A" Dagoberto Gilb sketches the portrait of Jake, a lower-middle-class person, who is fantasizing of a luxurious life. The omniscient narrator presents his third person point of view starting by describing Jake's vehicle. Jake is daydreaming of a new, luxurious car, and "exotic colognes" and "plush, dark nightclubs" (406). Not paying attention to the traffic, he ends up hitting the car in front of him, a Toyota, whose owner is, luckily for him, a beautiful, exotic, female. Gilb shapes Jake using a touch of irony and lies, turning him into a stereotypical character.
This one-sided surface-level attraction described at this moment is similar to modern-day love, as most “relationships” are superficial, where physical appearances take the pedestal over genuine human connection. Mariana reacts to his attempts and responds in short sentences like: “Thanks, but I really can’t,” “I don’t eat breakfast,” or “I have to get to work,” embodying her disinterest and how her feelings aren’t as strong (page 257). This baseless flirting and emphasis on only appreciating physical attributes begins the argument that Love in L.A. is a perfect metaphor for modern love, with deception and untrustworthiness coming hand in hand as well. Furthermore, Jake and Mariana both demonstrate selfishness and engage in deceptive tactics to serve their interests and motives. This use of deception and manipulation to appease their interests without taking into account the other person is a common issue in relationships today.
We become who we are by the people around us. Junot Diaz shows us how true this saying is in his stories. The proof starts in “Fiesta 1980” because Yunior’s examples of love lead him to become the “sucio” we know in “Miss Lora” and “The Cheater’s Guide to Love”. Ramon’s ( Yunior’s father) constant cheating implants a dominant male culture in Yunior’s head. Also his older sibling, Rafa, is a spitting image of his father.
In the Freedom Writers Diary, the authors focus on the topic of the reality of what they have to deal with in their everyday world. Their teacher Mrs. Gruwell inspired them throughout their high school years by teaching them that it is possible for each and every one of them to change. They write with an uplifting and hopeful outlook on the world even if it not realistic in their present circumstances. In their writing, they establish an effective use of pathos by writing about their own lives and how they connect to others and us by using the selection of detail, metaphors, and allusions. Through these devices, we come to the idea that even though teenager’s in today’s world are faced with many hardships, they do not have to succumb to them.
Throughout the semester, Arlene Stein’s book “Sex and Sensibility” develops the coursework of content that That, at this point, have three underlying themes: The recognition of new sexual identities and their associated orientations, The separation of the Feminist and Lesbianist movements, and the differentiation of the “Old Gay” and “New Gay”lesbian identities. For starters, Stein’s writing style is a perfect example of the scenery that displays the pandemonium consuming the mystery of the lesbian movement at the time. She precisely and methodically reconstructs the scenes by dancing around the pages and re-accounting different stories that always tie back to the original themes. An example of this is the second chapter of the book when
Freedom of self-expression, imagery, and silence are three themes that both: the story “Jacob’s Chicken” by Milos Macourek and the poem “Poetry” by Nikki Giovanni clearly illustrate to the readers. Both works describe the significance of self-expression and the sequent immediate criticism that comes right after one tries to use imagination and stand out or be a different individual. The authors of both forms of literature send the readers a message about the importance of silence- versus what nowadays is more often if not solely to be witnessed, physical talk. Both works express a feeling of an ongoing deficiency of freedom to express oneself in one’s society and a feeling of irony and aggression towards the most common belief of always “going with the flow” and pre-conception that everything has to be alike or else it is weird, unneeded, or just doesn’t belong in a society.
Alison and Bruce’s individual analysis shows contrast between the daughter and her queer father that carries significance that shines light on their complicated relationship before he got hit by a truck. As a young girl, Alison didn’t understand why her father did the things he did. Often, she would sit back and watch her father as he worked hard on the interior design of their home. On occasion, her father would make her and her brothers help him move items around.
John is characterized as unique and someone suffering from naive idealism which he developed from his isolation. As John grew up isolated with Linda, she spoke of all the amazing things back in London such as “the lovely music that came out of a box, and all the nice games you could play, and the delicious things to eat and drink” (Huxley 138). All of these fantastic sounding things combined with John’s intense study of Shakespeare gave him a warped world-view. He expected the world to be full of these amazing conveniences Linda explained, but also with love, beauty, and family. This differs immensely from what society is conditioned to feel, but it is still a valid source of happiness and satisfaction.
Jon and Carolyn’s love story occurs in an environment that is not considered suitable for love. The bitter sweetness of the story surfaces from the pressure and anticipation of what their love for each other challenges of them and what their consumer culture urges them to do in terms of faithfulness and connections. Due to Jon’s love for Carolyn, he realizes and knows that his fate is tied to hers in one way or another when she leaves for Out. In a world that treats and views everything as an object of control, their love symbolizes a firm, unshakable
Why Are We Who We Are? Role models are people we look up to, people we want to be like, or it can be the complete opposite; people we do not want to be like, those we try to avoid being. The stories, The House on Mango Street, and, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, are similarly based on teenagers living in poverty in hopes of having a better life. Junior, a teenage boy living in the Spokane Reservation in Washington, who leaves his old school and goes to Reardan High School in hopes of a better future; Esperanza, a young teenage girl living in poverty, who moves to a new home on Mango Street, and me, Alexis, a Mexican teenage boy born in Portland Oregon with hopes and dreams to make a difference.
Zora Neale Hurston took part in the empowering movement of the Harlem Renaissance, or the “New Negro Movement” (Locke, 1925), a time characterized by a flourishing African American culture. She is best known for her 1937 novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, which primarily focuses on Janie Crawford, a young woman in search of love, of herself, and her place as a black woman in the South. Hurston’s work remained relatively obscure, until Alice Walker heralded it and elevated it to the ranks of an American classic. Her work though has also the subject of harsh critiques, notably by Richard Wright, who claimed it was not political enough. In fact, it could be argued that Janie remains passive throughout most of the novel, trapped in abusive relationships,
“Love is giving your whole self and never holding back.” Everyone will be in a relationship and believe that they love or is in love, someday. In Americanah I believe the characters show how easily it is to think you love your girlfriend/wife or boyfriend/husband, but in reality you only lust for them or desire something from them. This essay is about how I believe Americanah showed a negative view on love and relationships because Ifemelu always had difficult aspects in relationships and didn’t really show love. I believe Americanah is a cautionary tale about the difficulties in relationships and the confusing feeling of love.
Gloria Anzaldúa’s “La Prieta” tell her struggles with identity by talking about prejudices she dealt with while growing up. These prejudices, such as colorism, sexism, and heteronormativity, were not only held by people outside her social groups but within them as well. Anzaldúa goes on to explain the way identity is formed by intersecting factors and not only one aspect of someone’s life therefore denying one factor of identity can cause isolation and self-hatred. The fact that Anzaldúa developed faster than is deemed normal the first struggle in forming her identity.
