Humanities 335

Class 16 (Voices)

Remembering mariachis at my funeral

In the first paragraph Gonzales is talking about how his mom Marina has to get up each day, and work. Marina does this to help her mother out, in the world of Marina there is no time to play or enjoy the life of being a young child. Instead, she has to help her mother sell; sweet bread, Chiclets, and dresses. While she sells things, her mother sews.

* Marina's mother tells her that she sends her to go sells things because, she is little and adorable; her fat legs, and her way of singing "a verse with each sticky campechana." (197)

* Marina's singing is propaganda because by this, people buy things of her, and she serves them as a way of entertainment.

* Marina's dream is to go to the school, but there is no money

* Marina is in the 5th grade and her mother tells her that she is too old, and that she is a young lady now.

* To escape from the devout and cruel at the same time, Marina marries the first person who asks her out. She marries at the age of 15, and her husband is twice her age.

* This man is worse than Marina's mother, he is denies her custody of their first baby daughter. The husband does this, thinking that Marina would not dare to leave his side.

* Marina leaves him, and at age 18 crosses the border to the U.S. She goes because she heard that dreams do come true in the land of opportunities.

* Years passed by and Marina marries once again. She has 8 kids

* Gonzalez describes his mom in the paragraph (6) by expressing that at age 70 his mother did not reach the 5 ft. Marina also expresses that her face is a humongous wrinkle, 2 divorces, no chance at an education, smoking, coffee, sleepness, days and nights of work, no money and drinking will do to a woman who did not knew the cost of the American dream.

* Marina's hair was turned gray with time, she careless about the beauty. Therefore, she had a hair style like a man.

* But she wore high heels because life was too short, and she loved dancing.

* Mariana taught Renaud Gonzalez (author) Spanish, because she expressed herself by saying that it was always good to know 2 languages. Languages: English/Spanish

* Marina was proud to be a Mexicana

* While Gonzalez learned in his history class about the Alamo, Santa Ana, etc. Marina told him that there was 2 sides to everything "remember that" and "don't be ashamed of who you are" she told her son.

* In June president gave a speech of 15 mts. Right before the National Assn. of Hispanic Journalists in Houston. As been part of the press they were asked to create questions for the president. Among the many questions Gonzalez question was asked to the president. "Sir, if you were born poor, where would you be today?" bush responded by saying that he would of gone to college regardless and have good parents. He answered sure, but he did not seem sure about his answer.

* Marina never told Gonzalez how she crossed the border; he only knows that she was 18 and full of dreams.

* Marina died on Oct. 7, she died after her favorite artist died Cuco Sanchez.

* Marina wrote to Gonzalez; not forget her or his brother in prison. To take care of the one who is retarded, to reach out for the sister who forgot where she comes from, to watch after his baby brother to not get squashed-headed from his doctorate, visit her older sister in Mexico.

* Marina basically told Gonzalez to be a family.

Juan Delgado, Selected Poems:

Shrine:

In this first paragraph we can infer that Delgado is expressing that another person, man, or immigrant gas died. This person that has diseased to a better life, had the same characteristics of a Hispanic person. In the following stanza we can infer such characteristics "has a rosary draped over the arms" although, it also talks about that what happen to the person could have been an assassination, a drive by shooting. This person only had a "phone # written in silver duct tape, on the cardboard box, a plea for "info" is unusual" (201).

Juan expresses in this poem the reality of an urban life, where he dramatized the realities of drive-by shootings, unfolding a labor protest that spreads across the city like a prayer. Or in the other hand a ghostlike immigrant dammed to retrace his journey across the border.

In the poem the person disappeared and there are negative connotations that are emphasized in the in this writing piece. "Enough with the plastic flowers and pinned photos, we already have too many faces on milk cartons" (202).

At the end of the poem we can conclude that there is little attention towards this person who has diseased because we can see that they don't care too much for this unknown person. "Begin to tell us about him. What was his name again? And how old was he?"

Diapers:

In this poem we can infer that officers raided a building taking 12 illegal immigrants into custody. The owner was caught because he would hire workers without proper identification.

* In the first paragraph there is obviously something happening, la migra has come for illegal immigrants, and Carmen is trying to fight them with her purse. She screams "Cabrones saben español cuando nos van a arrestar."

* In the second paragraph: a girl and her father

 It explained that the girl and her mother were driving through town, when a guy jumps right in front of their car. The father had to hit the brakes to stop and not killed this person. Apparently this person was running from the law. The father was telling the girl that she should feel safe, and that they are not going to go that route again. (To run form the law, he made it clear to her daughter).

 The factory: in this section of the poem there are two old employees talking about the union. Somebody else I am assuming the supervisor, told them to continue working and do less talking about the union, because that would only bring the migra back.

 A Young mother: in this section a mother is talking about the how many diapers she spent with her twins and how affordable, convenient, and better they are.

* Hiding