Indeed for artists beauty is life and death. You either find and create beauty or you might as well die from the meaninglessness

I like that Jackson Pollock is brought up as his work is so commonly taken as an example of art whose beauty doesn't make sense- it seems amateurish, "my child could draw this," much like Rothko.

I don't know, seems a little counterintuitive to name drop art history references when the pretense of the essay is to describe the beauty of art to the layman. So it seems that the audience is not really the layman, but an exploration for the educated.

Hilarious in the way true things are. Any immigrant trying to fit in has felt the cognitive dissonance of fashion, I'm sure. Of course, fashion trends and consumer America is already a confusion machine, let alone the dislocation of minority experience.

What a legend.

Modernity is this state of unease, existing liminal amongst a multiplex of identities, complexes, and internalized beliefs.

This is lit. Normally the "Shadow-Beast" is a trite and cringey concept used by straight dudes to describe their cognitive dissonance and asshole behavior, which isn't incorrect, but obviously downstream from the heterosexual male project of stupid, selfish, barbaric masculinity. Women too can be beasts, and we should all aim to individuate all that is repressed.

I like this psychological concept quite a lot, though its use here is completely apt. The Shadow is a core concept for Jung, an alternative (in my opinion, superior) version of Freud's id. It seems here Gloria is describing the process of "enantiodromia", in which the unconscious bursts forth after its hidden drives are no longer able to be contained. Sort of like The Awakening by Kate Chopin.

It's interesting to me that many many traditional societies have a deep belief in envy (read: The Evil Eye) and witches. I know for sure that traditional Africa, Europe, and China fear envious witchcraft and will produce mass amounts of amulets to protect against it

I am not familiar with Catholicism or Mexican patriarchy, so for the few like me this is what la gorra, el rebozo, y la mantilla is: the hat, the shawl, and the blanket, meaning the traditional coverings women are pressured to don so as to cover themselves "decently"

Translation for myself via google translate: And when are you getting married, Gloria? Your train is going to stop.” And I tell them, "Well, if I get married, it won't be with a man." They stay quiet. Yes, I am the daughter of Chingada. I've always been her daughter. Don't be fucking around.

Simple yet shakingly true. Here Gloria is making a feminist take, but its true across the board that we only see reality through belief, and belief is almost always conditioned first through culture and education. I love that her autobiography starts with freedom first, and comes to this conclusion of culture that covertly tyrannizes the self.

The sort of selfishness and genius that comes from being a master upon yourself

Nice. The details of the photograph are described so as to mirror the thesis outlined in the next paragraph. Well, not exactly a thesis so much as a central story of self-individuation.

Textbooks like to obscure the true content of what its supposed to teach with academic lingo and overcomplicated theories. In the case of history we are taught dates, names, and extraneous details that distorts the lived story into a collection of facts. The US has had, even worse than obscurantism alone, a history of manipulating textbooks to fit a self-justified monolithic narrative.

Uses that colloquial southern twang to really accentuate the white man's attitudes

This poem was completely fascinating. A blend of myth, comedy, and tasteful feminism. Funny in the sort of way that only old wisened people can be, or geniuses

Hilarious

Currently learning Spanish and this is a really fun way to learn some new words. I hope to find some more.

Unsure whether he's just looking out for bad guys or in an all night vigil next to his children in their casket

Villanueva is empowering crying which so often is taken as weakness, a lack of composure, and, especially in the case of women, insanity. Here her emotions are an "ocean that lives within"- volatile, expansive, and elusive- and it is only kept at shore with reason. Emotions are illogical and often logic dominated masculinity has men calling men and women a "bitch" for crying or having "too much emotions." Owning ones own emotions is an impressive feat of vulnerability

Fascinatingly places the job of a welder against the job of an alchemist. The alchemist uses the chemical reactions of uncommon elements to make the philosopher's stone. The practice of alchemy is definitely uncommon if only by the fact that its sacred knowledge and materials are only available to a small elite. But here Cherie Moraga is taking a decidedly self-made common-man path, with "no magic."

the solitude of old hardened masculine criminals is really armor, survival tactics, and trauma- lies that people tell themselves to never be vulnerable or justify selfishness. this poem seeks to juxtapose the sadness of Soledad as a symbol of innocence and beauty against the solitude of prison

It's a sad truth that American education, regardless of whether you actually learned anything or not, gives you the opportunity to escape poverty and live safely. But I know that for Spanish speakers now, this is a painful process of losing one's mother tongue across generations. Thus, no sabo kids are born.

What a brave kid

I feel the respect the author has for the land. He fell in love with these people who speak of Mexico's bugs and birds, but knows its not his to claim.

I relate to this. I'm not from here, and I'm privileged, but I love Texas.

Machismo culture

A pleasant surprise! The last paragraph is paced with a long sentence, then a short one, another short one, and finally three words. The rhythm softens a little, giving space for the reader to breathe, before all of a sudden giving us this new information about his life about some past lover which is surprising when all this time he's been writing about just how much he is love with Raquel.

He got butterflies.

It seems like the lad is just going in autopilot. you can sleep enough and go through every single day away. However, if you can't remember the days to the point the days begin to blur. Are you really awake?

The narrator floats about the border, feeling like an alien on the Mexican side. Recently, I crossed the border with my girlfriend to go to San Luis Potosi with her family. They seem to be particularly scared of driving at the nights over there. My girlfriend even hid money inside her socks. I really did not grasp the situation since I really haven't dealt with border patrol coming back from the United States of America from Mexico. I hope to be able to understand more regarding this as time progresses.

Recently, I have been listening to some of their music. It really opens a whole new world to be in the music world of Mexico. This band is particularly ingrained within the culture so it has been a welcome introduction to Mexican music.

a place of rest.

They seem to be so fixated on all the details that are happening around them to cope with the fact that they are longing for someone.

you don't really know what you are missing until you have been taken away from it.

I love the honesty of this. The narrator makes it clear to us that growing up in the States is a major privilege, and the self-awareness is admirable.

Many many many figures are listed out by Gonzales, but placing side by side the figures of Juan Diego, la Virgen de Guadalupe, and Tonantzin is powerful because they are all religious beings through which oppressed peoples can express their faith. This is especially true to the mixed race character of Joaquin as these figures are ultimately figures of religious syncretism.

From Wikipedia: Yaqui are an "Uto-Aztecan-speaking Indigenous people of Mexico in the valley of the Río Yaqui." This starts a long line of tribes that enter broader and broader categories, into Mestizo identity, and finally Español, which seems to indicate Latino identity as a whole.

Again and again Gonzales sets Joaquin against himself, fighting both sides of Mexican history. This tension seems to be a device meant to show the historical, racial, and cultural tension found in Mexican American identity, mirroring the multifaceted nature. However, I believe there are multiple layers to this. I'm excited to see.

This is stylistically impressive and quite enjoyable. There is a lot of blank space placed on the left and right, accentuating the pause of the ellipses, before slamming with an all-caps statement. It's strong, explosive, and filled with assured emotion.

The eagle and serpent seen in the Mexican flag.

Known as "The Falling Eagle," Cuahutemoc signifies incorruptibility, anti-imperialism, and resistance. He only ruled for a year before being tortured and killed.

I think the focus on modernity and the progression of the economy is interesting. Jovita González and Américo Paredes had both pointed out in their texts that the coming industrialized age that the American had ushered into Texas was a primary factor in the creation of the Borders, whether it was railroads, stealing land and using irrigation, or a network of commerce that pushed out Mexican competition. Much of American racism, or any racism by light skinned people against darker skinned people in general, I believe can be traced back into the idea that white society is "modernized" and therefore more "civilized" than others. It can't be argued against that technological advancements did allow Americans to gain a foothold in the Americas, but it was no where to the level of prestige held by patriotic propaganda- as Gonzales later states in the poem, the idea of "Progress // and Anglo success"- which is the true spirit of America for which Joaquin is battling.