Identity

The role that language plays in the community and identity are important to me because  language and communication in my culture are my identity. Identity means who a person really is or what’s its personality. I believe if the person is bilingual she or he has two identities because they can relate to two different cultures. To be bilingual is a gift because in the job world there are higher possibilities that the person will be employed. Especially here in California where there is higher population of Hispanics.

In my culture the women are the ones that are more involved in the community because they interact with their children’s school activities and any other event that relates to keeping their children safe, and maintaining the home organized to put everything in good shape. But in order for that to be possible the women must be sociable with other parents and that’s when language becomes the key role. In the same way the women in the Mexican community are the ones that do the communicating with other people and withhold the family as one unit. Language is what holds the individual the same; meaning he or she cannot totally erase their native language they can only customize it so it can fit with societies norms. Gloria Anzaldula in her short story “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” states that language is very important to some ones identity.  I identify with Spanish language and English because I speak both, and to me that is one of my key values. According to Anzaldua “ A language that which they can connect their identity to, one capable of communicating the realities and values true to themselves a language with terms that are neither espanol ni ingles, but both”( Anzaldua 105). The need to communicate gets me closer to my family and culture. Also I tend to make up new words both in Spanish and English in the same time also known as Spanglish. Spanglish is when an English word is added at the end of a Spanish word or the other way around. For example “Donde estan  las keys” or were you left the keys. According to Anzaldua “ We know how to survive when other races have given up their tongue, we’ve kept ours”(Anzaldua 113). My language adapted to keep its survival thru the mix of Mexican and American cultures.

In conclusion in my observations, I observed that language plays a variety of roles in the community and identity. Especially in the Mexican culture were families are united with the use of communication, and how women carry on the duty of exchanging ideas and thoughts to people or members of the family too maintain the peace. Also how the Mexican culture use words to keep its identity intact while living in the US were the Americanized ideas correspond with its society. I am both Mexican and American; thus I’m able to communicate with both languages.

Traditional Gender Roles

Coming from a traditional Mexican family gender roles are given to me instinctively. For example I know what is expected from me at home, work and school. I do my part to keep my home well organize and clean as it is expected from a young lady in the family. Other than being an employee and doing really well in my studies, I understand that acting like a young lady is very important in my family traditions because depending on her actions and values a young lady is well respected in the family.

 However, out side my home I get I hole new idea of gender roles. For instance I see women in magazines and billboards selling cosmetic products looking weak and fragile. Which in society it is considered beautiful, unlike men in magazines and media they look aggressive and have dominate features like strength and power. On the contrary, in my culture are viewed as dominate based on education, morals, and contribution to the well being of the family.

My identity is shaped by family values and gender roles especially women in the house hold. Also women's role in today's society. I understand that women's roles have change during the past years, due to their approach  towards equality and contributions to advanced technologies.

Reflection Report of Reconstruction

 My understanding of  the Reconstrution era was given to me by the concets and events that occured after the war. For example the tenth percent act provided any person of any state to vote and make an oath of loyalty to the govenment. I belive that was the first step to reconstruct the United States as one union.

 However, congress role during the reconstruction era  was to povide citizen rights and give eguality to all US citizens. The Radical rebublicans were very active in the legislative branch; therefor, succeeded in freeing African American slaves by passing the 13th amendment, yet even though the were free by law there were still issues regarding segregation. Some African Americans were segrigated to  the point that when accused of a crime they were sentence to death, According to the Colored People of Massachusetts, " Negroes guilty of no crime except the color of there skin and a disire to exercise the rights of their american Citizenship were buchered like dogs"(47). the Recustruction era did not solve hate crimes, and racist crimes againts the African American citizens.

Thus, the three branches of government the exicutive branch, judicial branch, and the leguslative branch had to compromise in order to estaplish a new form of peace in the souther states and the intire nation due too the consequences of the civil war.

Open Letter (revision)

In the Open Letter to President McKinley the author brings into attention many issues regarding African American suffrage in the US. The purpose of the letter is to bring about African American struggles. Based on the narration they want congress to recognize them and grant them their rights of US citizens. The main issues the letter speaks of revolve around religion, living conditions of the African American.

The purpose of having religion as key element in the letter is to alter the Anglos beliefs and take the African American in consideration. According to, The Colored People of Massachusetts, “The hands of a country professing to be Christian, but which is not Christian; from the hate and violence of people claiming to be Christian" (45). By contradicting Christian beliefs the Anglos actions were not based on Christian faith, by not seeing all humans as equals. I believe religion played an important role during the reconstruction is due to its strong influence in people's lives during that time.

The author makes a strong point but including the life of an African American; The Colored People of Massachusetts sates, “The struggle of the Negro torrest out of his ignorance, his poverty, and his social degradation" (46). The full extent of their suffrage brings the emotional aspect of the letter. In the end the legislative branch could have influence the president’s decision to pass the civil rights in congress; however it was up to congress to protect African American citizens rights against the states government.