Monday, April 9, 2012
Response to Culture Research Paper
The research paper "From Zoot Suits to Hip Hop" by Luis Alvarez introduces and explains Chicano/a culture through historical events of the zoot suit era of the 1940's. What I found most interesting about Chicano/a culture is their own unique identity. According to Alvarez "Among the most available strategies for thousands of young Mexican Americans to claim dignity was to mobilize their physical bodies as the vehicle for a style that was all their own" ( Alvarez 5). The zoot suit style was very popular with in Mexican American teens. For the young Mexican Americans being rejected by the white dominant culture allowed them to create their own social environment. Alvarez states " Youth were drawn to the extensive social world that included zoot suits, jazz music and dancing, duck tails conk, and pompadour style hair cuts, and a unique speech patterns, a mix of English and Spanish known as calo Among Mexican Americans" (Alvarez 6). The identity of young Mexican Americans was well notice by their calo language that developed due to assimilation between the Mexican and American languages. In the end the Chicano/a culture was the result of combining both Mexican and American cultures through new generation of Chicanos.
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ReplyDeleteNice job here! This is an excellent summary and analysis of this difficult Research Paper. I like how your TEA starts with the who, what, where and why of the text, and how you immediately launch into your own ideas about Alvarez's argument by incorporating a quotation. You do a great job of explaining how the Zoot Suit movement blended American and Mexican cultures to create a "new generation of Chicanos." Well done. Your TEA provides ample evidence for the reader to understand the importance of your points and you do a nice job of telling why this point matters in the (te)A. Your ideas made me think about the definition of "American Culture" during this time. I find it interesting that Zoot Suit style did not emerge from the dominant American culture. A product of American culture—yes—but primarily the Zoot Suit trend started in the barrio of Harlem, New York, as a result of the Harlem Renaissance. Thus the script for Mexican-American youth culture, in this case, came from African-Americans in the East (the movement was also popularized in Chicago) and spread throughout the LA Mexican-American communities, so I agree with your claim that Zoot Suits allowed "young Mexican-Americans...to create their own social environment," but I think equally important is the multi-cultural aspect of this trend. I especially like how this pluralistic blend of culture, fashion, music, dance and attitude bridged the wide divides that existed during this troubling time in American history. The popularity of Zoot Suits as a counter culture movement reminds me of how youth Hip Hop fashion also disrupts any notion of set racial boundaries. How many hoodies have been sold in the past two decades? Yet hoodies to some still represent a threatening fashion statement even today. Lots to think about here. Thanks Rosa!
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