Chicano literature
Four days left to write my final paper. I do procrastinate. I had all semester and I waited till the final four days. I was in the library at the STCC Pecan Campus reading Walt Whitman's classic poem "Oh Captain, My Captain," taking a brake from the decision I was confronted with: what subject should I write my final paper on. Whitman's "Oh Captain, My Captain" happens to be my favorite Whitman poem. I cried the first time I read it. I've read works by some of the world's finest authors: Mark Twain, William Shakespeare, Anne Rice, Stephen King, Hunter S. Thompson, Upton Sinclair, Alex Haley, etc. I suddenly realized that I have never read a work of fiction, or a play by a Chicano or a Chicana. The only two plays I have ever read in Spanish were not written by a Chicanos: Boda de Sangre by Federico Garcia Lorca (in which I had the honor of playing the part of el novio)and El Caballero de Olmedo by Lope de Vega (in which I had the honor of playing the part of Alonzo). I put away the Whitman poem and became lost in my own critical thought. Was there not a single Chicano or Chicana that had ever written a work of fiction? I went to the library's computerized card catalogue system to inve
Bettina Gray Speaks With Luis Valdez. [videorecording] KQED, San Francisco, 1991. El Teatro Campesino was a source of revenue for the UFWOC (Valdez 8). During this time Valdez engaged in writing plays that dealt with the farmworkers' struggle in the field. The plays Valdez presented were labeled as actos because of the audience participation and lack of formality; actos were mostly improvised, and they could've been called skits. Most of Valdez' work under the UFWOC consisted of "farcical and presentational political theatre based on improvisations of socio-political issues" (Valdez 8). Since his time was mostly consumed directing actors who had little or no theatre experience at all, he had little time for his own personal writing. Through my research I was only able to find one play that he wrote under the UFWOC, Las dos caras del Patroncito. He was hungry for writing. Zoot Suit is based on the actual true story of the Sleepy Lagoon case which occurred in 1942 (Acuna 254). I love this movie because I can relate to it. I lived in Chicago the last eleven years of my life. I've been in court rooms, I've had lawyers defend me. The most serious charge I've ever been confronted with was assault with a deadly weapon (a combination lock). I split a gabacho's head open and the doctors had to sow him back up with ten stitches and four staples. I know what it's like to be Mexican and be presented in court and the bialiff doesn't know how to pronounce your name. Judge Chickenwing mispronounced my name also. I remember Judge Chickenwing telling me that I don't belong with the rest of society and that if I happened to fuck up once again he was going to make sure to make my life a living hell. I was given two years of supervised probation and I did fuck up again. Luckily, my lawyer, Paul Fuentes, made sure I didn't end up in Judge Chickenwing's courtroom. The first book I read was Growing Up Chicana/o. On the cover the purpose of the book is stated: "Stories of the joys, pains, frustrations and triumphs of a Mexican American childhood - twenty Chicana/o writers explore their search for identity in America." The first short story that I read from this book was by Sandra Cisneros and its title is "Eleven." Sandra Cisneros' "Eleven" first appeared in her book Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories, which was originally printed in 1991 and was the recipient of such awards: PEN center USA Was Literary Award (1991), Lannen Literary Award (1991), QPB New Voices Award in Fiction (1992), and the Anisfield Wolf Award (1992). Cisneros also wrote My Wicked Ways in 1980 and The House on Mango Street in 1984, which in 1985 was a recipient of a Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award (Lopez 155). Paz, Octavio. Labyrinth of Solitude: Life and Thought in Mexico. (Taken as a reading from the library required for class discussion). Valdez, Luis. Zoot Suit and Other Plays. Houston: Arte Publico P, 1992.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Solomon's Story, Closet Chavez, Hollering Creek, Bettina Gray, Chicano Chicana, Luis Valdez, Sleepy Lagoon, Mexican American, Life Mexico, Chavez I'm, main character, zoot suit, luis valdez, el teatro campesino, los angeles, denise chavez, theme story, el teatro, chicano literature, rudolfo anaya, solomon's story, solitude life mexico, labyrinth solitude life, hunting expedition tribe, main character story,
Approximate Word count = 3091
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)
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