Ode to the Diasporican (Pa mi gente) Reflection

This poem describe the typical Nueyorican. It is written from the perspective of a girl that was born in Spanish Harlem. She is torn between the United States lifestyle and the Puerto Rican lifestyle. One line that justifies this is when the author says
"Some people think that I'm not bonafide
Cuz my playground was a concrete jungle
Cuz my Rio Grande de Loiza was the Bronx River
Cuz my fajardo was City Island"

This shows a confusion between two cultures. At the end of the poem she starts to get emotional when saying " What does it take to realize that being Boriqua is a state of mind". I love the line where is says "No naci en puerto Rico, Puerto Rico nacio en mi. This shows that no matter waht anyone says Puerto Rico lives in me. I have a lot of respect for this poem because I feel the same way being born in America and being Indian. I beleive the culture lives in me and no one can take that away.

Pueblo Luis by: Pales Matos Reflection

This poem is taken from a different perspective than other poems. This one looks at the negative aspects of the people in Puerto Rico. The author feels resentment when talking about the differnt things that happen in his country. He asks the Lord for forgiveness for his own culture and people. The following line is interesting

"Playing billiards and cards in the casino;
Everything, the whole tedious flock of these lives
In the old town where nothing happens,
All this is dying, falling, crumbling"

This line shows a sense of giving up on the culture and the monotony of everyday life in Puerto Rico. I believe the author also has a bad perpective of people in his country when he says

"Some Don Juan to ravage that chaste damsel;
Some professional gambler to get into the town
And stir up these honorable docile people…."

This shows that he thinks of his people as sexual offenders that dont have anything better to do. I belive this poem might have stirred up some controversy, but also made people realize that there has to be a change.

The Song of the Borinquen by: Lola Rodriguez Reflection

La Borinqueña is the national anthem of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The current official music and words were codified in 1903 and have since been taught in schools and generally adopted by the public. The music was officially adopted by the government in 1952,and the words in 1977. The title refers to the aboriginal Taíno name for the island of Puerto Rico, Boriken or Boriquen.

In 1868, Lola Rodríguez de Tió wrote a poem in support of Puerto Rican revolution, which was set to the Ramirez/Astol Artés music. This song is basically a war song poem that calls the soldiers to awake and be ready for war . This song is very patriotic and shows how much love soldiers had for their country.
One line that stuck out to me was when it said

"We want freedom and our machete will give it to us!

Let’s go, Puerto Ricans, let’s go already,

for LIBERTY is waiting, ever so anxious"

This is a violent war cry when it says use machetes. I actually was intrigued by this poem because it showed a sense of patriotism and sense of do anything for your country. I am patriotic also when I think about my country of India. I believe that if I was a soldier and I heard this war cry I would be motivated to the fullest to defend my country.

Return by: Jose Gautier Benitez Reflection

This poem is a really touching emotional poem for the love Puerto Rico, specifically San Juan. This poem brings to light the love for a country exemplified in beautiful fine language. It depicts a setting of someone sailing over the seas to reach their beloved land of San Juan puerto Rico. One of my favorite lines in this poem is when Benitez says:

And there on the dark background

that its mountains give it,

under a beautiful , pure sky

enclosed in its white wall

my most lovely San Juan.

This line shows the authentencity of the feeling that he or she has been there before and loves the area. One more excerpt from this peom that shows the strong bond between the person and the land of San Juan is when it say the following.

"Yours is the life that I breathe,my inspiration is yours, my thought is yours yours every sentiment

that is born in my heart."

This basically shows he/she giving all that she hasto devote to the aesthetic beauty of the land. I belive all people should really connect themselves with the land they are brought up in. For me, I connect with India the same way as described in this poem.

The Puerto Rican.. Poem Reflection

This poem describes the character traits of a puerto Rican through the authors point of view. One of the main lines that stuck out to me in this poem is the following line :

Dark in color, the forehead clear,

the glance languid, proud and penetrating,

the beard black, the face pale,

lean and austere, the nose well-proportioned,

This is the main features that are seen in a Puerot rican person. I believe that when this was written it was talking more about the Taino indians when it talks about dark in color. When the author developes this poem I can see that perfection is on his mind. The next line that stuck out to me was the following:

"and in love for his country insuperable:

this is, without a doubt, a faithful portrait

to depict a good Puerto Rican."

At the end he says this is what depicts a "good puerto Rican" reffering that not all Puerto Rican are described by the way he described them in the poem. I enjoyed this poem very much.

Island Of Lost Causes Reflection

"The reality of Puerto Rico is an unemployment rate of 17.3 percent; 862 murders in 1992--a number that is expected to rise in 1993; a language so quickly becoming Spanglish that we have an inferiority complex about the purity of our spoken tongue; rampant urbanization that has destroyed thousands of acres of farmland; American businesses that set up shop for as long as they can get tax breaks, then move on to another part of the world where there is no minimum wage and the -workers don't expect as much"

This quote is from a writing by Esmeralda Santiago talking about the independence of Puerto Rico that stems from their war enraged past dealings. Santiago goes on to tell about her Uncle who was a nationalist that was being investigated by the police and eventually killed. She recounts vivid memories of even puting her finger through the hole of the gunshot wound. Santiago never heard about her unlce when she moved to New York but now the main subject is whether puerto rico should become the 51st state of the US or not. She boldly says "We are born American citizens but harbor an intense Latin American identity". There are times when other countries loo at Puerto Rico and laugh because they say that Puerto Rico doesn' have the same struggles of independence that other countries do. Santiago reverts this by saying

"The truth is, we do have a history of struggle for independence but the opposition has always won. The failure of our best hopes for independence through centuries of failed insurrections has caused many Puerto Ricans to simply give up". This statement is powerful when dissecting the history of Puerto Rico and the struggles that lie within. Many people here on the island are very entusiastic about political aspects and sometimes try to show other countries that "yes we are independent and struggling". In the end of this writing Santiago says
"Ironically, neither violent insurrection nor the democratic process seem able to solve that question. Tío Vidal had a belief in nationhood that drove him to risk his life. How many of us Puerto Ricans would go that far? We need to look at ourselves hard and to stop hiding behind the status quo. It is not a choice. It is a refusal to choose."

I believe that this writing has hit me the hardest out of all of Esmeralda's wrotings because it shows the hidden agendas of why Puerto Ricans are clinging on to their independence from the US. In my opinion , I believe Puerto Rico has become and Americanized place already, with US companies having stores on the Island and everything, I do not see why they do not want to become a state. I can see Santiago's perception that commonwealth insures that they do not have to commit one way or the other but, sometimes to make situations better one must conform. Now adays the economic deficit in Puerto Rico is higher than ever and some intervention must take place. Strikes are going on and i belive this wouldnt happen if they were considered a state and had the same benefits as the 50 states of the USA.

Worker in the Cane Reflection

Worker in the Cane is both a profound social document and a moving spiritual testimony. Don Taso portrays his harsh childhood, his courtship and early marriage, his grim struggle to provide for his family. He tells of his radical political beliefs and union activity during the Depression and describes his hardships when he was blacklisted because of his outspoken convictions. Disturbed by his continuing poverty and by a serious illness, he undergoes a dramatic cure and becomes converted to a Protestant . In the concluding chapters the author interprets Don Taso's experience in the light of the changing patterns of life in rural Puerto Rico.

In Sidney Mintz writing we see that life as a cane worker was not easy at all. The family life was described in detail when they talked about how after lunch the husbands will pick up their machetes once again and go back to work while thier wives are at home washing the clothes. The Children were always dressed and ready before the father came back home from a grueling day at work. The village was ful of surprises , tuesdays were lottery days and the coqui was singing most of the night time.

The "Lamento Borincano" A sociological interpretation REFLECTION

This story exhibited a great deal of cultural intermixture as well as intermarriage, except for the few, white residents who dominated the political life of the island. Blacks, mulattos, and poor whites had no say in the government or church as members of the working classes and despised races, but they influenced the island's development in other ways. There is a long-standing myth that the white jibaros, these working class people, were the first 'pure' Puerto Ricans. However really if there were ever substantial numbers of white jibaros, their culture was a mix of slave and native cultures, not a direct descendent Hispanic or European culture. The fact remains first true Puerto Rican culture, regardless of the exact racial composition of the individual, was at least partially made up of the cultures of the enslaved, runaway, or formerly enslaved Africans who had been owned by early Spanish colonists."
In the reading that was assigned to me Luis Gonzalez describes the time he went to mexico for the first time more than 30 years ago and people knew very little about Puerto Rico. Gonzalez then goes on to talk about Rafael Hernandez;s wrting "lamento Boriqueno".
One of the main ideas in this writing is the potential to create a political art. This to me means either a movement or piece of writing tat can influence a nation. I never knew that there were so many writers that have influenced Puerto Rico. Whether it be Lola who influence the independence movement or Pachin. I also was fascinated by the references to Luis Marin Munoz and Jose de Diego because i drive by those streets every single day.

When Women Love Men by: Rosario Ferre Reflection

The story is about two , Isabel Luberza and Isabel la Negra. One is the wife of Ambrosio and the other a mistress who each inherit half of his estate. Ferré shows the fragility of upper class women, class and women’s exploitation and their response to it. The language used by the two women reflects respective realisations of the expectations of a woman. Sexually explicit language is used extensively in “When Women Love Men”. Isabel la Negra describes herself as “the Cunt of Chichamba, the sharpest-shooting whore in Barrio de la Cantera, the harlot of Cuatro Calles, the fuck of Singapur” . Ferré’s purpose is not just to be vulgar to entice readership, it serves the purpose of using stereotypes and insults against the men that employ them. Isabel de negra is sexually exploited by men, however, she converts the exploitation to independence by exploiting men’s carnal weakness. It is fear of loosing her that Ambrosio leaves her half his estate. With the estate she then moves up in the social ladder and owns a brothel, and now exploits men’s desires for the maintenance of her independence. The two women never faced each other but when Ambrosio dies it becomes inevitable to be in each others company. Isabel la Negra describes “this confusion between her and her, or between her and me, or between me and me, because as time passed, from loving her so much, it became more difficult for me to tell this story, it became harder to differentiate between the two”.
It seems that Ferré gives Isabel la Negra the initial realisation of the necessity of female solidarity and independence. This is due to the character being initially the stronger woman. Isabel la Negra, however, commits herself to the changing of men through her profession. Through her sexual encounters with them she seeks to show them the necessity of loving a woman not due solely to sex, and ornamental value but to love them as persons. She seeks to teach men “that the most macho man is not the one that allures the woman but who has the courage to let himself be allured” Ferre shows her strong feelings about a woman when she says

"A real woman is not a sack of flour that lets a man throw her on a bed, just as a real man is not a raping macho, but one that has the courage to let himself be raped.

This basically shows the importance of Women in society and love.

Through this story , Ferré develops a new personality of woman, one not bound by class and race but a mixture of all women and their respective struggle against a society that needs but does not appreciate them. I learned many woman virues and values, and also the strength of the inner woman to change the lives of individuals.

A Mongo Affair by: Miguel Algarin Reflection

Miguel Algarin's , A Mongo Affair attacks the misconceptions, and the American Dream inspired thoughts that some islanders may have life when they move to the United States from Puerto Rico. The Poem exhibits anger when recognizing and accepting the loss of "home". The Poem claims that Puerto Rican men in the United States are doing better than those on the Island. This in turn has sucked out the motivation a drive of the Puerto Rican man to strive to do the best he can. This is exemplified by a explicit metaphor related the unmotivated Puerto Rican man to a flaccid penis when Miguel says :
" Mongo mean Flojo
Mongo means Bloodless
Mongo means Soft
Mongo cannot penetrate
Mongo can only tease"
He develops a character that has a love/hate relationship when it comes to talking about the Island of Puerto Rico. Miguel also uses a type of Nuyorican language whihc is a mix between Ne Yorker and Puerto Rican. Ultimately Miguel calls himself a nomad in which he says he finds himself a foreinger everwhere he goes. If i had a chance I would love to see the play in New York on 'A mongo Affair" I believe it would be very insightful

I Became my own Path Julia de Burgos Reflection

Julia de Burgos was orn in 1917 in Carolina, Puerto Rico, she graduated from the University of Puerto Rico and later taught there. Too rebellious and too independent to accept the limitations of traditional women’s roles in Latino culture of time she made her own way to not accept the reality of the Woman be a lesser person. In her famous poem "I became my own path" she writes "I wanted to be like men wanted me to be". This basically shows the inferiority of the treatment of Women in the Puerto Rican culture back in the day. She goes on to say that it was like playing a game of hide and seek to find the real her. This poem was all about defining herself as an independent person, not to be gripped by the fear of man. I believe that Julia brought the aspect of women wanting to be free from the materialistic and overbearing society to light. This poem opened up my mind to the reality of a submissive women in the Puerto rican culture.

When I was Puerto Rican Photo Journal

These are just some of the mental images that came to my mind while reading the wonderful book , "When I was Puerto Rican" by : Esmeralda Santiago

The Youngest Doll reflection

The story was set in Puerto Rico in the era in which the old sugar cane aristocracy was giving way to the new industrial wealth, each class patriarchal in its own way, "The Youngest Doll" has a doctor-patient scene showing how social classes use their power and, in particular, how they use women as objects. Males with a prawn bite would probably have been cured, without even having to ask for cure; research studies would have been done, if necessary, to find cures. A woman was not treated, however, even when a cure was possible. The patient is reduced to a mere commodity and nothing else; the physician uses the aunt's treatment payments to fund his son's education.
This symbolism of woman as object is made particularly clear in the young doctor's using both his wife and her doll. But the aunt encourages her nieces' helplessness and even sacrifices her youngest niece in order to get even with the physicians, both of whom refuse to cure her. This story really hit home to me because I can relate it to the Caste system back home where I live in India. Women are looked at as people that stay home and do no work except watching the children. In this story we can really see the struggle of whether the physician wants to cure someone from the bottom of his heart or not.

The Challenge to Puerto Rican Identity reflection

Puerto Rican culture is somewhat complex, - others will call it colorful. Culture is a series of visual manifestations and interactions with the environment that make a region and/or a group of people different from the rest of the world. Puerto Rico, without a doubt has several unique characteristics that distinguish their culture from any other. The debate over how to refer to Spanish-speaking people in the U.S. is one that has contributed to the confusion of identifying members of this group. In the 1970s, U.S. government came up with “Hispanic” to resolve the problem. The term is still used today as an umbrella name that includes all Spanish-speaking people living in the United States. But some members of the Spanish-speaking community have continued to opt for an identity which is connected with other aspects of their lives such as their countries of origin, their culture and the race with which they affiliate. In this article it talks about how much U.S. influence has affected the identity of a traditional Puerto Rican. A concensus is that Puerto Rico has had more direct exposure to the United States than other Latin American countries have had.
Since 1898 Puerto Rico has had close to 80 years of cultural penetration by the United States. One interviewee even said that Puerto Rican's were never tied to material comforts, but rather human virtues. I believe that the media has a huge role to play in this. When I walk around here in Puerto Rico I see a need in the women here to dress up everywhere they go. This to me shows a materialistic point of view. I think the biggest assimilation of the United states culture is seen in music. Nowadays the music here in Puerto Rico focuses on the same aspects as the music in the States. "Sex, drugs, and Money". The reading also talked about cable television and Christmas celebrations being two of the main factors that are threatening the Puerto Rican culture. One thing I also agree upon in the reading is that it said there are a lot of spanish radio stations that play mostly American music . This has also affected the culture. This was a very interesting reading I enjoyed it very much.

The Non Tenured writer "La generacion o Sea" reflection

Luis Rafael Sanchez wrote a semi famous essay called "La generacion o Sea". This writing was the critiqued by a critic named J.D. Perivolaris. The essay basically talked about the new generation using new words and phrases that are considered "busy words". "O Sea" is one phrase meaning "I mean". In english there is also busy words such as "umm" and "like" that people use to transition sentences when they do not know what to say. Sanchez believes that this way of speaking is a limited expressive ability of many of his countrymen, who are torn between the Old World cachet of precious Hispanism and the promise of assimilation into an American way of life.
Sanchez is clear as to whom he blames for Puerto Ricans' inabiilty to use language not only as the most direct means of engagement with one's experience of life but also an instrument of political power. One of the things Sanchez does is attack the education system and also mothers, aunts, grandmothers, school mistresses, headmistresses, and preists. Sanchez finally suggests that colonial education has been defeated by the American culture because mothers have been too caught up in the American culture and are now starting to lose their own Puerto Rican culture. J.D. Perivolaris is basically reinforcing Sanchez's ideas and believe that the middle class has been corrupted by the American culture.

Collage of my Experience in Puerto Rico

I have had and awesome time being in Puerto Rico for 9 months. I have met so many people that impacted my life in so many ways. I love the food and the culture here as well as the people. My favorite food here in Puerto Rico is the Pionono I love the rich taste of it. As you can see my favorite hobby is playing the guiatr and surfing. Im so blessed to be in a place where I can surf anytime of the year. I am originally from India, but currently live in orlando florida with my parents. Mahatma ghandi is my role model. I belive he has set the perfect example of how to live a life of happiness. Since, I arrived here I haven't had many problems. The one problem I did have was getting a marbete. It took a while but I got it done. I hope to learn more about Puerto Rico while I am here.