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Part Four/ Entry Three: Later Writing, Disability & Identity

After reading part four, Later Writing, “Disability & Identity” and reviewing the email exchanges  written between Gloria Anzaldúa from AnaLouise Keating. I think that her students have some very interesting questions. These questions are also very difficult to answer and I think that's why Keating expresses multiple times that Anzaldúa does not need to answer them if she doesn’t want to. I think the most important ideas that I pulled from the emails between the two are that people will label you as a question to label you because of their uncertainties. I think Anzaldúa does a great job in her emails of mentioning what she wishes to identify as and what she doesn’t wish to be identified as. She also shares that there are some identities that she doesn’t mind being identified as and she sometimes encourages students and others to do so in the line field. She also mentions that there are specific identities that she specifically identifies and does not like certain labels that others place on her. I think these concepts speak volume because it is important to share what we wish to identify as and what we don’t wish to identify as. To address those that place certain labels on individuals when those are the identities that you hold.

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Part Four/ Entry Two: Later Writing, Speaking across the Divide

After reading part four, Later Writing, “Speaking across the Divide” and thinking about the questions that were asked in this section and the response, I found it to be very real and genuine. There were not easy questions to answer. It took deep thought and meaning. The most interesting thing that Anzaldúa talked about I think was how her family viewed her. I think that they way one realizes how their family views them shapes their identity and they way they embrace it. For example she uses how her family would call her the “dark one.” Later to reflect that this made her evaluate her appearance, to become more aware, aware of herself and her surroundings. Leading to her identifying herself and learning more about her identities. Something to recognize from this section that I received is that sometimes our family's impact can do harm and can do good. Throughout it all it matters what we do with that impact. Anzaldúa in this section also speaks across the divide of being holding identities that many may not agree with but also shares the ways she comes to terms with these identities. Whether some agree or disagree she shares her experiences, her identities, her self awareness.

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Part Four/ Entry One: Later Writing, My Calling; or Notes for “How Prieta Came to Write”

After reading part four, Later Writing, “My Calling; or Notes for “How Prieta Came to Write” Anzaldúa shares in the beginning the struggle of finding one’s self. Expressing that one seeks to find a sense of belonging. Later to realize her sense of belonging was in books. How knowledge and reading gave her happiness. The passion that goes into something you love becomes effortless, it doesn’t feel like a job or work because you love it so much. Anzaldúa explains this in her writing that callings are investments but they are natural. They are found with passion because that’s where you are meant to be. Don’t feel guilty or selfish when investing in those callings because that will help you live a life full of fulfillment. It makes it that much easier to do the work that goes behind your calling because you are so passionate about it. She took reading for example, which led to her writing. Everything has a trickle effect. One small passion can lead to a future of happiness and fulfillment because you decided to invest in the things that you are passionate and love.

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Part Three/ Entry One: Gallery of Images- The Way Station (Changing Identities)

After viewing the images in part three of The Gloria Anzaldua Reader, the one that stood out to me the most was the number two image in the book; “The Way Station (Changing Identities),” by Gloria Anzaldua. This image stood out to me because it represents the journey one takes to form their identities. It makes me think back to my first year of college where I took a key community course titled, Who Am I?. Where we looked into our identities and really touched base with who we are. It was the first time I could recall myself thinking about my identities. To also reflect on the identities that I shared that I held back in my first year of college are not necessarily all the identities that I share I hold now. The image also represents that you have to take steps in order to move in the direction of changing and forming identities, indicated by the path and the arrows. Anzaldua also writes the word confusion in the drawing, because this journey is not easy and it can be confusing as you stumble across who you are and want to be but overall it is a journey, a journey that is important to make.

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Part Two/ Entry Five: Middle Writing- Border Arte

After reading part two, Middle Writing, “Border Arte”, Anzaldua brings up how “as people who have been stripped of our history, language, identities, and pride, we attempt again and again to find what we have lost by digging into our cultural roots imaginatively and making art out of our findings.” As she mentions how we have been stripped of our history, language, identities, and pride ties back into the topic of how important it is to share our experiences as people of color, to project our voices. It brings up the importances of this because it puts forth that when we share these aspects of our experiences, history, language and pride it passes it down generation after generation. It includes people of color into history, into the picture that we are often cropped out of. As I have learned in another course it is our responsibility to create and move knowledge. I think that is what Anzaldua does in this specific section. We take the things that we learn about chicana iconography, indigenous imagery and pass it forward. Passing all knowledge whether it be good or bad needs to be passed so that we can change or fix what has or will be done.

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Part Two/ Entry Four: Middle Writing- Ghost Trap

After reading part two, Middle Writing, “Ghost Trap,” Anzaldua shares unique short stories of a woman losing her husband. The short story shares the ways her husband came back to her still requesting things to be done and the women realizing that this was a ghost coming back. Whether it was for unfinished business, I forgot something she was willing to help. As mentioned in lecture slides, some of Anzaldua’s humor shows through her short stories. Though many of her topics are serious, she can have a sense of humor as well. Anzaldua is a big person in challenging social norms and certain people's attitudes within her writing. That is displayed throughout her writing whether that be short stories, poems, or writing. In her short stories she also does a great job of expressing her attitude through the story. Not in a bad way but to let readers know she is strong in her storytelling and in her writing.

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Part Two/ Entry Three: Middle Writing- Bridge, Drawbridge, Sandbar, or Island

After reading part two, Middle Writings, “Bridge, Drawbridge, Sandbar, or Island, Anzaldua brings up the idea of a bridge being a go-between for communities. The literal bridge between the two so that one can go to both sides or understand each other. I like how she brings up the other concepts though, the drawbridge, sandbar, or island being a way of understanding that for self care purposes we cannot always be that bridge between communities. It’s a way of putting ourselves first and what is in the best interest of us. I feel like many could connect to Anzaldua concepts of healing and self care because oftentimes people do try to be that bridge between communities and feel that sense of being burnt out or losing energy. For me personally I feel like I go back and forth between communities and finding a balance is difficult. Giving this perspective makes people realize that there are other options so that you don’t lose so much energy and get burnt out from being the bridge between communities because it is important that the bridge is made but also to take care of ourselves.

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Part Two/ Entry Two: Middle Writings, Haciendo Caras, Una Entrada

After reading part two, Middle Writings, “Haciendo Caras, Una Entrada” Anzaldua shares this in a more positive light when beforehand many people that held marginalized identities would hind one or couldn’t be the truest version of themselves to be safe. I think she references the mask that we place on ourselves as people of color when she was talking about this.  It is important to recognize that being safe by hiding one’s identities could also mean that it was forced to hide these identities, we forget to recognize that as well. I feel like she mentions making faces because sometimes as people of color we have to make those faces, in order to stand our ground and let others know that we are here to stay. Or else people will take advantage of us, even underestimate us. As she talks about stripping the masks that are placed on us whether we place them on us ourselves or whether they are placed on us by others, she does it with the intent to understand how one goes about constructing our identity.

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Part Two/Entry One: Middle Writings, Creativity and Switching Modes of Consciousness

After reading part two, Middle Writings, “Creativity and Switching Modes of Consciousness” Anzaldua gives a great perspective of what we know as code switching and intersecting identities. It doesn’t recognize the different ways that people have to be in certain settings. Anzaldua mentions how she shifts from space to space, academic to queer world and so forth. I appreciated how she mentions that we can walk the borderlines of our identities without having to pick one or the other. The consciousness and ability to carry all. That others make us pick but that we don’t have to listen to them. If anything, walking these borders gives us an upper hand because we can be the middle ground for these intersecting identities. Oftentimes we had to pick one or the other or called out for both identities. Code switching sometimes has a negative connotation to it but it allows people to be present in the space that they chose the way they want to. If that means showing off all aspects of yourself or highlighting one identity more than the others, that decision is up to that individual.

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Part One/ Entry Three: Early Writings, Dreams Of the Double-Faced Woman

After reading part one, Early Writings “Dreams of the Double-Faced Woman” I found that it relates to many other topics in the Ethnic Studies field. Especially when Anzaldua talks about how people fear when one becomes wholly when it is out of social norms. I think this is when you see isolation or people making their own negative perceptions of individuals. Being your whole self is super rewarding. It is important to recognize that this is a journey and a process but that it is in arms reach. Especially to appreciate all aspects of yourself is a great point that Anzaldua recognizes. As we all hold intersecting identities, recognizing that embracing each identity makes you into the unique individual that we all are. Recognizing too that we don’t have to pick one identity over the other that we can walk through life being and accepting all identities. As members of society this oftentimes gets lost because it goes against standard norms but Anzaldua recognizes and is redefining standard norms.

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Part One/ Entry Two: Early Writings “La Prieta”

After reading part one, Early Writings “La Prieta” of The Gloria Anzaldua Reader, Anzaldua brings up very important topics in this portion of the reading. I think the most important topic that she brings up is colorism. So many institutions are rooted in colorism. For example, makeup, modeling, fashion, relationships, and many beauty institutions. Anzaldua brings up how in latinx culture white is seen to be better than dark skin tones. We see this in beauty standards as well as how it took a very long time for cosmetics to start making darker shades of foundation for dark skin individuals. I also learned this in another course, how lighter skin or whiteness was seen as pure. Even the conversations amongst peers of latinx backgrounds thinking having European ancestry is better than indigenous backgrounds. Anzaldua recognizes that this is a conversation needed to be addressed by sharing her own experiences throughout life. It is important that these conversations are being had because it allows for society to question our beauty standards and correct them because all skin tones are beautiful.

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Part One/Entry One: Early Writings “Speaking in Tongues”

After reading part one, Early Writings “Speaking in Tongues” of The Gloria Anzaldua Reader, I appreciated how Anzaldua talked about how our voices should not be tokenized as women of color. She also shares how important it is to make our writing a priority especially including third world women. I appreciated this because way too often women of color get overlooked. They get overlooked for the contributions we make to society. Anzaldua recognizes this concern and shares the importance of changing it.That our voices and our writing is worth being heard, that it matters. It is important to share the voices of women of color because it shares our experiences. When we share our experience we are able to identify the wrongs in the world for women of color and create efforts to change them. Without the writings of women of color experiences we are left out of the world, the world's history amongst many other things. Sharing our work gives us what the real world normal does not give us. The reality that we are entitled to like everyone else.