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To this day I'm not sure where I found the strength to leave
the source, the mother, disengage from my family, mi tierra, mi
gente, and all that picture stood for. I had to leave home so I could find myself ind my own intrinsic nature buried under the personality that had been impose on me

I chose this paragraph because it’s relatable to my situation. I was the first in my family to leave my country and come to the U.S. to look for something more. The confusion and desperation of having to figure out who you truly are—outside of what your parents taught you and told you was right—can be so challenging and overwhelming. It reminds me that self-discovery is a tough but necessary journey.

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"Through our mothers, the culture gave us mixed messages: No voy a dejar que ningún pelado desgraciado maltrate a mis hijos. And in the next breath it would say, La mujer tiene que hacer lo que le diga el hombre. Which was it to be—strong, or submissive, rebellious or conforming?"

In this quote Gloria Anzaldúa is saying that in Latino cultures mothers will never fail to teach and communicate that she would never let a man be disrespectful and mistreat her children. However at the same time, mothers will also say that a woman should do as a man says and wants. This was interesting to read because I find it to be true as a female who has grown up in this Latino culture. Two ideas that are greatly communicated in the culture, also largely contrast each other in root. Rightfully true, females/mothers are told to be protective of and stand up for their children, but when it comes to herself as an individual she is told she must abide by the rules of her husband and set her own feelings to the side. This is due to the cultures traditional beliefs that value men in power and the belief the welfare of the "tribe" is more important than the welfare of the individual as Anzalúa says. This is cultural tyranny; where individuals, specifically females in this situation, are forced to be someone they are not and undermine themselves because of their culture enforcing whats acceptable or unacceptable.

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"wild tongues can't be tamed, they can only be cut out"

I chose this quote because it talks about the violence that comes with silencing voices and the strength that people must have in order to refuse oppression. In the text Gloria Anzaladua talks about how when she was in school they were meant to take two speech classes that were intended to get rid of their accents which in turn gets rid of their culture. I believe that by being able to speak both languages English and Spanish in an accent that serves both is a part of who we are as Chicanos.

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“Those who are pounced on the most have it the strongest-the females,
the homosexuals of all races, the darkskinned, the outcast, the
persecuted, the marginalized, the foreign.”

This line, and who paragraph it is from, stood out to me because it shows the similarities we can have in our differences. Those from marginalized groups are sensitized in a way where we can see the connections between ourselves that turns into understanding and care. For me this makes me think of the ups and downs, parades to uplift a group and protests to protect it. A large group of people getting together under the same cause to protect or celebrate is a fight back from how those in charge have tried to separate us. I chose this piece of art because I feel it shows a group of people coming together to uplift and for the bell hooks quote. Despite the fact that marginalization or being an “outcast” is the connecting factor, it is still hope that pushes to the front as all come forward to support.

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"In the 1950s I saw the land, cut up into thousands of neat rectangles and squares, constantly being irri-ga ted."

I chose this quote because it showed how the land changed experiences. What once was a land was now a memory due to

the upcoming agriculture business. It now had structure instead of admiration for the resources that grew from within the soil. Agriculture corporation's hired people to do labor and their intention was to expand their power by owning and changing land. The details in this quote such as “cut up, thousands, and constantly” signify how the land was treated and how this was witnessed as an action of discrediting a community. Furthermore, I selected this quote because it is seen from the perspective of someone who was familiar with this land since childhood. The land was a meaningful symbol of identity and affected communities. This perspective mattered and the agriculture business had economic and political motives when they took land.

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"The U.S-Mexican border es una herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds."

Explanation:
This sentence stood out because it vividly captures the physical and emotional pain of living at the border, symbolizing the clash of cultures, identities, and economic systems. Anzaldúa's metaphor of a "wound" emphasizes the ongoing struggles of marginalization, displacement, and resilience faced by those who inhabit this liminal space, making it a powerful commentary on the border's impact on people’s lives and identities

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"Humans fear the supernatural, both the undivine (the
animal impulses such as sexuality, the unconscious, the
unknown, the alien) and the divine (the superhuman, the god in
us). Culture and religion seek to protect us from these two forces."

I feel as though this description of the cause of religion and culture is quite pessimistic, making it stand out to me. In fact, I quite disagree with it because although the argument can be made for people acting by the fear of God, the definition of faith means the having of confidence and hope. I feel as though faith and fear juxtapose each other and are not a good foundation for any devotion. Since the author is writing about injustice throughout this literature, I feel as though points distant from the cause of said injustice are then tainted by the overall point of view taken.

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“The U.S.-Mexican border es una herida abierta where the third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages again, the lifeblood of two worlds merging
to form a third country-a border culture.”

I selected this citation because it speaks to the endless pain of living between two worlds. As someone of mixed race, I’ve often felt like I don’t truly belong to either side. I exist in the in-between, where I’m forced to create my own identity — one that reflects who I am at my core. But even as I shape my identity, there is an internal wound that never fully heals, a constant reminder of the emotional toll of navigating two cultures and never feeling completely at home in either.

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"Today, La Virgen de Guadalupe is the single most potent
religious, political and cultural image of the Chicano/Mexicano.
She, like my race, is a synthesis of the old world and the new, of
the religion and culture of the two races in our psyche, the
conquerors and the conquered. "

I thought that this section highlighted an important intersection of faith and Chicanx identity. Followed by how both were influenced by colonization and the history of Mexico. It also reminds me how widely used the image of La virgin de Guadalupe is used in Mexican households even in the present. I would say that she symbolizes enduring faith for Chicanx people.

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"Cornered by flashlights, frisked, while their arms stretch over their heads, los mojados are handcuffed, locked in jeeps, and then kicked back across the border. One out of every three is caught, some return to enact their rite of passage as many as three times a day."

This section stood out to me because it reminded me a lot of the border hopping stories that my dad and uncle tell me all the time. My uncle was caught a million times trying to get in, and then once he was in he got deported 3 separate times. He's been here since 1986 and tells me of the times he got caught by his beloved migra. My dad had many raids at his work where his fellow Mexicans got caught, but his bosses, some white guys, would hide as many as they could under their desks, in lockers, anywhere they could put them. They always tell me it was terrifying to be caught and sent back. They would be back at square one, with no money in their pockets trying to get back into a country that doesn't want them in there to begin with. Despite of all that, they kept coming back, not letting anything get in their way.

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"You're nothing but a woman" means you are defective. Its opposite is to “un macho”. The modern meaning of the word "machismo," as well as the concept, is actually an Anglo invention. For men like my father, being "macho" meant being strong enough to protect and support my mother and us, yet being able to show love. Today's macho has doubts about his ability to feed and protect his family. His ‘machismo” is an adaptation to oppression and poverty and low self-esteem. It is the result of hierarchical male dominance.”

This passage makes me thing of the duality of how men and women are perceived. No only on the scale of men and women but also in the Mexican culture in its own way. Even if you look at the what word are made to describe women they are always saying women are girls are "bonito" or pretty. But it's never describes as smart, hard working, loving undertones. These words have been mad to just highlight what is wanted to be seen in a way. In the end it just leads me to thing how men and women are views especially in the Latino heritage.

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“As a mestiza I have no country, my homeland cast me out; yet all countries are mine because I am every woman's sister or potential lover. (As a lesbian I have no race, my own people disclaim me; but I am all races because there is the queer of me in all races.) I am culture-less because, as a feminist, I challenge the collective cultural/religious male-derived beliefs of Indo-Hispanics and Anglos. (Anzaldua 80)

The reason I chose this quote was because it felt like something a lot of mixed people would be able to relate to. Not feeling enough of something or being too much to fit somewhere else. The borders being displayed (physical, cultural, psychological and sexual) are spaces that are negotiated and that open up different or multiple perspectives. It is these boarders that allow machismo, homophobia and patriarchy to continue without repercussions.

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“Without benefit of bridges, the "mojados" (wetbacks) float on inflatable rafts across el rio Grande, or wade or swim across naked, clutching their clothes aver their heads. Holding onto the grass, they pull themselves along the banks, with a prayer to Virgen de Guadalupe an their lips: Ay virgencita morena,. mi madrecita, dame tu bendicion.”

This passage brings to mind the challenges my parents endured when they crossed into the U.S. They both made the journey alone and each has harrowing stories about crossing that river. Despite the hardships, what kept them going was their hope for a better life and their faith. Many choose to undertake this grueling journey with little more than the few dollars they have and a prayer. Their faith in God and La Virgen de Guadalupe keeps their spirits high and gives them hope. It also reminds me of a song by Calle 13, "Pal Norte," where one of my favorite lines says, "Abuela no se preocupe que de mi cuello cuelga la Virgen de Guadalupe."

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In the fields, la migra. My aunt saying, "NO' ,corran, don't run. They'll think you're del otro lao." In the confu- sion, Pedro ran, terrified of being caught.

I selected this quote because it reflects the strong experience of fear and desperation experienced by people who face the constant threat of being deported or separated from their loved ones. "La migra" means immigration police, and the quote brings forth how the presence of such authority creates an environment of fear for immigrants. These people must be very careful in order to avoid detention. Last but not least, the picture of Pedro running, terrified of being caught, is a symbol for the emotional suffering of immigrants who are subject to the constant threat of deportation.

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The Gringo, locked into the fiction of white superiority, seized complete political power, stripping Indians and Mexicans of their land while their feet were still rooted in it.

This quote illustrates this past week's lecture where the topic of “double colonization” was discussed. With the arrival of the U.S. government the “Treaty of Guadalupe” was signed and as a result the U.S. implemented their policies that favored them. For example, although the treaty stated that Mexicans property rights would be protected, they were not. President Polk disregarded article X of the treaty, which allowed the U.S. government to basically seize their land. This is illustrated under the San Miguel grant which was supposed to give 315,000 acres of land to Mexicans, however they would only end up giving them 5,000 acres and leaving 310,000 acres for the sovereign. Thus, showing “white superiority” and the U.S. political power.

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“The U.S.-Mexican border es una herida abierta where the

Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages again, the lifeblood of two worlds merging to form a third country-a border culture”(9). This quote resonates with borderlands because it implies the physical wound of the border, which affected many after the new territory regulations were set. Furthermore it caused emotional stress on Mexicans wanting to prosper on their own original territory. The quote aligns with the central theme around the text which is the negative implications the border caused.

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"We were jerked out by the roots, truncated, disemboweled, dispossessed, and separated from our identity and our history."

This quote aligns with one of the themes of the text, which is being shamed for crossing the border, when the border really crossed them. The Mexicans that remained were forced to speak English and adopt American culture, causing them to lose their prior identity. The author strongly emphasizes this separation.

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"We have a tradition of migration, a tradition of long walks.
Today we are witnessing la migracion de los pueblos mexicanos,
the return odyssey to the historical! mythological Aztlan. This
time, the traffic is from south to north."

The author reflects on how Mexicans who lived in the Northern Territory of Mexico before the Treaty of Guadalupe migrated South to their home country, but now, in modern times, "Pueblos Mexicanos" are migrating from Mexico to the US in hopes for a better chance

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Jennifer Rocha joins farm-working family for graduation photos. 

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The citation of Gloria Anzaldua's Chapter "Homeland/La Frontera" that stood out to you can be located on page 49, " Now she beats herself over the head for her "inactivity," a stage that is as necessary as breathing. All her life she's been told that Mexicans are lazy. She has had to work twice as hard as others to meet the standards of the dominant culture which have, in part, become her standards."

I chose this quote because we still see this happening today. I hear a lot about the notion that Mexicans just come to this country to take advantage of the benefits the government supplies (modern take on calling Mexicans lazy and "freeloaders/moochers"). However, that is not the case. I chose this picture as a reflection of this explanation because Jennifer and her family work hard in the fields, not only as essential workers of the economy because they perform a job many people do not want to partake in, but they also endure harsh working environment/lack of benefits to be able to pay the bills. This hard work allowed Jennifer to pay off tuition at a 4-year private school, while most of the students who are able to afford the school do not have to work to do so. Yet, Jennifer and her family are still looked upon in such an unfair notion, stated earlier, because her family immigrated from Mexico. Mexicans 'til this day work twice as hard to meet the standards of the dominant culture. When will it be enough.