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Post colonial theory consist of Identity, Otherness,Race,Class,Language,suppression,hybridity,imperialism,and being civilized or uncivilized. This took place during the colonial times when European countries were colonizing Africa and other parts of the world. They were changing the culture and identity of the indigenous people in the name of progress. Language, religion, and traditions were being thrust upon a people who did not ask for it.  Their way of life was being changed and being absorbed by European cultures until there was nothing left of a once proud people.  The colonized land was being ravaged of anything of value and sent away to nations of industry who needed a supply of raw materials. We can still use Post Colonial theory in underdeveloped countries in this day and age. An analysis can be applied to literature, music, movies, theater, social media and so on. It is a lens into what can happen to people and how they adapt or not to an invasion or absorption of their country.

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The theme that most resonates with me this term is Identity; but within Identity is hybridity.                In my experience growing up,I most associate to the racism in post colonial theory.  My grandparents were from Mexico. My grandfather was born in 1896. He rode a horse into Texas before there were any barriers. My parents were born and raised in the States. We worked as migrant workers in the sugar and bean fields in Michigan and then corn fields in Texas. We did this until I was in junior high. Our house had no indoor plumbing or heating nor air conditioning. Spanish was our primary language. Often there was a shortage of food but I was happy and was loved by my family.       I went to school in Castroville, Texas. It was settled by Alsatian (French-German)immigrants in 1844. Some of the old- timers still speak the language. This was the dominant culture in my community and there were many times I was ashamed of my culture.    In elementary school, my mother made me bean or potato tacos every day. She would make homemade tortillas and they were delicious but I was ashamed. All my Mexican friends would sit at one table and hide our mouths with our free hand as we ate tacos. We would be made fun of for being poor and having to eat "mesican" food. People reject anything that is different. Society was going to force change. I did not know I was poor until I was told. I did not know the color of my skin made me different because it was not an issue to my friends when I was younger. I was still the same person,or so I thought. I remember running home and telling my mother I wanted to take a sandwich made with white bread for lunch just like the white kids.
In high school everyone was very friendly until there was an argument and the "go back to where you came from" was uttered. Then you knew what people really thought of you. I dated a girl who was white and she gave me a kiss in the parking lot of school. Someone reported it and I was threatened with expulsion. We broke up because her grandparents were going to cut her out of their will. Not only was our culture frowned upon but speaking Spanish in school was forbidden. My wife who went to a neighboring school said the rules were the same there. Anyone caught speaking Spanish was suspended.
When my sons were born I named them Christopher not Cristobol, Robert not Roberto. I did not want them to have any problems having a Spanish first name. When I was young we killed a hog and made tamales from the head at Thanksgiving. The tradition died with my grandparents. My sons have never experienced our Mexican tradition. We now eat turkey and ham from the store like everyone else. Their grandmother would send homemade tacos with them to school for lunch and everyone wanted to trade for them. How things change as the years go by. I used to go to

Quinceañeras which was a fifteen year old girls coming out party. A Mexican tradition still used today but less and less. It is now a sweet sixteen party. The Spanish language is no longer spoken at all in my household. It is still understood by my children because their grandparents still speak it but even I have to think of some of the words because I have forgotten them.

I am guilty - guilty of losing my family's culture. I wanted an easier life for my family and if it meant going with the flow I did it. I do not know if it was worth it.  My sons are grown and are educated. My father could read at a sixth grade level because he did not attend school because he had to work. My sons have new houses and live in gated communities and have careers. They have never experienced the level of shame, hate, or hunger I did. My job as a parent is done and my new job as a grandparent has begun.

Interracial marriage is not a big deal anymore. Culture and traditions are slowly being absorbed by other cultures and new traditions are being born. The old timers talk about how things used to be and the younger generation does what everybody else is doing. My great grandchildren are going to take me to the Institute of Texan Cultures one day and say "Did your family really eat those things?" And I will answer, "Yes we ate pig heads, squirrels and possums. Bar-B-Que was whatever we could kill  not what was on sale ate H.E.B."
I just read a blog from Castroville where I used to live. It said how the Alsatian traditions and language are being lost They want to start classes to teach the younger generations. I'm just smiling to myself.

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In the movie Mulan, the Huns are trying to conquer China. The Emperor is assembling conscripts to help defend against the Hun invasion and defend its people;meaning one man from every family must go. Mulan is a young woman whom her family wants to marry off. She is not like the other Chinese women and struggles with conformity. She speaks her mind in a time when women had no voice. She is accused of bringing dishonor to her family because of it. This story has Imperialism, Identity, Otherness, and Oppression as its main themes. Mulan's father, Fa Zhou, is ready to defend his country but he is crippled from past wars and old-age. Mulan takes his place by cutting her hair and assuming the identity of a young man. The theme of identity is explored throughout the entire movie. Is Mulan a young lady in waiting or a fierce warrior? She struggles with her identity and what this means to her family. If she were to be successful as a warrior, this could still bring dishonor to her family because she is a woman not a man. The movie also lightly broaches the overarching theme of female identity in the Asian culture. When things look hopeless for the small force facing thousands of charging Huns, Mulan shows her intellect and courage to place a cannon shot on a nearby mountain and cause an avalanche. Only a few Huns survive including their leader, Shan Yu. Mulan is wounded saving her troupe but when she is found to be a woman all her credibility is lost. It does not matter how courageous she is; she is shunned and threatened with execution per the laws of the day. In the end, Mulan ends up killing Shan Yu and saving the Emperor. Mulan is clever and does not need to use force to outwit the Hun leader.  Mulan returns home a hero and brings honor to her family. As this is a typical Disney ending, the folktale associated with the film does not transcend the centuries of prejudice Asian women have suffered, but as an individual character, Mulan is able to reconcile her place in her family and village.

(Batres, 2017)

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The movie Pocahontas is a film that portrays post-colonial themes of Race, Oppression, Language, and Civilized/Uncivilized.  The story centers on the historical period of the English colonization of North America.  It specifically centers on the time period when Governor John Ratcliffe and John Smith come to Virginia and encounter its native people.  The names and time period, however, are all that are held in common between the movie and the actual events that occurred.  In the movie, the native people are portrayed as uncivilized throughout the movie until they accept John Smith.  The film opens in England with the John Smith and the others packing their ship for the voyage.  It is during these first few moments that the song begins for the audience giving them a depiction of the people that may be encountered in the new land.  The song includes the lyrics, “will kill ourselves an injun…maybe one or two” (Menken, 2009).  The English are looking for “Glory, God, and Gold (Menken, 2009).  Perhaps the most significant example of Powhatan and the tribe being portrayed as uncivilized is in the song, Savages.  The lyrics in this song include,
What can you expect
From filthy little heathens?
Their whole disgusting race is like a curse
Their skin's a hellish red
They're only good when dead
They're vermin, as I said
And worse

They're savages! Savages!
Dirty redskin devils!
Now we sound the drums of war!
Powhatan and the other Native Americans also participate in the song whereas, their lyrics are all meant towards the evil Ratcliffe, not towards John Smith and the sympathetic colonizers.

(Vibes, 2016)

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Bancroft, T., & Cook, B.(Producers). (June 5,1998). Mulan [Video]. USA: Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida.

Batres, J. (2017, March 23). Mulan is one of the many women that has proven that women should not conform to gender roles.  Retrieved from https://medium.com/@jbatr001/mulan-is-one-of-the-many-women-that-has-proven-that-women-should-not-conform-to-gender-roles-503fc587661c

Did you know that Pocahontas was not originally told by Disney? (2016, August 5).  Vibes.
Retrieved from  http://www.vibes.ng/2016/08/did-you-know-that-pocahontas-was-not.html

Menken, A., Schwartz, S. (2009).  Savages [Recorded by Judy Kuhn, David Ogden Stiers, Jim Cummings, Disney Studio Chorus].

Menken, A., Schwartz, S. (2009).  The Virginia Company [Recorded by Disney Studio Chorus].

Gabriel, M., & Goldberg, E.(Producers) (1995). Pocahontas [Film]. USA: Walt Disney Feature Animation.