The Many Voices of Hispanic Culture:
Reading List and Activities
Day One
-(In class) cultural background handout
-(Reading assignment) "Teenage Zombie" by Amina Susan Ali and "Dust to Dust" by
Mirta Yànez
Day Two
(Reading assignment) "Diary Entries" (#1, #4, #6, and #7) by Carmen Velle
Day Three
(Reading assignment)
"Two Mexicanos lynched in Santa Cruz, May 3, 1877" and "Bully"—Martin Espada
"In a neighborhood in Los Angeles" and "Letter to America"—Francisco Alarcòn
"To the newlyweds in the barrio"—Rebecca Gonzales
"A Red Palm"—Gary Soto
"Crossing Over"—Demetria Martinez
(Suggested reading)
"My Hair"—Francisco Alarcòn
"Teenage Son"—Cordelia Candelaria
"Nineteen"—Lucha Corpi
"Reading the sky"—Rebecca Gonzales
"Two Guitars"—Victor Hernàndez Cruz
"The Purpose of Altar Boys"—Alberto Rìos
"Things of Our Childhood"—Alma Luz Villanueva
Day Four
(Reading assignment)
Biography over Richard Bianco
-Bianco poetry
"Amèrica"
"Islamorada"
"Crayons for Elena"
"The Lesson"
"Shaving"
"The Road to Rancho Luna"
Daily Questions
Day One
-"Do any of you have any Hispanic friends?"
-"Have you seen any of the people on the bulletin board or do you know of them? How?"
-"What famous Hispanics can you name?"
-"Have any of these people done anything that was unfamiliar to you?"
-"What did they do?"
-"Why do you think this was done?"
-"Are there any differences that you can think of between your culture and the Hispanic culture?"
-"What stereotypes or myths have you heard about Hispanics?"
-"Why do you think these stereotypes were created?"
Day Two
-"What point of view were the stories written?"
-"How do the themes of these stories reflect the Hispanic culture described in the background handouts?"
-"Do you see any repetitions in the Hispanic lifestyle? Do you see a reoccurring theme?"
-"How is religion reflected in the Hispanic aesthetic?"
-"How are women represented in the Hispanic culture?"
Day Three
-"What differences do you see between diary prose and creative fictional prose?"
-"Why can the writer be more personal in a diary, then in a fiction piece?"
-"Have you ever kept a diary or journal?"
-"What type of things can you discuss in a diary or journal?"
-"What topics did Carmen Velle discuss in her diary entries?"
Day Four
-"What particular rhyme schemes are used in the poetry?"
-"What emotions do you feel in the poetry?"
-"What images are used to emphasize the impact of the poets emotion?"
-"Are their any references made in the poems, which reflect the Hispanic culture? If so, what are they?"
-"Why are these references made? What effect do they have on the poem?"
Day Five
-"Who is your favorite Hispanic writer or poet? Why?"
-"Are there any similarities or differences between your culture and the Hispanic culture?"
-"Do you believe the Hispanic stereotypes, which we discussed on the first day?"
-"How has your perception upon the Hispanic community changed?"
-"Why if so, has your perception changed concerning the Hispanic culture?"
Bulletin Board Plan
For the eight by four bulletin board, I plan to display various biography posters of significant Hispanic Americans from the twentieth century. The persons highlighted will be: Roberto Clemente, Jaime Escalante, Edward James Olmos, Antonia Novello, Manuel Lujan Jr., Rita Moreno, Cesar Chavez, and Roberto C. Goizueta. These particular people have contributed to society in various ways, which allows the students to see the diversity of the Hispanic community’s widespread progression.
The bulletin board will have a black paper background to bring contrast and emphasis on the biography posters. The posters will be posted horizontally along the bulletin board with a white stencil-lettered title posted above the posters in centered format. The title will be "The Many Faces of Hispanic Culture." This bulletin will be a foundation and a reference for the students when they compose their own biographies over any Hispanic figurehead. The bulletin will also be a display area for the created biography posters that the students present to the class on day five of the unit.
The call numbers for the resources are UFS 1061 GUIDE (UFS 1061 PL. 1-PL. 8) and UFL 1658 GUIDE (UFL 1658 PL. 1-PL. 5).
A Look at Diego Rivera
What Do You See?
Your group should select one of the paintings by Diego Rivera to discuss in an essay {maximum of I-page}. Each student is to complete his or her own essay, though you may share ideas to include in your essay. You will have the remaining of the period to talk about the painting with your group.
The essay should pertain to the following questions. (However, I highly encourage that you go deeper into the painting’s theme, then what is asked of you with the question guides. I want to hear what you think about the artwork, so feel free to include your creative eye (voice) in various critical responses within the essay.)
-What images in the painting reflect to you the Hispanic community? Why?
-What about the painting strikes you as odd or interesting?
-What is the message the artist is trying to send to you? How can you tell?
Remember the essay should be no longer than 1-page. Have fun with this essay and tell me what you see and receive from the painting. I am looking for the figurative (symbolism and imagery) and not just the literal (color, shapes and line design), though these design principles are an essential piece to artistic expression.
Study Guide—"Teenage Zombie"
1) How is Angie different from her sister Millie physically?
2) What did Millie begin doing when she turned thirteen?
3) How were Millie’s and Angie’s experiences with the Anglo-culture different?
4) Did this difference create any conflict between the sisters?
5) How were the sisters’ perceptions on life different?
6) Why do you think Angie didn’t tell Millie about her time with Jim?
7) Explain, in your opinion, what Angie meant when she said, "I went someplace with a friend and got lost on my way home."
Writing activity—Diary Entry
Finding the Inner Voice
Carmen Velle wrote in her diary to discover meaning in the daily events of her life. People who keep diaries or personal journals tend to find piece of mind in their life after they have written out their aggression or confusion in prose. The prose is usually directed toward a general (broad) audience and is not meant to follow any particular organizational pattern, but one, which the author wishes to adhere or comply. In other words, a diary or personal journal is completely controlled by the writer and not fixed upon standards of writing in describing situations in life. This includes word choice, grammar, organization or topic.
Your assignment is to compose a page of diary or journal writing, which describes a time when you were either very upset or happy. The topic of the composition and how you approach the topic is completely up to you in relation to the above description. The entry will be due during the middle of class, when you will be asked to read either the complete entry or a selection of the writing. You will be given plenty of time to complete this writing assignment, so take your time in selecting a topic. Since, the entry will be read in class, I stress that your topic selection should be one, which you feel comfortable discussing with your peers and me. Once again, I will say your entry topic is up to you and should reflect some event in your life when emotion overcame you. If you cannot remember a time when either you were happy or angry, you should write about your day yesterday and describe how you felt about it.
Final Reflection Paper
Echoing Your Voice
"Considering the literary and art works we covered this week, how has your perception of the Hispanic community changed? How has you perception upon your own culture and community changed? Comparing the Hispanic culture to your own ethnic or community culture, how do both seem different? How do they seem alike? What is your opinion on diversity in America?"
(The {2 page maximum/ 1-page minimum} essay should refer to and include details from at least one selection of poetry or prose assigned, along with some information given to you by the upcoming guest speaker. The essays will be due the class meeting following day five.) It would be a good idea to gather questions to ask Mr. Bianco, so you may include the information in your essay. The exposition essay can include the reference of more than one literary work and should have a strong thesis statement to properly express your view and to give your paper focus. Don’t forget to review the background handout I gave you in the beginning of the unit. The material will help you find similarities and differences between your culture and the Hispanic culture.