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- Reading responses must be AT LEAST 200 words.
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- Reading responses are due by 8pm on the day PRIOR to our discussion of the required reading.
Anzaldúa chapter 7 and Señorita Extraviada both communicate the significance of “borders.” Anzaldúa continually speaks of the cultural shifts towards new thinking and living, and these diverse ways of life are seen through the women in Ciudad Juárez. The young women in search of jobs to acquire sufficient income for their needs are viewed as crossing the borders of what is normally expected of them; women’s roles are mainly centered around domestic work. However, the endeavor of the women in Juárez to become independent and successful are disparaged as worthless. The brutal acts done towards women in the deserts of the city are so disheartening to hear about, and unfortunately, this may be connected to how these men view the women around them. Moreover, the carelessness and ignorance of the authorities in Ciudad Juárez is unbelievable, and I cannot wrap my mind around it. How can the very government and officials which are designed to keep the city’s people from harm cause such terror to them? Unquestionably, the fault falls on those in charge of overseeing the city and its people, and it is sad to see that injustice is permissible. I am grateful for the protection God has placed over my life while I am undeserving, and I am compelled to pray for those who are surrounded by danger and torment.
ReplyDeleteCeline Brianna Salas
The documentary “Senorita Extraviada” was very powerful. It had testimonies of few of the many families that had their daughters, sisters or just their female relative taken away. You could see the pain and suffering in their eyes, some of them did not accept right away that their daughter was tortured and killed. On the other hand some of the women who had disappeared were never found. Whoever the monster was, had a pattern and also altered the evidence by putting clothes from other girls who were disappeared to those who were dead. It is very frightening to know that whenever someone went to the police or to authorities they had to wait twenty-four hours for them to start looking for someone. In that time the girls probably went through many hard things that only they and the responsible for the crime know. It is also scary that they live in a place were corruption is huge, therefore almost no justice or little justice is done. There was also the testimony of a woman who suffered abuse inside a prison by authorities. She was encouraged by her husband to speak out, but later they were released. There are many injustices out there.
ReplyDeleteGuadalupe Cazares
In "Borderlands" chapter seven and "Senorita Extraviada", both seem to stretch importance of "borders". Gloria Anzaldua is speaking about the borders of women, gender roles, and the way women live their lives, and that theme is continued into "Senorita Extraviada". More so, These borders deal with men, toxic masculinity and their anger and misogyny toward women. The murders and rapes in Juarez are a fantastic example of how bad masculinity and misogyny hurt women. While these women were trying to cross a gender role border, these men were not comfortable with them crossing this border. While these two hundred women were doing nothing more then trying to find a better life for themselves, these twisted men and even the Mexican government did not seem to want them crossing this border. While the bodies were found, Mexican police never did enough work to find the disgusting person or people behind these serial kidnappings, rapes, and murders. While these women did nothing wrong, they seem to have been outcast by their city, their work, and their own government and people. These tragic events truly go to show why misogyny is unnecessary and hurtful. While much progress has been made for women since then, there is still work to be done in the fight against misogyny and the fight for women liberation in both Mexico and the United States of America.
ReplyDeleteMichael Gonzalez
With all the sexual harassment allegations occurring in the media, this video and chapter are timed just right. Women should always have a sense of empowerment, even if considered by society as the “weaker sex” ideologies as such should be terminated. I believe these ideologies place certain limitations on women, to not be able to progress or succeed in life, such beliefs also affect how males perceive women. “Senorita Extraviada” places significance on how women who try to succeed and get ahead in society are being murdered by that society to which they contribute. This sometimes hinders the perception of the successful woman, making other females step back and tend to the traditional “female roles” in fear of being a victim. The slow response of the authorities and inadequate procedures make it seem as if they are held in the past century. Such large-scale murders in a localized area should be subject to major investigation, not only from the national government but from international authorities as well, for this is a sexual genocide. After reading “La conciencia de la mestiza” by Anzaldúa, I got a deeper perspective of the misogynistic culture women live in and have to contend with. These are struggles that we as a society impose on women directly and indirectly. Although I will never truly understand issues that women go through, this chapter gave me a sense of encouragement, to empower those females around us to not only succeed but to be ambitious. (247)
ReplyDelete-Víctor D. Gaytán
In Chapter 7 of Gloria Anzaldua’s book “Borderlands La Frontera” chapter titled “La Conciencia de la Mestiza” talks much about our background such as our culture and identity. In the beginning of this chapter Gloria starts with a beautiful eight-line poem name “A Struggle of Borders”. In this poem she expresses deeply on how she really feels about her identity as a mixture in-between two different worlds. She is to a certain extent overwhelmed because she feels like she doesn’t belong to one specific culture. Throughout the book she talks about many other different topics, but this introduction was what got me hooked not only to reading it but understanding it and as well connecting to it. Even though it was a short poem made up of eight lines I felt a strong connection to what she was talking about. As someone who was born and raised in South Texas you always have to be willing to adapt to your environment and the people who surround you. For example, in school and work you might be a little more “Americanized” but when it comes to being at home with friends and family your able to adapt more to a Mexican culture because of our roots and the traditions we have. For this reason, is why I connected so well to this chapter as well the whole book.
ReplyDeleteBrandi Rae Rodriguez
We had previously read articles dealing with the Juarez murders which were very detailed and made me feel very powerless and betrayed by my country and USA as well. However, seeing it in a video made it seem more real and made me a lot more desperate about the situation even more knowing that there are women not only in Juarez, but all along the border being raped, kidnapped, or killed because of narcotraffic.
ReplyDeleteThe way the show the mom's talking about their daughters borke my heart, and made me remember those times when my mom used to not want me to go out with my firends after 7 at night because of the violence going on.
Seeing the clothes these women would wear made me realize not all of them seemed at all provocative, and when I hear one of them was a catequista made me so angry at whoever was guilty of her death. This specific moment in the video brought tears to my eyes because I remembered how my mom told me one day, " do you remember maria, the girl you went to school with?" I surely remembered. She was my kinder garden buddy. "Well" my mom said, "They can't find her. The people say they kidnapped her right in front of church last Sunday after mass." It seemed so brutal and descarado to think they would do such a thing without any shame at all.
the fact that we are more afraid of government and police than we feel secure around them is completely wrong. The fact that Mexican people's life is in the hands of narcos makes me fill powerless.
This video was very real, and it just made me remember the awful situations some Mexicans still have to go through.
Ingrid Davila
Throughout the semester, the few chapters we read from Gloria Anzaldua’s book “Borderlands La Frontera” have taught me a lot of things dealing with the culture and different perspectives on how the author feels to specific issues. In the chapter assigned “La Conciencia de la Mestiza” she once again mentions how she struggled to find her identity because of the culture she had grown up on. She expresses how she feels lost because she is rejected by her family, and believes that she simply doesn’t belong to any culture. “Senorita Extraviada” was a good example that connects with what Gloria Anzaldua thinks because she is trying to become successful but was educated another tradition. It was sad to see how in “Senorita Extraviada” women were being murdered because they were trying to become independent and successful. Sadly, these are trends that have been going on for many years where women cannot be seen somewhat close superior to men. I was never imposed that tradition to see women that have to be dependent and that they have to stay home and take care of the kids. We as men should never put down women because they are capable of doing great things and we should be there to encourage them to reach higher in life as independents. (216)
ReplyDeleteBruno Morales
As I had mentioned in the past discussion, "Why are the deaths of so many young women being ignored. and why are the murders still happening?" Which in my opinion, this question should be an important question that should be addressed, and not just put aside. Something needs to be done about this, there needs to be justice for all these women. Incidents like these are still continuing to happen, Look at the year we're in, and there is still cases about this going on.
ReplyDeleteI am in complete shock that even to this day, their has not been any justice for all those women. And looking at the people getting interviewed, talking about their loved once, that have been murdered or missing, or even the victims themselves make feel so heartbroken. I can't even fathom the thought of something like that ever happening to me or my sister.. and then to feel completely helpless and hopeless because the authorities refuse to help, or claim to help but don't even try their best. The way they would threaten these women if they ever wet out and reported them was just insane.. They would take a picture of them and they would tell them that if they ever said anything, they would find her, no matter how she dressed or how she looked, and they would go out there and kill her and her family. Needless to say these tragic events have made me angry.. Angry towards all the people who took this as a joke and didn't bother to help out.
joanne lopez
After reading Anzaldua’s chapter 7 form his book “Borderlands” I understand how she thinks that people that lives in the border between two countries are different she even calls them a fifth race, a lot of people that lives in the Rio Grande valley would relate a lot to Gloria Anzaldua. I agree that she as a lesbian is being a person that does not belong in any culture, but I like how she says that since she is a mestiza she belongs to all cultures. “Senorita Extraviada” is a film based on the murders of Ciudad Juarez, I can see how the government in Mexico had been always been corrupt, I don’t understand how the government from the U.S. is not trying to help Mexico, I think that they should also care since most of the workers being killed are from the maquiladoras, and most of the maquiladoras are owned by American companies that decided to invest their money in Mexico. I would say it’s pathetic when someone says that if something unexpected happens to you is because of your own fault, local authorities with the government said that it was the it was the women’s fault, but again what if the victims killed were men.
ReplyDeleteLuis Reyna
In both the film, and the reading, the author focuses on the violence women were suffering back in the days where the economic situation was hard, so they had to look for jobs. In the film, “senorita extraviada”, young women used to go to work very early and the got home very late, most of the time they were out of their homes which that put them in risk of being abused. It is very sad to hear the interviews of some mothers who lost their daughters, some were killed and found their discomposed bodies, others were raped even by the police officer which it is horrible because they are suppose to take care of the people not to abuse them. I believe those police officer thought they were superior to people that’s why they did those horrible acts. The video is really sad when parents talk about when they found their children’s’ bodies, when the saw the clothes and they refused to believe that it was theirs. I can’t imagine the pain they were feeling but I could see their faces and know that they were destroyed inside. The government did nothing about it, and they are responsible of those murders because they did not find a solution to stop it.
ReplyDeleteMissael Salinas
“Señorita Extraviada” portraits the cruel reality we live in, it is heartbreaking to see México, a country rich in culture, home to pueblos mágicos, beautiful beaches, ancient ruins, the Mayan city of Chichén Itzá, but most importantly, home to beautiful people, people who at this point feel terrified of their country, their authorities, and their future.
ReplyDeleteIt is inconceivable to see how humanity has lost all respect for life. It has become normal to kill for money, for drugs, for pleasure, without having a bit of remorse for the thousands of families who suffer and are left grieving for the loss of their loved ones.
As a Mexican citizen, I feel betrayed by the people who are elected as leaders, those who swear to protect the people and make México a better country. It is a shame to realize that those leaders have been bought by the drug cartels, that they have never been committed to the welfare of the country and that they have only worked for their own interests. Las muertas de Juárez is a clear example of that lack of commitment.
It hurts to see that 127.5 million Mexican citizens will at one point need protection from their authorities just like the families in the film, and the protection will never be provided, simply because the authorities do not know the value of wearing a uniform, which has embroidered the Mexican flag...un estandarte que simboliza lucha, sangre, dolor, sueños, cultura e identidad.
Rossy Tapia Cervantes
Anzaldua’s final chapter in chapter 7 was my favorite as it dealt with Anzaldua’s race, ethnicity, and culture as a whole. In the Chapter, she begins by discussing “cosmic race,” one that consists of all races, an intermixed species that resembles those people on the borderlands, as a mix several cultures, races, and ethnicities. I got the complete understanding that Anzaldua struggled her whole life because of the culture she comes from and that is very saddening. She always felt left out and rejected her entire life probably because she was also female. Anzaldúa claims that she and her people have not melted into the American pot, but have rather come together into a separate group of Americans. She knows that someday her people will be a real ethnicity with real culture like it has been in the past. That day will come again. Anzaldua’s struggles related to the “Senorita Extraviada” because women were crucially being murdered just because women believed strongly they and certain rights. Women have for many years tried to fight for their rights but are somehow still struggling to this day and that is heartbreaking. I have always felt that women are independent and can be successful on their own. Women do not need a man to support them, they can do it on their own. Women have and should always have the same rights as men do. There should be no discriminating when it comes to women. They should always be well respected.
ReplyDeleteMichael Garcia
Reading this final chapter of Anzaldua Borderlands in class made me realize more than what I had expected for instance that here in the U.S we can never identify our identity or express what we believe without having to be judge or the government over pass our rights. I like the way Gloria begins her poem by expressing herself and trying to persuade what others think or feel. This give that sense that women should be respect and hurt when spoken, especially for those who over estimate the power of women. Know a day’s women have more control over the house since sometimes they bring more income to their house. Well at least that’s how I feel since in my house that’s how it is my mom earns a little higher than my dad and that’s when man start to feel that their loosing their power as the household or feel that their doing something wrong and begin to start been aggressive so they can feel man.
ReplyDelete- maria Leal
Some things we discuss are not modern excerpts yet they always seem to tie into current events, further highlighting the little progress we have made as a society. In this case, the disproportionate rate that women are raped and killed is still an important matter and both readings for this week discuss this. As well as the issues faced by women living within borders, between borders, and near borders like Gloria Anzaldua discusses in chapter 7. As someone who lives in the land that Anzaldua describes, I take her readings on a personal level. And as a woman living in a culture of machismo, I also read things like "Señorita Extraviada" with a sort of connection. I think its interesting how lesser some lives are valued in the system, whether they be colored, poor, or female. This becomes very obvious when police do very little to help an obvious epidemic or the way they get away with a slap on the wrist for murdering black men currently. What makes this even more heartbreaking for me is the fact that most of these indigenous women are just trying to make money and a better life for themselves but their mere existence as women prevents them from this. It’s heartbreaking to think that because of things that they have no control over, their lives were ruined and they endured suffering before death. Justice is hard to find when the people affected are marginalized and disadvantaged.
ReplyDeleteAndrea Juarez
It's sad how people do things like this to mother and children. I hate seeing things like this on social media especially facebook. You see how the narcos or cartels hurt the people before killing them. It's extremely disturbing. Things like this came to mind with "Senorita Extraviada". Woman have always been thought as less than they are and it's upsetting because we can be as tough as men are and maybe even 2x worse. On the otherhand, chapter 7 of Anzaldua is saddening too. It's sad how people will be judgemental over the way you look and won't accept you at all. We are one united as a culture and we should stay like that. It's crazy how Anzaldua stayed strong throughout all these things that were happening.
ReplyDeleteYarazeth Ramirez
Honestly while watching the documentary ‘Senorita Extraviada,’ it was very dark and chilling. The women that were taken and killed in the city of Juarez is very heart breaking and brutal, the women that worked in the factories really wanted to help their parents, which just goes to show what kind of women they were, and they did not deserve this, nobody does I find these crimes to be very angering because I do not understand how they continue to be ignored and they continue to happen because nothing is being done. Again, I am always amazed by the worlds of Gloria Anzaldúa. She continues to bring the word “borders” in to mind that would bring about the idea that no borders is the best way to go. She continues to identify with her own culture, which is mestiza. Anzaldua states, “she learns to juggle cultures, “ (101) which to be a direct and clear statement that Anzaldúa identifies with. She does not choose a singular culture. She chooses to create her own that will contain all aspects of cultures she identifies with. Each week I find the stories we learn and how they are a direct line to my heritage. I think that that is way I find it so interesting is because it is my culture and my history, and I feel that it is in some way my responsibility to continue spread these stories to future generations or they will forever be lost.
ReplyDelete-Alma De La Llana