CAS115RaulBlog

CAS115RaulBlog

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  • Progression 1.2:

    Jonathan Pham

    Northridge

    October 3, 2024

    18111 Nordhoff St

    Northridge, CA 91330

    Dear Jonathan Pham,

    Let me ask you a question. Have you ever thought about an immigrant’s experience coming to the US? Well I have and from what I’ve read it’s not great. I read this poem called “Yo Tambien soy America,” by Langston Hughes which translates to “I am also America.” In this piece he discusses the irony of a hardworking Latino. He makes comparisons such as how he has built houses, yet gets rejected to live in them, builds schools, yet his children aren’t let in. This unfairness really stood out to me, and led me to question if other pieces I’d read had similar themes. 

    And that’s exactly what I did. I scoured other pieces I had read and found what I was looking for. Take “Visibly Hidden: Language, Culture and Identity of Central Americans in Los Angeles,” by Magaly Lavadenz for example. She begins her piece by describing a situation where a young Central American student is showing signs of difficulty in paying attention. Because of this a teacher comes along and “harmlessly” calls her a “space cadet.” This quickness to put a label on Latinos really concerned me. Especially because just like the last piece, they are being viewed as inferior. Had the teacher done more investigation on the student, she would’ve come to the realization that the cause of these problems was from war trauma back home. 

    But unfortunately that isn’t the only piece to document the unfair life of a Central American. That is because in a poem called “Caged Children,” by Carolina Rivera Escamilla, we learn that even after traveling to the United States there is still an immigration process they have to go through. One where they are treated like animals and families are forced to separate. Many come to the US not because of free will, but because they have no other choice. They want to escape the violence back home. Now could you imagine making the dangerous trek to America carrying your child in arm, only to have yourself separated from them once you arrive? Tell me does that seem humane? It isn’t and goes to show how unfair and difficult the life of a latino is. 

    Throughout all these pieces we find that they share the common theme of describing how unfair the life of a latino is. Whether it’s coming to the US, processing through the US, or even life after in the US, every stage has come with its own difficulties. 

    Just something I wanted you to think about,

    Progression 1.3

    Carolina Rivera

    Los Angeles

    September 24, 2024

    18111 Nordhoff St

    Northridge, CA 91330

    Dear Mrs. Rivera,

    Before reading your poem “Caged Children,” I familiarized myself with the situation regarding the immigration crisis, and how families are being split into two during the legal process. It breaks my heart but the way you put these feelings into words breaks it even more. To me it doesn’t make sense how they could do this, until I realized it was to deter people from crossing the border. Many of these people don’t even have a choice if they want to live, and that is why I believe it is through writing like yours that we can educate people. Many like myself may find it difficult to imagine ourselves in a similar situation but I believe you did well. A piece of text that particularly struck out to me was about the nine-year-old girl. You describe her in a pink dress posing with her sisters holding flowers. It left the reader a lot to imagine about this nine-year-old girl and the future that awaited her. And for it to end with the words machine-gunned.. It truly was gut-wrenching. Not only that but as I continued to read I began to pick up on the word fire-fly. I know in literature it’s meant to represent innocence, but was wondering if there was any more meaning for choosing the word fire-fly. Could it be because they are common to find in El Salvador? I do not know and would love to learn more about it. 

    Another idea I’d like to touch on is the tone. I find when I read it aloud, it sounds almost as if you are screaming at the reader, begging them to understand. While I find this invigorating I question if it is the best approach to send a message. Is it good to meet obliviousness with aggression? I wonder why you chose an aggressive tone rather than a more sorrowful one. Perhaps by keeping the poem somber you could invoke the reader to feel unhappy, and leave them to do with those emotions. One last idea I would like to bring up is the repetition of words beginning with “r.” As the poem comes to a close you say, “How do we get the thorn out of our throat to scream ancient memory? recalled revived resurgent Our daughters and sons are caged!” I ask why. By definition it seems they are bringing something back to life. But what is exactly being bright back to life? Could it be the thought of those who have suffered? The people suffering themselves, or perhaps a repeat of history? I would really like to know.

    I look forward to your reply, 

                                              

  • Progression 1.2:

    Jonathan Pham

    Northridge

    October 3, 2024

    18111 Nordhoff St

    Northridge, CA 91330

    Dear Jonathan Pham,

    Let me ask you a question. Have you ever thought about an immigrant’s experience coming to the US? Well I have and from what I’ve read it’s not great. I read this poem called “Yo Tambien soy America,” by Langston Hughes which translates to “I am also America.” In this piece he discusses the irony of a hardworking Latino. He makes comparisons such as how he has built houses, yet gets rejected to live in them, builds schools, yet his children aren’t let in. This unfairness really stood out to me, and led me to question if other pieces I’d read had similar themes. 

    And that’s exactly what I did. I scoured other pieces I had read and found what I was looking for. Take “Visibly Hidden: Language, Culture and Identity of Central Americans in Los Angeles,” by Magaly Lavadenz for example. She begins her piece by describing a situation where a young Central American student is showing signs of difficulty in paying attention. Because of this a teacher comes along and “harmlessly” calls her a “space cadet.” This quickness to put a label on Latinos really concerned me. Especially because just like the last piece, they are being viewed as inferior. Had the teacher done more investigation on the student, she would’ve come to the realization that the cause of these problems was from war trauma back home. 

    But unfortunately that isn’t the only piece to document the unfair life of a Central American. That is because in a poem called “Caged Children,” by Carolina Rivera Escamilla, we learn that even after traveling to the United States there is still an immigration process they have to go through. One where they are treated like animals and families are forced to separate. Many come to the US not because of free will, but because they have no other choice. They want to escape the violence back home. Now could you imagine making the dangerous trek to America carrying your child in arm, only to have yourself separated from them once you arrive? Tell me does that seem humane? It isn’t and goes to show how unfair and difficult the life of a latino is. 

    Throughout all these pieces we find that they share the common theme of describing how unfair the life of a latino is. Whether it’s coming to the US, processing through the US, or even life after in the US, every stage has come with its own difficulties. 

    Just something I wanted you to think about,

    Progression 1.3

    Carolina Rivera

    Los Angeles

    September 24, 2024

    18111 Nordhoff St

    Northridge, CA 91330

    Dear Mrs. Rivera,

    Before reading your poem “Caged Children,” I familiarized myself with the situation regarding the immigration crisis, and how families are being split into two during the legal process. It breaks my heart but the way you put these feelings into words breaks it even more. To me it doesn’t make sense how they could do this, until I realized it was to deter people from crossing the border. Many of these people don’t even have a choice if they want to live, and that is why I believe it is through writing like yours that we can educate people. Many like myself may find it difficult to imagine ourselves in a similar situation but I believe you did well. A piece of text that particularly struck out to me was about the nine-year-old girl. You describe her in a pink dress posing with her sisters holding flowers. It left the reader a lot to imagine about this nine-year-old girl and the future that awaited her. And for it to end with the words machine-gunned.. It truly was gut-wrenching. Not only that but as I continued to read I began to pick up on the word fire-fly. I know in literature it’s meant to represent innocence, but was wondering if there was any more meaning for choosing the word fire-fly. Could it be because they are common to find in El Salvador? I do not know and would love to learn more about it. 

    Another idea I’d like to touch on is the tone. I find when I read it aloud, it sounds almost as if you are screaming at the reader, begging them to understand. While I find this invigorating I question if it is the best approach to send a message. Is it good to meet obliviousness with aggression? I wonder why you chose an aggressive tone rather than a more sorrowful one. Perhaps by keeping the poem somber you could invoke the reader to feel unhappy, and leave them to do with those emotions. One last idea I would like to bring up is the repetition of words beginning with “r.” As the poem comes to a close you say, “How do we get the thorn out of our throat to scream ancient memory? recalled revived resurgent Our daughters and sons are caged!” I ask why. By definition it seems they are bringing something back to life. But what is exactly being bright back to life? Could it be the thought of those who have suffered? The people suffering themselves, or perhaps a repeat of history? I would really like to know.

    I look forward to your reply, 

                                              

Hello my name is Raul Zaragoza and welcome to my blog! This blog is not only about Central America, but my experience learning about it. By that I mean you will be able to find papers I’ve written as a University Student about Central America. This means more than just a blog to me as what I learn from this I hope can teach me to see life differently and positively. Hopefully from this blog you can see Central America in a new light 🙂

P.S. I’ve never made a blog before so I apologize if some formatting is a bit off. I’m trying my best!