We will then read a selection of short fiction that deals with the same issues. The class will be divided into two groups. The groups will then read either "An Awakening...Summer 1956," by Nicholas Mohr, or "American History," by Judith Ortiz Cofer. Each group will then conduct a plot analysis of the story they were assigned. The individuals in each group will reread the story and perform a double-journal response to the story. The groups will meet and compare their responses and discuss a response to the question: "What role does language play in the character's self-discovery? What is the theme?" Each student will participate in preparing a short presentation to the whole class in which they summarize the story and discuss the theme.
There are several questions for discussion or written response at the end of each selection in
Latino Caribbean Literature
, which may be used by the teacher if he or she chooses. They may be helpful in guiding the students through an examination of the story. The use of a double-journal exercise, along with a summary of the plot might be more useful in getting the students to construct their own meaning from the reading selections. Then in small groups they can compare responses and find what each individual takes away from the story. This way students will see that, while perception and understanding are flavored by individual experience, writers attempt to have some objective truth, as they see it, at the core of the literary selection.
Students will then read two pieces of personal narrative that, although written by Chicano writers, deal directly with the dominant culture's stripping of a youngster's language and, hence, connection with their world: "Aria" from
Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez
, and "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" from
Borderlands/La frontera
:
The New Mestiza
, by Gloria Anzaldúa. Both of these excerpts are about ten pages in length and should comprise about two or three periods of work, depending on class length and depth of study.
In small groups of 3 or 4, students will do a comparison/ contrast analysis of the two writers' experience, one male, one female. They will devise a thesis statement in their groups; the groups will then compare the theses that they have developed. After discussing what each group found in the pieces, students will write a short essay of comparison/contrast. Students should note the similarities between what Rodriguez calls the "private" language of the home (the language of "joyful return") and Anzaldúa calls her "secret language." Students should note the irony of Rodriguez's feelings about acquiring the dominant language, English, as means of acquiring a public identity. This seems to be in some contrast to the other writers, including Anzaldúa. Careful attention should be paid to the number of language variants that Anzaldúa claims fluency in and the consequent fragmentation of this multiple identity. She claims that it at times negates personal identity altogether, resulting in "zero" identity; at other times, this multiple selfhood brings greater inner strength. Analysis of the private and public identities of both writers is very important in the linguistic discussion.
There are other issues that the class can address in this segment of the unit. Teachers can build lessons about rhetorical devices (rhetorical questions, pattern of the argument, etc.) in studying these pieces. Rodriguez's uniqueness as an outsider who does not live in an ethnic enclave (ghetto?), but, rather, on the literal fringes of a white community should certainly be discussed. What are the implications of this? How does he say it effects him, his attitude toward language, his relationship with his parents and his attitude toward their language use?
Anzaldúa addresses gender issues in language, as well, and this could provide for a very fruitful discussion. There is a surprising note at the end of "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" about the Chicanos' general denial of their Indian blood and the Anglo myth perpetuated about the Spanish Southwest. This peculiar bit of bigotry could also make for interesting inquiry.
To make the transition from this section to the drama component of the unit, we will read a poem, "Poem for the Young White Man Who Asked Me How I, an Intelligent, Well-Read Person, Could Believe in the War Between the Races," by Lorna Dee Cervantes. Her poem deals with the issues of language, racism, and the conflicts of the two cultures out of which she arises. This will be the thematic bridge to the play "Ariano," by Richard Irizarry. I would probably assign a short list of questions for response as a homework exercise, then use those responses as the basis of a class discussion. This poem deals with ironic contrasts between desire and reality and with the role of the poet as a political commentator. The questions assigned are:
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1. Cervantes claims that she is not a revolutionary, yet she believes in revolution. Explain her self-contradiction.
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2. What does she acknowledge the existence of yet claim she does not believe in? How would you explain her attitude?
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3. How does this effect her role as poet? (What does she desire to do? What does she need to do?
Ariano
Richard Irizzary's
Ariano
was first presented Off-Off-Broadway in 1984, starring Jimmy Smits. It was developed by the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater and given its first major production in January, 1988. The play examines the issues of identity distortion and distortion of Puerto Rican values by the influence of the adopted culture. It deals with the simplistic categorizing of people in America as white or non-white and the social and economic advantages "white" Puerto Ricans can enjoy by assimilating into mainstream American culture. We will attempt to understand this play from the inside and outside.
Ariano is a successful Puerto Rican businessman in New York who has been tainted by the pervasive attitude that "lighter is better." He lives in the barrio of East Harlem, but desires for greater inclusion in the mainstream culture. He has a loving family, a wife, Dolores, and a son, Serafin. He loves them also, but the corruption of his Latino soul by the racial attitudes of the U.S. has soured his relationship with them, especially his son Serafin who looks to his father for acceptance and emotional well-being. The crux of Ariano's conflict is his dark skin tone. When Serafin presents a family picture he had drawn at school, Ariano flies into a rage over the black father his son has colored. He tells his son that he needs to be conscious of his colors as the rest of the world is. Ariano destroys the dark-colored crayons in the child's box and forces him to redraw the family portrait; black is "ugly" and "scary."
Ariano's answer to his distorted self-identity is to hire Crystal, an attractive, blue-eyed blond, to bear his child. If he "lightens" the race, there might hope for full inclusion in American society. We find out that he had an earlier romance with a Caucasian woman whose father ran the "spic" off. This is a key factor in his angry world and self-view. Unknown to him, his wife, Dolores, is also carrying a child, further confusing his situation. The babies are symbols of the distorted Puerto Rican identity on the mainland. The hired woman loses the child she is carrying for Ariano, leaving the one child carried by Dolores. There is bitter irony in the truth of the child that Dolores is carrying. The self-sacrifice revealed by her forces Ariano to loath what it is he has become. In the end he is left staring into the mirror, chastising himself and commanding himself to be the "new" Puerto Rican.
A key to analyzing this play is in identifying the moments of code-switching and the terms that are spoken in Spanish. It is spontaneous, part of the unconscious identity. It is particularly important because Ariano is attempting to gain entry into the "glory" of mainstream America, and his unconscious use of Spanish is important. Students should note what terms are used and, also, when the frequency of code-switching increases (toward the end when he is confronted by both of the pregnant women). It is important to note that Dolores is the key to enlightenment for Ariano, and for the audience. She is the character who speaks most frequently in both languages, and it is she who forces Ariano to look hard at himself. Students should identify the meaning of her name ("sadness") and discuss the symbolic implications of it. When Ariano unconsciously refers to her as "negrita" - "black," a common term of affection but also a racial identifier in this play, she forces him to repeat it over and over so that he must face the truth of the outward appearance and understand the truth of her love that he disregarded in his quest for acceptance in America.
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The students analyze certain scenes by filling out a list of actor's notes. (See Appendix B for an example.) In small groups, the students will read a piece of dialogue and discuss the following three elements: character intent, character behavior, and audience effect. They will fill the sections on the sheet, then present a brief scene to the class.
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To conclude the analysis of "Ariano" students will have the choice of two projects: (1) an interview project in which the students will question someone (a family member if possible), who is a first-generation immigrant and report their experiences with acculturation and language acquisition; (2) take a selection of stories and/or poems from another ethnic group and analyze for use of language as an element of identity. This would offer the students the opportunity to work independently and cooperatively (research and analysis can be done in pairs). The length of the project and the time allotted can be determined by the teacher, based on the maturity of the class. I would probably allot two weeks for gathering information and beginning a draft. After final edited drafts are completed, the works can be published. The students who conduct interviews could lay out their work as if for a newspaper or magazine and publish it. I would probably reserve the second project, explication of poetry or short fiction from another ethnic group, for use with either an honors-level or Advanced Placement course, as it requires a bit more linguistic acumen to undertake.
Evaluation of the projects would be used as a determining factor in the success of the unit. Specific criteria will be outlined in advance so that students will know exactly how their performance will be measured. See Appendices C and D for evaluation rubrics for both projects.
I will also administer a test to evaluate what the students learned from the unit as a whole. The test consists of four essay questions designed to confirm the students' understanding of code-switching and its use by a variety of writers working in a variety of genres. This will be administered shortly after completing the reading of Ariano, probably before the students get too involved in their independent projects. Following are the questions that I would include:
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1. Define code-switching and explain two reasons why it is prevalent in the Puerto Rican community.
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2. Choose one of the Nuyorican poems we have read and explain why and how the poet uses code-switching. Your essay should mention the theme of the poem, as you understand it, and how the language shift helps to develop that theme. You should also discuss the use of figurative language in support of your explanation.
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3. Choose either Richard Rodriguez's "Aria," from
Hunger of Memory
, or Gloria Anzaldúa's "The New Mestiza," explain the author's private and public language use and the psychological effects of their bi- or multi-lingualism.
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4. Explain the significance of code-switching in
Ariano
and the voice that spontaneously emerges at Ariano's "moment of truth." Consider where code-switching occurs with greatest frequency. Also, consider a term that he inadvertently uses with regards to Dolores, a term that she seizes upon and forces him to note as a key to his understanding.
