peer drat essay #3

Theme: American Dream
Thesis: The play reveals the false reality of the American Dream as the family grapples to survive in their society.

Social issue from play: false reality of the american dream in African American families
Social issue today: american dream in immigrants

Social issue in play: upward movement in classification in african americans as society is segregated
Social issue today: upward movement in classification in jobs, society, education

Citations:
Grimm, Matthew. "School Daze." American Demographics, vol. 26, no. 1, Feb. 2004, pp. 42-43. EBSCOhost, webinfo.ndnu.edu:8080/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=12185513&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Nowrouzi, Tayebeh1, et al. "In Search of Equality: A Dream Deferred for African Americans in a Raisin in the Sun." Theory & Practice in Language Studies, vol. 5, no. 11, Nov. 2015, pp. 2269-2276. EBSCOhost, doi:10.17507/tpls.0511.10

Gigi Paniagua

March 29, 2018

Daniel Curtis-Cummins

The Fake American Dream

In the play, Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, it accurately presents the hardships and truthfulness of being in a segregated society in America during the 1950s. People around the world have an ideal imagination that living in America is being wealthy and having a big family. The reality of this is that there is much racism and segregation, the upward mobility of social class, and many sacrifices taken. The play depicts the false reality of the American Dream as the family grapples to survive in their society.

• body paragraph 1
• upward mobility of social class
• younger family moving from their small apartment to a white neighborhood
• essential to american dream
• walter younger is embarrassed of his job as a chauffeur 
• poverty
• Body paragraph 2
• racism/segregation 
• segregated neighborhood 
• Walter feels like he doesn't have a chance in the world compared to other white males his age
• act 1 scene 2 pg 73-74
• Body paragraph 3
• sacrifices taken
• abortions
• 
  

essay 2 final

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QdT-OW2a1kl9rY0lXkV3UMPBgGzjbEyh5XEUVQuxi_M/edit?usp=sharing

essay 2 reflection

I thought the prompt was a bit confusing at first but the relating the poem to the canons was interesting way to look at the poem in a new perspective. It did help me look at it in a new way because it distinguished between Mexican and American literature. I think my writing process is alright for now, I just need to add a little more details on a few things. I'm at my third body paragraph where I talk abut cultural references and connections. There are a mare and a pistol and different counties that refer to its culture. The drafts I did were helpful to me in my writing process because I broke it down to what really stood out to me about the poem I chose and connecting it with the literary canons. All I have to do is my third body paragraph and my conclusion to finish up my essay.

peer draft

• intro
• introduce poem and author
• theme: tragedy
• define canon: between Mexican and american canons
• Mexican literature: ballad/corrido
• body paragraph 1
• should be in canon because this style of poetry is important to the hispanic culture 
• tells stories of heroes
• can be sung, music genre: corridor
• el corrido de Gregorio cortez is one of the most famous corridos in this era
• Who is gregorio cortez?
• hero 
• horse thief
• body paragraph 2
• this poem speaks up for the people of this country, in this case Mexico
• how does Gregorio cortez portray this?
• pride: "Don't run you cowardly rangers from one lone mexican"
• fearless: "Turned towards Laredo without any fear"
• Laredo is a city at the mexican-american border 
• Speaks up for immigrants
• body paragraph 3
• cultural references/connections
• cities and counties
• mare and pistol 
• pesos

Gigi Paniagua

March 14, 2018

Dan Curtis-Cummins

The Tragedy of Gregorio Cortez

In the poem, El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez, by an anonymous writer, the author expresses the tragedy of a heroic farmer through a ballad. A ballad is a form of poetry that tells a story. Based on Gulgenberg’s article, “Decolonizing the Canon: Considerations of Third World Literature,” the canon is defined as the general rule of literature that a territory had. In this case, the poem I chose is from Mexican descent and portrays the importance of Mexican literature to its people.

The poem, El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez, should be elevated in status of canon literature because this style of poetry is important to the hispanic culture. It is most likely not going to be in the literary canon due to race culture. This poem lies between a Mexican and American literary canon. It can also be sung as a corrido, which is genre of music from Mexico. Uniquely, this poem tells a story of a hero, or a horse thief, that represents Mexican literature. This ballad is one of the most famous corridos in this era as it talks about a true story of the tragedy of Gregorio Cortez. Cortez is known as a hero to his people and is also known as a thief to the Americans. He would flee away county to county being chased by sheriffs and everyone in town for “a reward of 3000 pesos.” This ballad ends with his tragedy of being caught but continues to be fearless.

For the purpose of Gregorio Cortez, he speaks up for the people of his country and immigrants in Latin America. In this case, Cortez speaks up for his people in Mexico. The story of this hero relates to migrating hispanics going to the United States to run away from their problems and start a new life. They travel hundreds of miles to get to where they want to be but the Mexican-American border usually stops them from entering. Cortez shows his pride and fearlessness to the Americans by calling them out by saying, “Don’t run you cowardly rangers from one lone Mexican.” He knows his worth and believes in himself that he will get justice for his dead brother. The ballad continues to share the different counties he ran off to, specifically Laredo, to symbolize his fearlessness. Laredo is a small town right at the border between Mexico and United States. Nevertheless, this poem depicts the importance of Mexican literature in the lives of Mexican people as it shares a piece of history.

The mare and pistol had a great significance in cultural connections. The mare was the main reason to why Cortez was being chased in the first place.

Idea draft essay 2

1. How is it relevant to your life?
1. border patrol chaqsing immigrants 
1. immigrants are known as "criminals"
2. Elevated in status of 'canon' on literature?
1. Yes!
1. Mexican literature: ballads, corridos
2. the author uses a certain type of poetry known as ballads, which tells a story, to emphasize the tragedy of Gregorio Cortez
2. Most likely not going to be in literary canon due to race culture
1. Prediction: Author is Mexican 
3. Just telling a story 
1. one of the most famous corridor in this era
3. 'New Canon': Mexican-American literary canon
1. right at the border of Mexico and America
4. Good Literature
1. library devices to let readers think and analyze it, understandable
1. "Don't run you cowardly rangers from one lone Mexican"
2. "Turned towards Laredo (city right at the border) without any fear"
5. Research on Gregorio Cortez 
1. gregorio cortez
6. Cultural connections
1. cities Cortes ran to, over 300 miles in 3 days
2. mare and pistol 

blog #7

My poem is a mexican ballad. A ballad is a type of poem that tells a story, often a love story. The poem I chose is called "El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez". The main theme for this poem is tragedy. I don't think it should be added to the canon because I find the two passages distinctively different between each other. The Mexican culture in the poem I chose is a corrido that tells a real life story of the main character, Gregorio Cortez.