Blog #5

In this week’s lecture and readings there is a common theme amongst all. This theme is the struggles of immigration. Another common theme is the strive for a better life. After doing this weeks activity and reading these articles I have formed a better grasp on why America is considered a melting pot. The Mexican and Latino people have brought their own creativity and heritage into America and fitting themselves right in to help create the America we have today.

In the Los Hilos de la Vida I was introduced to the creative artwork of the Mexican people that helped express their journey into America and the struggle they faced along the way. In the three quilts I analyzed one common theme stuck out to me. This theme was, there is no turning back. In the two quilts “Death Lives in the Desert” and “Mexican/American Dream” a common image was the image of death. In both quilts death was shown as one of the struggles in crossing the border. Many knew that death could be an option when approaching the border but many fought through it and ended up living the American Dream. In “Death Lives in the Desert” death is portrayed as a figure in the desert that was bigger than everyone else and in “Mexican/American Dream” death is portrayed in the river where many dead bodies were floating. I found it very interesting that these quilts could express such amazing stories through the colors, images, lines, and shapes these artists used. The persistence and determination for a better life for their families is truly displayed in these quilts.

The activity Los Hilos de la Vida and the article “Everyday Use” have a common theme of quilting. This article shows how women struggling for a better life after immigration found hope when quilting. Quilting was something that could be done by people from all different classes, races, and levels of education. On page 16 of the article it states “as such, it asserted and conveyed values of continuity, stability and tradition- all useful values in a country of immigrants and of geographic mobility.” These quilts were bigger than just the individual stories of each person or family. These quilts connected all of their stories and expressed their hardships as a united group of people.

A second article we read this week was “Ana’s Choice” by Patricia Zavella. This story connects to the other readings and the activity because it discusses a story of a Mexican family migrating to America by crossing the border. Ana and Jose Garcia wanted to get away from their lack of job opportunities and the poverty they were facing in Mexico. They knew it would be too long to wait for legal immigration because “since the waiting list for Mexicans seeking U.S. immigrant visas can be as long as 20 years, the couple couldn’t wait for authorization.” They were scared and afraid but knew what had to be done. While reading this article it reminded me of the two quilts from the activity because Ana’s mother says to her “these eyes that see you now will not see you return.” Ana’s story along with the two quilts have a common theme of there is no turning back and those that you love you may never see again. This article also opened my eyes to the difference between family stage migration and mixed-status migration. This article helps to strengthen the idea that immigrants only come to this country illegally in hope for a better life for themselves and to be able to support for their children.

A final article read this week was “In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens” by Alice Walker. This article also connected with the rest of the reading this week and the activity. This article focused on what life was like for black women in the post-reconstruction era in the south. This article focused on how black women were slaves and had no rights to freedom and creativity. This article focused on the struggles of the black women.