ENGL 394V: Southwestern Literature

This is the Tumblr for NMSU ENGL 394V: Southwestern Literature

[kemedilo]

Last week on Tumblr!

This is our last week on Tumblr - any closing thoughts?

[kemedilo]

A man who guides migrants from Central America to the U.S. border tells Fault Lines about his dangerous treks.

An interview with a Coyote from 2014. 

“I imagine there are good coyotes and there are others who throw you wherever and don't care. There are all kinds. There are good ones, and there are bad ones. Some are corrupt and others are honest. It's like with every kind of business.Some are like rats. They take your money and they leave you wherever.”

[kemedilo]

A hiking/camping guide for The Devil’s Highway. Really. I especially like the note at the end:

“Note: This is not a trip to take in the summer.”

There’s a link to a blog post about someone’s Devil’s Highway hiking trip at the bottom - also an entertaining read.

[kemedilo]

Immigration Politics

We can’t read The Devil’s Highway without commenting on our current political debates about immigration, border walls, and “illegals.” The Devil’s Highway is 12 years old, but remains increasingly relevant. I read it for the first time in 2006 in a border politics class and I remember our class discussions being hopeful - something would change! Things would get better! Eleven years later, my take away is filled with much more uncertainty. How does our current political rhetoric affect your reading of the novel? 

[aliciavillarreal-blog1]

I thought this was really interesting, I got a different perspective. Y’all should check this out. 

[kemedilo]

Thanks for posting this @aliciavillarreal! This is usually one of the things I post for The Devil’s Highway. Everyone should check this map out! It really helps add visual and perspective to the novel. 

[dirtyratbastards-blog]

When you can find it posted and written about in the Washington Post, it’s not magical realism. It’s just plain realism.

[kemedilo]

Great post @dirtyratbastards. Yes, we have left magical realism behind. The Devil’s Highway is a true story. 

[kemedilo]

Brownsville looks so much like El Paso - I love border cities!

[kemedilo]

Distingushed Alumnus Award: Oscar Casares

Oscar Casares, a Brownsville native and TSC alum, has written books and articles about his experiences growing up in the area.

A Casares biography with some fun pictures of him as a kid!

[kemedilo]

The most promising young fiction writer in Texas is Oscar Casares, whose tales of life in Brownsville have put him and his hometown on the literary map.

A good article that touches on some of the themes that were brought up in last week’s discussion - the universality of Casares’ work, his ability to capture real-life characters, and the influence of the town of Brownsville on his work. 

[kemedilo]

Most afternoons Bony sat on the tailgate of his dark blue troquita, the sound system cranked up to some Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd. He’d been listening to the same music since high school and said he would change if another band ever came out with anything better. That afternoon was different, though. He forgot about the music and sat in a lawn chair on the grass. The shade from the fresno tree covered most of the yard. The wind was blowing some, but it was a warm breeze that made him feel like he was sitting in a Laundromat waiting for his pants to dry. He stayed cool in his chanclas, baggy blue jean shorts, and San Antonio Spurs jersey. Across the street, a crow walked in circles in front of Mando Gomez’s house. Bony cracked open his first beer. The palm tree stood between him and the street. He liked being the only one who could see the monkey as people walked by that afternoon. He stared at the monkey and the monkey stared back at him

Casares, Brownsville

“Chango” is one of my favorite stories in Brownsville. Probably because I can picture Bony so vividly - his truck, his house, his yard, all of it. Bony could be my cousin or my neighbor. 

[kemedilo]

Novelist Oscar Casares

"Oscar Casares is a Texas-born writer who earned wide acclaim with his first collection of short stories, Brownsville, which was published in 2003. He is currently…

An interview with the author of Brownsville: Stories. Enjoy!

[kemedilo]

Teaching materials with primary sources, supporting resources, lesson plans for high school, and document-based questions.

In “Never Marry a Mexican,” Cisneros mentions Malinche (or Malinalli/Malintzin/Doña Marina). Some of you may know who this is, and some of you may not. The link will take you to a more detailed history, but the basics are that she was an indigenous Mexican slave who was offered to Hernán Cortés during the conquest of Mexico. She became his translator and concubine. She bore him a son, who some view as the first “Mestizos” (and/or modern day Mexicans). It’s more complicated than this, of course, but because she worked for Cortés translating and helping to negotiate between the Spaniards and the indigenous tribes of Mexico, she is often seen as the traitor of Mexico, and the word “malinchista,” still used today, means traitor.

Pardon my French (er..Spanish? ha!), but the Mexican insult, “hijo de la chingada” refers to Malinche. She is the chingada, who sold out Mexico (if you don’t know what this word or phrase means, google it carefully!). Octavio Paz, the famous Mexican writer, has a chapter in his book The Labyrinth of Solitude titled “Sons of Malinche” in which he explores the use of the word chingar and the hijos de la chingada saying in Mexican culture. If you’re interested ask and I can send it to you! Malinche is also associated with La Llorona - she has become a Mexican archetype for the bad woman. La Virgen de Guadalupe, or suffering mother figure, is her antithesis.

Chicana writers like Cisneros reclaim Malinche as a means to celebrate and interrogate their dual Mexican-American identity. Maybe this adds a little more dimension to the story?

P.S. - I would also like to add that in past semesters, students have misunderstood this story a bit. This story is actually flipping the advice around, “Never marry a Mexican” is not referring to Mexican men, but referring to Mexican women - Clemencia specifically. Never marry a Mexican (woman) - they’re crazy! ;-)

Thoughts?

[kemedilo]

Emiliano Zapata was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920), during which he formed and commanded the Liberation Army of the South, an important revolutionary brigade. Followers of Zapata were known as Zapatistas.

“Eyes of Zapata” is another favorite from the second half of Woman Hollering Creek, but requires some knowledge about Mexican history and revolutionaries. Most of us are familiar with Pancho Villa (probably because we are closer to northern Mexico), but are less familiar with Emiliano Zapata. The link will take you to some history on the man. Some of you may be familiar with his motto, “Es mejor morir de pie que vivir de rodillas,” or “It’s better to die on your feet than live on your knees.” 

[kemedilo]

“Little Miracles, Kept Promises” is one of my favorite stories in Woman Hollering Creek. For those of you unfamiliar with the Mexican Catholic tradition of “milagritos” or “exvotos” being pinned inside of a church for a special intention, here is a picture that will give you a visual. As you can see, the “milagritos” are shaped to represent some traditional Catholic symbols - like the sagrado corazon - and some unconventional ones as well - like the leg. The milagrito is chosen depending on the intention the person wishes to pray for, each being representative of a specific need, and sometimes pinned with photos and/or notes. We can picture each of the notes in this story being pinned to a wall like this with its appropriate milagrito. 

[kemedilo]

Paranormal Videos: Creepy Woman Hollering Creek! (DE Ep. 45)

Paranormal video! Are the scary ghost stories of Woman Hollering Creek real? We investigate the haunted trail to catch the creepy spirit on tape! There are s...

And obviously I couldn’t resist posting this.... 

[kemedilo]

Cisneros’ book is named for an actual creek in Texas. The creek is most likely named for La Llorona, a southwest icon who also made an appearance in So Far From God. 

La Llorona is one of my favorite myths/stories. In fact, the third chapter of my dissertation is all about her! 

[kemedilo]

Sandra Cisneros

Sandra Cisneros on how she found her voice as a chicana writer, despite all odds.

Aside from McCarthy, Cisneros is arguably the most well-known author on our reading list. I hope you enjoy Woman Hollering Creek!