Self-Expressions... From an Argentinean

Based on Michelle Feldman's assignment, here are 5 poems about my heritage as an Argentinean-Spanish-Italian:

"Argentinean Goals"

Running. Shirtless. Cheering.

GOOOOOOOOAAAAALLLL!!!

Soccer is our life.

 

Argentinean flags on shirt.

Light blue face paint.

Watching Messi kick up dirt,

Because losers we ain’t.

 

The score is two-two.

Archrival Brazil inspires no fear,

Because Messi charges, shoots…

And Brazil is left in tears.

"All Argentineans are Carnivores"

Meat.

Cows, lamb, pig, chicken… and more cows.

Dad is stationed at the hand-built brick grill,

Because Argentinean men always know how.

 

Dessert is sugary goodness from heaven.

Alfajores, panqueques de dulce de leche, flan,

Of each delicassy I eat seven,

Since the rest of the family’s faces are wan.

 

 

"Hispanic Nights"

Up for school at 7am,

Late every day,

Because I went to bed last night,

The Hispanic way.

 

Home from work and dinner at ten,

Argentinean cow with salad again,

Do not go to sleep until three,

Los padres are up too, so there’s no hypocrisy.

 

It’s Saturday morning.

You hear the alarm beep.

Tonight is a family gathering.

Don’t count on any sleep.

“Familiar Extensions”

Grandma has six siblings.

Never too many cousins.

The entire Argentine population.

I have at least two dozen.

 

The word cousin is relative.

I’ve known him since I was two.

Therefore he is my familia,

And his next-door neighbor too.

 

Say “Ché boludo,”

When you see your best friend,

Because when everyone is family,

The formalities end.

“Llut (Shut) Up”

In a crowd of Hispanics,

Listen to them speak.

Pick out the Argentinean.

His accent is unique.

 

His “ll” will sound like “sh”

As opposed to the Puerto Rican “y”

No me “y-amo” Vanessa.

Me “sh-amo Vanessa.

 

“You” are non-existent

At least in the form of “tú”

Instead we use “vos”

Which is unheard of in Peru.

Affirmative Action: Video Debate

Affirmative action (in the case of Hispanics) is when race or ethnicity is taken into account in colleges and in the workplace to promote equal opportunity. The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle involves themes like discrimination and prejudice against Hispanics. Illegal immigration, another issue explored in the novel, while relevant in today's society, might not be as easy to relate to for students in our class. Affirmative action, however, is prevalent in colleges and universities across the country, and most students are familiar with this controversial issue.If there are two candidates who have identical grades, leadership experience, extracurriculars, community service, but one kid is white and the other is Hispanic, affirmative action dictates that the Hispanic candidate is admitted over the white one. Some see it as a form of reverse-racism against the white population, which is the opposite of what takes place in The Tortilla Curtain, in which the Mexicans are discriminated against. On the other hand, others recognize affirmative action as a way to equally represent the Hispanic community in universities. The Mexican immigrants do not have this opportunity in the novel. Hopefully, this assignment helps you draw your own conclusions and opinions about affirmative action.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

1. Research: 

Research both the affirmative and negative side (pros and cons) of the affirmative action debate. Focus specifically on affirmative action in colleges and universities. Were there any specific universities that had issues with this controversy? Use the sources at the bottom of this post to aid you.

2. Video Debate:
Create a video that objectively presents both sides of the argument... in debate format. You can put together the presentation and have a friend act as the opposing side in the debate. You could also act (and maybe even dress) like two different people and have a debate against "yourself," with one of your personas being pro-affirmative action, and the other against. This debate should be at least 15 minutes in length. Feel free to add some comedic elements to make it interesting, but keep in mind the issues that should be addressed.

3. Reflection: 
At the end of the debate, create a brief 3-4 minute video of you speaking about your opinion of affirmative action. Did you learn anything knew or come across an interesting piece of information in your research? Are you for or against it?

4. Share Your Work!

Upload your videos to a video-hosting site (like Youtube or Google Video) and post them to your blog. 

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Here are some sources to help you with your research:

- Visit my delicious page for a list of relevant links. The tag for all of the sources is VanessaAA.

- iTunes Video Source:

• Go to the iTunes Store.
• In the search bar, type "Impact of Affirmative Action." Only one video should show up in the results, titled "Impact of Affirmative Action: Framework of Democracy."
• Watch this free 4-minute movie clip about the effect affirmative action has had for minorities.

- Check out this blog post written by a teacher who presented the affirmative action topic to his students for an in-class discussion. Also, take a look at the cartoon images he posted and the comments from his students.

- If you want to look at a blog from our English class, take a peek at Camila's.

- You can also use sources I found on the school databases:

• This article is about affirmative action at Berkeley
• Click the link to the 4th article on this page to read "Today's Courts Re-Conceive Race and Ethnicity in College Aid and Admission."
• This is an "Affirmative Action Update" about past court cases involving affirmative action and other interesting information.