Reflection Of Nepantla

The key issue of identity is addressed and how history as well as culture can be at the core of one’s identity, thus, this can be related to the health and physical education studies of the influence of identity. In year 8 students will complete a unit where they examine how traditions and cultural practices influence personal and cultural identities (Australian Curriculum , 2017).

Identity is an essential necessity for humans to demonstrate the distinct individual. A person’s identity may take time to develope as the person acquires new interests, influences, and comprehension of the surrounding people. Authors such as Adrienne Rich and Gloria Anzaldua write about the struggles persistent in identity. Rich is identified by her gender and race by other people, while Anzaldua is defined as to what a Mexican American women should be. As a Mexican American, Amelia Mendoza, my best friend, encounters the strains of identity.

Ernesto Quinonez 's novel is very influential and gives insight into the harsh reality of being a minority in America. Quinonez also speaks on the history of the Latino culture and the life experiences. The fabricated stories based on true events, affected Latinos as well as other nationalities. This book has served its purpose and is speaking to families, friends, wives, husbands, and children on being aware and conscious of the reality that surrounds them. This novel amazed me with the political and historical content surrounding the Latino community, and it is extremely powerful as it shows independence in its own culture. The novel uses its content to bring awareness of Latino ethnic identity, their way of life, and defines social factors from within. (Barajas 2014)

     Identity is one of the main questions throughout all of our readings, because it is hard for people to accept who they are in society. Accepting their identity as a minority with little if any freedoms

The beginning of this area in Gloria Anzaldúa’s composition is about the Coatlicue State. She depicts Coatlicue as the Aztec goddess of life and death. Coatlicue conflicts with herself in having the ability to take away life and give it. Anzaldúa reprocesses the goddess’s picture to regard her personal identity battle: being a woman who is also Latina. Her conflict makes me contemplate my inner struggle amongst myself. My entire life I was raised in an upper-class community with no true insight of how lower classes lived. I became a little more aware of how lower classes lived in high school but it was not until I went to college that I was able to experience being part of their class. It is funny how I was raised one way my whole life but as I began to experience a different manner of living, it was weird to go back to the habits I grew up with even though I know them more than my new ones. Like Anzaldúa, I feel odd sometimes when I go back to the city I grew up in. I know that my comparison is different, but Anzaldúa’s words about duality make me think of the oddness I experience when I am in my hometown with my birth class.

Personal and social identity is a fundamental unit for students as it provides a starting point for them to conceptualise how their personal experiences interconnects with public knowledge and understand the role of socialisation. As mentioned in the assessment the class consists of a diverse number of ethnic backgrounds and ability so this unit is crucial for them to understand how they fit in different social and cultural settings. In a way the diversity found in a class makes for an interesting interactions and discussions which will contribute to their understanding in the unit. This of course is limited by students ' willingness to share such information thus the activities in this unit have

As a reader who lacks knowledge of any Spanish vocabulary, coming into contact with passages written in Spanish is confusing and uncomfortable. Without a Spanish tongue, it is quite difficult to process and truly understand Anzaldúa’s message, as this foreign tongue presents large stumbling blocks within the essay that direct my focus away from the purpose of the piece. Sentences containing long chains of Spanish words, such as “Even our own people, other Spanish speakers nos quieren poner candados en la boca,” and, “In the meantime, tenémos que hacer la lucha,” leave me hog-tied and unable to properly read and understand the text as I find myself lost in the foreign string of Spanish terms. However, when the English translation is presented along with the foreign terms, the passage flows smoothly since I’m able to understand the words and their proper meaning relative to the context of the text.

In a constant state of mental nepantilism, la mestiza is a product of the transfer of the cultural and spiritual values of one group to another. Cradled in one culture, sandwiched between two cultures, staddling all three cultures and their value systems, la mestiza undergoes a struggle of flesh, a struggle of borders, an inner war. Like all people, we recognize the version of reality that our culture communicates. The coming together of two self-consistent but habitually incompatible frames of reference causes a cultural collision. We attempt to block with opposition in terms of culture, but it is not enough to stand on opposite position. The counterstance refutes the dominant coulture’s view and beliefs, and, for this, they become someties aggressive, but it is not a way of life. Once we decide how we behave, there are enormous possibilities.

Elements of literacy, such as metaphors, are a practical tool to find different perspectives and personal identity. The authors of the research called “Literacy and Identity: Examining the Metaphors in History and Contemporary Research” review various ways of conceptualizing identity by using five metaphors for identity documented in the identity literature: identity as (1) difference, (2) sense of self/subjectivity, (3) mind or consciousness, (4) narrative, and (5) position. This research was really helpful for my study because it gave different perspectives and interpretations of the concept of identity. It should also be clear that the different metaphors of identity carry consequences for how literacy practice, skill, learning, or teaching is understood. A key point is that it is simply not enough to say that identities are produced in social interaction, that they are multiple and shifting. It is not enough to say that identities are positions and that identities are the product of a developing mind. What we think of literacy shapes how we see identities working in people’s literate practices or learning (Moje, Luke, Davies & Street, 2009, p. 432). Have you ever thought about who you are? Growing up I asked this question to myself more than once. I came to the conclusion that I could be a friend, brother, boyfriend, husband, father, all at the same time, but these are just an aspect of me. They do not represent who I am inside. Metaphors helped me to look at identity

Martinez’s third identifying ethnic mode of consciousness, the knowing – unknown involves an explicit asking of questions of herself, her family history, and then of the Chicano people. In the third mode of consciousness, Martinez identifies the history of her father’s mostly hidden heritage to rediscover common points of identification to her Chicana ethnic identity. Martinez mentioned, “As I have struggled in my adult life to understand the circumstances of my own life when I was growing up, I have looked to my father’s life as a place to build understanding” (Martinez 2000, 47). This

It’s inevitable for somebody to find themselves in the middle of an important transition in their lives. Humans will grow and age as time goes on and with time, they will begin to discover who they are as individuals. Whether they’re moving to a new home, publically announcing their sexual orientation, or embracing a new identity, transitions and changes are bound to occur. Gloria Anzaldúa recognizes this concept in her essay “Border Arte: Nepantla, el Lugar de la Frontera” by stating “Nepantla is the Hahuatl word for an in-between state, that uncertain terrain one crosses when moving from one place to another, when changing from one class, race, or sexual position to another, when traveling from the present identity into a new identity.” (Anzaldúa 180) This state of nepantla is the middle of the crossroads in moments in our lives. It identifies the middle section in between two locations or destinations as its very own. For example, a person could be in a situation that calls for them to go from Point 1 to Point 2 in any kind of situation. Nepantla would be seen as Point 1 ½. It’s this middle ground that is dealt with in various kinds of ways. A method of assessing this grey area is mentioned by Anzaldúa in her essay. She introduces the idea of “border arte” as a medium to channel the state of Nepantla. It’s very subjective from one individual from the next on what could be considered border art.

Identity is a socially and historically constructed concept. An individual learns about their own identity through interactions with family, peers, organizations, media, and educational institutions. Education and identity are two closely related topics. On average, most Americans will spend a fourth of their life in educational institutions. During this time period students are growing and maturing, but most importantly they are discovering themselves. Students realize their qualities, determine their morals, and establish their beliefs during this time of instruction. Undoubtedly, education forms and challenges a person’s identity throughout the years.

This essay is a reflective essay on my learning development from a young age through to my current position as a University Student. I will be relating my learning development back to two theories of human development, Vygotstsky’s socio-cultural theory and Marcia’s version of Erikson’s theory of identity development. I will identify and discuss the challenge I have faced with my identity and how this has impacted on my development.

Identity can be different for everyone because of everyone’s individuality, how they were raised, and what they believe and know. To me, identity is an aspect of yourself that can change any day because of your environment and the people and culture you choose to surround yourself with. Some of the most important factors that contribute to one’s identity include their environment and their mindset, or mainly the way they choose to view things. These factors are prominent in Pan’s Labyrinth and Simple Arithmetic. Put together, the two texts explore and communicate the theme that you cannot force a person’s identity to change, and that you have to let people grow on their own.

This section provides an analysis of several aspects of identity work constructed by Manh, one of the five teachers participated in my study. Through the analysis, it is interesting to observe the complexity of Manh’s identity construction. The identity work constructed by Manh encompasses not only aspects of Manh being a friendly and approachable teacher, but also Manh’s approach to power and morality exercising in the classroom context. The analysis is divided into two main parts. The first part exhibits examples of how Manh portraits himself as a funny, sensible and approachable teacher. The second part presents examples where traces of power practice and morality are under scrutiny. Class observation notes and interview data including are used as a complementary sources for the analysis.