The poem AmeRican (1985) by Tato LaViera is a great example of representations of minorities …show more content…
This poem like LaViera is also describing the life of a Latino in the United States. Throughout the poem the author makes it clear about what a Latinx person is and what Latinx person is not. This is seen right when the poem starts “we would like you to know we are not all docile nor revolutionaries, but we are all survivors” the fact that the author had to do this manifest the inequality between white and people of color, which people of color are the minorities. This poem is interesting because there are two representations of minorities in the poem. Castillo mentions society’s representations of minorities in her poem, which in this case are Latinos, but also makes it clear that Latinos are misrepresented and represents Latinos in a different way. The theme of representations of minorities in literature is central to this sample of literature because the author includes herself in the poem and describes the stereotypes that she and other have faced as Latinos. The pieces on this poem focuses on racism and the unfair treatment towards people of color (minorities). In fact, Castillo sounds tired about the injustice towards Latinos, but eve thought she is tired of all these stereotypes she stands up for her people and lets the readers know that Latinos are not what society thinks they …show more content…
Some of the themes covered in this book are identity, class and society. The author of the book focuses on a young girl named Esperanza who struggles finding her identity and herself in society. Esperanza and her family also face financial issues due to their economic statues. However, the author also focuses on the struggles and challenges a Latina faces in the United States through Esperanza, the main character whom indeed is a Mexican-American woman. Not only does Cisneros exhibits the challenges that minorities face but also the hardships that a person of color especially women face. Esperanza mentions “they think we’re dangerous. They think we will attack them with shiny knives” the fact that Esperanza knows that there are people who feel like this about her and her neighborhood is a kind of representation towards minorities (Cisneros, 1984, p. 28). But of course, this representation of minorities is through the experience of Esperanza and the author uses this to share with the readers the things that minorities have to go through. So, the author uses representations of minorities in society in her literature to share the life on the other side, which in this case is Esperanza, her family and neighborhood who are considered