The Myth of the Latin Woman free essay sample

In The Myth of the Latin Woman, Judith Rotor Coffer intends to dispel several stereotypes about Hispanic women by expressing her own personal stories and observations. She starts off by relating an experience that happened on a bus In London, then she goes Into explaining how her parents made her home In America a microcosm of the home they used to have In Puerco Roll. She explains why Puerco Rican women dress the way they do-?because thieve protected by an honor system -?and goes on to relate two more encounters with people who mistake her for someone else because of her appearance. In weaving her personal stories with explanations of stereotypes of Hispanic women, Coffer tries to show what stereotypes exist-?the menial and the seductress-?in order to condemn assumptions and present a more universal truth about Latinist. Coffer uses several modes to get her aims across. She mainly uses the mode of example In order to show her audience how stereotypes can be encountered and experienced by a wide variety of Hispanic women. She Illustrates the drunk Irish tenor on the bus to Oxford who serenades her with the song Maria from West Side Story.She gives a scene In which a drunk Daddy serenades her with Dont Cry For Me, Argentina and then goes on into an obscene revision of La Bam. She also gives the example of the woman at her poetry reading who orders coffee from Coffer, mistaking her for a worker instead of the presenter. These examples serve to prove Coffers idea that most people, upon seeing her typical Rata Moreno looks, will intrude into her life with obnoxious, wrong, and offensive assumptions. Coffer also uses the mode of compare and contrast to support these examples.She contrasts herself to any Anglo woman, whom she is sure would not be treated so offensively by Daddy. She compares the Puerco Rican girls, who wear everything at once, to their Anglo peers on Career Day to show that Hispanic females are sometimes inappropriately dressed. Her examples prove how other people compare her to Rata Moreno, Eva Person, and kitchen workers because of the way she looks. These comparisons serve to segregate Coffer from other females because they show that her appearance is what sets her apart.This leads to the use of classification as a mode. Coffer implies that Hispanic women are categorized into two main groups: the worker and the seductress. Either Latinist re uneducated menials, most often found in the kitchen or cleaning houses, or Latinist are the sexy and passionate sirens who succumb to every come-on because their tempestuous libidos chant help it. This mode serves to limit most of the women by putting them in their place. Other modes Coffer uses are description and definition.She describes how Puerco Rican females typically dress by evoking many bright colors to get her point across that the loud, vibrant colors are only a result of growing up on a tropical Island and not an effort to seek attention. She defines propos, which are erotically charged island attire. She also, most importantly, defines stereotyping by doing what she is seeking to delete. For example, she shows the reader how she has been defined by her appearance: Rata Moreno, Eva Person, hot tamale, and sexual firebrand are all typical assumptions, Coffer is trying to say, which other people make when they see a Hispanic female. In other words, they automatically define Hispanic females as voluptuous, sensuous, working women with dark features and seduction in their eyes. Coffer also defines other people by their own stereotypes: she implies that the singer on the bus in London is a drunk Irishman. The daddy who drunkenly accosted her with a song about generator must surely have been an Army man who treated foreign women awfully; the nuns have no fashion sense; the British are people so reserved and cool that they dont even smile.Because of this last mode, I cant agree that Coffers use of definition, and even classification, are effective in supporting her claim that people should rise above stereotypes, in her goal to replace the old stereotypes with a much more interesting set of realities. If her purpose is solely to inform her audience of the stereotypes that exist toward Latin women, then this essay would be effective. But I believe she also seeks to persuade people to rise above these stereotypes, espe cially as she promotes this in the last paragraph.If she seeks to rise above these old stereotypes, she does a sorry Job of doing so herself. In referencing Irishmen as drunks, Army men as women-haters, nuns as bland, and British people as non-smiles, she only does exactly what shes saying people should stop doing. If her plan is to speak up only on behalf of Latinist, then this goal only undermines her entire claim altogether. What is so special about Latinist that they should not have to be subjected to assumptions, UT no other cultural group is given that opportunity in her essay?This could certainly be seen as an effective expressive essay because Coffer uses personal experiences; there are several modes which exemplify the use of literary styles like symbolism and imagery; and the reader ends up knowing a lot more about the author because of the amount of self-expression going on. Her ultimate aim of expression is well-covered, but her minor aim of persuasion is undermined by her use of definition and classification. In Coffers last paragraphs, she really qualifies her entire plan for a much more interesting set of r ealities.She talks about trying to get her audience to see past her skin color, past her accent, and past her clothes. Yet her poem is written to all Latinist, who are, interestingly enough, Gods brown daughters. If she wants people to see past color, accent, and clothing, then she shouldnt write in such a way as to promote those very things shes seeking to get past. Overall, Coffer only succeeds in showing the reader exactly what shes trying to avoid, and I think this seriously undermines her ultimate claim that people should stop looking at Latinist and categorizing them based on cultural stereotypes.