Week One

The poem titled "PARA TERESA ", written by Ines Hernandez-Avila was written in Spanish and English for a couple different reasons in my opinion. One reason is because, upon the date of when this poem was written, we are clear it took place somewhere in the late 1950's.  All these girls who are mentioned in the poem were described as wearing such items as: the teased hair, dyed-black-but-reddening hair,full petticoats, red lipstick and sweaters with  sleeves pushed up, because they were the next generation of the Zoot Suiters from the LA RIOTS that took place in California in the mid 1940's. Here are some images of  the dress codes of women and men during that period. 

This was the style back in those days, and since it got so popular they even had a picture painted in a book cover of Marilyn Monroe wearing one. Another reason is, because when it took place they would be really proud to stand out as Mexican American Women, and I believe  she wanted to write as if she was educating other Chicanas about our history, of our past, because now these days there is a lot of Chicanas that don't know their roots, and it really sucks not knowing your racial history in my point of view.  She also wanted the reader to be able to imagine how it was walking in their shoes at the time, and relate to her somehow.  I also think she wrote in spanish because the name of the school which she mentions "which-had-to-be-its-name" is named Alamo Elementary. The Alamo was the Mexican-American war that occurred in the 1800's in San Antonio Texas, for in my opinion she feels like she has to write in Spanish on top of everything else. I think that because if I wrote a story or whatever, and grew up in the 1950's, and my schools name is named after something very important to Mexican history I would definitely write in Spanglish.