Luis Valdezs Play, Los Vendidos Essay - 2016 Words

In his play, Los Vendidos, Luis Valdez addresses, through humor and stereotypes, the issues faced by Mexicans in America throughout history. Although a White Washed Mexican woman is supposedly looking for a Mexican, what she is actually looking for is an American with darker skin. The key word here is American, as she is looking for someone who has denied his or her Mexican roots and become acculturated to the American way of life. This woman does not want a Mexican for any other reason than the fact that he is Mexican, and she has no respect for his heritage. The scene opens as a woman who works for the government walks into a shop that sells Mexicans. She is looking for a Mexican for their administration. In the prologue of the†¦show more content†¦Vicki Ruiz explored the acculturation of young Mexican American women, which was similar to that of young men, in the 1920s and 1930s and states that it ...reveals the blending of the old and the new, fashioning new expectations, making choices, and learning to live with those choices (Vargas 271). It is true that they were Mexican Americans, but many did not have strong ties to their native countries, as a document by Raà ºl Morà ­n states, The so-called Spanish’ were in many instances accused of being ashamed of the term Mexican. Being native-born and raised Americans, they never felt any sentiment for Mexico....they had never lived there....(Vargas 305). Although this quote refers to those who fought in World War II, it was during the same time period that the Zoot Suit Ri ots were occurring. If they did have strong ties to their native country, then they were often looked down upon, because there was sentiment that if they were going to live in America, then they should act American. Merton Hill gives a definition of what Americanization is when he states .... The securing through instruction such reactions on the part of non-Americans that they will accept and practice those ideals, customs, methods ofShow MoreRelated Los Vendidos Essay examples1526 Words   |  7 PagesLuis Valdez wrote â€Å"Los Vendidos† in order to address his view of the Mexican culture and in reference to the prejudices that surrounded him. The play defines four versions of Mexican men, shop owner Honest Sancho is trying to sell to a Secretary in Governor Reagan’s political office. The buildup of characters: The Farmworker, Johnny Pachuco, The Revolucionario, and the Mexican-American, symbolizes an evolution of what society deems the â€Å"ideal† Mexican- American should be. â€Å"Los Vendidos† translatesRead MoreZoot Suit1167 Words   |  5 PagesLagoon† murder mystery, which resulted in the â€Å"Zoot Suit Riots† in Los Angeles, California, playwright Luis Valdez combines fact and fiction in the play â€Å"Zoot Suit† to portray the fate of 12 young Mexican Americans that were brought to trial for a murder they did not commit. Valdez created the play; â€Å"Zoot Suit† that brought a strong symbolic significance for Mexican Americans and expresses about the riots during World War II. The play, â€Å"Zoot Suit† represents the culmination of a Chicano theater movementRead More Luis Valdezs Los Vendidos Essay1680 Words   |  7 PagesLuis Valdezs Los Vendidos Los Vendidos, directed by Luis Valdez, is a remarkable play that looks into the historical struggles, stereotypes and challenges of Mexican Americans in a unique fashion. Rather than tell the history of Mexican Americans through documentaries and actual footage, the play conveys its message about the true history of Mexican Americans in the United States through both subtle and blatant techniques. Mexican American struggles in the United States date back to theRead More Mexican-Americans in United States and Politics Essay2150 Words   |  9 PagesMexican-Americans in United States and Politics We need a Mexican but it’s more important that he be American This quote, taken from the play Los Vendidos by Luis Valdez, well illustrates the ambivalence and hypocrisy Anglos have projected towards Mexicans for the last two centuries. Specifically, this quote refers to the United States government needing a brown face in the crowd at one of their meetings to showcase their supposed support and inclusion of Mexican-Americans in the U.SRead MoreSummary Of Los Vendidos1223 Words   |  5 Pages Discrimination against Mexican Americans has always been a grave issue in the United States. The short play Los Vendidos written by Luis Valdez sheds light upon the horrid state of racism in our nation. The play centers around the Secretary’s visit to Honest Sancho’s shop and depicts outrageous images of Mexican Americans as mere objects. Through this play, Valdez attempts to delineate the discrimination and prejudices against his people. To deliver his perspective, he employs a principle knownRead More Los Vendidos, Produced by Luis Valdez Essay2209 Words   |  9 Pagespeoples has been ignored and many times erased from the American conscience. They have struggled for acknowledgment, they have fought for equality and they have gone to battle for respect. Luis Valdez’s play, Los Vendidos, is just one of many contributions to this effort. A powerfully moving play, Los Vendidos, or the sell-outs, is a piece created to gain acknowledgement, heighten awareness and to create a sense of camaraderie amongst the people fighting in the Chicano Movement of the late 1960’sRead More Luis Valdezs Los Vendidos Essay2024 Words   |  9 PagesLuis Valdezs Los Vendidos Social science teaches that a person’s self identity is a reflection of that which other people put on the individual, in other words a person’s behavior steams more from what they see of themselves from someone else’s perspective and less from how they see themselves. In the case of the Mexicans, this concept holds true. From that, which has been studied thus far this semester, Mexicans/ Mexican Americans are good examples of this concept. Their sorted past has resultedRead More Latinos, Politics, and American Cinema Essay3885 Words   |  16 Pageshistory, the Chicano resistance movement sought to change the overall racist views that, by the 1970s had been embedded in the American psyche. The conservative stereotypes of violent, sex-crazed Latinos had a negative impact on the races treatment, so Luis Valdez and his cohorts presented a liberal brand of politics to counter this racism, using films that embraced the true Chicano cultural identity. The history of film is essentially one of representation of certain groups, or as the case may be