Our Place in the Story

[rays]

During class on 4/18 one of the most difficult questions asked during discussion was where do we put ourselves in this? By this question I mean where and how do we define our role as an audience of Borderlands La Frontera? Also does the way the book is written relate to how we place ourselves in this story?

[johnsond]

One's role as an audience really depends on who he or she is. As a white male, relating to the material articulated by Anzaldua is difficult as I have not experienced much of the cultural imperialism and marginalization that she talks about. While I, along with everyone else has their own borders,  the text serves as a way for the audience to develop an understanding of the intersectionality of the border conflicts that some people experience. However, like i said, one's role depends on his or her gender, race, affiliations, location, etc.

[xiey]

I think the author will want us to be who we really are when reading the book. That is to say, if we are outsiders who have never been influenced by the borderlands before, we should keep our experiences in mind and go through this comparison naturally raised by the reading. This position is very important in terms of how we eventually understand the whole story. Since once we have holden on to this comparison, we will be able to tell and recognize the extremely differently mentality created by borderland.

[Aleasha Andrews]

I do not think that I personally am placed in the book. I do not feel as though she is targeting anyone in specific to be part of the story. I feel her story is a way of portraying a message through historical accounts of her own history and to raise awareness of putting up a barrier either is separation between social groups, public verse private, oppressed, and dominated. It expands and gives many examples of what we have talked about in class

[alikayaa]

While reading this book, i feel like Anzaldua's goal is let the reader know what it is like to feel like such an outsider or such a mix of cultures.  She shows this by constantly switching in and out of Spanglish to really demonstrate how she feels torn about her own identity.  I think that this switch helps the reader get into the mindset of feeling like they don't necessarily fit in with reading this book.  It gives a feeling that it was meant for someone else making the reader feel like the outsider.  In this way you feel almost as she does in terms of feeling like you don't belong.  

[kinnahanc]

It's important to understand that relating to what the author is saying, doesn't necessarily mean you fully understand. It's important to not take too much credit when thinking about your own struggles, while still giving these struggles the attention that is needed when considering them. The text has different purposes for different people. However, it's important for all people to be open to reading the text. It's important in any situation to remember one's place and not overstep lines, while still having an opinion. It's also important to think not only about yourself, but the perspective of others.

[Katherine]

I think our role as the audience is to understand that Anzaldua suffers from borders, but also that everyone, in some way, is affected by a border (whether cultural or not). Based on the way the story is written, we place ourselves in here to simply be an audience, to listen and try to learn or understand, although I don't believe she expects us to fully understand her personal borders, but rather to develop the idea that borders do exist and they are more frequent than we presume. 

[vegliam]

Personally, I believe that Anzaldua wrote Borderland La Fronteria in the context she did in order to incorporate the separation and division that she is specifically talking about. By allowing us to experience the same thing she did, we are better able to comprehend the true sense of separation and division that she lived with. On the other hand,  the small population of people who are able to understand the language that she uses are able to for once not feel separated or divided, but they will feel a sense of connection to one another. The language used both separates and connects the reader depending on who they are.  

[godleskim]

I would say that we place ourselves into this text not based on historical background, not on a cultural level, and for several of us not even in terms of gender. We are placed into this text and as a audience that she reaches because we all have our own struggles and our own borders. The way it is written is with a historical style, so I don't believe it directly affects our placement into the story, at least not in terms of her background. We are her audience and we are inside this text because we may not understand her struggles, but rather we conceptualize her points and realize that we each live within borders of some kind.

[hollandb]

While I do not struggle to understand the terms and concepts that the author discusses throughout the book, I fail to relate to her examples.  I believe while she did make this book for the public, she also wrote it most specifically to those who can relate to the exact same struggles that she went through.  So while, we are all an audience of sorts, different individuals can feel an increased impact than say someone like me who does not understand passages in the text due to language or cannot relate to the stories.  And I believe she definitely did this intentionally almost as an ode to how she grew up and for those who face the same things that she did.  I place myself as an outsider, because she does make it possible for me to read the book, I still feel like I am only getting maybe half the experience out of it that some others can and do.

[Tyler Manning]

Anzaldua's writing style encompasses a mix of overarching philosophical concepts and intimate personal experiences that connects Anzaldua and her audience no matter their knowledge or familiarity with borders in society. For those like Anzaldua, the personal experiences about facing and being confined by borders is comforting and inspiring and improves Anzaldua's stature and credibility in the reader's eyes. Those who are only beginning to understand the concept of borders, with Anzaldua's guidance, can benefit from the insightful and passionate words that she uses and accept her work as a challenge to appreciate the individuality of people and embrace the differences that create these borders.