Option 1: Choose one of the readings from 1/30 or 2/6 and explain why it resonated with you when you were reading it. What stood out to you the most? Were there moments, words and phrases, or feelings that you connected with? Why do you think this is? How do your own experiences both parallel and differ from what was addressed in this content? What do you think is the universal value of sharing a specific experience?

The reading that resonated most with me was “Women’s Voices From the Borderlands”, specifically “Only Daughter” by Sandra Cisneros. It resonated with me when I was reading it because of the concept that Cisneros is trying to convey, which is the role of a daughter within a household and what it simultaneously means. Although I’m not able to relate to being the only daughter in a male-dominated household (the majority of my household is female), I am able to relate to the expectations of being a daughter and being the eldest as well. Cisernos tries to convey how, as a daughter, our romantic pursuits are put above of our achievements. One moment that I was able to connect with was her saying, “Being only a daughter for my father meant my destiny would lead me to become someone’s wife.” This stereotype of your worth being measured by who you date and who you’re with is something prominent in Hispanic families. Depending on the generation of your family, the circumstances are different but the idea is the same. In my family I am second-generation so the ideas surrounding romance and love are more lax in my case. I am able to date but the males in my family can’t know about it – it has to be hidden. If my grandfather/father found out they’d be angry because “I should be focusing on my education” but I’m also expected to “Find someone good to marry.” My first generation aunt did not experience this same feeling. She couldn’t date, and it was preferred she’d find someone within our religion and ethnicity but when it was time for her to get married – they didn’t want her to. So what do we, as women in our families, do? We can’t date, we have to marry, but it’s bad when we find someone to marry because it means we stray from our family. A confusing concept all around and important to connect to the underlying concepts of machismo. Most eldest daughters in Hispanic households share the same feelings and ideas about being the eldest because of the prevalence of machismo. As the eldest we have to set the example for our siblings – we have to be exemplary, perfect, and poised. We have to sign translation documents, help our siblings with homework, and be a second mother when our parents are working. If you ask any eldest female in a Hispanic household it is likely she knows how to change diapers, measure baby formula, and read government documents. But there’s a value to this universal experience to our group. There’s a feeling of shared pain and a bonding through comparison of the hard situations we’ve had to face. This creates a collective understanding that we have to do better. We have to make sure that the next generation, that our kids don’t have to go through these experiences. They don’t have to feel like they have to know how to cook to get a husband, secure one before their prime years are up, and sneak around the male figures in their lives for fear of machismo.