Textual Analysis of Los Vendidos - Research Paper Example

Textual Analysis of "Los Vendidos" Los Vendidos is a drama produced by Luis Valdes in 1967. The phrase Los Vendidosmeans the sell outs in which all the characters in the play sold out at some point. The first performance was at Brown Beret junta in Elysian Park, East Los Angeles. The writer Luiz Valdes grew up in California after being born in Danes in the year 1940 on the 26th of June. He was talented in drama from an early and pursuing to get education relevant to his passion in the University of San Jose State where he got a degree in Bachelor of Arts, English. The drama revolves around stereotype and prejudice towards the Mexicans in America. The writer of the play, Valdez has used humor and entertainment most probably to shun affronting any race. Racism is a big issue and no one would like to be stigmatized or treated differently because of their race, color, religion or gender (Vogelmann 1-4). This play has served the purpose of making light with intention of making people understand racism and prejudice without intending to hurt anyone at the end (Mc Parland's 3). This is helped by the fact that it is a comedy play. There are several themes evident in this play and they are prejudice, racism, social injustice, social identity, Marxism and Hispanophobia. The Mexicans-Americans in this play faced challenges as they were discriminated against. The play humbled the audience instead of inciting confidence in those that were not victims in the play. As a representation of the American society at the time, theatre as a weapon is a term that comes in several parts of the play. This play has been used to enlighten people on the various issues that encompass prejudice towards the Latin Americans. And it was and is not a small issue because it has been recognized over the years as a vice against the Mexican Americans that had taken toll over the years (Carl et al 13-16). Even the Mexican government mentioned it at one time and said that, “ the government of Mexico, opposes any form of discrimination institutionalization or otherwise, as well as the new forms of discrimination, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance that emerged in several parts of the world , particularly in the developed countries”. The fact the play has one of the major themes as racism among the ethnic groups of American society is a clear indication that it is a vice that existed for a long time basing on the fact that it was written a very long time ago. The characters in the play have brought out this main theme. At the end of the play the revolucionario states that robot Sancho “is the best model we got”. This indicates that the Mexicans are fed up of being discriminated and stereotyped against. The secretary in her description wants an American who is black and fits in all her other descriptions of being ‘hardworking’, ‘debonair’, ‘sophisticated’ and ‘American-made’. After just a short while of sampling the models she disregards them at says they do not meet her requirements. She refuses each of the models presented to her by finding flaws in each one of them. This points out how people are always so quick to judge and have objections so easily when they are prejudiced against someone. It is a common thing for people to form some sort of attitude when they hear an accent or see a skin color that is different from theirs giving them an impression that they do not belong., Most of the Mexicans who live in America are discriminated and become treated as second class citizens. An example in the play is by the farm worker who comes to America once a year. He is a migrant worker. “One plate of beans and tortillas will keep him going all day”. Pachuco is a Mexican gangster who is feared a great deal by the Americans. It is normal for any human to fear a harmful person but in Pachuco’s case this fear has been heightened because of his being a Mexican. Revoluncionario is the typical man in western movies that women want to be with, he is always drinking, rides over the plains and mountains crossed the deserts and generally he is considered the hero and the movie star. Companies are exploiting him as a tool to market their products like the Frito Bandito. The Chicanos want to remove him from the American culture because he is seen as outdated and with incorrect racial descriptions with unsolicited consumption (McParland's 20-22). The Mexican stereotypes have been refused by the American society. The Mexicans are one of the people that have maintained their identity through culture and their distinctiveness and this is a positive aspect of this ethnic group because their identity has not been white washed like many other racial groups( Sheldon 232). And even though this is a positive attribute, the rest of their people make them seem different from them and maybe it is because of their geographical location whereby they are separated to the south from the larger part of the state but still it is not reason enough to discriminate them. According to an essay by Richard Krickus the average white person responds to racism by saying that it is not their doing to have the colored people in their country and neither is it their fault that they are having problems. They say that if they could get jobs and work hard, they would also be able to solve their problems like they do. This clearly declares antipathy toward the colored people. In this play the Chicanos have been exploited as revealed by the model characters and their plight has been ignored while all they wanted was equality. To top it up the Mexicans have been considered dim witted and not as intelligent because of their dark skin. When Miss Jimenez was looking for a Mexican model she implied that she wanted a dark skinned one “but of course not too dark”. At the end neither of them was chosen for the reason that neither could speak English even though they could perform the duties required at the time. This represents the Americanization process. Miss Jimenez employs double standard when she says that the urban types won’t do because “cannot have any more thieves in the state capital” (Ruth, 135). She insists that the real Mexican American only sustains the economic and judicial systems. Some scholars like D. Andrea and Daniels have pointed out that only when racism is proved detrimental to the white society is the time it will be eliminated. The periods of between 1848 and 1928 saw a big number of Mexican Americans being lynched. Illegal migration is said to be one of the main reasons that had that led to their discrimination and the bad reputation they had the immigration authorities frequently ambush them. The media was of no help because it contributed to sparking hatred flames towards the Mexicans by portraying negative aspects and making them seems like disloyal foreigners, Zoot suitors and murderers. They have also come into conflict with the LAPD over crime issues and their reaction to police mishandling they engaged in confrontations with them. They have over the years tried to make better their economic status by establish labor unions that would campaign for better working conditions but the authorities were up against them ( Edward 36). The writer of the play Los Vendidos has provided the platform to present this issue in a serious but comical way that is guaranteed to make the audience understand the basic themes and the most important message sent through. In a history of wrangling of the Mexicans to have their rights recognized as American citizens the play has given insight on what happens to the Mexican Americans and it is also a representation of their cries. They have been victimized because of their differences from the rest of the American society. There exists social injustice and inequality when the Chicanos are oppressed in late 20th century. In conclusion the play Los Vendidos has used stereotypes to end racism which is revolting and has had adverse effects to the Mexican American people. After the audience have analyzed and comprehended the main themes in this play it becomes easier for them to identify the relevance of the whole setting of the play. It is a fact that the most important of the themes, i.e. racial prejudice against the Mexican American, is most relevant considering it has been present in American culture for the longest time. It has enthused changes in people’s prospect on this ethnic group while ridiculing the Americans doing of prejudicing the Mexicans. It is a way of bringing the Americans to think about the miscomprehended views and stereotypes that they have brought the Mexicans and also satirized their misinterpreted notions against them (McParland's 32). Stereotypes have been used by Valdez to arouse critical thinking and ignite conversations and forums on races and culture that are more often than not overlooked. Valdez has lampooned the American mindset indirectly. Work cited Ruth Frankenberg. Displacing whiteness: essays in social and cultural criticism. United States of America. Duke University Press. 1997 http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=dGgiqHMs3vMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Displacing+whiteness:+essays+in+social+and+cultural+criticism&client=firefox-a&cd=1#v=onepage&q=Displacing%20whiteness%3A%20essays%20in%20social%20and%20cultural%20criticism&f=false Escobar J Edward; Race, Police, and the making of a political identity: Mexican Americans and... Americans and the Los Angeles Police Department, 1900-1945. United States of America. University of California press. 1999 http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=E7BjG9lmbLIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Race,+Police,+and+the+making+of+a+political+identity&hl=en&ei=v2LTTuj9GZKGhQf_iJjdDQ&sa=X&o Jorg Vogelmann : Elements of Comedy in Luis Valdez’s Acto Los Vendidos as Techniques for Communication and Mobilisation. Mu?nchen: GRIN Verlag, 2008. Print http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=gVyh0juy- MC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Los+Vendidos&hl=en&ei=ymfTTrq-EsKHhQeVyfC9DQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Los%20Vendidos&f=false Robert McParland's; Stealthily Satirizing Americans. United States of America. 2006.print http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=a1c5F84N1OkC&pg=PA78&dq=Stealthily+Satirizing+Americans&hl=en&ei=6GbTTr6JA4LAhAfs5ISsDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Stealthily%20Satirizing%20Americans&f=false Lomeli A Francisco, Shirley R Carl. Chicano writers. United States of America: Gale Group 1999.print http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=psYUAQAAIAAJ&q=Chicano+writers.&dq=Chicano+writers.&hl=en&ei=PWXTTsrwLYaAhQenifHaDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAQ Read More