Bless me, Ultima by Anaya - Essay Example

Bless me, Ultima by AnayaThe article by Lamadrid is briefly describes the background of the book Bless me, Ultima written by Anaya. The article points out how mythology has been used by the author to describe Chicano culture, as well as their hopes and aspirations. Albeit Anaya has shown that the Chicano tradition can be, and is, at odds with the modern world, however, there are ways to overcome it and to become one again in essence. The article basically illustrates how, according to Anaya, real power is the ability to overcome this chasm between history and new technology as a mediator.

The article is well written and is quite convincing in the sense that it leaves the reader with a sense of understanding towards the use of mythology in Anaya’s book. Moreover, though there is a sense of paganism about old religions in the modern world, however, the article states how Anaya has used his book to convince the readers that technology and tradition can co-exist, and that the people who strive for such co-existence between the two are the ones who wield true power.The other article by de Mancelos describes how Ultima “stirs up power struggles between magic and religion”.

It describes how we often mistrust those who follow the traditions because we have come out of the ignorance of the old times and there is no room for witchcraft and the like in the modern era. Though religion is often inherited, however, there is still room for the old beliefs, which are in one’s bloods and it is often these old beliefs that save a person from losing his new or inherited religion. In the end it is true that all things in this world can be reconciled with each other and it is not impossible for man to believe two truths at the same time.

These articles are not only good reading material but they also open the eyes of the readers towards what Anaya has also strived in his book; the need for traditions and modernity to move along together. Not only that, they also inform us how important culture is towards understanding modernity and how people often take the route of their own cultural identity while trying to redefine themselves in the new age. Technology has often made it hard for people to find their own true identity and though most of us come out thinking that now everyone should be the same, it is not until we look deep into our own roots that we can come up with our identity.

Anaya has strived to explain how, in this day and age, when religion is often considered to be divorced from mythology or when mythological religions are looked down upon, there are certain lessons to be learned from the mythological cultures, even if those cultures have been overcome by the modern religions (in this case Christianity). The need for finding a balance between Christianity and the mythological religion of the Chicanos is important, and somehow it is through the Chicano religion that Anaya’s character in the book has found a balance between his old traditions and new life.

Bibliography:Lamadrid, Enrique R. “Myth as the Cognitive Process of Popular Culture in Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima: The Dialectics of Knowledge.” Hispania 68.3 (1985): 496-501de Mancelos, João. “Witchcraft, Initiation and Cultural Identity in Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima.” (alfarrabio.di.uminho.pt) 28 March 2008 http://alfarrabio.di.uminho.pt/vercial/zips/mancelos21.rtf