Valdivia, Clarissa Valdivia 1

Professor Batty

English 102

Happiness or Acceptance: What is More Valuable ?

What's more important acceptance from theres or yourself? I have continuously asked

myself this question and found out for me I always wanted the acceptance from others in order to

accept myself. Gloria Anzaldua wrote a poem called Cihuatlyotl, woman alone, which spoke

how she saw herself. She was brought up in a religious house hold which caused her sexuality to

only be the way the church wanted but as she grew up she realized she is her own person and has

to express herself as she sees t. In the poem she expresses how it's better for her to be alone

how she has to create a barricade to not let anything hurt her including the words of her parents

or the church. She fought monsters that would try to compress her and keep her from creating her

own path. The idea that she wanted both male and female in a sexual manner had people

throwing hatred to her not only was it cause of her sexuality but also the fact that she was from a

Latin decent cause more controversy with the choices she made that didn't t in the perfect

image. Gloria Anzaldua argues the diversity of races and sexuality is not fully understood which

causes the differentiation between groups. Although many would say that do what makes you

happy no matter what don't let anyone ruin what you love I argue along with Gloria Anzaldua,

that it's not true no one can fully express themselves because of religious purposes, parents

opinions and society.

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Church has a big impact in many people's lives whether it's because parents push it on

their kids or the kids just choose to be involved the word of the lord is holy and no one would go

against it. To be dierent than what the lord says isn't bad but people think they'll go straight to

hell and in fear of that they undermine their true happiness. Change is always happening around

us no matter what especially with the thoughts of some religions. Today, 85% of Americans

who are religiously unaffiliated favor same-sex marriage, as do 68% of white mainline

Protestants and 67% of Catholics. Among black Protestants, 44% favor same-sex marriage (50%

oppose). Gloria said I remain who I am multiple and one Of the herd, yet not of it. She

expresses her ideas by knowing the place she holds in this world and knows what's right and

wrong and although she isn't fully agree sing with they push upon her she will be her own person

with the ideas of what she was taught. The gurative language she uses in the poem is when she

appears to describe an encounter with a monster that wanted to stop her and cover up her true

self by locking her down.

The inuence parents have on their children start from a young age since they are there

rst friends rst kiss rst everything. Some people don't want to disappoint them because of

everything that was done for them. Along with this parents are and can be the biggest judgmental

part of a child's life but for Gloria she didn't care about being left alone from her parents the

judgment they pushed upon her was heavily taken and her pride was much bigger then the

thought of being alone. As kids grow their parents are their biggest influence which carves and

creates them in who they are. Gloria said I am fully formed carved by the hands of the

ancients, drenched with the stench of todays headlines. She made it seem that she
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was this tree and as it was growing it was carved into the beauty she could only imagine from her

past which caused her happiness but later on was penetrated and tried to be ruined by society

today.

Society causes the biggest impact in the world because it characterizes human beings

into categories as in what is acceptable or not. It is said that without freedom of expression there

is no democratic society. The negativity brought upon that also causes the biggest issues of

change and all we can do is fight against what others say and stand in the grounds that we know

who we are and what our position is. Gloria use to fight for who she wanted people to see her as

but finally gave up and said I dont need to flail against you Raza india Mexicana

norteamericana there is nothing more you can chop off or graft on me that will change

my soul. Using the word Raza shows us that she belongs to a group no matter what her

affiliation towards it is she understands that her acceptance wont be the expectations wanted but

its the reality she is going to receive. The whole issue with the rights and the understanding of

people in society has increased but yet there is still harm done to those that dont push forward to

understanding that right. IT was surveyed that the majority of homosexual people that are

coming out now are minors and still kids that are growing. It is said that In many countries,

views of homosexuality also vary across age groups, with younger respondents consistently more

likely than older ones to say homosexuality should be accepted by society(Maci). Yet through

all this people dont try helping the issue instead they use violence to harm one another. Gloria

tells her Raza We Mexicans are collective animals this I accept but my

lifes work
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Requires autonomy like oxygen. She wants to feel free like the air she wants to just be her own

critic and forget what others may say. Mexicans have always been strong in the sense where if

Seen they take up any job and go through many obstacles regardless what society says. And she

relates her being proud of her background to the point where she can be Mexican and free.

People have told me that I wasnt going to be able to be something important because

people didnt really think a Mexican can surpass anything since I didnt know English that well.

I kept trying to prove people wrong and be more than what they thought I would be. I ca relate to

the poem in the sense where people doubted my ability and I had to fight for my own control and

power.

Being accepted isnt always as important as being happy because at the end of the day all

you really need is family. Family is defined as being treated with a special loyalty and respect

not by blood but by who accepts you for you. The author described herself as objects to help us

see how she was stripped down from being who she wanted to be. The way she wants to relate

herself with air and other objects shows a need and want of something else in her life. She speaks

both English and Spanish within the poem to show that no matter what path she chooses within

her own she will be who she chooses to be homosexual and Mexican.
 Work Cited

Masci, David, et al. 5Facts about Same-Sex Marriage. Pew Research Center, 26 June 2017,

The Global Divide on Homosexuality. Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project, 4 June

2013