Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya

Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya

Essay Questions (50 points)

Select one of the following questions and develop your answer into a five paragraph essay. Essay should be at least 3-4 pages long. You may use class notes, films, textbooks or any outside resource to support your answer. (50pts) MLA Format.

1. What is the significance of the conflict between English-speakers and Spanish-speakers that Antonio encounters at school? Why is language so important in the novel? In what sense does this conflict give Antonio perspective on the conflict within his family?

In Bless Me Ultima, Anaya brings out the thee of conflicting cultures and Antonio is on its rwecivingin end. It begins form hiow own family where a conflcit betwenen Maria and Gabriel is evient regarding whther he ought to follwo in the footsteps of the Marez family or the Luna family. tHE mAREZ ARE A SPIRITED LOT AND THEIR DEVOTI0ON IN on the sn and horses. In ocntarts, the Lunas worksipoh the earht and hence anre farmers. His eldrs brothers are free-spirited peoepel imlying they have opted to folwo in the fottsteps of theri Marez ancesors. The exectation then, at least form Maria, is that ANtonio will opt to follow the Lunas ‘way of life and hpefully, beocm a prisst. These epxectatiosn weigh down on Antoni and he has a hard time identifying his idntify. This cultural confict folwos Antonio to school where he is now confrotned with the English languiage. All allong, Antonio only seaks in Spanish but he needs to now leanr English as thsi is the mdoe of ocmunciaiton i his new shcool. It is important that he quickly learn Englsih so that he can freely iteract with the other children at shcool. This goes to show that Antonio is now has to deal with other children form diverse cultural settigns orm his own. While the prospectis o getitng to learn a new language is oblvisoly exciting for Antonio, he is, onetehelkss taken aback when he discoveres that ajoroyt of his classmates do not embrace his own culture as he woudl have anticipated.

Being confronted with a foreign language at school was not the kind of welcome that Antonio had expected, this is best exemplified by the following quote from the novel, “She pointed at me but I did not understand her. Then the other boys and girls laughed and pointed at me. I did not feel so good. Thereafter I kept away from the groups as much as I could and worked alone” (Anaya 58). These events take place on Antonio’s first day in school. The fct that the other children were communicating in fleunt English whiel Antonio could not even utter a isngle word I ENGLSIH was a source of inditimaiton for him. Both the chidlen and the English language prioved to be osurcs of intimidation for Antonio. Antonio cannot comreehnd what they other children are saing, and this makes hi feel even more out of place. However, Antonio can comperehnd the gensurwes and laughs eign made by the other children. It is obviosul that they arem kaign fun of him. The main obstacle for Antonio is that nobodby in his family known English. However, he resovles to parcitce Englsh to aovcoem the cultural barrier facing him .Eventually, his effrts pay off and Antonio soon starts making fridns ta school. Being mocked by the other student due to his illitracy in the Englsih language act as a source of mitivaiton for Antonio. He yearns to learn the newl anguage so that he can listen to and comperehnd their converstatiosn and strange sounds.

Llanguage is vital in the novel, Bless Me, Ultima. It enables Antonio to establish his identity. All laong, Anotio has known no other language aside form Spanish. This is until he strated attending shcooo and was confronted with the English language. In this case, language an in particular, Spanish, becomes a tool for maintainin traiditons. Also, language helsp to bring contarts betwnne the tow worlds that now charatseri Antonio’s life. The Spanish langage is important because is focuses on Antonio’s family and their deep roots in Spanish traiditons. In cotarts, the Englsih language symbolizes the multicultural sting at shool IN TIALLY,. Antonio felt alientated and out of place but thoruhg his detreminaiton to learn Englsih, he find school to be very accommodating.

The use of Spanish also helsp to emhasuies the importance of titles or names. For instance, Antonio is identifie as a Márez. It is an idnciaitron that the ocmunity that they live in ins deeply entrehced in the Spanish culture. This also plays a roel in shapning Antonio’s idenityt for he is souurounded by a Spanich culture.

With time, the Elgnish language beigns to infiltrate the Márez houseld. Initially, no one in the family could comunciate in English but then Antonio started attending school and he also develoeps an interest in the Enhlish langiage. Later in the novel, Anaya informs us that at tiems, one of Antonio’s sister by the name of Theresa wodl speak in ENlgihs, implying that the Enlgish language was lowoing fidnign its way into the houselhodl. This is syopbilc of the universaliy of language whereby certain events in life propt us to embrace other culturersw inclduign language for our co-exietsnce with other peoepl.

It was important that Antnio got expsoed to thse cultural conflcits for theyu are instuemntal in fingisn his own identiofy which has prioven to be elusive so far. It therefore allows Antonio to chat his own path into adulthood, withot worinyg that he might hurt his parents or thsoe clsoe to him.