Zoot Suit, a play written by Luis Valdez, depicts the racially charged trial of the Sleepy Lagoon Case of 1942 in which the courts charged a group of Pachucos with the murder of another Mexican-American. During the 1940s, many Mexican-Americans suffered widespread discrimination as dramatized in Zoot Suit. To combat such discrimination many Chicano youth wore stylized zoot suits, adorned with oversized jackets during fabric shortages as a form of social and political rebellion. Zoot Suiters felt disempowered by their position within society and used their fashion to send out a message and as a means to regain their masculinity. The Pachucos were accused with the murder of a fellow Mexican-American not because of clear evidence or …show more content…
El Pachuco realizes that the 38th Street gang does not look up to standards, “look at your gang, they do look like mobsters” (Valdez). El Pachuco is clearly indignant towards the way in which the court mistreats the Zoot Suiters as seen by the way he stands angrily behind the gang and recognizes the intolerance of the court and judge. Restricting the Zoot Suitors from adjusting their appearances puts them at a disadvantage; instead of looking upright individuals, they are dirty urbanites. Similarly, El Pachuco intervenes again when the court asks that the suspects rise when their names were called in court. Both El Pachuco and the people’s lawyer are infuriated by this proposal. Subjecting them to this treatment is not only self-incriminating, but also groups the Zoot Suiters together and stereotypes them, rather than allowing each of them their own unique identity. When this is proposed El Pachuco says, “ready for the verdict now ese?” and begins to play the piano as the suspects stand and seat themselves. El Pachuco is sarcastic and attempts to make a mockery of the courtroom, having the Zoot Suiters discriminated against and degraded (Valdez). El Pachuco's actions during this moment creates a farce out of the courtroom and highlights yet another way in which the Zoot Suiters were poorly treated. Although the Sleepy Lagoon Case was
It was during these riots that Santana’s parents Pedro and Esperanza were attacked. After being beaten, Pedro was arrested by local police for being a Zoot Suitor.
Boxer is a fictional horse in George Orwell’s Animal Farm, which is a satire of the Russian Revolution. Many characters allude to different groups or important people from this era, and this applies to Boxer as well. Boxer is a representation of the working class because of his qualities, personality, his role in the novel and his motto. Orwell expresses much criticism towards the character of Boxer because he lets Napoleon think for him.
The Zoot Suit represents a changing society that the general population isn't ready to accept it so they blame the crimes and the murders on those who dare to vary from "normal." This is going on during World War II and many of the Mexican Americans feel like they have no place fighting the war and that the real war is the war between soldiers with their tight button up collars and the hang loose Zoot Suiters who are mostly Mexican American.
They are Mexican-American. Their equality rights do not accept in America society. They and their family always spend the life by examining of American government. Henry Reyna, El Pachuco, the Navy during the World War II. He is the young Mexican-American generation. He lives in the South Central Los Angeles, California. They are a mythical figure, a rebellious, street-smart, young Chicano. They make up their hair style. He dresses a long jacket, a baggy trousers, and a lengthy watch chain. He and his people dance with their girlfriends. They wear the zoot suit, the big pride of Mexican-American about the Mexican male, they make the belief to the rebellious generation for the equality rights struggling. Henry and his gang are the antagonist characters to serve the holistic of the world. He kills the murder, help the media, and fed their headline by the police (Scene 1, Act 5, page). Luis Valdez success to create the danger of the character, El Pachuco is in to Henry and the opposite. The riots break out in the streets. the zoot suiters are targeted, the suspects stripped by sailors and marines based on the racism, the discrimination profile. The author is successful to describe the press, the media communication. The laws use the name to disguise discriminate. They create the dangerous situation for their ruse. Their
The first play that we are looking at, Fences ,and Zoot Suit plays, I’ve chosen is multiculturalism. This is not the biggest part of the view in of these plays, the specific theme of the ethnic groups by El Pachuco in the Zoot Suit and the conflict of generations
Then Locallo has to deal with the politics involved. Caruso Sr. is an apparent mobster, and he raises hell in the courtroom because he believes that the eighteen-year term that his son received is too harsh considering that the other two men involved will probably get probation. Caruso tries to make a point that the media and politics forced Locallo into a corner, but Locallo reminds him that his son “planned the attack, led the attack, and …finished the attack,” (Bogira p. 315). The prejudice issue was risen when the Supreme Court insured that the jury would be color-blind, but due to the many issues that surround the reasons for few black jurors (voir dire), only two black women made the jury and no black males. Last the issue of compassion, which allows first-time offenders to receive a lesser sentence. Locallo sentenced Caruso’s co-defendants to probation because the evidence against them wasn’t really there compared to Caruso Jr. himself. As far as Caruso’s sentencing, Judge Locallo decided to give him eight years, because with the other two men only getting probation he didn’t want to look inconsistent by giving Caruso a very stiff sentence.
Zoot suits, associated with the Mexican race, consisted of a long jacket that reached almost to the knees, pants with a “tight stuff cuff”, a “wide, flat hat, and Dutch-toe shoes” (Berger 193). These zoot suits were worn by the Mexican youth who were accused of murder on August 2, 1942. People claimed that Jose Diaz was murdered by a gang that had broken up a party at Sleepy Lagoon ranch located close to Los Angeles. However, even though the lower court did convict them of murder, two years later the district court of appeals took that decision back by stating that there was not enough good evidence and that most of that decision was made based on prejudice issues. This incident became known as the “Sleepy Lagoon Affair” and was made
Racial tensions began heightening in the city of Los Angeles on June of 1943. It’s what came to be known as the Zoot Suit Riots. Racial tension between Mexican Americans who were called both pachucos and zoot suiters. They were known for their fashion which had a symbolic meaning towards them, it was a way in expressing themselves which white sailors and servicemen disliked. They saw Mexican Americans as thugs, gang members, and delinquents. White servicemen and sailors were unfamiliar with hispanics, but it was so easy for them to discriminate by appearance. Several Mexican Americans served in white units. Tension was rising between them, especially when marines and sailors assaulted both Mexican and African Americans in their own neighborhood. Also, for a false rumor towards Mexican Americans which stated that they had attacked and stabbed a sailor. Both races were being discriminated and were treated unjustly. The day came on June 3, 1943 where these conflicts led to the Zoot Suit Riots. This incident of violence lasted a whole week. Zoot suiters were beaten and arrested for no reason at all. The issues that led to the Zoot Suits in 1943 was Jose Diaz, the Sleepy Lagoon Case, and racial attacks between whites and people of color. This filled the atmosphere with a lot of hatred and discrimination that had erupted in the summer of 1943. The riot led to a compromise of all military personnel being banned from the city limits with in Los Angeles
Juror 4 is able to remain calm and composed throughout the most stressful of situations. While Juror 10 exhibits racial outbursts; “They get drunk”, “That's the way they are!”, “VIOLENT!”, “These people are dangerous. They're wild. Listen to me. Listen.” Juror 4 sat through this entire scene without saying a word. It is only until Juror 10’s monologue is finished that Juror 4 speaks, calmly asking Juror 10 to “Shut [his] filthy mouth.” Juror 4 never discredits or implies anything towards the defendant and is always careful of what he says. After Juror 10’s tirade, Juror 4 tries to soften the impact created by 10; “Slums are potential breeding grounds for criminals.” He never attacks or hypes the situation at hand. He draws around ‘potential’ possibilities. Juror 4 initially had his doubts at the start of the case but was the only character that overcame his predisposition based on the analysis of facts and evidence. Rose’s character and only this character had the intelligence, confidence and persistence to keep his head in the tense moment Juror 10 created.
The conflict of the Haisla people's spirituality and modern "white washing" of their culture has a major influence on Eden Robinson's novel Monkey Beach. The protagonist Lisa struggles to understand her spirituality and her family often dismisses any hint of spirituality. Lisa finds herself connected to nature but is does not fully understand why, leaving her to contemplate there meaning or existence by herself. Robinson’s use of allusion and imagery illuminate many key themes and implicit meanings throughout the passage.
Despite the war efforts by many Mexican Americans in both fronts of the war, brutal discrimination was still rampant even in the very neighborhoods (barrios) that they called home. The Sleepy Lagoon Case, dubbed as such by the LA press, was an example of racial tension brought to light. In the heat of August 1942 gang member Jose Diaz was found unconscious near a swimming hole named the Sleepy Lagoon where many young Latinos and gang members would go to swim as they were not permitted to frequent Anglo only natatoriums. Diaz who never regained consciousness had apparently suffered a skull fracture, but no murder weapon or proof of murder was ever found. In the face of these facts, authorities blamed twenty-four youths, only one of which was Anglo. Citing Mexican American 'lawlessness and mischievousness ' as proof enough that they were to be at fault. The notoriously corrupt Los Angeles Police Department charged the twenty-four who were involved in a gang clash earlier in the day with murder. It was no secret that Judge Charles Fricke was blatantly racist and he repeatedly allowed prosecutors to stereotype the defendants. He also refused to allow the defendants change of clothes or haircuts so as to have them resemble in the courtroom how he viewed Mexican Americans: as criminals and hooligans, because of the belief 'only hoodlums wore zoot suits '. In January 1943, the jury without any solid evidence found
Michael Ondaatje's In the Skin of a Lion narrates the forgotten stories of those who contributed to the building of the city Toronto, particularly immigrants and marginal individuals. In the very first page of the novel, Ondaatje stresses the concern with personal narratives and the act of storytelling: "This is the story a young girl gathers in a car during the early hours of the morning [...] She listens to the man as he picks up and brings together various corners of the story..." (4). Similar to Crossing the River, there is a framework story, that of a man telling a story to a girl, that opens and ends the novel and gives coherence to
Could civilization live a normal and stable life, without any rules and orders to obey? Could you picture, New York City, with no laws to follow and everyone doing as they please? Just imagine the disasters that we will experience. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, we see how each individual character reacts differently to the exposure of complete freedom from an organized society. Also, awe see how this separation from a structural society causes chaos among all these different characters.
This paper reviews and analyzes three main issues with the first one being leadership. Other sub-issues involve lack of vision, coercive leadership style, using taxpayer’s money for personal benefit and irresponsible top management. The organizational structure, mixed communication, and no clear indication to who to report to is the second. The third
How can denying two people of the same sex the right to have a marriage be considered constitutional? Why is our country taking away rights of people because they want to be with someone of the same gender? Gay and lesbian couples have been denied their right to marry for some time now. Same-sex couples should be allowed to express and celebrate their commitment to a partner the same way a heterosexual couple does, as well as obtain the same benefits. Our country is not a Theocracy, we have separation of church and state, therefore the government cannot press biblical or church will on citizens. The church has defined marriage as between a man and a woman and this is fine as long as the government keeps a non-religious standpoint. Many