The Myth Of The Latin Wom I Just Met A Girl Named Maria Essay

In â€Å"The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria,† the incidents on the bus, in the hotel, and at the poetry involved prejudice and stereotypical misconceptions of Puerto Rican women. While Cofer was on a bus trip to Oxford University, a man â€Å"broke into an Irish tenor’s rendition of â€Å"Maria† from West Side Story† (Cofer 103). This implies that Latinas dealt with people who automatically assume that a Latina’s name is â€Å"Maria† or â€Å"Evita† based on a fictional movie. While at a hotel with a colleague, a middle-aged man called Cofer an â€Å"Evita† and he â€Å"began shout-sing a ditty to the tune of â€Å"La Bamba†---except the lyrics were about a girl named Maria† (Cofer 107). Then Cofer realized that â€Å"[she] was just an Evita or a Maria: merely a character in his cartoon-populated universe† (107). The men that sung stereotypical songs viewed Cofer as a sexual object an d referred to her as an image displayed by the media. During the poetry reading, a woman motioned Cofer to a table and thought â€Å"that [Cofer] was a waitress† (Cofer 108). Cofer was carrying a notebook, yet the woman assumed Cofer was a waitress because she is a Latina. This demonstrated that people assumed that Latinas have the role of a housemaid, similar to the stereotype of Mammy from Gone with the Wind. If Cofer was a different race, she would not experience these incidents. The media’s poor portrayal of Latinas negatively affect how they are viewed in the real-world, especially when they hold suchShow MoreRelatedThe Myth Of The Latin Wom I Just Met A Girl Named Maria868 Words   |  4 Pagessociety. â€Å"The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria† is a short essay in which the award winning poet and professor of English, Judith Ortiz Cofer, wishes to inform and persuade the audience that labels and stereotypes can be humiliating and hurtful. The author targets the general public, anyone that doesn’t understand that putting someone in a box because of a stereotype is wrong. Cofer starts out the essay by telling the reader a story with a drunk man who re-enacted â€Å"Maria† from theRead MoreThe Myth Of The Latin Wom I Just Met A Girl Named Maria Essay1757 Words   |  8 PagesThe articles â€Å"The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria† written by Juthish Oriz Cofer and â€Å"White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack† by Peggy McIntosh are two essays covering the topic of race and gender. With a focus on privilege and race, one may assume that these two articles say the same thing, while in reality that is not true. As McIntosh and Cofer come from two different backgrounds and social standing, the authors offer two very unique views on the subject matterRead MoreThe Myth Of The Latin Wom I Just Met A Girl Named Maria820 Words   |  4 PagesThe essay â€Å"The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Ma ria† by Judith Ortiz Cofer is about deprivation that Latin women go through everyday due to stereotypes that society make up. Stereotypes play a big role in the way that individuals are identified by society. Cofer describes her personal experiences of being a Latin woman, and her struggles that she has to face because of the stereotypes. Cofer tells us of some incidences that happened throughout her life. Like going to London forRead MoreComparing Mairs And The Myth Of A Latin Wom I Just Met A Girl Named Maria1328 Words   |  6 PagesWe tend to identify them based on their appearance, rather than who or how they are as people. We are often unaware of the impacts our labels have on these people. In the essay â€Å" On being a cripple† by Nancy Mairs and â€Å" The Myth of a Latin woman : I Just Met a Girl Named Maria† by Judith Ortiz Cofer, the writers have successfully portrayed the feelings that arise in people’s mind based on the way they are identif ied. In both the essays, the writers tell us how they have been incorrectly labeled and