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Show THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH HONORS COLLEGE WRITING HOME: LANGUAGE AS A VEHICLE FOR LATINA/O IDENTITY FORMATION Jasmine Fierro (William A. Hoffmann) Department of English University of Utah Latinas/os living in the United States experience a cultural split between their native culture and the American culture that blocks the creation of a whole Self. Each culture stakes a claim in their identity even if it tears them in opposing directions. In the United States, m a n y Latinas/ os assimilate to survive, convinced that therein lies the path to success, yet something crucial is lost w h e n they lose their native language or culture, namely their innermost identity. It is only by reclaiming their native language or cultural identity that they can access to a full extent their past by reading and studying the words of their ancestors as well as obtain the faculty of expression necessary to speak and write about their o w n experiences as a m e m ber of this community. The knowledge gained through this process of learning and producing is paramount to identity formation, which consists of finding a h o m e or space for the creation of whole or hybrid self. Through an analysis of memoir and personal testimony, this study will be an examination of the process of (re)discovering and (re)creating identity in bilingual or bicultural communities as represented in U.S. Latina/o literature. William A. Hoffmann 209 |
