1. As metioned in the documentary and the previous readings, Corky Gonzalez's epic poem "I am Joaquin" played a key role in galvanizing and coalescing a sense of Chicana/o identity. Please read the entirety of the poem (www.latinamericanstudies.org/latinos/joaquin.htm)
a.) What's your gut reaction to this poem? Does it speak to you and how so? Anything you don't like about it?
b.) Explain what you think it is about the poem that was so potent to Chicano/as in the 1960s that they immediately identified with it and it gave meaning to their experience.
c.) What is the dilemma that it describes that Chicana/os face and what is the answer it exuberantly proposes? Do you have any critiques of the poem?
d.) How does Gonzalez use history in this poem and for what purpose? Explain at least 2 historical moments in the poem.
2. As Gutierrez describes, "El Plan Espiritual de Aztlan" is a manifesto that reflects the core elements of the new Chicana/o identity that developed in the 60s. Read the whole document at www.umich.edu/~mechaum/Aztlan.html.
a.) Write a gut reaction: What do you like about it? What sentiments or specific lines do you like? Anything you don't like about it or that you disagree with?
b.) Identify two or three elements in the text that you think are key in making up this new Chicano identity, elements that you imagine were a source of inspiration for young Chicanas and Chicanos. Cite specific lines as the basis for your answer.
3. Please watch the documentary "Quest for a Homeland" (52 mins.) from the series Chicano: History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement. You can find it on Youtube under the title. Write a gut reaction, it should be at least half a page.