It's Not an Oxymoron

Sometimes the way we see certain things may not be the correct or true. This is what author Susan Darraj is trying to explain to her readers. Darraj is of Middle Eastern decent. When we hear Middle East, we immediately make a connection with camels, and belly dancers. That is exactly what Darraj says in the writing. Hollywood has depicted Middle Eastern as individuals with accents, women with veils, and women staying home doing house work. Further into the writing she begins to compare customs of white Western people and Arabs. First, when naming their sons after the father, it would proceed with a "Jr." or "the second." For Arabs, the sons would be named after their grandfather. When getting married, it is a custom of Western males to ask the brides father for permission to marry their daughter. The Western people say that they find it very romantic. It is the same customs for the Arabs, but their reaction is the complete opposite. I find that very confusing because of the similarity in the tradition. I do not think it is right for a person to judge another culture's custom if they are not accustomed to it. I believe it show how gullible people are these days.

Dutiful Hijas: Dependency, Power, Guilt

The Spanish word "Hijas" is translated to daughter in English. In this text, Erica Martinez describes the role of women, daughters to be specific, in the Spanish culture. When mothers were to have daughters, Martinez explained it as having a second life insurance. Basically, daughters were suppose to be there for their mothers and care for them around the clock. It seems like it was their job to do that. In the text she gave a scenario if the mother were to have a son. That son would be obligated to go to school, but the mother would start saving up cash for their well being. Since Martinez's mother has separated with her husband after a long marriage, and she has medical issues, Martinez and her sister took it upon themselves to care for her. It is only right for them to take care of her, but it is really a duty if they are okay with the amount of care the mother will need? I believe it would become a duty if they were forced to. But then again, it is all part of traditions. The mother will always seek the help of their daughters.