Aztec Angel Summary

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Chicano literature chronicles the lives and experiences of Mexican Americans in the United States, and is used as a cultural education tool to keep the Chicano heritage alive through text. Although there have been many different Chicano authors, most Chicano literature revolves around themes of culture and Mexican history and issues with identity and cultural discrimination. Many Chicano authors have used writing as a vehicle to express themselves and have a sense of representation that they would not normally be entitled to. In Luis Omar Salinas’ poem Aztec Angel, he uses vivid imagery to paint a picture of what his socio-political complaint is all about. Before delving into Aztec Angel, closer examination of Chicano literature will serve as an excellent primer for understanding how Salinas felt when writing the piece. After a turbulent 1960’s Civil Rights Movement, the Chicano movement has made a significant impact on societal change. At the heart of the movement is a sense of pride in their Chicano heritage and keeping culture alive through writing, helping unite other Mexican Americans identify with the issues needing change. According to an article on the ChicanoMovement.Wikispaces.com, the three main goals of the Chicano Movement were: restoration of land, rights for farm workers, and education reforms. One of the primary goals of the modern Chicanos has been to voice the disparities between their upbringings versus the more privileged Anglo-Saxon experience. Another large focus of the authors in this movement was to inspire members of the Chicano community to be more active in politics, so that they as a group could have a larger voice when addressing the needs of Mexican American community. A la Aztec Angel begins with the speaker saying “I am an Aztec Angel/criminal/of a scholarly society,” asserting the early in the poem that the speaker feels
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