Discussion Questions for 21 November

Hey all,

These are my discussion questions for the film "A Day Without a Mexican" and the article "Raquachismo: A Chicano Sensibility." These questions will be used on Friday.

A DAY WITHOUT A MEXICAN:

1. What is a farce? How is this film a farce?
2. What are the different views expressed about hiring undocumented/Latino workers? (Think about the Senator, the Farmer, the TV News Manager, and others).
3. What does the Orange Farmer say to the reporter about Mexican field workers in California? Do you agree with this statement?
4. What are the different plays on group names used by non-Latino characters? Why did the filmmakers include this aspect in the film?
5. What is the contrast between the demonstrations at the beginning of the film and those toward the end of the film? Do you think that sort of change would actually occur? Why or why not?
6. What idea does the film ring up about a person’s cultural identity? Do you agree? Why or why not?

RASQUACHISMO: A CHICANO SENSIBILITY

1. What is rasquachismo? (p. 477) How can this ideal help or hurt Chicano empowerment?
2. What examples does Ybarra-Frausto give to differentiate between Medio (Low) Rasquachismo and Muy (High) Rasquachismo? What does this say about the concept of Rasquachismo?
3. What are the three characteristics of Rasquachismo that Ybarra-Frausto points out? (p. 478).
4. How did the described man from “Barrio Loma Linda” personify Rasquachismo? (P. 479).
5. What is the idea of “hacer rendir las cosas”? What are the examples that Ybarra-Frausto gives? (P. 479)
6. What does Ybarra-Frausto claim to be the origins of Rasquachismo? How is this right? How has Rasquachismo changed since its inception?
7. How does the excerpt from the carpa show on page 480 reflect the idea of Rasquachismo?
8. What was the reaction to Rasquachismo by those in the Chicano Movement? In contrast, how did “more traditional” Mexicans react to the term “Chicano”?
9. How did actos both celebrate and break through the idea of Rasquachismo?
10. How do figures 5 & 6 on page 483 reflect the idea of Rasquachismo?

See you all Friday,
Mark Navarro