In response to PROMPT 1

The Vietnam War was one of the bloodiest war our country has ever seen. It has been called the least productive war the U.S. has ever fought because as soon as our troops were pulled out, South Vietnam fell into Communism (the whole purpose we were trying to defeat).


At the time of the war, as we inched closer to defeat, both President Johnson and Nixon took drastic measures that resulted in violations to Americans and Vietnamese alike. Such violations included the draft, the violent acts in Vietnam, the spread of the war to other countries, and most importantly the increasing number of American casualties. Eventually, Americans began to oppose the war and protests irrupted in all over the nation, resulting in violence, as one lady put it, "in our own backyard".



I think once Valdez saw these acts, he related it much to the 1940's. During this decade, two of the most important events in history occurred: World War II and the zoot suit riots. At this time, there was both war outside the country and chaos inside the country, similar to what occurred during the Vietnam War.



During World War II, the nation saw their children being drafted into war, not knowing if they'd come back alive or in a coffin. Families were being torn apart as sons were drafted to serve in the Vietnam War. This also was taking place at the time Valdez wrote "Zoot Suit", like when George was drafted into war.



Valdez could have related the protests to the zoot suit riots because at some point these protests were like "riots". The police began fighting with the people, shooting them, beating them, just trying to get them to cooperate with the war. Their freedom of speech, like the freedom of speech the pachucos used through their suits, wasn't sitting well with the authority so they fought to "fix" it.



Finally, I think through Henry's attempt to serve in the war and Rudy's actual service, Valdez managed to get recognition for the infinite numbers of Latinos serving in the Vietnam War, and the infinite numbers brainwashed/pushed to serve. Through the play, he gets us to acknowledge that Latinos also fought for this nation, even though they were discriminated harshly. Americans treated Latinos like dogs, yet they used their sweat, blood, and tears to win several wars.



I think Luiz Valdez used "Zoot Suit" to express his feelings about the Vietnam War occurring during his time. The opposition of the Vietnam War shows throughout the play as many zoot suiters (El Pachuco, Joey, Smiley, etc.) express their negative sentiments towards the war during their era.



The war simply hit too close to home for Valdez.

Return to the Barrio

This was a great way to end the play. It didn't end tragic, something I did not want to read, but it didn't end "fairy tale happy" either, something I was tired of reading. The play ended just right because it left the reader an end that they could make up for themselves. It allowed me to form my own conclusion. :)

I thought the beginning of the scene was funny. The conversations they were having reminded me about the conversations my family has when they haven't  seen each other for awhile, so the fact I related to them made the conversation more amusing. In response to George's question, menudo is not chicken soup! (Might I add that I hate menudo.)

Once the cast started arguing, I got kind of irritated. So many angry discussions going on was too much for my head. I had to take a pause in order to keep going with the play. I actually believed I was in the argument myself, which is probably one of the techniques Valdez uses on the reader.

At the end, on page 94, Valdez includes "The realization that if HE strikes back or even if HE walks out the door, the family bond is irreparably broken." These are the thoughts that run through HENRY's mind as ENRIQUE has him pinned down. If he hits his father and even defies his authority, he will break the bond that the Reyna family has had for so long and through so much. Therefore, he has to double think his actions. It's essential for us to acknowledge the bond this family has maintained for so long. They've been through so many struggles, yet they've kept their respect for each other. I think family bond is so beautiful and I think Valdez does well in including a supportive family in the play.   

Overall I think Luis Valdez did a great job in wrapping up the play because looking beyond the argument, I loved the end of the play. There is no wonder why this play is a classic!

QUESTION: Luis Valdez let's the conclusion of the play linger on and leaves the reader to come up with their own ending. My ending was that HENRY chose neither DELLA nor ALICE and went on to make a positive life on his own. What was your ending? :)

The Winning of the War

At first, I was confused. I was unaware of the reason why RUDY was being interrogated and why all these dates were being shouted out. I was also confused at the shredding of the newspapers. Towards the end of the scene, though, it all made sense. These were the dates leading up to the end of the war, so it made sense that RUDY, a Marine, would be the one to shout them out. The shredding of the newspapers has more to do with one quote I flagged as significant. "FREEDOM!!! (Music bursts forth as the joyous crowd tosses the shredded newspaper into the air like confetti.)" This quote is both a line and a stage direction found on page 87. While the people yell the infamous word after the appeal has won, they throw the pieces of newspapers like "confetti". If you really analyze this, I think this was Valdez's way of saying "screw the media"! The newspaper, which is a big part of the media, is being thrown around. It doesn't matter what they say anymore. They have won the appeal, the war, and have proved every headline wrong. I think this was the message Valdez was trying to convey. Also, by including that the PEOPLE, not just one person, yell out "FREEDOM", Valdez shows this case has freed every other person that has been "pushed around", like ALICE. :)

QUESTION: What could have caused RUDY's sudden change of heart from dissing the U.S. government to joining the Marines?

Alice

Can all this really be true? Or is Henry hallucinating all this? I can't believe HENRY and ALICE  have a fling! This scene was shocking. I mean, there were hints earlier in the play that HENRY and ALICE  could possibly have something going on, but I never though it would become true. In my point of view, it's foul  play because HENRY has a girlfriend and I'm pretty sure ALICE is well aware of that, yet she still has the nerve to kiss him right after telling HENRY that she couldn't love him the way he wanted her to love him. It could be that ALICE was lying about not being able to love HENRY and that's why she kissed him in the end, or she meant it but kissed him anyway so they could bothe get a feeling of closure, maybe. Still, ALICE gives DELLA's greetings to HENRY right before she leaves, after she has kissed him, which I found to be hypocritical of her since that is HENRY's girlfriend. I ended up reading the whole scene and ignoring the argument, and instead payed more attention to the love connection that was going on.

Though the argument isn't as important to me, the quote that reveals the most about the play is found during the argument ALICE and HENRY have. On page 84, ALICE  tells HENRY,
          "I never been able to accept one person ...pushing me around! Can't you see that's why I'm here? ...I can't stand it happening to you. Because I'm a Jew, goddammit! I have been there! If you lose, I lose."
These are powerful words coming out of ALICE's mouth. After HENRY so annoyingly persists that ALICE tell him why she is helping them, she finally does. She tells him that she's there because she know what it feels like to be pushed around and made less of. She reveals that she is a Jew and she has related to HENRY her whole life. If HENRY's battle is lost, a piece of ALICE will lose too. This quote left me with mix emotions. I was angry at HENRY for misjudging ALICE, but I also felt a deeper connection to ALICE because she has also been discriminated.

QUESTION: Why do you think it took ALICE so long to finally confess to HENRY the reason she was helping them?

Zoot Suit Riots

This scene is one of my favorite scenes due to the fact that EL PACHUCO stands up to THE PRESS in a profound way. He exposes the tactic they use to mask the whole purpose of the zoot suit, which was to make a style of their own in which they could feel good about themselves. EL PACHUCO doesn't come at THE PRESS in a violent way. Instead, he uses a demanding voice that makes me as the reader feel empowered. Because of this, I actually root for EL PACHUCO this once. Although he does get attacked lines later, in my eyes EL PACHUCO wasn't the one that looked like a fool at all. The way he stood up to THE PRESS, MATE, SAILOR, and SWABBIE gave him my respect. Conclusively, as the Aztec conch blows, EL PACHUCO still has his pride and dignity.


The most important lines in this scene are the lines EL PACHUCO recites on page 80 as he speaks to THE PRESS. he says,
              "The Press distorted the very meaning of the word "zoot suit". All it is for you...is another way to say Mexican. But the ideal of the original chuco was to look like a diamond...sharp hip bonaroo finding a style of urban survival...".
I find it important for the reader to know what the zoot suit was really suppose to represent and what America made it seem. The intentions of the zoot suiters weren't to cause chaos and riots, but to find themselves in a nation that was so distorted. These lines finally give us a concrete reason to defend the zoot suiters because we acknowledge that their initial intention with the zoot suits weren't cruel. Instead, they were like every other person trying to identify with themselves. EL PACHUCO does well in justifying himself.


QUESTION: What would have been your initial reaction in this situation: to defend yourself verbally, or violently?

Solitary

This scene is really interesting. It shows Henry battling his demons up front. Unlike many of the confrontations Henry has had with El Pachuco, this one by far is the most intense. Here he even curses at El Pachuco, which in reality he is cursing at himself. I can relate to Henry here, and I think people in general can, because every time one messes up or is frustrated, one has the tendency to beat themselves up about it.

There are times when I love El Pachuco's motivation for "la raza", but here he totally pisses me off. I think he comes off as ignorant because he keeps trying to brainwash Henry into thinking George isn't there to help. The problem with Latinos, Mexicans in particular, has always been our pride. We hate being wrong and hate asking for help, yet we look for help at the last minute still in the most egotistic way. We think no one is there to help and we are left to fend for ourselves. This is what I've noticed in my family and in "Zoot Suit". While El Pachuco is denying the help George and Alice are offering, Henry Reyna knows deep inside he's going to need it. 

One of the most crucial set of stage direction is El Pachuco's snapping of the fingers: (A spot illuminates HENRY's family standing upstage; EL PACHUCO snaps it off.) found in page 77 and (HE snaps his fingers. Lights change. We hear the sounds of the city.) found on page 78. Each stage direction is used differently. The first one is used on Henry to get him to think clearer, instead of daydreaming about his family. The second one is used to change the scene from the hole that Henry is in to the scenery of Los Angeles. This being so, Valdez also uses these directions to suggest the same thing about El Pachuco, which is that he controls both the direction of Henry Reyna and the reader. It shows the great importance El Pachuco plays in "Zoot Suit". Without him, there would be no direction. Aside from being considered gangsters, zoot suiters were also considered leaders because they took a stand and decided to dress differently. El Pachuco, the Zoot-Suiter, is the leader of the play.

QUESTION: How different do you think "Zoot Suit" would have been if Valdez had excluded the character of EL PACHUCO?