The idea of the "American Dream," is something many of us have heard throughout our life. In the early 20th century Puerto Ricans were given a false sense of hope. They were told that if they came to the mainland of the United States they'd be able to achieve the "American dream” and that things would be better in America. It turns out the "American dream" wasn’t all that achievable like they were told. Politicians want to sell the American dream but they never show the struggling side of it. What was it really like for Puerto Ricans to live in New York trying to achieve the "American dream?"
Puerto Ricans weren't given things easy at all, even when they work hard things were still taken from them. Neither did they have the ideal living spaces nor could they afford for some of public housing. Even if they could afford it, they often got denied. Most of the dense Puerto Rican populations were in the lower east side, Bronx, Brooklyn, Harlem. With that being said, it was very poor and trashed. There would be big amounts of garbage being accumulated because sanitation departments did not care to look after their community. The architecture/landscape in those cities were not up to par because of how poor it was. Due to the lack of attention these cities got and spaces being taken away from them this thus led to the building of casitas. Casitas built in NY are specific to Puerto Rican and are generally located in neighborhoods with extreme poverty(Aponte-Pares). They didn’t have much places in the community that they all as a whole could come together to celebrate who they were. With the conditions of the worsening the Puerto Ricans made it the best they could so they gathered materials from fallen buildings and trash to build little shacks and cottages. These casitas were places where festivities would be held and where they came together as a whole to make memories.
Just by looking at ones living space, you could tell by it of what they may go through. Home is a place that you come back to. It’s an "escape" from what struggles you may face in a day, a place where you can give yourself a break and essentially be who you are. As Aponte-Pares included in his article, “The losses, of course, were not only of buildings and people, but of primary "life spaces," areas people occupied in which their "dreams were made, and their lives unfolded (Friedman and Wolff 1982:326)." This statement emphasizes how when Puerto Rican’s lost their homes, they lost a part of them as well. In Pedro Pietri's poem he talks about how hard Puerto Ricans work while dreaming about being prosperous and living a lavish life. Instead of achieving that lavish dream they all worked to their death. They're being sold a dream that never came true. Instead "they worked ten days a week and were only paid for five”, they were paid so little but worked so hard that they were taken advantage of until they passed. For many Puerto Rican's during the 20th century the American Dream was just something they hoped for but never got to achieve.
Works Cited:
Pedro Pietri Topics: Movements Places: Latin America. (2010, December 22). Puerto Rican Obituary by Pedro Pietri. Retrieved February 5, 2017, from http://monthlyreview.org/2004/06/01/puerto-rican-obituary/
Aponte-Pares, Luis. "What's Yellow and White and Has Land All around It?:Appropriating Place in Puerto Rican Barrios." Web. 5 Feb. 2017. <https://blackboard.albany.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-2596861-dt-content-rid-12395295_1/courses/2173-ALCS-283-9097/aponte-pares_appropriating_place1995%281%29.pdf>.
I really liked how you spoke about casitas as the Puerto Ricans' gathering place. Also, great quote from Aponte Pares. The quote was very powerful and goes perfectly with what you are saying. It is like their living space represented their life and dreams.
ReplyDeleteGood job on the blog post. It was essential that you mentioned Aponte Pares quote which was able to directly correlate to your overall theme. I totally agree that home should be comfortable and is like an escape from the outside world like you said. The fact that Puerto Ricans lived in filthy streets displays the lack of respect America had for them. Good job, I really enjoyed the blog.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog post. It really emphasized and showcased what it was really like for Puerto Rican's to live in America during this time. Considering their situation of getting under paid and denied for homes, do you think living in America was really worth it for them? Why did they decide to stay after such poor treatment? After reading your blog post I really assume that the Puerto Rican community was filled with high hopes and dreams. Truly inspiring. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThis blog was very well written and even informed me of something i did not know about which was the casitas. I like how you informed us on how they put together and why the Puerto Ricans put them together. They really did live the hard life that not many people that aren't from that culture know about. They may have struggled everyday while working for cheap and living in poor conditions but I think it is especially interesting that they built the casitas as somewhere to forget about all their problems and come together. Very nice blog post!
ReplyDeleteI really like how this blog post was written. I like how you started by explaining how the "American Dream" wasn't what Puerto Ricans thought it would be but showed that this didn't stop them from being successful. The garbage offensive and the creation of casitas where key examples of Puerto Rican resistance and perseverance so I'm glad you mentioned those.
ReplyDeleteI like what you talked about the home is an escape, and how you can tell a lot about a person and what they go through by their home. It was well put when you said the home is like a piece of you and when it is taken away, a part of you is taken away as well. Putting the American Dream in perspective was not only eye opening but it was also realistic. Even though some immigrants make it in this country, that doesn't mean that they all do and that's important to realize.
ReplyDeleteGreat job on writing this blog post. You touched upon many of the important aspects of living as a Puerto Rican in New York during the 20th century. I like that you included quotes from both Aponte-Pares as well as Pedro Pietri. Both of the quotes explain how the Puerto Rican people were given less than they deserved as a group because of the classism and racism that they faced during this time period. It was also a great thing that you mentioned that the Puerto Ricans took it upon themselves to build the casitas in their neighborhoods. The casitas became their communal spaces because they weren't given any. So they took what little resources they had and made something for themselves. It shows how resilient the Puerto Rican people are as a whole.
ReplyDeleteThis blog was very well written. I agree with your view on the "American Dream." It is the dream of every American and immigrant that comes to this country, yet few people actually achieve it; especially those who are considered as minorities. What is worse is that many Latino-Americans were never given the same opportunities, resources, support, or even ethical treatment as their white counterparts. This is what I think contributed to Puerto Rican's building casitas. It was a sense of community and support that they were not given by the country they live in.
ReplyDeleteI personally really enjoyed how you started with this post. Pointing out the fact that the American Dream was only achievable by a select few Americans and near impossible for Puerto Ricans. Also, great job at portraying the struggle that Puerto Ricans went through and how they persevered through the Casitas in their areas. It is terrible that Puerto Ricans that worked so hard to achieve that American Dream never could but I hope with today's movements this will be made possible for all people.
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