Debra Blake's Chicana Sexuality and Gender

In Chapter 1, Blake not only introduces the cultural symbols as the builders that constructed the “women of discord”, but also considers the revising of Chicana perspective through a more reliable source. Blake states, “Like the women of discord, their narratives herald a new era of women of color power that has altered the historical record and recovered lost memories of resilient female symbols.” (16) Blake’s argument in this chapter originates from the misrepresentation of Mexican cultural symbols leading to the disorder of the present Chicana and U.S. Mexicana experience. Throughout history it is easy to see narratives of the past used as persuasion for the interest of dominant powers, but it could also be used as a tool for non-dominant people to construct overpowering beliefs. Mexican figures such as, La Virgen de Guadalupe and La Llorona can be portrayed highly and admired to envision their own spirit or the very thing they must resist. I choose this quote because I believe it best introduces the foundation of her main arguments in this section. The ideology behind the women of discord is not only strictly judged, but also a powerful tool that can be portrayed through different avenues. These displays can provide visualizations of the struggles not only faced by Chicana women but by all women, and how other displays of their history does not satisfy when its written by the other dominant group who want to keep women down.