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- Thu Jun 09, 2016 4:51 pm
#26349
Passage Discussion
This passage discusses Luis Valdez and the formation of contemporary Chicano theater. The Teatro Campesino, the group that initiated the Chicano theater movement, was based on Valdez’s early efforts to develop a form of theater called actos, as well as on previous forms known as carpas, from which the performers drew inspiration.
Paragraph One:
The paragraph is important for understanding the historical context that gave birth to contemporary Chicano theater. We are given a brief background on the unionizing efforts of Cesar Chavez among Mexican farm laborers, and learn about Luis Valdez’s efforts to use theater in an attempt to organize the laborers. The author credits Valdez and his Teatro Campesino as having initiated the Chicano theater movement.
Paragraph Two:
Paragraph 2 describes the emergence of the Teatro Campesino. In 1965, Valdez approached farm workers and had them act out scenes from their daily lives. Eventually, he took these actos (short skits/sketches) from the fields to the stage. The satirical and personal nature of the actos made them relatable to their audience (“they had palpable immediacy”).
Paragraph Three:
In paragraph 3, author Yolanda Broyles-Gonzalez questions historians’ assumption that Valdez was the sole creator of the acto genre. She traces the actos to a similar genre called carpas, from which Valdez’s actors drew inspiration. Essentially, Broyles-Gonzalez argues that the Teatro Campesino was a collective accomplishment. The author agrees with this statement, but adds that Valdez’s contribution was a crucial one.
VIEWSTAMP Analysis:
There are three primary Viewpoints expressed in the passage: Valdez’s (second paragraph), Broyles-Gonzalez’s (third paragraph), and the author’s (end of the passage). A fourth viewpoint (theater historians’) is alluded to in lines 40-45.
The Structure of the passage is as follows:
There are two central Arguments here, and both can be found in the third paragraph of the passage. Yolanda Broyles-Gonzalez argues that Valdez was not individually responsible for inventing actos as a genre, tracing its origins to an older form of theater called carpas. The author concedes that the Teatro Campesino was a collective accomplishment, but argues that Valdez’s contributions were still crucial (lines 54-60).
The Main Point of the passage can be found in lines 54-60: the Teatro Campesino is a collective accomplishment, but Valdez’s contributions are still crucial.
This passage discusses Luis Valdez and the formation of contemporary Chicano theater. The Teatro Campesino, the group that initiated the Chicano theater movement, was based on Valdez’s early efforts to develop a form of theater called actos, as well as on previous forms known as carpas, from which the performers drew inspiration.
Paragraph One:
The paragraph is important for understanding the historical context that gave birth to contemporary Chicano theater. We are given a brief background on the unionizing efforts of Cesar Chavez among Mexican farm laborers, and learn about Luis Valdez’s efforts to use theater in an attempt to organize the laborers. The author credits Valdez and his Teatro Campesino as having initiated the Chicano theater movement.
Paragraph Two:
Paragraph 2 describes the emergence of the Teatro Campesino. In 1965, Valdez approached farm workers and had them act out scenes from their daily lives. Eventually, he took these actos (short skits/sketches) from the fields to the stage. The satirical and personal nature of the actos made them relatable to their audience (“they had palpable immediacy”).
Paragraph Three:
In paragraph 3, author Yolanda Broyles-Gonzalez questions historians’ assumption that Valdez was the sole creator of the acto genre. She traces the actos to a similar genre called carpas, from which Valdez’s actors drew inspiration. Essentially, Broyles-Gonzalez argues that the Teatro Campesino was a collective accomplishment. The author agrees with this statement, but adds that Valdez’s contribution was a crucial one.
VIEWSTAMP Analysis:
There are three primary Viewpoints expressed in the passage: Valdez’s (second paragraph), Broyles-Gonzalez’s (third paragraph), and the author’s (end of the passage). A fourth viewpoint (theater historians’) is alluded to in lines 40-45.
The Structure of the passage is as follows:
- Paragraph 1: Introduce Luis Valdez and situate the birth of contemporary Chicano theater in historical context.
Paragraph 2: Describe the origins of Teatro Campesino and its central genre, the acto.
Paragraph 3: Introduce the views of author Yolanda Broyles-Gonzalez and express the main point of the passage.
There are two central Arguments here, and both can be found in the third paragraph of the passage. Yolanda Broyles-Gonzalez argues that Valdez was not individually responsible for inventing actos as a genre, tracing its origins to an older form of theater called carpas. The author concedes that the Teatro Campesino was a collective accomplishment, but argues that Valdez’s contributions were still crucial (lines 54-60).
The Main Point of the passage can be found in lines 54-60: the Teatro Campesino is a collective accomplishment, but Valdez’s contributions are still crucial.