Luis Valdez Los Vendidos - Essay Example

He gained a lot of experience by carrying out performances in the fields and in the local community centers. Most of Valdez plays were short satires to inspire his audiences and create awareness among the workers and his audiences about social problems that plagued them. The play expressed the feelings and sentiments of the workers and hinted at probable solutions that could be used to solve the problems and lead much better lives. “Los Vendidos” is one such play that attracted critical acclaim for voicing the opinions of the oppressed farm workers.

This play had everything to do with stereotypes of the Anglo culture portraying the Chicano experience, because it not only depicted the atrocities meted out to the downtrodden Chicano workers but helped them to identify themselves with its characters. The stereotypes reflected in Valdez’s play “Los Vendidos” included the farm workers, the Urban tough guys, revolutionary characters and the “new” Mexican American yuppie. Unlike the regular stereotypes where people identify themselves with the same characters played in the cast or according to the prevalent popular culture in which they live “Los Vendidos” serves to oppose such tendencies by using new techniques of reflecting such stereotypes.

In this play, Valdez depicts stereotypes as being artificial or something that has been culturally produced. The playwright makes use of the play to address the idiocy of stereotypes that reflect the problems of the Chicano people that involve the falsities that are regularly accepted by the society in America. The primary ideology behind the “actos” was to encourage its audience to take ‘social action and satirize the opposition (Valdez 12) the play also serves to point out the discrimination faced by the Chicano people in their daily lives by highlighting the blemishes and wrongdoings of the Americans.

These stereotypes are exaggerated beyond proportion to lay strong emphasis on the importance of acknowledging them in society because they are looked upon as being ‘second class citizens by the Americans who discount them from social circles. ‘Los Vendidos’ by Valdez is one wherein the playwright has sought to highlight the stereotypes related to the Latino people living in America. The rejection of the secretary to each of the offered model Mexican, the farm worker, the urban model, the revolutionary and the America educated academic, reflects the prejudices and lack of understanding among the American population.

The Mexicans are labeled in America and each of the four characters symbolizes the common labels. In doing so, the playwright allows the readers to analyze and understand the prejudices which they may be holding against the race. The Honest Sancho’s ‘Used Mexican Lot’ is the name employed by the dramatist to indulge in word play. It likens the Mexicans to objects. The success of Valdez’ play was also in making the Americans understand the gross ridiculousness of the way they treat the Chicano people.

It helped in reflecting the misconstrued and wrong opioniated views on the stereotypes among the Mexican people through the deliberate attempt by Valdez in his portrayal of each different stereotype to drive home his message. By satirizing the American people, he successfully accomplishes the primary objective of making the Americans to think critically about their actions and treatment of the Mexican people. He attempts to make the American