Lisette Soto

May 01,2015
Spa 435
Prof. Tavrez
Final Essay
The midterm was a great way to recap on what were the main points of the book. I
believe that this strategy is a great way to remember key points from a book that has too much
interesting information. At the beginning the questions for the mid-term seemed very hard to
elaborate. Once I read my notes it all made sense. I was able to fill in all the questions because it
was exactly what I had learned in class. After I took the midterm, I am able to recap what was
learned in class with ease. This strategy for midterm is an effective way to learn what is read
from a book.
The books read in class were very interesting, in fact I learned a lot from both. The book
Harvest of Empire by Juan Gonzalez talks about what is the main thesis of "Harvest of Empire
which is that U.S. economic and political domination over Latin America has always been and
continues to be the under laying reason for the massive Latino Presence here in the United
States"(Harvest of Empire p XVII). This book was very interesting because it talked about the
Latino presence and all of the things they undergo living here in the United States. For example,
Laws, discrimination, and many more obstacles. Even though Latinos are of huge domination
here in the U. S. they still undergo through many obstacles.
The Book Varieties of Spanish in the United States by John M. Lipski he talks about the
historical roots of Spanish in the United States. The Spanish language that was brought to the
U.S. was a broken Spanish. This was because of the Southern Spaniards they were the ones who
conquered America in 1492. These soldiers were given a Spanish language with Arabic

influence. The US was cut and turned into a second class language with the annexation of
Florida. Also a contribution to this was with the embargo of Cuba, that their Spanish language
has remain intact in Cuba for so many years. Also, the takeover of Puerto Rico from the US
through the Mexican American War. Our Spanish still fits in through immigration from Mexico
and central America due to the cause of the wars, the embargo, and the takeover of Puerto Rico.
Many people had to migrate to the US from these countries who all speak different broken
Spanish. Therefore, Spanish is now richer in numbers and in some quality.
This Class was really helpful in learning about Latin America Culture, and also my heritage,
language and where it comes from. Before taking this class I had no clue about how the Spanish
language was developed and taken to different countries. Also I had no clue why there were
many types of Spanish spoken throughout Latin America. I truly believe that your teaching
technique is very effective. The way you approach the subject and explained in detail after the
reading made us understand the subject matter in such an effective ways. The way you engage in
teaching and have the entire class engaged in what you are teaching, makes you an excellent
Professor. "No s si me entienda?"