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Gloria Anzaldúa's essay, "La Conciencia de la Mestiza" is decpetively simple upon first reading it. But her overall point is, if not completely earth-shattering, one that I think needs and deserves more attention. In really upholding all the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, culture, etc. she brings to light that what we both as human beings and feminists really need to do is create a new consciousness. We need to start thinking in a different way. It reminded me a lot of Allen's essay and her theory of ridding ourselves of foreground and background altogether. Although I couldn't really completely grasp Allen's point -it was simply too unfathomable to me-Anzaldúa's essay really spoke to me because she seemed much more grounded in the reality of being a women in this world. Interspersed in her essay are fragments of poetry and poetic imagery as well as hard facts about the life she came from and the one she shares with us other females now.

A relatively small point Anzaldúa makes that seems so simple but one I never really thought about was that if we (as humans, but especially as feminists) allow any kind of discrimmination in the kind of world/culture/conscioussness we're trying to create, that only works to harm us as well. In order to eradicate the wrongs that have harmed females, it isn't enough to eradicate those specifically directed towards females, but it requires a wholesale eradication of all prejudices, discriminations, etc. If we are to have the kinds of consciousness Anzaldúa is calling for-one that breaks down and gets rid of dualities-we must recognize the prejudices that lie deep within ourselves as well.