Heroes and Saints (Play Response)

Heroes and Saints In the reading for this week, Cherrie Moraga highlighted a key problem in society that persists some twenty-four years later. It is evident that the people of the county are coping with health risks and disease due to the contaminated water and living conditions that they are forced to live in. Officials silence the women who are courageous enough to stand up for their right. It is hard to make a change when ones freedom of speech is constantly oppressed. Cerizita and Amparo’s experiences are examples of this violation of right. The first scene opens with Amparo talking to a reporter about the mysterious events occurring in McLaughin. Her comadre Gloria is appalled by her speaking out and condemns her while talking to her son Mario (Moraga 96). Amparo experiences first hand the negative effects the drinking water has on her neighborhood and tries to make others more conscious of this in order to put an end. She points out that specific health problems such as cancer, tumor, birth defects, and miscarriages that are connected to the use of pesticides. When she excitedly shows her comadre her achievements, Gloria reacts by throwing her out like a stranger (Moraga 129). This is yet another example of how she is silenced not only by officials but by her best friend. Amparo brings the medias attention to a protest that she organizes in Sacramento and she is violently beaten by the police. After leaving the hospital her response was, “pues, that policia got another thing coming if he think he could take away mi pasión…” (Moraga 135) . This is not the first time where someone tries to break Amparo in attempt to silence her but she pursues to fight for what she believes is right. If this were another individual, she may have just quit, as hundreds of others have. People can only tolerate so much abuse, pain, rejection, and criticism. Officials in the past have silenced activists in these forms. Furthermore, Amparo is even fired from her job for