BIBLIOGRAPHY
Mora, Pat. 2000. MY
OWN TRUE NAME: NEW AND SELECTED POEMS FOR YOUNG ADULTS, 1984-1999. Houston:
Arte Publico Press. ISBN 1558852921
PLOT SUMMARY
Pat Mora presents readers with a collection detailing the
Mexican-American experience and identity.
Sixty-two poems offer insight into the challenges Hispanics face living
in two worlds, the struggles immigrants encounter while learning the English
language, and the effects of discrimination.
The author also includes an
introductory letter to young readers and future writers asking them to find
their voice and share their stories with the rest of the world.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Mora's collection of free verse poems offer readers a
glimpse into the thoughts, feelings, and ideas many Hispanics and
Mexican-Americans experience while living in the United States. Spanish words appear occasionally throughout
the poems, accompanied with footnotes translating these terms in English. Poems such as "Mango Juice,"
"Poinsettia," and "Village Therapy" describe in exquisite
detail the traditions and experiences of Latino people. Imagery used in the poem "Mango
Juice" allows readers to experience the warmth and happiness of a family
birthday celebration. Readers can't help
but smile as Mora describes the sticky mango juice sliding down one's arm, the
laughter of watching blind-folded friends hitting pinatas, and the colorful confetti that erupts from cracking cascarones over each other's heads. "Poinsettia" describes the long and
arduous journey of "A brown-eyed boy/with no Christmas gift for the Virgin,"
a reference to La Virgen de Guadalupe,
the patron saint of Mexico. In the poem
"Village Therapy," Mora describes the quiet life of a
Mexican-American grandmother as she weeds the land: "Baby chicks-pollitos- who peck the dirt floor/at her
feet, peck the rice and corn she hides...She washes the dishes, she waters her
plants,/ she cooks beans as she pats
tortillas." These authentic
details describing various aspects of Latino life help to strengthen Hispanic
students' own sense of identity as they relate to their own experiences.
While the issue of finding one's identity is common in
adolescence, Mora expands on this by bringing the struggle of cultural identity
to light for young readers. In the poem
"Two Worlds," the speaker comments about trying to fit into both American
and Mexican worlds, but being judged by both groups as an outsider. "Viewed by anglos, as perhaps
exotic,/perhaps inferior, definitely different,/ viewed by Mexicans as
alien...an American to Mexicans/a Mexican to Americans/a handy token/sliding
back and forth/between the fringes of both worlds." The challenges of finding one's identity
while trying to stay connected to the homeland's traditions and language are
further emphasized in the poem "Family Ties." The speaker describes the noticeable differences
between her abuelita and
herself. While she enjoys shopping for
designer jeans, frilly blouses, and barrettes at the local mall, her
grandmother prefers buying onions, chiles, and beans from the local grocery
store. When she shows her grandmother
the good grades on her report card and recites the Pledge of Allegiance, the
grandmother can't help but stay silent and smile. These poems, along with several others,
present to young readers the difficult experience of living in two worlds while
trying to relate to older generations whose traditions are different from those
in this new country.
The cultural markers of language patterns and dialect also
have a significant impact in many of Mora's poems. In two very powerful poems, Mora presents to
readers the complex and painful experience immigrants face when learning the
English language. The poem
"Elena" is written from the perspective of a forty-year-old mother
trying to learn English from her children, who are attending American high
schools. Elena describes "I stand
alone by the stove and feel dumb, alone./I bought a book to learn English./
Embarrassed at mispronouncing words,/embarrassed at the laughter of my
children,/the grocer, the mailman."
This viewpoint expresses one many immigrants experience- the challenge of
learning English as quickly as possible to overcome language barriers while
living in America. Elena quietly, but
powerfully ends her poem by stating "If I stop trying, I will be deaf/when
my children need my help." Thus,
Elena realizes English is becoming a more dominant part of her children's lives
and to stay relevant in theirs, she must learn to keep up with them through this
new language. In "Learning English:
Chorus in Many Voices," verses expressing the thoughts and fears of
immigrants trying to master the English language have a profound impact on all readers,
young and old. Thoughts such as
"here no job/no friends but still I see/strong woman goes to school does
not care/that people laugh when she speaks" and "english my big
problem i believe/i talk choppy/but want opportunity" capture the
difficulties many immigrants face while trying to learn English as quickly as
possible to better their lives. Children
undergoing similar experiences will find their voices within the poem's lines
while other readers may finally become aware of the complexities of the immigrant
experience.
Finally, the issue of discrimination is brought to the
forefront for young readers to witness.
Poems such as "1910" describe a white store owner's visit to a
Five-and-Dime. Suspicious of the
Mexican-Americans standing outside the store, she states "You Mexicans
can't hide/things from me.../Thieves.
All thieves./Let me see those hands." Sadly, discrimination echoes in another poem
titled "Sugar," which describes an immigrant family's experience
while working in Iowa fields. The young
girl, Tonya, describes a white woman giving her suspicious looks and saying to
a friend "Dirty wetbacks/ Look at them.
Do you think they ever/bathe? The
women just baby breeders. I hear/fifty of them live in one of those
shacks." Tonya's immediate reaction
is to scream at the woman, but instead, she internally vocalizes her anger,
"I belong here! I belong here!"
Mora realistically paints a portrait that many migrant families
encounter as they try to build a better life here in America. It is the hope that such poems reveal to all
readers the difficulties many Latinos face while trying to live in two very
different worlds.
REVIEWS
AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN: "Pat Mora’s new collection
of nonrhyming poetry calls on young adults to embrace their identity with
passion … Again and again, she compares generations and speaks of
differences, of changes. Mora’s goal is to provide confidence for her young readers
and to encourage a path of passion and interest without misrepresenting the
difficulties they might encounter.”
BOOKLIST: "Interlaced with Mexican phrases and cultural
symbols, these powerful selections, representing more than 15 years of work,
address bicultural life and the meaning of family...The rich, symbolic imagery,
raw emotion, and honesty will appeal to mature teens, and young writers will
find inspiration in the warm introduction addressed to ‘Dear Fellow Writer,’
and its challenge to ‘Listen to your inside self, your private
voice … explore the wonder of being alive.’"
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Mora...has chosen poems with
themes that are accessible to, yet challenging for teens, a few of which appear
in both English and Spanish. Occasional footnotes explain historical references
or Spanish phrases. The introduction encourages young writers, as do the poems
themselves. This anthology speaks to a young adult audience, and it should find
many readers."
CONNECTIONS
* Have students read other books by Pat Mora
Mora, Pat. DIZZY IN
YOUR EYES: POEMS ABOUT LOVE. ISBN 0375945652
Mora, Pat. CONFETTI:
POEMS FOR CHILDREN. ISBN 1880000857
* Have students listen to Pat Mora's interview describing
her book MY OWN TRUE NAME came to be as well as her writing experience. The interview may be found at the Annenberg
Foundation website located at http://www.learner.org/workshops/hslit/session1/aw/work1.html#t2
Afterwards have students write and present their own poems
in response to the works in Mora's book.
(Idea found at http://www.learner.org/workshops/hslit/session1/lessonplan1.html
)
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