Poetry Analysis
Poetry Analysis Essay
“Poema para los Californios Muertos”
Lorna Dee Cervantes' poem, “Poema para los Californios Muertos” (“Poem for the Dead Californios”), is a commentary on what happened to the original inhabitants of California when California was still Mexico, and an address to the speaker's dead ancestors. Utilizing a unique dynamic, consistently alternating between Spanish and English, Cervantes accurately represents the fear, hatred, and humility experienced by the “Californios” through rhythm, arrangement, tone, and most importantly, through use of language.
Many times readers do not grasp a strong sense of the meaning or provocation of a poem simply through its title. However, the title “Poema para los Californios Muertos”, translated to “Poem from the dead Californios”, enables readers to immediately understand that this poem addresses the injustice experienced by California’s original inhabitants at the hands of the Americans who invaded it and claimed it as their own.
This particular poem consists of four parts and two main areas of focus. One is the speaker's interpretation of present-day California, which she expounds upon in the first and forth parts, and her present thought process occurring in the second and third parts, in which she addresses her ancestors and her own pain. Though each part holds its own significance and brings its own unique element to the poem, they are correlated heavily by the tone of aggression and rage portrayed by the reader.
In the first part of the poem, in which the speaker is addressing the state of this modern California and the hatred she feels for the people who have created it, Cervantes uses several words such as “cuts”, “cesarean”, “fertile”, “bastard”, and “raped” to portray a feeling of a corrupted innocence. California represents this child that has been stolen from “los madres” (the mothers) and the “husbands de la tierra, tierra la madre” (husbands of mother earth). It is not the land's fault
“Poema para los Californios Muertos”
Lorna Dee Cervantes' poem, “Poema para los Californios Muertos” (“Poem for the Dead Californios”), is a commentary on what happened to the original inhabitants of California when California was still Mexico, and an address to the speaker's dead ancestors. Utilizing a unique dynamic, consistently alternating between Spanish and English, Cervantes accurately represents the fear, hatred, and humility experienced by the “Californios” through rhythm, arrangement, tone, and most importantly, through use of language.
Many times readers do not grasp a strong sense of the meaning or provocation of a poem simply through its title. However, the title “Poema para los Californios Muertos”, translated to “Poem from the dead Californios”, enables readers to immediately understand that this poem addresses the injustice experienced by California’s original inhabitants at the hands of the Americans who invaded it and claimed it as their own.
This particular poem consists of four parts and two main areas of focus. One is the speaker's interpretation of present-day California, which she expounds upon in the first and forth parts, and her present thought process occurring in the second and third parts, in which she addresses her ancestors and her own pain. Though each part holds its own significance and brings its own unique element to the poem, they are correlated heavily by the tone of aggression and rage portrayed by the reader.
In the first part of the poem, in which the speaker is addressing the state of this modern California and the hatred she feels for the people who have created it, Cervantes uses several words such as “cuts”, “cesarean”, “fertile”, “bastard”, and “raped” to portray a feeling of a corrupted innocence. California represents this child that has been stolen from “los madres” (the mothers) and the “husbands de la tierra, tierra la madre” (husbands of mother earth). It is not the land's fault